How to learn to paint with oil paints yourself. Learning to paint in oils

Greetings, dear readers!
In this article we will talk about the basics of work oil paints. Of course it is the most popular technology in the world. The greatest masters of painting have studied, refined 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 to aspiring artists: buy quality paints immediately, don't try to save money! Cheap paints won't do much good, but they will 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 last you many years, 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 4-6 different sizes. Round brushes are also needed to detail objects in the painting.

High-quality brushes often become favorites

Over time, you can add retouching, fan brushes and liners 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 “Doubles” and « Tees" - auxiliary means for thinning paint. On the market of foreign manufacturers there are various mediums, which I also use. In principle, these are the same tees in our understanding.

Important things for every artist

Not recommended for dilution, use pure solvents (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

Canvas is most often used as a basis for oil painting.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 recommend natural materials, they are denser 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, it is much more convenient with an easel: it is installed at the desired angle at eye level and gives a better overview of the painting.

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 of different shapes 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 - outdoors, in the 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 is protective varnish. The finished painting is 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 drawing 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!

There are . The most common of them are - And . Most of the most famous paintings are painted in them, although there are many other techniques.

For those who are just beginning the path of an artist, the main thing now is to start just to feel the structure of oil paint, how it lays on the canvas, how the paint layer is formed.

By the way, did you know that creative people have Read, maybe you are a naturally creative person, you just didn’t realize 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 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

These little tricks are enough to get you started painting with oil paints. If you like the Art Process and want to delve deeper into it, at a more modern level, I will be happy to share my experience with you

Additional Video Tips:

Friends, to the articlenot lost among many other articles on the Internet,save it to your bookmarks.This way you can return to reading at any time.

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

Have you long dreamed of trying to paint with oil paints, but don’t know what you need for this? We have collected 28 tips to help beginners understand this matter. We wish you inspiration!

1. The main set of oil paints consists of the following colors: alizarin crimson, cadmium yellow, yellow ocher, titanium white, cadmium red, ultramarine blue, Martian black. From these shades it is possible to create any other color.

2. Buy white with a reserve. When mixing paints it will be used up very quickly.

3. For an enjoyable painting experience, invest in quality oil paints and tools.

4. For your first painting experience, it’s enough to buy a couple of brushes different types. For example, you can purchase round, flat and bristle brushes in different sizes.

5. You can use old rags and jars to clean your brushes.

6. It is not necessary to buy a palette for paint; it is enough to use a board or cardboard.

7. When painting with oil paints there is a rule: thick to thin. For the first layer, buy a solvent. Apply a thick layer over it.

8. Draw in a place well lit with natural light. Otherwise, the colors may then differ from what they appeared to be in a specific light.

9. The easel is adjusted according to your height and position so that you can sit without discomfort or difficulty.

10. Oil paints are difficult to remove from fabric. Therefore, wear things that you don’t mind.

11. To begin, place a sketch in pencil or charcoal on the canvas. Build a composition.

12. To make the drawing more realistic, determine where the light source will be. This way you can easily depict darkened and illuminated areas, shadows, penumbra, and highlights.

13. Light color is obtained by adding white, shadow - by adding black.

14. To prevent the paint from being so thick, mix it with turpentine or linseed oil. Add them to the paint little by little to get exactly the consistency you need.

15. Take your time to apply the second coat. Let the paint dry. Usually this is 3 days.

16. Learn to mix paints. Add layers of paint so that adjacent paints can be mixed with a flat brush. The stroke should go in the direction of mixing.

17. To make the glaze, you will need 1/3 linseed oil, turpentine and oil varnish. Mix them together and you'll get a clear color that can be mixed with other paints to create a glaze.

18. To create the effect of a more transparent figure, you can use a brush with natural bristles. Apply dots onto the canvas with a brush at a 90 degree angle.

19. Use a palette knife to create a thick layer of paint. Smear the paint onto the canvas with a knife. This the best remedy for conveying movement and drawing landscapes.

20. Paints dry for about 3 days. Take this time to critically evaluate the drawing. You can correct the picture or completely erase the details.

22. Clean your brushes with turpentine and an old rag. Scrub the paint until the water running off the brush becomes clear. If the paint dries on the brush, the tool is unlikely to save anything.

23. Paintings take 3 or more months to dry. Until then, leave your creation in a well-ventilated place where the painting will not be disturbed.

24. After your painting has dried, it should be varnished. You will protect your picture and colors from fading.

25. Try not to use the color “Black Ivory” for background coatings, because it takes a very long time to dry.

26. Linseed oil is not used for light paints. Otherwise they will turn yellow.

27. To remove oil paint from your hands, use another oil (baby oil or olive oil). Wipe off the paint with a rag and don’t wash your hands until you’ve completely scrubbed it off.

28. Apply paints to the intended areas, and then use a brush to mix them until you get a gradation that suits you.

In order to learn how to paint with oil paints, or it would be more correct to say, to write with oil paints, you need to have certain knowledge in this area, namely, to understand the variety of tools that are currently presented in a wide range in stores for artists. A novice artist may get lost when entering such a store without prior preparation, because a seemingly obvious set, such as canvas, brushes and oil paints, will not be enough for a good start in this business. This article is aimed at enabling you to virtually visit an artist store, as if accompanied by an experienced mentor. So let's get started!

Canvas

The first thing we will choose is canvas. As a basis for painting with oil paints, you can choose various materials: board, cardboard, metal plate, glass, plastic. But if we are talking about classical painting, then, of course, you should choose fabric that is primed in the right way, stretched tightly on a stretcher and ringing like a drum. Yes, yes! The canvas should not sag, its surface should be perfectly flat. In earlier times, and even now, many professional artists stretch fabric over stretcher themselves, they prime it themselves. Since these recommendations are intended for beginning artists, we will not delve into the topic of stretching canvas onto a stretcher; we will talk about how to choose the right surface ready for work, namely, a canvas that has already been primed and stretched on a stretcher.

It's best to canvas sheet was linen, it can be of medium or fine grain, have a smooth smooth surface without knots, the thickness of the canvas should be uniform everywhere. The grain of the canvas is various irregularities and knots in the fabric, in the weaving of the canvas threads. If there are a lot of such inclusions and the threads are coarse, then you have a canvas with high grain size. It is suitable for drawing objects with a strong texture, for example, old brick walls, gnarled tree trunks, stones, rock debris, etc. Here you can work with large impasto strokes and use a palette knife. Therefore, such a canvas is not suitable for painting objects with a delicate texture or for conveying delicate light and shadow transitions. The delicate transparency of grapes and the face of a young girl cannot be drawn on such a surface. For such purposes, it would be right to choose a canvas finer workmanship, smoother, that is, fine-grained. And it is precisely this kind of canvas that is best purchased for beginning artists; by the way, on it, you can make a more detailed preliminary pencil drawing. And you can easily erase a part of the drawing you don’t like.

Pay attention to the quality of the stretcher, that is, the wooden base on which the canvas is stretched. We have already talked about the inadmissibility of its sagging, it remains to add that it is necessary to evaluate wood quality, from which the subframe is made. Usually it is linden, pine or birch. The wood must be well processed, dry, smooth, without knots, chips, rot or wormholes.

Oil paints

To begin with, you should not buy a large number of paints; it will be quite enough to purchase a set of 10-12 colors. The most important thing is that this set contains blue (glazes, cobalts), red (cadmium medium, light or dark), yellow (cadmium medium), black (carbon black), white (zinc or titanium white) paints. If you already know how to mix primary colors and get additional ones from them, then even this minimum will be enough for you, but it’s better to diversify a little, even if it’s just your first oil palette! To find out what color is in the tube, look at the color stripe on the label. Complete your set with blue paint (sky blue), ocher tint (light or golden ocher), so-called “earth colors” - natural umber, natural sienna, as well as natural shades of green colors - olive, herbal green, light green, etc. .

We remind you once again, look at the tube label. Or you can buy a ready-made set of paints. Over time, you will understand which paints are used up faster and which ones are not. In addition, before buying paints, it would be good to know what kind color scheme Are you planning to paint a picture: will it be delicate pastel shades or rich contrasting painting? What size will your work be? This may also influence your choice. And, of course, it would be nice to familiarize yourself with the table of colors, the names of which are the same for almost all manufacturers, so you can easily navigate by color and look at the correct names of the colors and shades you like. Prices for oil paints from different manufacturers are different, they directly depend on chemical composition paints Paints that contain natural rather than synthetic pigments will cost more.

Brushes

Lucky

In the window of a store for artists, among other things, you will see various artistic varnishes. They are designed to work directly with paints, that is, the brush is periodically dipped into varnish, then into paint. This is what is called " painting on varnish" or "through varnish." Why is this being done? In order for the painting to be immediately bright and rich. And it is better, of course, to protect the finished work with well-dried paints with varnish. As we have already mentioned, varnish gives richness to the colors and, most importantly, protects your work from external influences. When the varnish is dry, the surface of the canvas can be wiped off from dust. Varnishes come in different compositions; they are mainly made on the basis of soft resins.

Solvents

A very necessary and important thing for oil painting. The solvent is needed to dilute the paints, in order to clean the brushes before finally washing them with soap suds.

Tee

This is a ready-made composition for diluting oil paints. It usually contains linseed oil, varnish and turpentine. It is this diluent that is poured into the oil can. If you don’t have it on hand, Pinene No. 4 solvent plus linseed oil will do.

Oil can

A special container into which a tee or solvent is poured. It is usually attached to the palette, for which it has a convenient clothespin attachment. Oilers come in plastic and iron. It is more convenient to have an oil can with a screw-on lid, then nothing will spill and the unused contents will not dry out prematurely.

Palette knives

A necessary and important tool in an artist’s arsenal. These are special spatulas designed to remove paint residue from the palette and apply and remove paint from the canvas. There are special painting techniques when work on canvas is done with a palette knife rather than a brush. There are sets of palette knives on sale in different sizes and shapes.

Palette

Oh this is real business card any artist! You also need to be able to choose the right palette; the colors on the palette should be placed closer to the edges, leaving room for mixing in the center. Palettes come in different shapes and sizes.

Easel

- a very convenient thing for objectively evaluating your work and seeing shortcomings. Work mounted on an easel is a professional approach. You can work in front of the easel either standing or sitting. From time to time you need to move some distance away from the canvas to see all the details. When buying an easel, focus on its strength, reliability of fastenings, size and model that suits you.

Sketchbook

A special device for painting outside the home. This is a kind of suitcase in which you can place everything you need for work: brushes, paints, solvents, canvases, cardboards. It is quite compact, opens and closes, and has reliable, strong carrying straps. The sketchbook can be of various sizes, with or without legs that can be adjusted in height. When buying a sketchbook, you need to make sure that it is reliable and durable, and has good fastenings. The sketchbook can also be used as an easel at home.

Here are, perhaps, the most basic tips that we hope will be useful to you when choosing materials for painting with oil paints. If you have the full set of tools that we talked about, you can safely start painting your first oil painting! Good luck and creative inspiration!

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Oil painting- this is the most popular and beloved technique of many around the world famous artists, both past centuries and our time. Due to their plastic structure, oil paints dry for a long time, which makes it possible to correct the drawing over a long period of time. Oil painting always looks elegant and sophisticated. Learning to paint in oils is a difficult task, but it brings a lot of pleasure to the artist. If you have not yet mastered this technique, start right now: who knows, maybe the future Aivazovsky or Vasnetsov is hidden in you? What does a novice artist need to have for oil painting?

List of necessary items for oil painting

Oil paints.
Brushes: you can use natural bristle or synthetic brushes (the choice of brush depends on how much money you have and what result you want to achieve).
Wooden palette.
Oiler for thinner.
Thinner (used to prevent paints from being too thick).
Canvases (canvas on a stretcher, canvas on cardboard, or primed cardboard are equally good).
Special liquid for washing brushes.
Kistemoyka.

Oil paints– paints created from oil, pigment and turpentine. For oil paints, linseed, hemp, poppy, nut or safflower oil is used. Pigments affect the color of paint and can be synthetic or natural. Oil paintings remain in excellent condition for many centuries: when drying, oil paints retain their color, they are not afraid of light and frost. Thanks to their paste-like structure, oil paints have excellent covering properties.

Brushes: Oil paints are best applied with natural bristle brushes or synthetic brushes. Each artist should have brushes of different hardness and different shapes - this will help to display the desired structure of the picture and make even small details clear.

Wooden palette- This is an irreplaceable thing in the arsenal of an artist who loves to paint with oil paints. For convenience, you should have two palettes: one large - for painting in the studio, the second - a small one for traveling. Please note that a plastic palette is not suitable for painting with oil paints.

Oil can– a special container for diluent, which is attached to the palette using a special clamp.

Diluent used to make paints less thick. For oil paints, petroleum, tee or linseed oil are most often used as a thinner. By the way, people who react negatively to odors and people with allergies are better off using petroleum, since it has no odor.

Canvas- This is the material on which paintings are painted. The variety of canvases these days can confuse a novice artist. In any art supply store you can find a large selection of canvases on a stretcher or on cardboard and canvases wound on a roll. Canvases are made from linen or cotton, which makes their structure varied - from fine-grained to coarse-grained. Most often, artists use medium-grain canvases.

Liquid for washing brushes– This is a special product for cleaning brushes from paint residues. It is much easier to clean the brush with this liquid than with other thinners, and with proper care the brush will last much longer.

Kistemoyka- a small vessel, often in the shape of a small bucket, with a spiral mounted on top to secure the brush. With the help of a brush washer, only the necessary part of the bone is in the washing liquid, which allows you to save the handle of the hand from damage.

Buy, quality oil paints, as well as all the necessary accessories for oil painting, you can find in our store. We will be happy to help you!

The greatest masterpieces were painted with oil paints; masters of painting and famous artists still give their preference to them. But working with such paints has its own unique characteristics and peculiar differences in techniques. Therefore, many beginning artists have some difficulties in painting. In this article we will try to figure out how to paint with oil paints, what types they are, and also consider several techniques in oil painting.

In specialized stores, oil paints are presented in a large assortment; there are many brands under which such art products are sold. What is special about oil paints?

The composition includes various pigments: mineral, organic, synthetic and earthen. The same components are present in other types of paints, be it acrylic or watercolor.

Oil paints differ from others in the binding component - linseed oil. It is this that gives the brightness and saturation of color, and it is because of it that such paints take a long time to dry. But a fresh layer of oil applied to the canvas can be changed, that is, you can repeatedly adjust the drawing and apply new layers on top of the old ones.

Another feature of oil paints is that they are diluted not with water, but with a special solvent, which also uses vegetable oil. This thinner is sold in art stores, just like the paints themselves.

What types are there?

In every specialized store you can find three types of paints:

Highly artistic. These are paints that are purchased by professionals in their field. They consist only of high-quality components, and therefore have a high cost. But for a good painting you need good paints that will not lose their shine or change color over time.

Related article: What types and shapes are there of painting brushes and how to choose them?

Studio. They are no less in demand than the first option and behave well on canvas. Suitable for both professional and beginner artists.

Sketchy. They are more suitable for beginners in the art business, since at a low cost you can purchase a sufficient number of paints and choose your own application technique.

Manufacturers of oil paints are located in many countries around the world. Experienced artists have already selected for themselves the options that are suitable for the job. Many people combine their sets from different companies, which is also acceptable.

Oil paints are also divided into transparent and opaque. The latter are denser in structure and therefore do not allow light to pass through them. Each package must have special markings. For example, the designation “*” indicates the durability and longevity of the paint on the canvas. The more such symbols on the paint, the longer the finished canvas will last. The best paints last more than 100 years.

The symbol in the form of a filled black square indicates that the paint is not transparent; if it is half transparent, it is translucent.

The pigments that give paint a particular color can be divided into organic and inorganic. The first type gives brighter shades, and the second gives natural colors. With a good ratio of pigments, manufacturers achieve beautiful and high-quality shades.

For the production of oil paints, imported linseed oil is usually used, since flax, which does not grow on the territory of Russian Federation, has unique properties, thanks to which art paints have their own unique quality characteristics.

On video: how to choose paints for oil painting.

About drawing techniques

Preparing for creativity does not take much time, especially since in modern art stores you can purchase everything you need for work. Already stretched and primed, canvases can be found in any size - from the smallest to the largest.

A painting done with oil paints looks very impressive. The strokes applied by the artist look as if they are separate from each other. Many people think that oil painting is a fairly simple activity, but this is absolutely not the case. Let's try to figure out how to learn to paint with oil paints.

Basic rules

So, let's learn how to paint in oils. What rules must be followed:

A prerequisite for painting any picture is light. Only properly set lighting can achieve the desired effect.
Artists begin their work with the outline of the future painting. Coal works well for this. It can be easily wiped off with a rag and the failed element can be re-drawn. The lines that are drawn with charcoal must be fixed on the canvas.
In a painting, all the tones and shadows are obtained by constantly mixing colors. You need to clearly understand what colors need to be mixed to achieve this or that shade.
Masters begin to paint their picture from the most striking elements of the composition. That is, first you need to select the darkest element and the lightest one. Then you can start all the other details.
Once the basic sketch is done, you can move on to drawing. But you shouldn’t focus your attention on one element. It is necessary to gradually use the entire canvas.
Artists recommend using white in much larger quantities than paints of other colors, since they are used more often.
The finished painting takes three days to dry, so you can make adjustments to the canvas the day after the work is completed. The missing area can be removed with a spatula. This will not harm the canvas or the entire painting as a whole. The work will remain just as solid.
For beginning craftsmen and amateurs, using professional paints is not profitable, since beginners will mostly draw sketches.
For oil paints, you need to prepare a special storage place. What you need for painting (paints, brushes, canvas, palette) should be in one place, and at the first need they can be taken and used.
After the canvas has completely dried, do not wipe the surface with a dirty rag or touch it with your hands. It can hurt appearance general drawing.

Step by step painting with oil paints looks something like this.

Artists who can boast of a large number of canvases will tell you how to paint your first paintings correctly. There are certain painting techniques for oil painting on canvas. A novice artist needs to start working under the supervision of an experienced teacher. As soon as the painted drawings begin to work out and your techniques are identified, you can paint in oils yourself.

Related article: Painting on stones: all the secrets of painting for beginners

Sellers at art supply stores can also tell you what to write on with oil paints and how to start painting. There are many schools where people of any age learn to paint. Learn to draw only from good craftsmen painting!