Oil Painting Supplies
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 Oi Paintings
Family Portrait from photo
