Fine Art Collective - Oil Workshop

A member of the Fine Art Collective came in to give an oil painting workshop to a select few individuals. We were given canvases and taught the ways in which oil paints are used to the best of their ability. The main thing to note about oil paints is the more expensive the set, the better the quality of paint, budget supplies aren’t always trusting. The most basic collection of oil paints should include the following colours: cadmium yellow, yellow ochre, cadmium red, alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue, titanium white, and mars black. You can use a combination of all of these colours to make any hue on the colour wheel (eg. yellow and red to make orange). We learnt that the main thing with oil paints is that they are very thick directly out of the tube, and must be made thinner for the first layers using white spirits or turpentine, and a blending medium such as linseed oil or poppy oil for later layers. The rule is 'Thick on thin', and this prevents later cracking or separation of layers. Bottom of FormInstead of drawing out my design, I just went straight on with paints, allowing the composition to just figure itself out. Considering my subject was on the body, I didn’t want to try and mix accurate skin tones as it is difficult to match the colours of a subject. Because of this, I decided to make it with abstract colours and highlight the contrast and light of the body. Mixing paints: Use a colour wheel to help find colours to mix. The colour wheel shows primary, secondary, and tertiary colours and how to make them. Pure hues are colours that have not been mixed with either white or black. Can mix the primary colours to create secondary colours. To create a tint, add white paint. This will lighten it and make a more pastel colour. To make a shade, add black to any paint colour. To make a tone, add white to a shade (any colour with black added). Tones are the most widely used, as they represent most of the everyday colours we see. Cleaning paintbrushes: Oil paint will ruin brushes if it is allowed to dry, so clean brushes immediately after use. Use turpentine and an old rag to wipe away as much of the paint, then rinse the brushes under warm water with a little washing-up liquid. To make sure all the paint has been removed, brush the bristles against the palm of the hand. Put the clean brushes, bristle-end up, in a jar or cup to dry. Provide the brushes adequate air circulation until dry, putting in an open area.