Monday, May 30, 2016

The Oil Painting Techniques That Are Used Commonly

By Christine Ward


Oil painting has been with us for many years and remains one of the main techniques used in modern art. The pigments used are extracted from various seeds that include, among others, walnut, safflower, poppy seeds and linseed. The artist can develop the paints themselves or can obtain those commercially available in art stores. If you are venturing into this area, there are a number of oil painting techniques that you may wish to know of.

Layering is one of the techniques that you may consider as a beginner. As the name suggests, this technique involves the applications of different paints on the canvas in layers that overlap or overlie each other. Lighter colors or shades of a color are applied first to create the background and then allowed to dry before the addition of the denser colors. The method is usually used when great detail is required in finishing a work of art.

Glazing is another technique that can be learned and applied easily. The technique involves the use of a transparent paint against a background of darker paints. This is usually done so as to achieve various effects that may be associated with aspects such as hue, texture and chroma. Related to the same is the creation of a transparent glass impression. To achieve this, use a pure transparent color and contrast it with darker colors.

Color intensification is something that can be done for most oil paints. This process entails diluting different colors so as to have many shades of the same color. The lightest shades are usually reserved for the background while the denser shades are used for the foreground.

Color blocking is a technique that is used to emphasize the outline of objects appearing on a work of art. In an oil painting, it can be achieved using diluted brush strokes. This will ensure that the desired effect is achieved without adding too much paint to the object. It is generally recommended that one uses a color similar to that used for the object.

Chiaroscuro is a method that will be seen in many different types of paintings inducing those that are oil based. It is a technique that is used to demonstrate the effect of light on objects that have been included in the painting. Light and dark contrast has to be used to indicate the general direction of light. The shadows should be painted using a completely black color.

Monochromatic painting is a technique that makes use of just one color. Usually, the color is diluted to different degrees so as to obtain a wide range of shades of the same color. To increase the available option, white color is also used in addition to the base color. Its main role is to add volume and relief and to emphasize the lighter shades of the chosen color.

Various brush stroke sizes can be tried out in a bid to differentiate various aspects of the painting. Generally, long strokes are mainly used when dealing with the background while the shorter strokes are best used for foreground objects. Small and large dots may also be used to bring out different effects. Irregular stroke patterns are sometimes used to enhance color.




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