Painting with oils can be quite challenging with the unforgiving nature of the oils. However, as you progress in your oil painting classes, you will learn different painting techniques that will enable you to conquer any fear with using oils to paint. Your transition will be a lot smoother if you already know some of the fundamentals of an oil painting. That said, here are the top three practical painting techniques in details.
The right way to hold the brush
While you can hold the paintbrush in any way you want, holding it at the end or as far back as you can provides total control. It enables you to make strokes using your entire arm and not just with a wrist. This technique will also allow you to be most fluid and sensitive with all your strokes.
Never over-mix colors
What gives your oil painting more interest and vividness is the mixture of different colors of paints that creates little inconsistencies. However, it is a big no-no to over-mix but only combine colors as necessary before you perform the stroke. This is because overmixing them won't accomplish the result you want in your oil painting. Rather, you will get the opposite. You will have an uninteresting mixture of colors. You will learn the details of mastering this technique in one of your oil painting classes.
Varying the pressure of your stroke
Just like drawing, a heavy hand will not produce good results when working with paintbrushes. So, it is important that you apply the right pressure in your stroke and vary it as needed. This will also vary the texture you want to achieve. The general rule is that the heavier the pressure, the more the paints will blend. This will create undesirable ridges on your strokes. So, during your oil painting classes, be familiar with all your strokes and how they look on canvas. This will help you attain the visual effects you wish to see on your artwork.
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