Oil Painting Cheat Sheets

OIL PAINTING

Cheat Sheets AUTHOR BOB DAVIES

CHOOSING AN OIL PALE T TE K i d n e y S h a p e d Pa l e t t e

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Light we i g ht wi t h t he t humb ho l e al l owi ng i t to b e h el d c o m fo r t a b l y w i t h n o n - p a i n t i n g h a n d. R ound e d sha p e a l l ows co l o ur s to b e se t o ut a ro un d edge w i t h c en t re res er ved fo r m i xi n g. Usua l l y mad e o f wo o d b ut c an a l so b e mad e o f me l a m i n e o r a c r y l i c. Wo o d e n c o l o ur i s b e st fo r j ud gi ng co l o ur s a p p l i e d to a to n ed gro u n d / c a nv a s. Wh i te p al e t te i s b e st fo r j ud gi ng c o l o ur s a p p l i e d to a w h i te gro u n d / c a nv a s.

O b lo n g Pa l e t t e

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M o re sp a ce e f f i ci e nt a nd b e t te r sui te d to f i t t i ng i n a p o r t a b l e ea s el o r p a i n t b ox. Can b e o f any ma te r i al i nc l ud i ng wo o d e n b o ard, p l a s t i c o r gl a s s. Cor ne re d e d g e s a re cumb e r so me whe n mov i ng a ro u n d a n ea s el - t h i s i s w hy ov a l p a l et tes a re m ore t r ad i t i o nal. K idne y and o b l o ng p a l e t te s re q ui re p ai nt to b e s c r a p ed aw ay b et ween p a i n t i n gs / s es s i o n s plent y o f f cl o t hs and r ag s are re q ui re d to mai nt a i n a u s a b l e m i xa b l e s u r f a c e.

T e a r O f f Pa l e t t E

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Come s as a p ad o f te a r- o f f wa x p a p e r she e t s wi t h s t i f f b a c k b o a rd Ava i l a b l e wi t h t humb ho l e so c an b e he l d l i k e a t r a di t i o n a l p a l et te. M uc h cl e a ne r a nd q ui ck e r t han t r a d i t i o na l p al e t te s.

Dipper

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A si ng l e o r d o ub l e d i p p e r (ak a a p a l e t te cup ) i s usef u l to h o l d s m a l l a m o u n t s o f p a i n t m edi u m / solve nt . Can b e c l i p p e d o n to t he e d g e o f p a l e t te fo r e asy a c c es s.

C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

M i x ing G r e E N S cerulean blue

PRI M ARY BLUE

co b a lt blue

ULTRA M ARINE blue

PTHALO BLUE

LE M ON YELLO W

PRI M ARY YELLO W

C AD M UI M YELLO W M EDIU M

YELLO W O C HRE

RA W SIENNA

H ere are 5 comm on blues a nd 5 co mmo n ye l l ows mi xe d, i n mo st case s i n ro u gh l y eq u a l q u a n t i t i es to p ro du c e 2 5 green s. Th e lef t h alf of e a ch gre e n i s a st ro ng mi x o f t he t wo c o l o ur s. Th e r ight h alf is a ligh ter mi x wi t h a p p rox i ma te l y 5 0 % t i t a ni um whi te a d d ed to c rea te a t i n t . Simply adjustin g the ratios o f b l ue, ye l l ow and whi te wi l l gi ve yo u l i te r a l l y h u n dreds m o re green s. 3

C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

M i x ing G R E Y S cerulean blue

co b a lt blue

PRI M ARY blue

ULTRA M ARINE blue

PTHALO BLUE

C AD M IU M RED LIGHT

BURNT SIENNA

BURNT U M BER

RA W U M BER

RED OXIDE

H ere are 5 blues and 5 co mmo n re d s/ b rowns mi xe d i n ro ug hl y e q ual q u a n t i t i es to p ro du c e 25 gre y s. Th e l e f t h alf of each gre y is a st ro ng mi x o f t he t wo c o l o ur s. The r i g ht ha l f i s a l i gh ter m i x w i t h a p p roxi m a tel y 5 0% titanium wh ite added to cre a te a t i nt . Ad j ust i ng t he r a t i o s o f b l ue, reds / b row n s a n d w h i te w i l l gi ve yo u l iterally hundreds m ore gre y s. 4

C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

M i x ing S K I N C O L O U R S Alizarin CRimson U lt r a m a r i n e b lu e yellow ochre t i ta n i u m w h i t e

cadmium red cadmium yellow pthalo blue t i ta n i u m w h i t e

Ju st by usin g three pr imar y co l o ur s a nd whi te, ma ny d i f fe re nt sha d e s and t i n t s o f s k i n c o l o u r c a n b e c rea ted. On th is page, t wo sets of thre e p r i ma r i e s have b e e n use d to cre a te e i g ht d if feren t s k i n to n es. Wi t h t h e a ddi t i o n of titan ium white th ese ca n b e l i g hte ne d to cre a te p o te nt i al l y an i nf i ni te n u m b er o f v a r i a t i o n s. Th e propor tion s of th e pr imar y co l o ur s have b e e n a d j uste d i n e a ch o ne to p rov i de a b i a s tow a rds red, b l u e o r ye llow. Each colour swatch shows ro ug hl y t he p ro p o r t i o ns o f e ac h p r i mar y u s ed fo r ea c h to n e b efo re w h i te i s added.

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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

M i x ing S K I N C O L O U R S

Raw sienna + burnt sienna

raw sienna + u lt r a m a r i n e blue + burnt sienna

alizarin crimson + u lt r a m a r i n e blue + burnt sienna

u lt r a m a r i n e blue + burnt umber

cadmium red + cerulean blue

burnt sienna + yellow ochre

H ere are some fur ther var i at i o ns usi ng c o mmo n co l o ur s a nd a re use d by m a ny to p p o r t r a i t p a i n ter s. Th ese 6 mixes, plus the on e s o n t he p re v i o us p ag e, can cre a te t he v a st ma jo r i t y o f s k i n to n es yo u’ l l e ver n eed.

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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

COLOR BIAS OF PRIMARIES

All pr ima r y c o lo u r pai nt s ( red s, b l u es and yel l ow s) have a ‘ leani ng’ or ‘ bias’ towa rd s o n e o f th e ot her t wo p r i mar i es. For ex am ple, A lizar i n Cr im son is a red with a blu e bi a s, wh e reas Cad mi u m R ed i s a red w i th a yellow bias. K n owing th e bi a s o f t he col ou r s i n you r p al et te w i ll help you m ix the secondar y a n d ter ti a r y c o l o u r s you w ant . I t w i l l al s o hel p you avoi d m i x i ng m uddy and dull co lo ur s I f yo u wa n t a v i br a n t p u r p l e for ex amp l e, m i x a re d w ith a blue bi as and blue with a re d bi a s. Th a t w ay you are onl y m i x i ng t wo o f the pr i m ar ies ( red and blue) . I f yo u w a n t a d u l l pu r p l e, t hen m i x a red w i t h a b l ue bias and a blue w i th a yellow bia s. Now yo u a re m ix i ng al l t hree p r i mar i es ( red + blue + yellow ) . M i x i ng all th ree p r i m a r i e s re s u l t s i n a m ore neu t r al tone.

YELLOWS WITH A BLUE BIAS

YELLOWS WITH A RED BIAS

Aureole Azo Lemon Cadmium Lemon C a d m i u m Ye l l o w Pa l e H a n s a Ye l l o w L i g h t Transparent Bismuth

C a d m i u m Ye l l o w M e d i u m C a d m i u m Ye l l o w D e e p Chrome Indian Naples New Gamboge Raw Sienna Ye l l o w O c h re Pe r m a n e n t Ye l l o w M e d i u m Mars Quinacridone Gold

NB: The l i st s here t ho u g h e x te n s ive, a re n o t e xh a u s t i ve, a s ma nu fa ct u rers i nt rod u ce or delet e co l o ur s o n a co n tin u o u s b a s is.

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BLUES WITH A RED BIAS

BLUES WITH A YELLOW BIAS

REDS WITH A BLUE BIAS

REDS WITH A YELLOW BIAS

Cobalt Cyanine French Ultramarine Ultramarine Pay n e’s G re y Indanthrene, Indigo

Cerulean Pthalo Antwerp Intense, Monastial Manganese Turquoise Cyan Rembrandt Pthalo Prussian Paris Peacock

Permanent Rose Alizarin Crimson Magenta Quinacridone Rose Rose Madder Crimson Lake Opera Rose Scarlet Lake Carmine

Cadmium Winsor Vermillion Perelyne Permanent Light Indian Venetian Pyrrole English Red Oxide

C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

TR ANSPARENT & OPAQUE COLOURS KEY Al l paint col ou rs, regardless of th e medium use d, have v a r y i ng d e gre e s o f t r a nsp are nc y. K n owing how transparen t or opaq ue a co l o ur i s c an he l p yo u whe n p ai nt i ng l aye r s o r g l a ze s. B e a r in mind th ough th at some colou r s may b e cl asse d a s t r ansp a re nt by o ne m a n ufac tu re r and sem i- opaq ue by anothe r a nd yo u c an c he c k t hi s o n t he si d e o f t he pa i n t tu be or the man ufac turer ’s website.

T = Transparent ST = S e m i - T r a n s p a r e n t S = Semi-Opaque O = Opaque

Th e l is ts he re are colours th at are gen era l l y co nsi d e re d t r ansp a re nt , se mi t r a nsp are nt , opa q ue or s e mi o paq ue across th e m ajor i t y o f b r and s.

REDS Alizarin Crimson Light Red Cadmium Red Rose Madder Bright Red Perylene Red Opera Rose Venetian Red Pyrrol Red Permanent Rose Quinacridone Red Indian Red Permanent Magenta Permanent Rose French Vermillion 8

BLUES T O O T SO ST T O ST T T O T T O

C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

Cobalt Blue Cerulean French Ultramarine Indigo Prussian Blue Indanthrone Blue P t h a l o B l u e (Grn Shde) Royal Blue Antwerp Blue Manganese Blue Anthraquinone Blue

YELLOWS ST O T T T T T O T T SO

Ye l l o w O c h re Raw Sienna Gold Ochre Quinacridone Gold New Gamboge B i s m u t h Ye l l o w Aureolin C a d m i u m Ye l l o w C a d m i u m Ye l l o w Pa l e Le m o n Ye l l o w N a p l e s Ye l l o w I n d i a n Ye l l o w H a n s a Ye l l o w L i g h t

SO T O T T O T O O T O T T

COLOUR TR ANSPARENC Y CHAR T t i ta n i u m white

red oxide

raw sienna

cadmium yellow

lemon yellow

yellow ochre

burnt sienna (2) burnt sienna (1)

cadmium red (2) cadmium red (1)

alizarin crimson

cadmium red light

u lt r a m a r i n e blue

cerulean blue

The transparen c y of a colou r can e asi l y b e te ste d by cre a t i ng a char t suc h a s t h i s. On white paper, canvas or b o ard, p a i nt a b l a ck st r i p e d own t he ce nt re, a b o u t 1/ 2” ( 1c m ) w i de. Th e p rec i s e width isn’t cr itical. I f you d o n’t have b l ac k , yo u c an cre a te o ne wi t h a st ro n g m i x o f a b l u e a n d a b row n . Let the str ipe dr y, th en paint a st re ak o f e ac h o f yo ur co l o ur s ac ro ss t he st r i p e a s s h ow n . U s e t h e p a i n t s t r a i gh t ou t of the tube, un diluted. Onc e th e pain t h as dr ied, t ho se t ha t are t r ansp a re nt wi l l b e b a re l y v i si b l e o n t h e b l a c k s t r i p e, s u c h a s h ere with ultramar ine blue and al i z a r i n c r i mso n. O t he r s l i k e ye l l ow o chre and c er u l ea n b l u e w i l l a l m o s t o b l i ter a te the black str ipe, indicatin g t he y a re muc h mo re o p aq ue.

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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

pthalo blue

ho w to make a pe r sonalise d colou r cha r t cerulean blue

co b a lt blue

pthalo blue

primary blue

u lt r a m a r i n e blue

cadmium red

alizarin crimson

red oxide

burnt sienna

permanent mag e n ta

cadmium yellow yellow ochre raw sienna lemon yellow raw umber burnt umber dioxazine purple hookers green viridian ivory b l a ck

Too many leisure ar tists wo r r y ab o ut hav i ng t he ‘r i g ht ’ co l o ur s, o r t he s a m e o n es t h e y s ee b ei n g u s ed by Ar tTutor in struc tors. I t ’s far better (an d cheaper ! ) to use t he o ne s yo u have a l re a d y - a t l e ast fo r n ow. Th i s w ay yo u w i l l l ea r n to e x p loit the colours at your d i sp o sa l a nd i t wi l l a l l ow yo u to g o o ut a nd sel ec t n e w c o l o u r s o n l y i f i t b ec o m es re a lly obvious th at you need t he m. For this exercise you are go i ng to g a t he r a l l o f yo ur e x i st i ng co l o ur s a nd m i x a ny t wo o f t h em . Th e res u l t s o f s om e m ixes may sur pr ise yo u and o p e n up yo ur e ye s to p o ssi b i l i t i e s yo u d i dn’t rea l i s e were t h ere. I t ’s a ver y therapeutic exercise as well. 10

C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

STEp 1

I n the char t on the pre vious page I’ve used 20 colours I had at my disposal. You may have less and different ones and that ’s fine. G ather them together now. That char t was produced on a sheet of acr ylic paper about 22” x 16” (40cm x 28cm or A2 size). The first thing to do is to draw a ser ies of boxes in pencil about 2cm x 1cm. The ac tual size sin’t cr itical as long as all the boxes fit on the sheet! Because I used 20 colours, I dre w 10 boxes along the top and 10 boxes down the side. I f you have 15 colours, you could do 8 along the top and 7 down the side, for example. Once you have your boxes drawn, paint a colour in the top row and in lef t hand column as I have done here. This char t is reproduced at a bigger size than the one pre viously, so only the first five boxes across the top and five from top to bottom are in vie w. I t doesn’t matter which colours go where, just place a unique colour in each box. I filled in half of each box with pure colour and the other half mixed with roughly 50% titanium white, to create a tint. 11

C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

STEp 2

I n th e top lef t h and empt y b ox , mi x t he co l o ur d i re c t l y ab ove i t a nd to t he l ef t o f i t . M i x t h em i n ro u gh l y eq u a l qu an tities. You can see th at I’ ve al re ad y f i l l e d i n se ve r a l b oxe s wi t h c ad m i u m red m i xed w i t h yel l ow o c h re, bu r n t sien na and ultramar ine b l ue, i n t hi s c ase. Pain t th e lef t h and side of t he b ox a st ro ng c o l o ur and a d d a b o ut 5 0 % wh i te to yo u r m i x to c rea te a t i n t o n the r ight han d side. Th is wi l l show yo u how t he c o l o ur c hang e s a cro ss d i f feren t s t ren gt h s, w h i c h c a n c h a n ge it quite a lot. R e peat th is for each of the b oxe s unt i l yo u have a f ul l c har t si mi l a r to t he o n e s h ow n o n Pa ge 10.

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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

limite d palette suggestions L i m i ting you r pa lette can really im prove you r oil painting. Not on ly does it help to i m p rove col ou r har mony it also mak es the d e c i s ion mak ing process easier - and tha t h e l p s you s tay in the flow. Th e se t wo pal e ttes are n icely balan ced wit h a c ombination of cool an d war m pr im ar ies. Yo u c an mix al mo st any colour you wan t f ro m the s e l imited selec tions and it wi l l s ave you a l ot of m one y on exotic paint s t h a t you rare l y use af ter you’ ve bought t h e m.

L i m ited p alette 1

L i m ited p alette 2

Ultramarine Blue (warm)

Pthalo Blue

Pthalo Blue (cool)

Cobalt Blue

Cadmium Red (warm)

Permanent Rose

Alizarin Crimson (cool)

Light Red

Ye l l o w O c h re ( w a r m )

H a n s a Ye l l o w

Le m o n Ye l l o w ( c o o l )

Raw Sienna

Plus (optional):

Plus (optional):

Burnt Sienna or Light Red

Burnt Umber

Paynes Grey or Indigo Cerulean Blue New Gamboge or C a d m i u m Ye l l o w 13

C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

Ultramarine Blue Raw Umber Viridian

b r ush / K N I F E ma r ks Tr ad i t i o nal l y, o i l p ai nte r s have use d b r i s t l e b r u s h es, m a de f ro m c o u r s e a n i m a l h a i r suc h as ho g o r ho r se ha i r. O ve r re cen t yea r s, s y n t h et i c a l ter n a t i ves h ave b een d e ve l o p e d - whi c h a re so f te r t ha n b r i s t l e b r u s h es b u t f i r m er t h a n b r u s h es u s ed fo r wa te rco l o ur fo r e x a mp l e.

SYNTHETIC FILBERT

S y nt he t i c b r ushe s al l ow t he ar t i st to c rea te rel a t i vel y s m o o t h l ayer s. B r i s t l e b r u s h es can b e use d to cre a te mo re te x t ure and l eave b r u s h m a r k s i n t h e p a i n t . Co m p a re t h e b r ush mar ks o f t he t wo t y p e s o f f i l b e r t b r u s h o n t h e l ef t .

Pa l e t t e K n i f e V s Pa i n t i n g K n i f e A p a l e t te k ni fe i s use d fo r mi x i ng co l o u r s o n a p a l et te. I t h a s a f l a t a n d s t r a i gh t b l ad e, wi t h ro und e d e d g e s and a wo o den h a n dl e. U n l i k e a p a i n t i n g k n i fe, t h ere i s n o ‘‘e l b ow ’ o r b e nt ar m i n t he b l a d e - p a l et te k n i ves a re a l w ay s f l a t . Pai nt i ng k ni ve s gi ve t he a r t i st t he ab i l it y to s p rea d p a i n t t h i c k l y i n a n i m p a s to s t y l e and a n e nt i re p ai nt i ng c an b e cre a te d w i t h p a i n t i n g k n i ves a l o n e. Th e y a re av a i l a b l e wi t h me t a l o r p l ast i c b l ad e s a nd i n a v a r i et y o f s h a p es a n d s i zes ( t y p i c a l l y p ea r shap e d and t r i a ng ul ar shap e d ). M o st p a i n t i n g k n i ves h ave a c r a n k ed a r m o r el b ow i n t he ne ck . Thi s he l p s to k e e p t he k nu c k l es aw ay f ro m t h e p a i n t i n g s u r f a c e.

HORSEHAIR FILBERT

Pai n ti n g K n i v es 14

C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

PALET TE KniFE

b r ush / K N I F E ma r ks

F L AT B R U S H

FAN BRUSH

I d e al for cre a tin g straight edges an d p ro mi ne nt te x t ure s w ith the hog version . Great thin line s can b e ac hi e ve d w he n the ch isel edge is exploited i n t he sy nt he t i c v ar ie tie s.

I t s uni q ue sha p e can b e p res s ed o n to t h e c a nv a s s o t he b r i st l e s cre a te c u r ved m a r k s ei t h er u pw a rds o r d ownward s, e sp e c i all y w i t h t h e h o gs h a i r ver s i o n s. Pe r fe c t fo r f i r t re e s! Wo o d gr ai n te x t ure i s a l s o a s t r a i gh t fo r w a rd p ro c es s. I n sy nt he t i c v a r i e t i e s t he h a i r s ten d to c l u m p to get h er s o no t as e asy to re p l i cate t h es e tex t u res.

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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

b r ush / K N I F E ma r ks

16

FILBERT BRUSH

R I GG E R B R U S H

A re al al l -ro un der, with good con t ro l o f ma ny p ai nt s trok e s. M any ar tists fin d th e filber t t he i r d e f aul t b r ush for mos t wo r k .

Pro d uc e s a t hi n, f re eh a n d l i n e w i t h t h e l o n g t i p. O r i gi nal l y d e v i se d fo r p a i n t i n g ro p es a n d s h i p’s r i g gi ng, he nce i t s na m e. D o n’t over l o o k i t s a b i l i t y to b e ‘scr ub b e d ’ si d e way s o r f l i c k ed u pw a rds, to c rea te e xce l l e nt ro ck te x t ures a n d f i s s u res, s m a l l b u s h es a n d gr asse s e tc.

C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

b r ush / K N I F E ma r ks

ROUND BRUSH

KNIFE

Anothe r e xcellen t general pur pose b r ush, cap a b l e o f cre ating a v a r iet y of mar k s.

Pai nt i ng k ni ve s a re ma de i n a v a r i et y o f s h a p es - p er fec t fo r he av y, i mp asto crea t i o n s. At t h ei r b es t fo r l o o s e wo r k , a s can b e se e n h ere t h e y c a n c rea te p l ea s i n g 3 D p ar t i al l y mi xe d co l o u r s o r b e s c r a p ed o u t t h i n l y to e x p l o i t t he te x t ure o f t h e p a i n t s u r f a c e.

Can e as il y produce a thin an d thic k l i ne i n t he sa me s trok e by al ter ing th e pressure put o n i t and a s wi t h t he fl owe r he ad sh own , can give a love l y p e t al shap e by ‘s tamping’ the len gth of the brush on t he p a i nt sur f a ce.

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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

I n t he mo unt a i n e x am p l e a t h i c k , da r k b a s e c o a t h a s b e e n a l l owe d to d r y a n d t h en t h i n n er l ayer s o f l i gh ter co l o ur s sc r ap e d ove r t h e to p i n a h i t a n d m i s s ef fec t to gi ve a p l e a si ng e f fe c t o f s n ow i n s u n l i gh t a n d s h a dow.

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This is a ver y basic star ter se t , whi c h c an e a si l y b e ad j uste d, d e p e nd i ng u p o n w h et h er yo u p refer a ddi t i o n a l hogsh air brushes or m ore o f t he sy nt he t i c v ar i e t y. NB: D on’t rely exclusively o n t he numb e r i ng o f b r ushe s a s a n i nd i cat i o n o f s i ze a s ea c h m a n u f a c t u rer w i l l a p p l y d ifferen t standards. S o a No. 8 R o und i n o ne r a ng e co ul d b e t he same a s a N o. 5 R o u n d i n a n o t h er. W h ere ver possible, ch eck si ze s yo ur se l f i n a n ar t sto re o r, whe re t hi s i sn’t p o s s i b l e, s ee i f t h e web s i te p rov i des infor m ation as to th e ac tua l si ze o f t he b r ush he ad ; e. g. . 1 / 2 ” ac ro ss t he m et a l fer r u l e o r 3/ 4” f ro m t h e en d of th e fer rule to the tip of t he b r ush, e tc. The ab ove have al l b e e n gi ve n a gen er a l i n di c a t i o n o f s i ze fo r t h i s re a son, rather than the numb e r b e i ng q uo te d. 18

C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

PE

AR

limite d b r ush & K N I F E set PE

AR

I GG

ER

U RO

ND

L FI

BE

RT

E R . IF H. H. K N NG lat T NT n th N Y O y . F Y L S S S I NG ” E T th 1 4 R NG D n E . IN 3/ Sy LO WI PA OP No L I N 8” 2” 8” R R / / / D O 3 1 5

1”

Sy

n th

lat . F

I n th is group, I’ ve elimin ate d t he Ho g b r ushe s fo r a n e ve n mo re b asi c st a r ter s et . Th e H o g b r u s h es c o u l d b e ad ded later or you may pre fe r to st a r t wi t h t he Ho g e q ui v al e nt s o f t he S y n t h et i c s I’ ve l i s ted. I’l l leave you to choose your b r ushe s and e nj oy f i nd i ng o ut wha t e f fe c t s yo u c a n a c h i e ve. B u t do h ave a do o dl e! This is n e ver tim e wasted. I t a l l ows yo u to und e r st and how yo ur b r ushe s p er fo r m a n d w h a t m a r k s c a n b e ach ie ved, before you spen d mo ne y o n ne w o ne s a nd g e t to o n yo ur ne x t m i n o r m a s ter p i ec e.

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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

OIL MEDIUMS Tr a d i t ional l y, a mix of lin seed oil and tu r p e nt i ne ha s b e e n use d to t hi n o i l p ai nt s a nd h e l p it fl ow more easily wh en pain tin g. Tur p e nt i ne (k nown a s a so l ve nt ) i s a l so use d to c l e a n bru s he s and the palette. A l o t of ar tis ts find th e odour of tur pentine unp l e a sant and i t must b e ha nd l e d wi t h care. Tr a d i t ional l ins e e d oil ex ten ds the dr yin g t i me o f t he p a i nt (whi c h i s al re ad y sl ow to d r y ), s o i t can be come imprac tical for m any lei sure a r t i st s. As a re sul t , many o t he r me d i ums fo r o il painting are n ow available, each wi t h sp e ci f i c p ro p e r t i e s, a nd t hi s c an b e ve r y c on f us ing for the n e wcom er.

AL K YD GEL

LI Q UIN

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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

OIL MEDIUMS I f you are ne w to oil pain tin g we recomm e nd usi ng j ust t hre e p ro d uc t s to g e t st a r te d :

L ow O dour T hi n n ers or Z est - I t ( S ol v e n t ) Th i s h as a mu ch ligh ter and less offen sive sme l l t han t ur p e nt i ne. I t can a l so b e mi xe d w i t h a l ittl e pain t to provide a ver y th in, r unny l i q ui d, whi ch i s i d e al fo r sk e tchi ng t he i n i t i a l ou tl ine s of th e pic ture. Th is sk etch wi l l d r y q ui c k l y. Al te r n ative, more environ men tally fr ien d l y, so l ve nt s now e x i st and o ne o f t he mo st popu l ar is Ze s t-I t Oil Pain t D ilutant an d Br ush C l e ane r. Thi s i s c o mp l e te l y no n-tox i c and m a d e from citru s fruit acids.

LINSEED OIL

D ryi n g L i n seed O il ( Mediu m ) Th i s ad d s trans paren c y, lustre and gloss to t he p a i nt and al so i mp rove s t he f l ow. The d r yi ng ve rs ion of lin seed oil, along with al k yd me d i um o r L i q ui n (se e b e l ow) sp e e d s up d r yi ng time s. M ixed with just a little pain t , i t a l so cre a te s a c l e a r g l a ze whe n re q ui re d.

A lkyd Mediu m or L i q ui n ( Mediu m ) Th e se t wo me d iu ms, available in either a l i q ui d o r g e l -l i k e co nsi ste nc y re d uc e t he d r y i ng t i m e of paint by at least h alf. A pre - mixed b o t t l e o f o f d r y i ng l i nse e d o i l and e i t he r al k yd m e d i um or L iqu in is ver y useful to k eep to ha nd fo r a l l o f yo ur o i l p a i nt i ng s. As a ro ug h g u i d e u s e a ratio about th ree q uar ters lin se e d o i l a nd o ne q ua r te r a l l y me d i um o r L i q ui n.

LO W ODOUR THINNERS

DRYING LINSEED OIL

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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

FAT O V E R L E A N P R I N C I P L E The te r m ’ f at ove r l e an’ i s uni q ue to o i l p a i n t s a n d c o n f u s es m a ny a s p i r i n g o i l p a i n ter s. I t re l a te s to t he o i l co nte nt o f t he p ai nt l ayer a n d n o t ju s t to p u t t i n g t h i c k o r f a t ter l ayer s ove r t hi nne r o ne s, as yo u mi g ht t hi nk . I n si mp l e te r ms, ‘ f at te r ’ l aye r s o f p a i nt (i . e. th o s e w i t h a h i gh er o i l c o n ten t ) s h o u l d b e p u t o n to p o f ‘ l e ane r ’ l aye r s (t ho se wi t h l e ss o r n o a dded o i l ) a n d gen er a l l y s p ea k i n g, n o t t h e o t he r way ro und. The re a re t wo ma i n re a so ns fo r t he ‘ f a t ove r l ea n’ p r i n c i p l e: 1. L aye r s of p ai nt w i t h l i t t l e or n o oi l a d d ed (l ea n ) ten d to b e b e q u i c ker d r y i n g an d l e s s fl exi b l e. I f t h ey are p ai nte d o n to p o f o i l i er (f at ) l ayers, w h i c h d r y m o re s l ow l y, t h ey coul d crack . Th e top l aye r o f p a i nt i s d r y, w h i l e t h e l ayers u n d ern eat h are s t i l l we t an d m ovi n g ab out. 2. O i l - r i ch col our s te n d to dr y w i t h a s h een , w h i c h m a kes i t m o re d i f f i c u l t fo r l ea n er l aye r s to adh e re to t h e m . The p o r t r ai t he re gi ve s a g o o d i d e a o f wha t c o u l d h a p p en i n ex t rem e c i rc u m s t a n c es. I f yo u e ve r l o o k cl o se l y a t o l d p a i nt i ng s i n g a l l er i es, yo u w i l l f i n d m a ny i n s t a n c es o f p a i n t cr ac k i ng a nd d amagi ng t he sur f a ce.

* Ph o to c o u r te s y o f k el l ep i cs / p i x ab ay. com

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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

FAT O V E R L E A N C H A R T Th i s c har t s hows a t ypical situation whe re se ve r a l p ai nt l aye r s si t o n to p o f e a ch o t h er, c o r rec t l y a p p l i ed. N o te t h e i n c rea s i n g pro p or tions of oil m edium (th e oran ge a re as) as e a ch l aye r i s a d d e d. I n t hi s case, we have a s s u m ed t h i s i s a m i x o f dr y i n g l i n s eed o i l a n d al k yd me d iu m or Liq uin , an d a touch o f l ow o d o ur t hi nne r s. Th e f irs t thin l ayer of pain t, with no oil me d i um a nd l o t s o f so l ve nt , wo ul d b e re g a rd e d a s t h e ‘ l ea n es t ’ l ayer. Th i s wo u l d t y p i c a l l y b e t h e ou tl ine s k e tch. As e a ch l aye r is a dded, a high er propor tio n o f o i l me d i um (t he f a t ) i s ad d e d to t he p a i nt to en s u re t h a t l ayer dr i es a l i t t l e m o re s l ow l y t h a n the one be neath. S om e col ou rs w il l dr y q uick er than others, d ue to t he p ro p e r t i e s o f t he p i gme nt . Fo r e x am p l e, ea r t h c o l o u r s s u c h a s u m b er s a n d o c h res w i l l d r y qu ick l y, as will cobalts, whereas mo st re d s, q ui nac r i d o ne s a nd cad mi um co l o ur s w i l l t a k e m o re t i m e. D o n’t wo r r y a b o u t t h i s - j u st s tick to the gen eral rule of thumb o f ad d i ng mo re o i l to s u bs e qu e nt l aye rs. OIL PAINT

Pai n ti n g ‘ A lla Pri m a ’ W h e n ve r y thick , im pasto layers of oil pa i nt are use d, t he y t a k e m u c h l ong e r to dr y th orough ly. Howe ver, i f yo u p ai nt ‘a l l a p r i ma’ ( a d d i n g l aye rs on top of each other wh il e t he y a re st i l l we t , i n a s i n gl e s e s s ion) th en you don’t need to wo r r y ab o ut cr ac k i ng. Yo u are e ffe c tively pain tin g one layer, whi ch sho ul d d r y a t a c on si s te nt rate.

AL K YD / LINSEED OIL M IX SOL V ENT

PAINT SURFA C E , e g : C AN V AS

6 5 4 3 2 1

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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Pr imed c a nv a s o r bo a rd Out line sk etc h w it h t hinned pa int B lo c k ing -in-layer Opt io na l t hic k er impa sto layer D et a iled layer(s) Opt io na l g la zing layer

PAINT SURFACES O i l p ainting s can be produced on a wide v a r i e t y o f sur f a ce s. The b e st k nown i s st re tc h ed c a nv a s over a wo o den f r a m e. H owe ver, c a nv as pane l s g l ued to a heav y card base a re mo re e co no mi c al a nd wi d e l y av a i l ab l e i n a v a r i et y o f s i zes. Wood pane l s too are popular - chipboard, p l y, maso ni te (ha rd b o a rd ) o r M DF - o r e ve n t h i c k c a rd a re a l l s u i t a b l e, o n c e p r i m ed ( s ee n e x t S e c tion). Th e o il paint ne eds a toothed base to adhe re to, so no n-p o ro us sur f a ce s such as a cr y l i c, gl a s s, m et a l o r p o rc el a i n , fo r exa m p l e, a re g e n e r al l y not re comm ended. Howe ver, it may b e p o ssi b l e to p re p are t he se wi t h a p r i me r t h a t etc h es i t s el f i n to t h e s u r f a c e a n d t h u s prov i d e s a ’k e y ’ or ‘ tooth’ for th e paint. Fo r t he ne wcomer to oils th ough , it ’s pro b a b l y b e st to st i ck to o ne o f t he mo re t r a d i t i o n a l s u r f a c es m en t i o n ed a t t h e b egi n n i n g o f t h i s S e c tion.

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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

P A I N T ing & P r epa r ation

M o st o i l p a i nt i ng sur f a ce s ne e d p r i mi ng. Th i s i s u s u a l l y do n e w i t h ges s o, w h i c h wo r k s e q ual l y we l l fo r b o t h ac r y l i cs and o i l s. O ne o r t wo c o a t s a re u s u a l l y s u f f i c i en t . Pr i mi ng a p ai nt sur f a ce, whe t he r canv a s, wo o d p a n el etc. s ea l s t h e f i b res a n d p re ven t s t he p a i nt f ro m so a k i ng i n a nd d i sa p p e a r i ng. Th e f i b res o f a n u n p r i m ed c a nv a s c o u l d b e d a ma g e d e ve nt ual l y by t he so l ve nt s/ o i l s i n t h e p a i n t m i x. M o st c anv a s b o ard s and p re -st re tc he d canv a s p a n el s c o m e rea dy p r i m ed, s o yo u o n l y ne e d to d e ci d e i f yo u want a whi te sur f a ce o r t i n t i t w i t h di l u te a c r y l i c o r o i l p a i n t , b efo re st ar t i ng o n t he p ai nt i ng i t se l f. I nci d e nt al l y, yo u can’t p a i nt wi t h a cr y l i c p a i n t o n to p o f a n o i l p a i n t l ayer a s t h e o i l y sur f ac e wi l l p re ve nt t he a cr y l i c p a i nt f ro m a dh er i n g p ro p er l y. I n a ddi t i o n , t h e o i l p a i n t und e r-l aye r wi l l d r y sl owl y, whi l e t he a cr y l i c s o n to p wo u l d dr y m u c h q u i c k er, p ro b a b l y cr ac k i ng. Howe ve r, i t ’s p e r fe c t l y p o ssi b l e to b l o c k in yo u r b a s i c i m a ge u s i n g a c r y l i c s a n d t h en , o nce t ho ro ug hl y d r y a f te r a fe w ho ur s, to c o m p l ete t h e wo r k i n o i l s. M a ny a r t i st s o p e r ate t hi s way to save t i me. I t wo r k s b ec a u s e t h e o i l p a i n t s t i l l h a s t h e to o t h o f t he c anv a s to c l i ng to, a s t he a cr y l i c p a i n t a n d ges s o p r i m er w i l l h ave s et t l ed q ui te d e e p l y i nto t he f i b re s.

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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

VARNISHING M a ny ar tis ts l ik e to var n ish th eir oil pain t i ng s up o n c o mp l e t i o n. Var ni shi ng c an cre a te a n e ve n s he e n on a pain tin g, wh ere var ious p a tc he s have b e c o me d ul l e r a nd t he p ai nt ha s s u n k fu r the r into the sur face. I t can also e nr i ch co l o ur s, e sp e c i al l y d a r k e r o ne s. Al t h ou g h g l os s var nish is popular, you c an b uy a mat te o r sa t i n v a r ni sh fo r a d i f fe re nt e f fe c t. Di r t and d u s t from the atmosph ere settle s o n a p ai nt i ng ove r t he ye ar s. Thi s wi l l si t o n t h e v ar nis h l aye r rather than the pain t, whi ch c an b e re move d and re -ap p l i e d, b r i ngi ng t h e painting back to its or igin al lustre.

A p p lyi n g Var n ish W h e n appl ying var n ish , use a wide brush and ho r i zo nt a l b r ush st ro k e s. Use b ac k a nd fo r t h s trok e s that over lap slightly, to avo i d r i d g e s and t i d e ma r ks, whi c h wi l l b e d i f f i c ul t to h i d e u nl e s s yo u rem ove all th e var nish and st ar t ag ai n. Avo i d the te mpta tion to go over an area o nce yo u’ ve v a r ni she d i t as t he p ar t i al l y d r i e d c oa t w il l d rag and become unsightly. I f yo u’ ve mi sse d a sma l l a re a , l e t t ha t c o at d r y and g o ove r it ag ain, th is tim e var nishin g from to p to b o t to m, to cove r t he a re a yo u mi sse d.

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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

* Ph oto cour tesy of M ik e/p exels.com

VARNISHING Fo r mos t oil paintings, var nishin g sh ould no t b e co nsi d e re d fo r at l e ast si x mo nt hs a f te r c om p l e tion, or t welve mon th s if heav y imp asto l aye r s have b e e n use d. To p ro te c t the painting in th is per iod, or if yo u ne e d to e x hi b i t i t sho r t l y a f te r co mp l e t i o n, u s e re -tou ching var n ish . This gives an effe c t i ve te mp o r a r y p ro te c t i o n, a n e ve n g l o ss and c a n be painte d over if you n eed to mak e a me nd me nt s to t he p i c t ure. I t can b e re move d w i t h s ol ve nt be fo re applyin g a more lon g l ast i ng v ar ni sh l a te r o n U se t he s pray version of retouch ing var ni sh as t hi s wi l l d ro p g e nt l y and e ve nl y o nto t h e pic tu re, thu s avoiding any r isk of drag gi ng a ny no t- q ui te - d r y p a i nt wi t h a b r ushe d v a r n i s h.

V a r n i s h EFFE C TS Gloss Varnish

Retouching Varnish

S at i n Va r n i s h

Mat t e Va r n i s h

O r i g i n a l O i l Pa i n t

27

C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS

Gloss Varnish

colou r mi x ing te r ms p ri m ary colours seco n dary colours tertiary colours

co m p le m e n tary colours

There are three pr im ar y colour s w hich cannot be created by mixin g ot h er colours. The y are: red, blue and yellow

S eco ndar y colour s are m i xed from t wo of the pr im ar i es. The y are green ( blue + yellow ) , or ange ( red + yellow ) , pur ple (red + b lue)

The si x colour s created by m ix ing a pr i m ar y w ith a secondar y i.e. b lue + green to create a b lue - green or t urquoise

Col o ur s opposi te each other on the colour w heel. For ex am pl e, oran g e is op p osite b lue on t h e colour wh eel an d so b eco m e each other s’ com plem entar y colour. Com plem entar y colours are said to en h an ce each ot h er wh en p laced nex t to each other. W hen m ixed w ith each other the y have the op p osite ef fec t , creat in g a d ull, n eut ral ton e. Complem entar y colour s include: O r ange and blue, Yellow and p ur p le, Green an d red

28

hue

Thi s i s the br i ghtest, m ost v i v i d ver si on of a pr i m ar y, secondar y or ter t iar y colour. S o red for examp le, wit h n o ot h er col o ur m i x w i th it and undiluted i s a hue. Pai nting only w ith h ues would result in a ver y b r ig h t an d g ar ish p ain t in g.

ti n t

Ad d ing w hi te to a colour to lighten i t, creates a tint of that colour.

shade

Ad d ing black to a colour to dar k en it, creates a shade of that colour. I n acr ylic p ain t in g, ad d in g a colour ’s comp lemen t ar y to i t has a sim ilar effec t ( i . e. adding pur ple to yellow has a similar ef fec t as ad d in g b lack to t h e yellow). You could al s o m ix a black colour by m i x i ng the three pr im ar y colour s to g et h er an d t h en ad d t h at b lack mix to an ot h er colour ( s p ar ingly ) to create a shade.

to n e

Ad d ing back and w hite to a colour, creates a tone of that colo ur. Obviously b lack an d wh ite mak e gre y an d so a ton e i s gre yer ver sion of a colour. These are also refer red to as pastel colours, or n eut ral colours. You’ll use ton es a lot in you r painti ngs because the bulk of any subj ec t m atter i s m ade f rom t h em. You can t h en use sh ad es for sh ad ow areas, t i nt s for hi ghlight areas and a touch of br ight hues w here you really wan t t h e colour to z in g.

VALUE

Thi s is the lightness or dar k ness of a colour. W hile i t m ight seem obvious t h at b lue h as a d ar k er value t h an yellow, a ver y light blue m ight be li ghter than a dar k yellow. The best way to jud g e t h e values in a p h otograp h or p ain t in g is to mak e it back and w hite. Thi s w i ll m ak e it obv i ous w hich colou rs are d ar k er an d lig h ter t h an ot h ers.

C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r OILS