| Oils are one of the great classic media, and have | | | | quantity of color. Storage can be in saved baby food |
| dominated painting for five hundred years. They remain | | | | jars (keep the lid and the jar threads clean for easy |
| popular for many reasons: their great versatility, | | | | opening) or perhaps you might like to buy metal tubes |
| offering the possibility of transparency and opacity in | | | | in which to pack your "private label" colors. |
| the same painting; the lack of colour change when the | | | | (Remember to name them and keep a record of how |
| painting dries; and ease of manipulation. The colours | | | | you mixed that special color). Open-ended tubes are |
| are made by dispersing pigments in linseed or | | | | available in most art material stores. Mailing labels are |
| safflower oil and generally come in tubes. They can be | | | | great for labeling your tubes. One tip is to roll the |
| used thickly, straight from the tube, or thinned with a | | | | bottom of the tube tightly and do not trap air between |
| solvent such as turpentine or white spirit. Winton Oil | | | | the bottom of the tube and the store of paint. |
| Colours offer a range of colours manufactured to the | | | | Experimentation with the oils you might already have |
| highest possible standards within moderate cost limits, | | | | will get you started and give you a chance to explore |
| making them ideal for use by all artists. | | | | many possibilities as well as be creative. |
| Unlike acrylics, they are slow-drying, which means you | | | | Long handles are traditional for oil painting, however, |
| can rework sections, or scrape off the paint from a | | | | they are not neccesary. Short handle brushes |
| part of the painting that has not succeeded and start | | | | accomplish the same effect. |
| again. | | | | How to Paint Clouds and Trees |
| Oils are the original medium to paint in. Acrylics have | | | | Fluffy white, soft and fragile--So they look, but clouds |
| their own properties but it is oil that really makes the | | | | can be a challenge to paint. Almost every medium has |
| painting look "deep". | | | | its own strong points for application in the painting of |
| Remember - JUST PAINT! | | | | clouds and skies, and each offers great opportunities |
| TIPS On OILS:o Colour Mixing: | | | | for growth as an artist. |
| Be methodical in your colour mixing. Haphazard mixing | | | | Oil painting of clouds and skies offers the option of |
| will only result in muddiness. It is best to start with a | | | | flexibility in that the medium is very forgiving. Oil's slow |
| palette of three or four colours, then add one or two | | | | drying time means you have countless opportunities to |
| more as you gain experience. Adding white to a colour | | | | adjust, augment, and alter the shapes, shadows and |
| produces a tint. Adding black produces a shade. | | | | reflected tones. This is perfect for the artist who loves |
| We have listed above the selected colours we prefer, | | | | to manipulate the medium to achieve the fullest |
| but even just three colours, plus white, will produce a | | | | potential. The use of underpainting to build tones that |
| wide range of tints. Try the following three basic | | | | will glow through the finished cloud and sky areas is |
| colours to begin with: 1. Alizarin Crimson; 2. Cadmium | | | | one of the most popular reasons to work in oil. The |
| Yellow Hue; 3. French Ultramarine. You can make a | | | | translucent glow through the obvious tone to the |
| range of colours by simply mixing your paints. For | | | | implied tone beneath adds to the painting's long-lasting |
| example, you can make a good orange from Alizarin | | | | appeal. |
| Crimson and Cadmium Yellow Hue. Browns can be | | | | Start by washing in a warm glow over the entire sky. |
| mixed from a combination of all three colours; try also | | | | Over this tone layer light applications of the soft sky |
| replacing the Cadmium Yellow Hue with Yellow Ochre | | | | and cloud tones. Build layers to create a deep and |
| for a different shade.o Creating Pastel Colours: | | | | velvety glow. Remember that the clouds are reflectors |
| Experiment by adding white to each of your colours in | | | | for all other tones in the work, even the earth tones of |
| increasing quantities: you will create a lovely range of | | | | the landscape or the vivid tones of a cityscape. White |
| strong and pale tints.o Mixing a Good Range of | | | | reflects and is a wonderful area in the painting to draw |
| Greens For Landscapes: | | | | the foreground, middle ground and background |
| When you look at a landscape you can see at once | | | | together. |
| that although most of the elements in it may be green, | | | | The application of oil can be accomplished with |
| they are not likely to be the same green. So resist the | | | | traditional tools such as brushes and knives but can |
| temptation to reach for the tube of green paint all the | | | | also be softened and "personalized" by using |
| time, or you will find that your paintings lack subtlety | | | | unconventional tools. Natural sponges hold up very well |
| and, indeed, trueness to life. Mix a range of natural | | | | for use with oil colors and mediums. Odd tools like |
| greens from the other paints. | | | | cotton buds and small scrap/rag cloths are also useful |
| A little more on color theory & mixing oil colors: | | | | in moving, blending or removing color. They can also be |
| Certain colors are not only well suited to blending but | | | | used to add texture to areas, even to create a unique |
| can be used to create a basis for an entire genre of | | | | look. Try other materials for other effects, such as |
| personal colors. Skin tones often become a stumbling | | | | cheesecloth to lay on washes over the base warm |
| block for artists. Nothing is sadder than a beautifully | | | | glow. The texture of the threads will yield a distinctive |
| captured portrait diminished by skin tones that are not | | | | "feel" to the finished piece. |
| healthy and alive. This can be avoided by combining | | | | Although underpainting is unnecessary, if you practice |
| two simple colors, cadmium red light and cadmium | | | | that technique, you will achieve a depth and richness to |
| green light, in equal amounts to create a rich dark | | | | be envied. Allow a bit of a bright tone to peep through |
| brown that can be softened with white to achieve a | | | | the overall sky color, suggesting the hidden secret |
| dynamic skin basis. The degree of white and other | | | | under the sky, and you will build interest. The tone you |
| subsidiary tones will create a glowing flesh tone and is | | | | use for underpainting could be a sunset red or orange. |
| easily repeatable. To this basic flesh tone mix, you can | | | | Although this sounds severe, allowing tiny portions of |
| introduce a tiny bit more red for a ruddy coloration. | | | | this tone to show will give an overall glow to the |
| Add a very small amount of cadmium yellow light or | | | | work--an unexplained source of light and warmth. |
| medium and you create a sallow skin tone. Add more | | | | Once the overall tone is established, work in the areas |
| green to the initial flesh tone and you create yet | | | | of clouds. The initial shapes can be soft, but you will |
| another useful skin tone. Many portrait artists keep on | | | | want to build to a more robust "thick" look, giving the |
| hand premixed colors in all of these families because | | | | shapes real dimension. Shadows are important and the |
| any face has areas where the tone changes. One of | | | | same reflected colors mentioned in reference to oil |
| the three mixes listed above might be just the ticket. | | | | painting. The glowing and reflections are essential to |
| Combining black (lamp black or ivory black) with | | | | realistic clouds. |
| cadmium yellow is another hand-mixed color that is fun | | | | Once you have completed the painting, you might |
| to create. The resulting tone of green is the picture of | | | | want to consider coating it with a varnish or medium. In |
| springtime and is very useful to landscape painters. If | | | | the case of oil painting, there are several varnishes to |
| not for large areas, this bright, cheery tone makes an | | | | consider, even some with UV protection to help |
| excellent highlight for any foliage. | | | | preserve the colors. It is customary to do a final |
| The same is true for the combination of cobalt blue | | | | coating of some sort over oils because they often dry |
| and cadmium yellow. The tone created is another | | | | with an uneven surface quality. Dry areas and shiny |
| bright green that leans to the blue and is again a | | | | areas need to be blended to a more uniform look. This |
| wonderful tone for spring green landscape work. | | | | is easily accomplished with one of the products |
| Cadmium red, cadmium yellow and a tiny bit of blue | | | | designed for final coating of paintings. Acrylic mediums |
| yield a glorious orange just right for sunset or fall | | | | do essentially the same thing, offering a uniformity of |
| foliage paintings. Add a bit more blue and the tone dulls | | | | surface sheen. They also give the surface a final |
| to a more pumpkin or sedate orange and is very | | | | protective coat, useful since the work is usually |
| useful in forest interior work, foregrounds and stones in | | | | displayed without glass or other covering. |
| open landscape scenes. | | | | Whether you brush, knife, sponge or use another tool, |
| A covered palette allows mixed oil colors to stay soft | | | | there are limitless challenges and rewards to capturing |
| and serviceable for several days or even weeks if the | | | | skies and clouds in your paintings. Go outside, look up |
| cover is tight. But for large-scale works or long-term | | | | and paint! |
| use of specific colors, it is advisable to create a larger | | | | Enjoy your painting! |