Oil painting is a style of painting followed by many artists and as these paints are tough and long lasting, they can be used easily in any type of painting. Especially for landscape painting, oils are very effective. Many famous paintings are made using oil paints and one of the most liked and best selling paintings are those which are landscapes using oil paint. Let me share a few tips for painting landscapes for the new artists.
Make it a habit and try to observe nature as much as possible. The most inspirational and symbolic artworks are those made by observing nature at its best. For your first landscape use a reference photo if you have of a landscape. Select a corner or the best you like from the scenery. This is one of the most common mistakes done by many artists is that they try to put too much in one painting. Even when I began, I felt the need to put too many things on one canvas, the result is you get an painting that does not have focus, or focal point.
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| Retouching repainting old oil paintings |
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| Oldest cubism artwork, year 2000, in oil still available for art collectors Freedom |
Make it a habit and try to observe nature as much as possible. The most inspirational and symbolic artworks are those made by observing nature at its best. For your first landscape use a reference photo if you have of a landscape. Select a corner or the best you like from the scenery. This is one of the most common mistakes done by many artists is that they try to put too much in one painting. Even when I began, I felt the need to put too many things on one canvas, the result is you get an painting that does not have focus, or focal point.
Selecting simple student’s colours or artists colours is your choice. Keep the painting area clean and clutter free and have rags and other materials like cleaner, pencils, colours and drawing board ready, in other words make the place for painting. Beginning of any artwork especially landscape has to be done by making a rough sketch of the scene on paper or canvas. By doing this you demarcate the areas for water, stones, mountains or sand as is in your picture.
If you like to paint directly from the tube like I do then it is very simple, place colours selected on your palette along with some black and white for mixing to get proper shades.
If you use thinner then have the dipper ready near the palette of colours. There are many thinners and also oil solvents. I had begun with Linseed oil. This brought a beautiful shine to my oil paints but the only thing I saw over the years the whites in my paintings began to yellow. Tip-If you have too much white in your painting do avoid linseed oil as a binder for your oils.
Observe the colours in the landscape as many of us neglect this aspect is that no single colour will give you the desired result, nature has many shades and you will have to mix different colours especially for making the greens. That is what I used to do, then all the greens looked same, because I used a sap green or a dark chrome green. Then I found this beautiful emerald green and viridian green and lime green and fluorescent green. Everything is available and then of course make your own as you progress in painting landscapes.
The red of flowers is also not ready and an artist has to try and mix different shades and colours of red to get the correct colour. You will find vermillion red, crimson lake, rose madder hue that are great.
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So also for other colours for mountains, water and sunlight try mixing colours on your palette and not directly on the canvas otherwise there are chances of getting a muddy colour or stains in your landscape. There is a whole lot of trials and error to find the right shades and hues. I end up removing paint from the canvas and also repainting so many times.
If you use thinner then have the dipper ready near the palette of colours. There are many thinners and also oil solvents. I had begun with Linseed oil. This brought a beautiful shine to my oil paints but the only thing I saw over the years the whites in my paintings began to yellow. Tip-If you have too much white in your painting do avoid linseed oil as a binder for your oils.
Observe the colours in the landscape as many of us neglect this aspect is that no single colour will give you the desired result, nature has many shades and you will have to mix different colours especially for making the greens. That is what I used to do, then all the greens looked same, because I used a sap green or a dark chrome green. Then I found this beautiful emerald green and viridian green and lime green and fluorescent green. Everything is available and then of course make your own as you progress in painting landscapes.
The red of flowers is also not ready and an artist has to try and mix different shades and colours of red to get the correct colour. You will find vermillion red, crimson lake, rose madder hue that are great.
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| correcting feng shui mistakes in old paintings wrote a post on this |
So also for other colours for mountains, water and sunlight try mixing colours on your palette and not directly on the canvas otherwise there are chances of getting a muddy colour or stains in your landscape. There is a whole lot of trials and error to find the right shades and hues. I end up removing paint from the canvas and also repainting so many times.
You will find that students oil colours are some what easier to use than artists oil colours. I do use both and very soon have gone with artists professional oil colours. Smaller sized tubes were only for the beginning of my art career. As I paint more abstracts I now need medium/ larger sized tubes. The one thing I love, they don't dry! Oil paint tubes will stay with you and whenever you go back you can reuse the remaining oil paints that are stored in closed tubes.
How to clean precious old oil paintings live demonstration You Tube video
It is better to make use of lighter colours first and then move on to cover up or give specific shapes with a darker shade of that colour. Many artists also do the mistake of making outlines with black colour.
Please! Nature does not have any outlines! There are some [paintings where we do need to make some draft/outlines. use a grey or a dark blue, that is what I do.
you have to use similar shades of that particular colour and darken it to define outlines of any shape. Since you are using oil paints in case of any mistakes you can over paint it, or remove the colour by using a cloth with remover or thinner applied on it. The cloth I find is most important part too! I have ended up spoiling some artwork due to used stained oil cloth. rags need to be clean too!
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| Old tubes oil paints |
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| Varnishing Old oil paintings will keep them fresh and preserve conserve the colours. |
How to clean precious old oil paintings live demonstration You Tube video
It is better to make use of lighter colours first and then move on to cover up or give specific shapes with a darker shade of that colour. Many artists also do the mistake of making outlines with black colour.
Please! Nature does not have any outlines! There are some [paintings where we do need to make some draft/outlines. use a grey or a dark blue, that is what I do.
you have to use similar shades of that particular colour and darken it to define outlines of any shape. Since you are using oil paints in case of any mistakes you can over paint it, or remove the colour by using a cloth with remover or thinner applied on it. The cloth I find is most important part too! I have ended up spoiling some artwork due to used stained oil cloth. rags need to be clean too!
The most important point while doing landscapes is that there is no right way. You can proceed painting any way, start from top or bottom, side or cross ways, as you like it. Especially abstracts are so wonderful and cubism paintings, my precious cubism unfolds with each layer by layer.
Do not be tied down by too many rules as this will hamper your creativity and remember the most beautiful landscape is the one that gives you satisfaction on completion and not the one that you have done following all rules of painting strictly but ended up making a painting which looks like a copy of your photograph of landscape.
Oils are very forgiving! you can remove the layer, you can repaint it and it will infact look much better! I have recycled, repainted and made collages of old paintings. Check this collection on my website Yes I tore them and Burned or Recycled them!
Recorded the tearing process a few times watch the video on You Tube tearing precious old oil paintings
A very old oil painting Divine Design that has developed cracks, and still with me! watch details in this video
Oils and any paint has its own soul and language. you must learn to listen to this. Connect and understand the language of oils to produce great art. I don't know how my art has progressed over the years but I understand it requires dedication and passion to keep on making healing art.
All the Best from Rizwana/Your's The Red Pilgrim!
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Do not be tied down by too many rules as this will hamper your creativity and remember the most beautiful landscape is the one that gives you satisfaction on completion and not the one that you have done following all rules of painting strictly but ended up making a painting which looks like a copy of your photograph of landscape.
Oils are very forgiving! you can remove the layer, you can repaint it and it will infact look much better! I have recycled, repainted and made collages of old paintings. Check this collection on my website Yes I tore them and Burned or Recycled them!
 |
| Cubism Geometric Paintings, A Few Years of My Life Cubism collages |
A very old oil painting Divine Design that has developed cracks, and still with me! watch details in this video
Oils and any paint has its own soul and language. you must learn to listen to this. Connect and understand the language of oils to produce great art. I don't know how my art has progressed over the years but I understand it requires dedication and passion to keep on making healing art.
All the Best from Rizwana/Your's The Red Pilgrim!
Posts on Razarts Blog-
Buying art online check the * asterix
How table Feng shuii paintings of tours travels work for your dreams?
Inspired by Pablo Picasso,honoured to be selected in a collection on Saatchiart online member since more than a decade My profile Saatchi art.com/ Razarts
I have videos of how to write symbols on The Red Pilgrim Channel You Tube, there are Chinese symbols, Reiki symbols and even ancient symbols videos.
Care for using Reiki symbol printed products
