Create Masterpieces With Oil Paint: Steps to Success - Essay Sample

Introduction

Oil paint has recently become one of the most spread and popular types of pictorial art in many countries. Few people have managed to master this art and most of those who buy oil colors and try to create a masterpiece end up failing. Oil Paintings.com states that there are steps they ought to follow to succeed in the activity. Oil painting is a process worth investing your time because of the many benefits derived from the art. One of the key benefits is that the skill may end being a source of income (Oil Paintings.com). Most of the people who have become experts in the field have ended up landing contracts with major firms and prominent individuals. Also, people can take the art as part of their hobbies. Hence, oil painting is beneficial to those who invest their time in it.

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The first step in oil painting involves assembling all the necessary items and materials. The essential elements in oil painting are 2 to 3 brushes, which must be flat, rounded as well as stiff. The artist will also require the oil paint plus a tube of titanium and linseed oil. A primed canvas and a palette where color mixing takes place in is necessary. Finally, you will also need a rag and wax cloth to protect you from any oil drops because oil paint tends to be messy.

According to Oil Paintings.com, after assembling all the necessary items, the artist has to choose what to paint. A painting can either be a portrait, land scape, or anything that interests the artist. Once the item to paint is selected, the individual has to sketch it with a pencil (Oil Paintings.com). A sketch is a rough draft of what the artist will draw on the canvas and will appear as an outline of the whole picture. The place where the drawing activity takes place should have sufficient lighting. Lack of lighting will act as an obstacle when doing the painting itself. Painting with colors will, in most cases, require natural light.

Figure 1. A Pencil Sketch (source: drawingninja.com)

The third step involves squeezing the colors around the sides of the palette. The artist has to use a mixture of warm and cold colors to differentiate them easily.

The next step will involve selecting the best sketch and transferring it into the canvas. The process becomes easy if the canvas and the sketch are divided into several squares. The size and number of the squares will depend on the size of the canvas. The artist will then copy the sketch into the canvas square by square.

Oil Paintings.com notes that the artist then moves into the fifth stage, which involves mixing the colors. The artist should have a plate four pouring the linseed oil. Before dipping the brush into any color, it has to be passed through the linseed oil. The artist will then spread the brush across the palette. Exposing the oil to the atmosphere for long will make it dry up (Oil Paintings.com). Closing the tins after use will ensure that paint remains usable. The artist has to mix two of the colors to see the tint they will bring out before painting.

The sixth stage will involve practicing the alla prima painting technique. In this technique, an individual applies a new layer of paint over previous ones which are yet to dry up. The reason why the method is essential is because oil paints tend to take long before drying up. Also, the paints, in most cases, will get darker if allowed to dry. Hence, the painting will occur layer after layer to ensure that the colors do not get dark after drying up.

Figure 2. An oil Painting (source: drawingninja.com)

The seventh and final stage is also critical in oil painting. In this stage, the materials and other equipment are put in order after concluding the painting process. According to Oil Paintings.com, washing the brush is essential because they tend to petrify until the next painting activity. The issue of drying up is avoided by rinsing the bushes in a solvent and then washing them with water (Oil Paintings.com). After cleaning the brushes, it's advisable to dry them up. Notably, the palette should also be mopped clean. Also, the artist should keep unused paints because they will be usable again. The colors tend to take some time before they expire, and therefore storing them is advisable.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the process of painting with oil is complicated and challenging to master within a short period. However, beautiful and artistic pieces result once an individual understands the art. Most of the outstanding artists have noted that continuous practice will play a significant role in becoming an expert in the field. However, passion is very critical in oil painting. With the drive to paint, an individual will practice over and over again, even after failing. Oil painting is worth practicing because it has acted as a source of employment for many people. The practice can assist in solving the issue of unemployment in many societies. Also, oil painting often comes up with beautiful portraits that people display in major cities and museums. Hence, oil painting is beneficial even though it might be laborious.

Work Cited

Oil Paintings.com. "The Painting Process - Oil Paintings USA". Oilpaintings.Com, 2020, https://www.oilpaintings.com/the-painting-process