Oil Tips

Glazing In Oil Paints

One of the most popular techniques in oil painting is glazing. This is a multiple step process in which you will paint the entire painting first in neutral colors to get your tonal values down, then later when it’s dry, you’ll glaze over the ...Read More

Alla Prima Painting

This is a great technique to learn so you can finish a painting in just one sitting. It also allows for better blending and softer edges, which will give your painting a more realistic feel. As discussed below, you’ll want to pre-mix the colors ...Read More

Appendix C: Varnishes

FOR OIL PAINTINGS Varnishes can be added during the course of painting or after it is completely dry in approximately six months time. See our lesson on Varnishing Your Work for more about how to protect your painting after it’s completely dry. Some artists ...Read More

Appendix B: Drying Oils, Alkyds, and Driers

Drying oils can be mixed with solvents to make your medium more lean in the beginning stages of your painting process. As you continue painting, you’ll reduce the amount of solvent and increase the amount of oil to produce more “fatty” layers.  Each type ...Read More

Appendix A: Solvents

Solvents are used to thin oil paint and wash your brushes. They are what make paint “lean” (as in “fat over lean”) and can be mixed with other mediums in the beginning stages of your painting process.  Gamsol (recommended): Can be mixed with paint and ...Read More

Oil Priming Your Canvas

Oil priming is a much more traditional way of prepping your surface for oil painting. Some people swear by oil priming—others say they don’t notice much of a difference. Although it provides a nice, slick surface, traditional Rabbit Skin Glue (RSG) will cause paint ...Read More

Gamblin Oil Painting Medium Guide

Contemporary Painting Mediums GALKYD Galkyd thins oil colors and increases transparency and gloss. When used in greater proportions with oil color, Galkyd will level brushstrokes, creating an enamel-like surface. Galkyd is our fastest-drying painting medium. Thin layers will be touch-dry in approximately 24 hours. ...Read More

Liquid White

I just recently watched an art instructional video and the artist said, “You’ll see I’ve started off with a nice layer of liquid white.” I backed up the video and listened again…yep, liquid white. That’s what he said. In all my years in art ...Read More

Getting The White Right

Original post: http://www.gamblincolors.com/newsletters/getting-the-white-right.html Getting the White Right by Robert Gamblin Skip Whitcomb, Winter Pasture, Oil The most important color choice we make is the white we bring to our work. The white we choose determines to a great degree what our experience of painting ...Read More
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