Painting with oil paints step by step guide for beginners. How to paint with oil paints? Oil paints for painting

Part 1

Choose paints. You understand, before you paint a picture in oil, you need to purchase oil paints. Of course, the choice of paints these days is more than wide, but you should not buy cheap paints. Yes, you will save money, but cheap paints tend to be of below average quality, which will cost you artistic experience will be... not the most pleasant. Spend more money, but buy one jar of quality paints, not 2-3 cheap ones.

• The simplest and most basic set of oil paints should consist of the following colors: cadmium yellow, yellow ocher, cadmium red, alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue, titanium white, Martian black. By combining these colors, you can create any other color on the palette.
• You will most likely run out of white first, so buy it with a reserve.
• Don't buy "student kits". The price may seem tempting, but the quality of such sets is... so-so. Also, don't buy paint sets that come with brushes - the brushes will most likely be cheap and of poor quality.

1. Stock up on everything else. Beginning artists often succumb to the demon of saving and do not buy what they need. In principle, this is not as bad as it seems, but there are some things without which oil painting will not be such a pleasant and simple experience!

   Prepare your work area. Since you will need a lot of things to draw, almost all at once, you need a lot of space. The easel or table should be placed where no one will disturb you. It is advisable, among other things, to work in a place well lit by natural light. It would also be a good idea to put something like a blanket on the floor so as not to stain the floor with drops of paint.

   • The work area should be well ventilated (oil paint has a strong smell), so at least open the door or window in the room where you will be working.
   • The easel must be adjusted to your height and position. You need to sit in front of him without discomfort and difficulty.
   • Wear things that you don't mind getting stained with paint. Oil paints are practically not removed from fabrics, so either cover your clothes well or wear things that you don’t mind.
   • If you have long hair, then gather them in a ponytail or hide them under a scarf so that they don’t get on the canvas and get dirty with paint. Also remove any rings or bracelets you are wearing.

   Part 2

   Drawing evaluation

   1. Sketch first future painting pencil on canvas. This will help you build a composition, small details, straight lines and so on. Once you have made a sketch, you can easily make changes to it. First - a pencil sketch, and then - painting with paints (of course, if you do not plan to draw something abstractly random). Don't forget about composition and negative space.

      • Composition is the position of objects in a drawing. The composition should be such that the eye is drawn to the whole drawing, and not just some part of it.
      • Negative space, in turn, is the space around the object in the drawing. If, say, you are sketching some real object, then draw difficult places You can do it without any problems if you look not at the object itself, but at the space around it. Think about how you will fill the negative space in the drawing so that the object still stands out and is not lost against the background.
      • Consider intersecting and overlapping shapes, and use them to add depth to your drawing. If the composition is such that nothing intersects anywhere, then it’s time to change the composition. Depth will make your drawing more realistic.

   2. Find a light source. To make the drawing realistic, you cannot do without depicting the darkened and illuminated areas in the picture. Look at the object and think about the angle at which the light falls on it, where the shadow, penumbra and highlight will be located.

      • If there is a light source, then there will be a shadow - a fact. However, if the light comes from above, the shadow may be difficult to notice. Try moving the light source or the subject itself to make the shadowed and lit areas more apparent.
      • Perhaps you will not have a darkness that is darker than twilight and a radiance that is brighter than the dawn. Well, most likely, your shadow and non-shadow will differ in strength by a semitone. If your light source does not provide a clear light-shadow boundary, then do not worry. This is fine.

   3. Choose colors. It can sometimes be very difficult for beginners to match the color of an object with the color of a paint (especially when paints must be mixed to obtain the desired color). This is because the brain "sees" colors in a fairly idealized way - you can start mixing paint to paint blue sky, and then realize that your paint is much brighter and bluer than necessary. How to deal with this? Try to step away from the symbols your brain uses and explore the actual colors you use. This will change the brightness of your colors.

      • An object painted at night will be darker and richer in color. An object photographed during the day will be brighter.
      • Check the color of the light source. On a bright sunny day, your subject should be golden yellow. On a cloudy day, therefore, the light scattered through the clouds will color the object in a grayish color. Light can even be colored - neon lamps are an example of this, and this will also change the color of the object.

   4. Look at the movement of the object. By the way, is your sketched object moving? Or does it move, and how? Maybe it’s not just the object itself that’s moving, but everything around it? Take this movement into account; it will be useful at the planning stage of further brush work. In realistic-looking paintings, brush strokes convey movement (though the opposite is also true).

   Part 3

   Creating a Masterpiece

   Mix the colors. In this sense, oil paints are ready to “forgive” almost any mistakes - they dry very slowly. However, it is worth remembering that mixing two paints into the same color twice is almost impossible. What lesson can be learned from this? That’s right, you need to mix paints “in bulk”, with a reserve, so that you have something to paint the next day.

   • Take advantage color scheme to make it easier to mix colors. Using gamut, you'll see primary, secondary, and tertiary colors and understand how to make them.
   • Pure colors are those that have not been mixed with either white or black. When primary colors are mixed, secondary colors are obtained.
   • Light colors are obtained by adding white to the color.
   • The shadow, accordingly, is obtained by adding black.
   • To tone, add white to the shadow (color + black). Tones are used very widely, they depict most colors from, so to speak, everyday life.

   1. Start drawing. You can draw in any way and technique convenient for you, even by drawing in parts, at least in layers, at least in whatever way. However, since you are working with oil paint, it is worth remembering the great rule: thick on thin. In other words, you first need to paint with diluted, liquid paints, and only then over them with thick ones.

      • Try drawing simple objects. All figures consist of several simple shapes: cube, cone, cylinder and ring. Draw them first as real objects (say a box of oranges) or as flat shapes of themselves.
      • How to make paint less thick? Take turpentine or linseed oil, mix it with paint and, in general, that's all. Add thinning agent in small doses, little by little, to get exactly the consistency you need.
      • It will take three days for the paint layer to dry enough to allow a second coat to be painted on, so take your time and let the paint dry.

   2. Try it different techniques drawing. There are dozens of such techniques, but if you, a beginner, start learning them all, your head will spin very quickly. You'd better choose a couple of techniques and focus on them.

   Part 4

   Final touches

   Correct all errors. You'll have about three days while the paints are still wet, during which time you can both correct mistakes and wipe them off completely with a damp cloth. Please note that there is no need to rush to declare the drawing ready - first you need to critically evaluate it and think about whether something can be improved.

   Save the remaining paint. If you mixed so much paint that you didn't need most of it, save it for next time. Place the paint in small containers and cover them with cling film.

   Clean your brushes. If oil paint dries on your brush, it will be easier to throw away the brush, so don't put off cleaning your brushes for too long. Take turpentine, an old rag and go ahead - scrub the paint and rinse the brush under running water until it flows from the brush and becomes transparent. Then check the bristles with your hand to make sure that all the paint has been washed out. Place your clean brushes in the jar - bristles up, not down! Make sure there is normal air circulation in the room where the brushes are drying. It's best to simply place the jar of brushes in an open place, say on a shelf or table, rather than in a cabinet or desk drawer.

   1. Adviсe
      • Black Ivory takes a very long time to dry - try not to use it for background coverings.
      • Do not use flaxseed oil for dilution light colors- they will quickly turn yellow.
      • To remove oil paints from your hands, use baby oil or olive oil. Apply a little oil to a rag or napkin and wipe your hands with it. Do not wash your hands until you have scrubbed off the paint, otherwise this method will be useless. Oil paint comes off easily if you knock the wedge out with a wedge - another oil. Once you have rubbed the paint off your hands, wash them with soap and water.
      • To prevent your paint palette from drying out, place it in water or put it in the refrigerator.
      • Do not put the palette in water for too long, otherwise it will become oily from the paint.
      • To avoid getting your hands dirty, wear latex gloves.
      • Before use new paint, rinse the brush thoroughly in warm water.
      • To make the image three-dimensional, make strokes around the object. For example, if you are drawing a floor, use horizontal strokes.

      Warnings

      • Avoid contact of paints and solvents with your eyes, and try to avoid contact of these substances with sensitive skin. If paint or solvent gets into your eyes, rinse them with water for at least two minutes. It is advisable to use a special eye wash bowl or something similar for this purpose. As a last resort, take clean glass, pour it there warm water and pour that water directly onto the affected eye. It is necessary to “dilute” and wash out of the eye as soon as possible. chemical substances, if you get into it, don’t spare water for it.
      • The solvent may cause irritation if it comes into contact with the skin, so if this happens, wash the affected area with warm water and soap several times, and if you develop an allergic reaction, consult a doctor.
      • Solvents and oil paints, alas, are flammable substances, and therefore they must be stored in special containers. You cannot store all this in a confined space - the same applies to the rags you used to wipe your hands, and to the paint “cut” from anything flammable.
      • Remember that oil paints and other painting materials (such as solvents) may be considered hazardous materials in your country. Find out where and how to properly dispose of such materials to comply with local laws and regulations.

When we start drawing, we usually start with a pencil, and only then take up paints. Some are for watercolors, while others are straight for oil paints, acrylics, and tempera. If with watercolors and pencil everything is more or less clear (after all, I already gained some experience in drawing lessons at school), then with oil everything is much more complicated. Of course, we see that artists paint in oils, and their paintings last for centuries. But which way to approach oil paints? How to paint in oils?

The first thing you need to find out for yourself is

What and on what to draw

Artists paint on canvas stretched on a stretcher. But for beginners it will be too expensive.

We must keep in mind that oil painting is a rather expensive pleasure (compared to other techniques, of course). Working with oil requires a certain investment of money.

Oil painting on cardboard

In fact, it is correct to say not “how to paint with oils”, but “how to paint with oils”. Artists do not draw, but paint in oils. Let's remember this. So,

How to write in oil on cardboard

Art stores sell ready-made special primed cardboard.

If you want to save money, you can take any cardboard and cover it with soil yourself. The primed cardboard must dry thoroughly. Before painting, wipe the surface of the primer with linseed oil.

Here are two soil recipes for making your own:

1. Glue primer: 10 g gelatin, 100 g zinc white or chalk (a little more than half a glass), 400 ml water (2 glasses). For elasticity, you need to add 4 ml of glycerin or honey. This amount of soil is enough for 2 square meters of canvas or cardboard.
2. Very good soil is obtained using this recipe: 4 chicken eggs stir with 160 ml of water and add 120 g of zinc white (or chalk)

In addition, to get started, you will need flat bristle or synthetic brushes and a wooden palette. A palette made of plywood must be pre-soaked in oil and dried well. Otherwise, it will draw oil from the paints placed on it, causing the latter to thicken.

Oil paints cannot be painted with one brush, like water-soluble paints, such as watercolors. Brushes cannot be washed while working in oil, so you cannot apply light and dark tones to a painting with the same brush. Therefore, first buy synthetic or bristle brushes number 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12. Then, undoubtedly, you will want to have more brushes. For image small parts You will need one or two small brushes with soft hair, for example, kolinsky or squirrel brushes.

Remember to keep your brushes very clean! A dry brush that is not washed in time quickly becomes unusable.

Less necessary, but useful to the painter, are other objects, for example, a palette knife - a special knife used to clean the palette, mix paints, remove excess paint from a painting, etc.

Armed with everything you need, draw. You need to keep in mind that the first layer will probably “roll off” as it were. It's not scary. Just rub the paint in and it will set.

What's so great about oil paint and cardboard? You can draw on the same piece of cardboard as much as you want!

You are drawing something. Didn't you like how it turned out? Wait for it to dry and paint on top of what you drew!

beauty

Oil paint has a dense structure, so, unlike watercolor, previous layers will not show through. After finishing the drawing, you won’t be able to guess whether there is something else under the finished drawing or not. This property of oil paint is very useful, especially in the initial stages.

I think it has become clearer to you how to paint with oil on cardboard. There is nothing complicated. Pure pleasure!

Well, when it’s time to switch to canvas, of course, it’s up to you to decide.

Maybe you decide to paint on canvas right away?

P.S.: By the way. In art stores there is an option to buy canvas not on a stretcher, but on cardboard. This is a cross between a stretcher and cardboard - not as expensive as canvas on a stretcher, but not just cardboard. You can also consider this option.

Oil painting is a magnificent, wonderful technique.

I wish you creative success!

How to paint with oils, video

Oil paints were preferred by such great masters as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Boucher... You can learn to paint with oil paints too! How to paint with oil paints? First you need to purchase everything you need.

What you need for drawing

1. Oil paints, of course. The set costs about 600 rubles.
2. Four flat brushes No. 10.
3. Paint thinner - purified turpentine or pinene.
4. Palette knife for mixing paints.
5. A plywood palette that does not absorb oil (to achieve this, plywood can be treated with drying oil and dried several times). You can also take a plastic palette.
6. The basis on which the drawing will be made. This could be primed cardboard. You can make it yourself: take any cardboard, cover it with nitro enamel (thinly). Cardboard is a semi-rigid base. You can also take a rigid (boards, plywood, chipboard or fiberboard) or elastic base (canvas). For the first experiments, primed cardboard or canvas is suitable.
7. Clean cloths for wiping brushes.
8. Pencil and eraser.
9. If you want to seriously master oil painting, purchase a sketchbook and an easel.

Paint Application Techniques

How to paint with oil paints? There are many ways to apply oil paints to a base, but there are two main ones:

• Alla prima. Paint is placed on raw base in one layer. Using this method, you can paint a picture in one go. You need to write quickly and as much as possible while the paint is wet. The peculiarity is that it is the raw paint that allows you to mix tones with each other, which is why stunning paintings appear.
• Multilayer. The strokes are applied in several layers. Thus, a distinction is made between underpainting, registration, and glazing. Underpainting is used on preparatory stage. Using it, you can set the overall tone of the picture; it is used to paint a background that is not too pronounced. This is achieved using a small amount of paint and large quantity solvent. The underpainting can be in one tone, have light and shadow, or be multi-colored. Registrations - more bright strokes, which are applied to the already well-dried underpainting. Glazing involves drawing the final features of the picture with transparent and translucent strokes.

Drawing process

You have already decided on everything necessary tools, and can’t wait to paint with oil paints! How to start your drawing?

Ideally, of course, it is best to become familiar with the theory visual arts, study the laws of light and shadow, master drawing with a simple pencil, rules for mixing colors, etc. If all this has already been done or it’s a burden for you to study the theory closely, then you can immediately start practicing.

1. First you need to understand what you want and can currently depict. To begin with, they will help beautiful pictures and paintings from the Internet, since it is difficult to paint directly from nature. It is also better to choose landscapes, since portraits of animals and people already require certain experience and skills.
2. So, the example has been chosen. Now we take the base, imagine how we will place the components of the drawing on it, make pencil sketches and draw out the loose contours of the drawing.
3. It is more convenient to place the base vertically. If you don't have an easel, think about how you can do this.
4. Prepare thinner. To do this, pour approximately 10 ml into a separate small jar. this substance and close the lid until use.
5. Squeeze the necessary paints onto the palette - literally two peas of each. Try to place certain colors in certain places. This way your eyes will get used to this scheme, and you won’t have to look for the right color anymore.
6. Make sure that the rags are within reach, because you will use them to clean the paint from your brushes.
7. Strokes are made according to this scheme: take a brush, wet it in thinner and lightly stir the right paint. The more solvent, the paler the color, and, accordingly, vice versa.
8. It is better to start drawing from the background of the upper border, from top to bottom, so as not to get your hands dirty and spoil the drawing.

That's all! Now you know how to paint with oil paints, everything else is a matter of practice and experience. Good luck!

Greetings, dear readers!
In this article we will talk about the basics of working with oil paints. Of course it is the most popular technology in the world. The Greatest Masters paintings have been studied, improved and created with oil paints for centuries.

By the way, do you know when the first oil paints appeared? Most likely you thought about the 14-15th century and... you were wrong. Many people think so. But just recently, scientists did... Open this news too!

Detailing the painting with a thin liner

It is quite logical if you want to start your creativity with oil paints. And if you have never done this before, but really want to start, you should first find out what a beginning artist should have on hand and how to start painting with oil paints.

How to create your own artist kit?

• We buy the necessary paints

My main advice for beginning artists: buy quality paints immediately, don't try to save money! Cheap paints won't do much good, but they'll cause a lot of headaches. When you constantly practice, you will be able to evaluate the quality of your work, which will directly depend on the quality of the paints.

Absolutely you don't have to buy a big set, since there are always colors left that are never used. To start painting with oil paints, just use a few separate tubes. To develop a skill, a novice artist is recommended to have the following palette:

In general, the paint palette consists of 3 main (primary), from which all other colors (secondary and tertiary) are obtained by mixing. And when you learn to mix them, you will understand how and from what it is obtained. Everything around us consists only of red, blue and yellow... Amazing, isn't it?

• Choosing brushes

Second important advice for new artists: Be careful when buying brushes! Inspect them to ensure that the connection (clamp) between the pile and the handle is as tight as possible. Believe me, it’s not very pleasant when the lint comes out of the brush and you have to constantly remove it from the damp canvas!

From experience I will say that good brushes will serve you for more than one year, if they are of high quality and you handled them correctly.

For beginners painting with oil paints, I recommend starting with flat and semicircular flat brushes. It is enough to purchase 3-5 sizes.

High-quality brushes often become favorites

Over time, you can add retouching, fan and line brushes to the collection. In another article-tip you can find out in more detail what brushes come in size, shape and

• Selecting thinners and solvents

To dilute (liquefy) oil paint to the desired consistency, you need special liquid substances: mainly turpentine or refined linseed oil. Also, many artists use "Tees"- auxiliary means for diluting paint. On the market of foreign manufacturers there are various mediums, which I also use.

Important things for every artist

Not recommended for dilution use solvents in pure form(white spirit, turpentine) because they break the structure of oil paint and “steal” its shine. But you will still need solvent to clean brushes and other tools, as well as paint-stained hands.

• Buying a palette

It is impossible to imagine an artist working on a painting without a palette in his hands! This useful thing performs several functions: paints are placed on it, paints are mixed on it, oil cans (special containers) with oil paint thinners are attached to it.

Therefore, in order to paint with oil paints correctly and create many shades, I recommend acquiring a suitable palette. Wooden or plastic, large or small, square or round... The choice is yours.

• Preparing the canvas

As a basis for oil painting, canvas is most often used.Fortunately, contemporary artist can buy ready-made primed canvas on a stretcher.

Almost every art store has canvases for sale. different sizes and from different materials: natural (linen, cotton) and synthetics. I advise natural materials, they are more dense and do not sag much over time.

If you want to prepare the canvas yourself, then to do this you need to prepare a stretcher and stretch the fabric very tightly over it. Then you need to prime the fabric to create a canvas. Canvas sagging is common, so After priming, you need to retighten the canvas a little tighter. Read more about how to make a canvas with your own hands

We prepare the canvas ourselves

Note: the best base for canvas is linen. It can be fine-grained, medium-grained and coarse-grained. The stroke on the surface depends on the grain of the canvas. About choosing a canvas

• We purchase an easel

Of course, you can learn to paint with oil paints without an easel by attaching the canvas to any surface. But still, an easel is much more convenient: it is installed at the desired angle at eye level and gives best review paintings.

With an easel it is convenient not only to write, but also to find flaws in the work, and correct them immediately. An easel is a reliable stand for your future painting! They come in different heights and convenience, as well as tabletop mini easels for small canvas sizes.

• We stock up on auxiliary accessories

Have you already thought about where your brushes will go? Where will you wash them? How will you wipe paint off your hands and other utensils? Be sure to stock up on jars in which you will wash your brushes, paper napkins, old newspapers and a few cotton rags.

These important little things should always be at your fingertips, so that you can work calmly and focus your attention on the picture and not on the materials. All this will be indispensable for you in your work to clean your brush or palette knife, or, for example, to remove excess paint from the canvas and wipe your dirty hands.

• Other Important Materials and Accessories

An indispensable tool for working with oil - palette knife! With its help, it is convenient to remove excess paint from the canvas and transfer it to the palette. It also leaves amazingly voluminous strokes! In principle, one palette knife is enough.

But if you decide to learn how to paint well with oil paints and devote a lot of time to this activity, it is better to purchase several of these tools different forms and sizes.

Sketchbook – a special box for transporting paints and painting supplies. You will really need it if you decide to go out and paint in oils in nature or plein air, as it is also called (from the French Plain air - on outdoors, on fresh air)

Oilers- small containers with a clip with which they are attached to the palette. There are two types: simple and double.

Another important element - protective varnish. Finished painting usually varnished 6-8 months after completion of the work. The varnish protects the painting from ultraviolet radiation, moisture and darkening.... Well, there are a number of other reasons why you should varnish a painting. In addition, varnish makes the colors richer and brighter, adding intensity to the paint layer. How to varnish a painting

Howstart painting correctly with oil paints when the artist's kit is assembled?

So, you have collected everything you need and secured the primed canvas. What to do next? Start writing!

I know that Many novice artists have a fear of a white canvas, something can go wrong and everything will be ruined. Don't be afraid, because the main thing is to just start! Here's how to stop being afraid and start painting.

You can start with a simple plot that comes to mind... For example, a mosaic pattern with selected bright colors, which consists of different figures, shapes and symbols. Well, like the ancient Egyptians, remember? Or you can take a finished image and try to copy it onto canvas...

Start drawing - feel the power of color!

Exist . The most common of them are - multilayer painting and Alla Prima. They contain most of the most famous paintings, although there are many other techniques.

We will talk about them in general and the rules of writing in more detail in another article, but now you need to start to just get a feel for the paints, brush and canvas.

By the way, did you know that creative people have Read, maybe you are a creator by nature, you just didn’t know it!

Here are some more tips:

• Set up a drawing corner in your apartment. There must be enough light to work during the day without additional lighting. It is in the place of the best natural light that we place the easel. If there is not enough natural light, use additional lighting to provide good light on the easel.

• Try to apply oil paints evenly, achieve uniformity on the canvas. If you really want to apply a second coat, take your time; Sometimes you need to give time for the first layer to dry.

• Mix colors! Experiment with shades. Remember that white makes any color lighter, and black makes any color darker, with their help it is easy to achieve the desired shade of shadows and highlights. But don’t get too carried away with black and white, since titanium white, for example, makes some colors cloudy, and black is generally rarely used in classical painting. Although each manufacturer has several black shades on sale. An alternative to black can be dark indigo... it is softer and more delicate in appearance.

“Painting is the most accessible and convenient of the arts” - Johann Goethe, German poet, philosopher and thinker

Additional Video Tips:

Ask your questions below in the comments, I usually answer all questions quickly