Oil on Canvas
6 x 12
If you are drawn to an oil painting because of the dazzling color and brilliance, then you should consider what techniques the artist used to achieve this effect. There are several ways the artist can create brilliant color in their works. One of course is using the “complimentary color sequencing“, e.g. if you put an orange hue next to a blue hue (with one of them being greyed a bit by it’s complimentary color), then the pure hue or brightest hue will “pop” that area of the painting. Exploring the color wheel and using variations on this theme is a lot of fun when developing a painting.
Another important factor in creating dazzling color and brilliance in a painting is by using decisive brush strokes. A common mistake made by the novice painter is using the “house painter’s technique”. This is when all of the strokes are blended by a back and forth method of applying paint in an effort to cover the wall completely. The house painter is only applying one color to the surface and therefore this method suits the goal of painting a wall. But when creating an oil painting, this blending kills the brilliance of the hue. Most beginners do this because they are unsure of them selves. When putting a color on the canvas, the brush stroke in most cases should be clean and decisive. The decisiveness of the stroke comes from a confidence that most novice painters haven’t developed yet.
In summary: 1. Unless glazing or intentionally blending, the brush stroke should be clean and decisive. 2. Don’t touch the brush to the canvas unless you are very sure of your intention. Step back from the painting frequently, consider what is the next stroke or series of strokes that your want to use.
And one more thing, learn to use large brushes for 90% of your painting, even if the canvas size is small. Learn how to use all parts of the brush, the straightforward angle, the edges, the end of the tip, and of course don’t forget palette knives, rags and your fingers. The old masters were not slaves to the brush. They were inventive in laying paint on, subtracting paint and moving paint around on the painting surface. Have fun exploring. Susan
