This is the fourth instalment in my series describing how I create a painting. These are the steps I usually follow for full size paintings, and it may be different from your process if you paint. This week’s topic is: Painting in oils or in pastels Last week I covered how I paint in watercolor. I have been doing that for about 15 years now, so I have tried many techniques and have become quite comfortable with a lot of them. I only started painting in oils last summer. and pastels even more recently, so I still have a lot to learn!! I mentioned that I use a limited range of colors in watercolors, mixing colors as I need them. I have an even smaller number of colors in my oil paints, having only primaries and a few favorite dark colors, and white of course. Whereas water (and the white paper) are used to lighten watercolor paints, white paint is used to lighten oil colors, and black is used to darken them, although my knowledge of mixing colors has helped me avoid using much black so far. I never thought I would paint in oil, mainly because of the mess and smell and toxicity that I associated with oil paint. Then I discovered that many manufacturers offer water-soluble oil paint! This seemingly impossible product is achieved by modifying the oil or by adding an emulsifier to it, rendering it water-soluble. No turpentine or solvents needed! This, and a number of demonstrations by oil painters which I began to watch online convinced me to try this medium. The process is very different from watercolor, so it is quite an adaptation for me. Oil paint is much more forgiving than watercolor, in that mistakes can be simply scraped away or covered with more paint. Whereas watercolor requires a relatively precise pencil drawing of shapes and objects, in oil painting, objects and shapes can be positioned approximately and progressively refined by painting either the objects or the space around them. The layering/mixing of the colors on the canvas is also something that is impossible to do in watercolor; oil paint is usually applied from dark to light, completely the opposite of watercolor. Also, because of the thickness and texture, oil is a very sensual medium to manipulate. But it can also be quite difficult to get the paint to move off the brush and to stay on the desired spot, especially in small details. As I mentioned, I have watched many videos of painters that make it look a lot easier than it is!! I am still learning, so I haven't gotten into using mediums that affect the texture or drying time of the paint. Drying time! Although the slow drying of oil paint allows reworking and on-canvas mixing effects, it is also the biggest drawback to painting in oil. While some paintings can be completed in one session (this is called “alla prima”), often they are the result of several days of painting, with drying time in between layers of paint. An oil painting can take years to complete! The longest I have spent so far is about 2 weeks. And then the paint is not really dry, more like tacky. It can take 6 months to a year for a painting to dry enough for the next step… which we will cover next week. There are two types of pastels, oil and dry. The ones I use are the chalk or dry pastels, and they are similar to oil paints in that they are forgiving. Pastel can be removed or erased from the paper, and it can also be covered or layered, and you work dark to light. They require few tools or mediums. They come in varying degrees of hardness, from hard to extra soft. They are basically pigment mixed with very few additives and compressed into fragile sticks which are rubbed onto the surface to release a layer of pigment. They are dusty and don’t really want to adhere to the paper. But they cover quickly and give interesting results. The process of painting in pastels (it is called painting although it is much more like drawing or coloring) is similar to oils: you start by lightly drawing in pastels the general position of objects on the surface; you can then block in these shapes, then continue to refine them by adding more pastels. Unlike oils, you are limited to the number of layers you can apply before the pastel just won’t adhere, so you can’t keep adding color to correct mistakes. Using a workable fixative will allow a few more layers, but there is a limit, so you have to paint more carefully, or scrape off mistakes rather than just cover them like you could with oil. Another difference is the number of colors you need. Although different colors can be obtained by blending, the look of blended pastels is very different from non-blended, so you need a large assortment of colors and tones (light to dark) of each color. Some high end ($$$$) pastel sets come with over 400 different colors! There are a few techniques that are specific to pastels, such as blending, feathering and dusting, but a lot of knowledge gained in other techniques can be transferred to pastels. You can also mix watercolor and pastels, but I haven’t tried that yet. One thing that is very particular to pastels is the paper, especially sanded paper, which is actually like very fine sandpaper and is supposed to hold color very well. I have bought some but I have yet to try it! I am very much a beginner in pastels, so I can’t really say much more than that for now. As someone who works very precisely(tightly) in watercolor, I enjoy the spontaneity(looseness) of pastels, and I very much admire people who produce very precise work in pastels. I have no idea how they do it! Yet! Next week I will look at the post painting process for watercolors, oil and pastels.
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AuthorMy name is Claire Bureau. Archives
March 2023
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