Oil Paintings

Oil Paintings Vocabulary 

A list of common terms and techniques

• Alla Prima/Direct Painting
  Painting not done in layers (which is the traditional way); literally "at once" in Italian
• Broken Color
  Painting small, disjoint areas of color, as in Impressionism or Pointillism
• Collage
  Adding other types of media or materials to the oil painting
• Fat Over Lean
  Using "lean" oil (less oil than turpentine in the paint) paint, which dries faster, under a "fat" oil paint (pure paint) layer
• Frottie
  Glazing with opaque colors, or a colored glaze mixed with white; using semi-transparent glaze or film
• Masking
  Using adhesive material to cover an area or create boundaries for where one is currently painting
• Painting to Completion in Sections
  Performing Alla Prima by section; runs the risk of a disjointed-looking painting if careless
• Spattering
  Flicking a brush to transfer the paint on it onto the canvas
• Toned Ground
  Applying a stain over a priming (i.e., ground) before one begins to paint; commonly used colors
• Using Ground
  Allowing a portion of the ground to see through the finished painting
• Varnish
  Applying a protective film over a painting that results in either a glossy or matte surface
• Wet-on-wet
  Literally wet paint used alongside wet paint; produces a lighter look when the colors mix; "painting from light colors up"; leaves no time for drying up and is thus a quicker method of painting

Oil Painting Supplies 

A list of what you need to start painting

• The Canvas
  The most popular painting surface, especially in oil paintings. Linen is the material of choice, but cheaper cotton ones are also suitable.
      The canvas is commonly prepared for painting in several steps, which can be done at home for a better buy: (1) stretch canvas across a wooden frame called the stretcher (or strainer) and tack/staple tightly; (2) apply ground (see Oil Paintings Vocabulary) to protect the canvas from chemical reactions with the paint. Gesso, which is calcium sulfate mixed with animal glue, is commonly used as the ground for the canvas. Yes, it is absolutely necessary to prime the canvas before painting.
      Other surfaces that can be used in oil painting include wooden panels, linoleum, pressed wood, and cardboard.
• The Brushes
  Consist of natural or synthetic hairs gathered up in a metal band, called the ferrule (aluminum, nickel, copper, or nickel-plated steel).
      Using a brush is the most popular way to apply paint onto a surface; it is also used to prepare and mix colors.
      Oil paint brushes are usually sable of bristle. Since turpentine can easily damage synthetic bristles, these types of brushes are not suitable for oil paintings.
      Different types of brushes are: Round, Flat, Bright, Filbert, Fan, Angle, Mop, Rigger.
• The Paints
  Contain organic oils, the carriers, and the pigments.
      The most popular oils include linseed oil as well as oil from poppies, walnuts, and soy beans, which are cheaper substitutes.
      Pigments in oil paints may be either mineral salts (lead, zinc, titanium, cadmium), earth types (sienna, umber), or synthetic types.
      Oil paint is considered relatively more complex to use than acrylic or tempera; it is water-resistant and uses toxic solvents like turpentine or benzene.
      Your options for buying oil paints include: fast-drying oils in tubes, water-mixable oils in tubes and pans or blocks, and oil bars, which come in stick form but are not oil pastels.
      Paints labeled with "hue" (e.g., cadmium red hue) at the end are artificial ones - they are prone to fading, don't keep their color during mixing, and get muddy easily.
• The Palette
  Thin board, usually with a thumb hole used to hold paints and other substances for mixing and preparation.
• The Palette Knife
  Has a flexible steel blade with no sharpened cutting edge.
      A symmetric palette knife with a rounded tip is usually for mixing oil paints on a palette, while an asymmetric knife has a pointed tip and used is for painting on the canvas.
      Also, certain painting techniques involve palette knives.
• The Thinner
  Dilute oil paint, most often to clean your brushes and palette.
      Turpentine is the most common substance. mineral spirits also keep the oil paints watery.
      These materials must be handled with care in a well-ventilated area. It is advised not to use paper, plastic, or styrofoam cups as containers for mediums and thinners.
• The Mediums
  Also dilute color in oils. They serve a host of functions: make oil paints dry faster, increase gloss or transparency, or even reduce overdone thinning.
      Check the label for what the medium you're buying actually does.
      Linseed oil is perhaps the most used medium. While there are arguments about whether or not linseed oil actually causes certain light-colored paints such as white, as well as blue, to noticeably become yellow over time, using poppyseed oil for these hues makes for a safe alternative.
      Do not use paper, plastic, or styrofoam cups as containers for mediums and thinners.
      Examples of mediums are: oils (e.g., linseed, walnut, poppy, sunflower, lavander, clover), varnishes (Dammar, Mastic), balsam (e.g., Larch, Venetian, and Strasbourg turpentines, Canada and Copaiva balsam, rectified turpentine), and driers (cobalt, turpentine).

The Most Famous Oil Paintings 

• Mona Lisa (La Gioconda)
  by Leonardo da Vinci
• Portrait of Dr. Gachet
  by Vincent van Gogh
• Bal au moulin de la Galette, Montmartre
  by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
• Garçon à la Pipe (Boy with a Pipe)
  by Pablo Picasso
• Dora Maar au Chat (Dora Maar with Cat)
  by Pablo Picasso
• Irises
  by Vincent van Gogh
• Massacre of the Innocents
  by Peter Paul Rubens
• Les Noces de Pierrette (The Marriage of Pierrette)
  by Pablo Picasso
• Portrait de l'Artiste sans Barbe
  by Vincent van Gogh
• Rideau, Cruchon et Compotier (Curtain, Jug and Fruit Bowl)
  by Paul Cézanne
• Femme aux Bras Croisés (Woman with Folded Arms)
  by Pablo Picasso