Beginning Oil Painting: What your instructor might not tell you!
So maybe you've drawn or dabbled with art at some point in your life, but now you have some time to get serious about it. Here are three things your instructor might not mention to you right away. Or maybe never. Not to worry! Because I will.
- Don't buy oil painting kits. All instructor should have a materials list available before the class or workshop starts. Every instructor has their own methods and preferences, so lists always vary. But oil painting kits hold too many colors that you don't need in too small a size and with cheap paint.
Do buy a large tube of white (Titanium White) and a large tube of (Aquamarine Blue).
You always will use more of those two colors than all the others and it will be cost effective. What brand? If you're just starting out, pick up what you can afford. But keep in mind you usually get what you pay for. Paint with lasting color pigment will cost more, but is worth it. I always like to have students keep a simple palette, a warm and a cool of each primary color plus white. I'll post a complete materials list at another time. Let's move on to the second thing that no one might tell you.
2. Don't buy a paper pad palette. Here's why: They're messy, wasteful, clumsy and impossible to clean. For studio work a simple primed board, wood or masonite (seal both with many coats of polyurethane) will work, however I like mixing on glass. It's easy to clean with a single-edge razor blade scraper or simply use a paper towel. Of course, if it's a plein air course you're taking, you'll most likely need a pochade box with a tripod or french easel, both of which have the palette included. (I put a thin sheet of glass in my pochade box. It's a little heavier, but has it's advantages. Otherwise, seal with polyurethane.)
3. Always keep your entire painting supplies handy and in one place. This is super important for two reasons. One, if your work gets spread out over the house, inside cupboards, tucked into the last space in the garage, or under your bed with the angry dust bunnies, it becomes more work. Who wants to WORK? And two, learning to paint is like learning to do anything, there's going to be some frustration involved. So your incentive will suffer if you have to retrieve your supplies like a treasure hunt. Make things as easy for yourself as you can.
And happy painting.
