Commonly Used Oil Painting Techniques

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 way of creating great pieces. When one intends to demonstrate the transparency of an object, they apply a transparent color over an opaque one. Glazes are generally used to modify various aspects of a paint such as the hue, the texture, the chroma and the value among others. If you wish to give the impression of a transparent glass, make sure that your paint color is pure. Contrasting colors should be added last so as to add density.

Color intensification can be easily achieved using oil paints. The idea is to create different shades of the same color. This is achieved by diluting the paint in various stages. The background contains the most diluted density such that it contrasts with the denser objects in 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 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 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.

There are different brush stroke sizes that can used in defining and differentiating objects within a painting. Long strokes, short jabs and even dots can be used depending on the desired effect. Small strokes are preferred for objects that are in the foreground. Non-representational strokes can be used to produce the color and the object simultaneously.




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