Thursday, May 26, 2016

The Oil Painting Techniques That Are Used Commonly

By Christine Ward


Oil painting is one of the most popular forms of modern art. The technique involves the use of pigments produced from various seeds that include, among others, poppy seed, linseed, walnut and safflower. The paints may be developed by the artists themselves or they may be bought from commercial art outlets. If you are just starting out, there are a number of different oil painting techniques that you may wish to try out.

Layering is one of the commonest techniques employed. It is a technique in which different colors are applied in an overlapping fashion. The colors in the background must be left to dry first before those in the foreground are added. Ensure also that you use lighter colors for the background and denser ones for the objects in the foreground. The method is best suited for paintings that have to be finished with a lot of detail.

Glazing is another popular technique that is easy to apply. It entails the addition of a transparent paint on top of an opaque one with the aim of modifying some aspects. Such may include texture, chroma and hue among others. It is possible to create the impression of a transparent glass using this technique. This done by using a pure transparent color against a background of dark contrast so as to create an impression of density.

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.

As is the case in other types of painting, color blocking can be done. This is achieved by using diluted brush strokes to repaint the outlines of objects so as to emphasize them. This eliminates the need for extra paint to be used for the same purpose. It is important that one uses the same color that has been used to paint the inside of the object for color blocking.

Chiaroscuro is a technique that has been used for many years. It is mainly used when there is a need to bring volume to an object. The main consideration when applying this technique is the application of light and dark contrasting to demonstrate the movement of light across the object. Choose a neutral background and ensure that the shadows are completely black.

Monochromatic painting is a technique that is employed in many forms of art and may be employed in this type as well. It entails the use of a single color except in a few cases where white paints may be included. Dilutions are usually done to have a wider variety of shades. The role of the white color when used is to add volume and emphasize the lighter shades.

Different brush strokes can be adopted to bring out different effects. While long strokes are preferred when painting the background, shorter strokes are mainly used for the foreground. Non-representational strokes may be used to enhance the color of objects within the painting. Dots of varying sizes are also used to create various impressions.




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