Tips for a Beginner Painter

[thestrangequark]

Last night I couldn't sleep because my head was so full of images, scenes, portraits, lines, shapes, and colors. This is not an unusual occurrence for me, and normally I would soothe the creative itch with a pencil or a pen and some paper, or maybe some markers, or oil pastels. However, last night I couldn't -- the things in my head just can't be drawn! They must be painted, with oils. I don't know why! I've never considered myself a painter before, and while I've played around with acrylics and watercolors I've never painted with oils.

Today I couldn't focus at work, I couldn't sit still on the train, I couldn't think of anything but painting. I could almost feel the weight of the brush in my hand. After work, even though I was exhausted from no sleep, I went to the art store and blew $90 on paints, canvasses, brushes, and a palette. I should have done my research before I left, though, because I didn't buy any solvent. And that leads to my reason for posting this thread. I need tips. Practical tips mostly. I just don't know anything about painting in oils. Help!

 

[Dukat's Major]

I took classes for about nine months in oil painting not too long ago, and I was a complete beginner.

So I hope I can help a little bit!

Materials

Thinner, thinner, thinner! Make sure you have it. It will save your life. You need it during painting *and* cleanup. Get a small glass jar with a screw top, use this for for your painting.

Glass palettes are the best! Always clean your palette after EVERY session. Scrape with a razor, then wipe down using paper towels and thinner.

Get a good number of colors on your palette every time. Start from the top left and work clockwise, put like colors near each other. Dab a bit about half the diameter of a dime of each color.

The Process

SKETCH: Start with a charcoal (not pencil!) sketch on your canvas. Erase and fix using a rubber eraser (one of those soft gray ones, not a hard pink one). Also remember to sketch the transition lines between light and shadow --- this will make your life a lot easier later. When you're done, use a thinned-out burnt sienna over the light charcoal lines to fix the sketch into place.

UNDERPAINTING: Paint the basic colors and transitions during this step. You should use a thinned paint (dip your brush in thinner before dipping in color). Remember THINNER ON BOTTOM --- THICKER ON TOP! Start with dark colors and move to light. Darker colors can be thicker. Use a paper towel dipped in thinner to erase

PAINTING: After your underpainting is done, apply thicker color on top. This is the time to add your detail, to really make those colors pop. Make sure to do your highlights last! Always move dark to light

...hope that helps get you started!!! Oil painting is messy, so have lots of paper towels and plastic bags (for garbage).

 

[Dukat's Major]

Actually, here's a picture of a partially finished painting I did some years ago --- you can see the underpainting and elements of the regular (over?)painting. The underpainting is almost like a watercolor in quality. You can see the transition lines on her leg (transition between shades).

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

And remember...there are no mistakes, just happy little accidents.

 

[Angela 0077]

I really like that painting and the colours are wonderful too

 

[Luther Sloan]

I did still life drawings of live nude models. Unfortunately, I never did any paintings of anyone though.

 

[Angela 0077]

I do think that the nude womans body is beautiful and l like the way this painting is pretrayed and displayed

Sometimes you see paintings which are shocking and you dont want to look at.it because of that reason

I bet that would have been interesting Mr Sloan.

Is it hard to draw these nude models in life form.
..

 

[Luther Sloan]

I've only done a handful of paintings. So I am not sure how fast I could whip out a painting of a live person. But I wouldn't mind giving it a go after I got some more practice in.

 

[Angela 0077]

There are art classes poeple can go too where they do this sort of thing.

You would think that the model would get cold standing there plus it would be hard to stand in one postion for a long time.

It would be interesting to have a go at this type of thing and isee diffent technics in learning the craft.

 

[ManOnTheWave]

Off the top of my head:

Pink Soap. It is invaluable for getting oils off of your hands.

Or just jump ahead and invest in disposable latex, nitrile, or vinyl gloves which can be had at any pharmacy. (Some people develop allergies to oils and use gloves for more than keeping their hands clean.)

Pick an outfit you'll never use again (like an old t-shirt and jeans) and that can be your painting outfit. Oils are messy, don't wash out easily, and get in everything. Alternatively, used an old over sized shirt as a painting smock.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

My girlfriend is an oil painter. She recommends going to a site called wetcanvas.com. She says it is the largest art forum on the internet. She posts there regularly so if you ask a question it just might be her answering it.

There are art classes poeple can go too where they do this sort of thing.

You would think that the model would get cold standing there plus it would be hard to stand in one postion for a long time.

It would be interesting to have a go at this type of thing and isee diffent technics in learning the craft.

She has been going to classes for this on weekends lately. She is really enjoying them.

 

[Shaw]

My mother's primary medium was oil paints, and she made extensive use of painting knives (which I didn't see mentioned in this thread so far).

 

[RJDiogenes]

That's a fantastic painting, Elmo. You seem to have no end to talents.

The only advice I can offer about painting is to always do it in a small room with the doors and windows tightly shut, so the gentle fumes of the chemicals will turn you into Vincent van Gogh.

 

[thestrangequark]

Thanks for the tips, everyone -- I've just finished my first ever session of oil painting, and I'm happy to say I succeeded in getting nearly as much paint on the canvass as I did on myself!

Elmo (you're right, Dukat does sound weird), your tips were wonderful and I know they will be very useful, though I must admit that I didn't follow them very well! I skipped the sketching step entirely. Drawing is my typical form of artistic expression, but somehow I knew it wouldn't satisfy the creative urges I was feeling -- I needed something wholly different. Sketching my painting first felt too much like drawing, so instead I just began piling on the colors! I can tell that your advice will come very much in handy in the future, especially in regards to using thinner, and applying the paint more carefully. I think now that I've released some of that creative energy, I will be able to be a little more mindful of the process. You are certainly correct when it comes to painting from dark to light, though it is counterintuitive to me as someone whose primary media are ink or pencil, because with those one works from light to dark. I also found it an interesting experience working with a brush: I have perfect control over a pencil or pen, but I'm far from mastering that control over a paintbrush. Finally, your painting is beautiful, and I too am especially fond of the color choices. I'd love to see a completed piece of yours!

As for my painting, it is not quite done (I'd keep going but I have to get up for work tomorrow). I have this to say: it's not the worst painting I've ever seen.

The only advice I can offer about painting is to always do it in a small room with the doors and windows tightly shut, so the gentle fumes of the chemicals will turn you into Vincent van Gogh.

But I'm already a manic-depressive artistic genius with impressionistic tendencies and a fondness for absinthe!

 

[Finn]

I'm glad I stumbled across this thread. I took up painting last summer. Right now, I'm working on a painting of an old late 19th Century farmhouse that has been long abandoned. I'm trying to avoid the overuse of the color green. Yeah, my other paints are full of green

But I'm still a sketcher by heart.

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ That sounds like a great subject.

The only advice I can offer about painting is to always do it in a small room with the doors and windows tightly shut, so the gentle fumes of the chemicals will turn you into Vincent van Gogh.

But I'm already a manic-depressive artistic genius with impressionistic tendencies and a fondness for absinthe!

Well, there you go. You're already perfect. Thread over.

 

[Dukat's Major]

Thanks, everyone for the nice words about the painting Someday I'll get back into it again, when I've got more space!

tsq, sounds like you're having a great time! Let those creative juices flow. I was a real picky snit about my painting --- I could spend two hours on one armpit Realist art might not be your fave thing --- you might consider doing Impressionist stuff, which is a lot of paint, a lot of colors, kind of more frenetic and looser.

As for painting knives, I never used them because I always did realist art, but I think knives are a favorite of those who do some other particular styles. I say experiment and see what feels right to you

 

[thestrangequark]

^I've been trying to figure out why it is that the things I am seeing and feeling cannot be expressed with a pencil or pen, and I think it comes down to the realist vs impressionist styles, and to control. With a pencil or pen I am very controlled. I can create very realistic images, but there is just too much control for what I want to express. With paint I'm sort of a messy disaster! I did two paintings in the past two days, they're not great, but not horrible -- at least, not too horrible!

Here is the first thing I ever painted, let's call it impressionist :

And here is the second thing I ever painted:

Even the clouds in the second picture felt too constricting for me, I think for my 3rd picture I'm going to go back to just piling the paint on the canvass!

Any constructive criticism is appreciated! Ill post them in the Painting thread too, maybe more people can give me criticism in there!

 

[RJDiogenes]

Here is the first thing I ever painted, let's call it impressionist :

Very nice for a first painting. Were the faces deliberate?

And here is the second thing I ever painted:

Very arresting. The angled clouds really catch the eye. Is that fireworks in the middle?

 

[Finn]

TSQ- if that is really your first painting ever, you have a gift.