Month: August 2013
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How Do I Start Painting in Oils?
By Ricardo Guimaraes There are as many ways to paint as there are artists, but here’s a summary of my oil painting method. To begin with, there are two simple rules you should follow. Firstly, you need a surface to paint on that has been prepared specifically for oil paints. You can buy many brands of […]
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Can I Use Artist’s Quality Oil Paint Over Student Grade Paint?
By Marion Boddy-Evans “Like all fledgling oil painters, I’ve been fed the phrase fat over lean so many times I say it in my sleep. I get the basic idea: the paint on the bottom should not have as much oil as the paint above. Recently I’ve been upgrading from student to artist’s paint. Can I still use […]
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Oiling Out to Even the Gloss or Shine on a Painting
By Marion Boddy-Evans Painting and Technical Advisor for Winsor & Newton, Paul Robinson, says: “What I would advise is that you even out your sheen before varnishing by ‘oiling out’. Oiling out is the application of an oil medium to a painting which has sunk (become dull), or lost its oil to the layer underneath. The most common causes […]
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Bubble Prints
By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. Bubble prints are like fingerprints, except made with bubbles. You can make bubble prints and learn about how bubbles are shaped and how pigments combine to make different colors. Bubble Print Materials Bubble prints are made by coloring bubble solution, blowing bubbles, and pressing paper onto the bubbles. You need brightly-colored […]
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Freezing Oil Paint
By Marion Boddy-Evans The tip about freezing of oil paints to preserve them between painting sessions, usually suggested as placing your entire palette in the freezer, in based on the fact that oil freezes are a very low temperature. (It’s far lower than water.) Given the temperature a domestic freezer is usually set at, leftover oil paint put […]
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Is it Okay to Use House Paint For Art?
The question of whether it’s okay to use house paint rather than artist’s paint is one that comes up in various forms, but all seem to be motivated by the desire to save money. Personally I think you’re best off buying at least students’ quality paints, or saving on paint by creating smaller paintings. In […]
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Should All Three Parts of a Triptych Painting be the Same Size or Not?
By Marion Boddy-Evans Though most people do use identical sizes there’s no reason why you must, no set convention. Do what feels right for the painting. I once did a triptych which was to hang on a wall alongside a staircase that was open to the living space of the house. I painted it on with […]
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What’s the Connection Between Rembrandt van Rijn and Hendrick Uylenburgh?
By Marion Boddy-Evans When Rembrandt moved from Leiden to Amsterdam in 1631, at the age of 25, he spent four years working in the painters’ workshop of the art dealer Hendrick Uylenburgh. Uylenburgh was instrumental in developing Rembrandt’s career as a portrait artist and getting him commissions. Rembrandt married Uylenburgh’s niece, Saskia, in 1634. Hendrick Uylenburgh was born between 1584 […]
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10 Facts About Leonardo da Vinci
By Marion Boddy-Evans Leonardo da Vinci Fact No 1: Not a Prolific Painter Leonardo left fewer than 30 paintings, and these aren’t even all finished. But before you think you can do the same and still go down in art history, remember he also left hundreds of drawings, sketches, and pages of notes. His reputation isn’t […]
