LESSON ONE

Terms and Materials

People repeatedly ask me for explanations of various terms and materials in oil painting. I believe it is really important to start with these definitions.  It seems like oil painting is made up of all kinds of terms and phrases that can appear mysterious and confusing at first, but a few definitions and explanations will open up this world for you. In this first class we will define terms and describe materials so that the shroud of mystery dissolves.   Let’s start with a few Terms, and define them right away so that you can begin to feel confident with oils.  

TERMS

Pigment:  Color particles that create the color of your paint.
Binder:  The substance in the paint that holds the pigment particles together and binds them to the support.
Support:  The actual material or substrate that you apply your paint onto, such as canvas, paper, board, etc.
Fat:  The term used to describe high oil content in paint and mediums. Certain colors are ‘Fat.’
Lean:  The term used to describe low oil content in paint and mediums. Other colors are ‘Lean.’
(Fat and Lean come up repeatedly in Oil Painting instructions so it is good to know what they mean. See Lesson Three below.)
Artist Colors:  Paint that has a high ratio of pigment to binder.  In other words, the color that comes from the tube has a good amount of pigment in it. 
Student Grade Colors:  Paint that (generally) has a lower ratio of pigment to binder, produced for cost savings for the artist. 
Viscosity: Often used to describe certain oil paints or mediums, “the state of being thick, sticky, and semifluid in consistency.” 
Direct Painting: The most common approach to oil painting and what I teach in this course. Paint can be mixed on the palette or support. Composition, corrections, textures, etc. are all made directly on the support with immediate results. With this approach, a painting can be completed in one sitting (Alla Prima) or over several days, weeks, months, etc.
Indirect Painting: A far more traditional and time consuming approach which typically begins with a very specific rendering. Multiple layers of transparent oil paint are then applied (we call this ‘glazing’) over many days to create a translucent effect. This approach can create stunning effects; however it is far from intuitive. Think Rembrandt and Caravaggio. 
Value:  Value is a fundamental concept to art no matter what the medium. When we speak of value we are talking about the lightness or darkness of a color. Think of your color translated to a black and white photo. Is the color close to white (a light value) or black (a dark value) or somewhere in-between (a mid-value)?  This concept is important to understand as I continually refer to it, as will all artists and other instructors.

MATERIALS

Please Note: Each video in this course has its own unique password.

• VIDEO PASSWORD: Paint

• VIDEO LENGTH: 8:51 minutes

These brands offer excellent quality for the money: Gamblin, Winsor & Newton, Lukas, Rembrandt

Gamblin, Lukas and Winsor & Newton all have Student Grade options. I do recommend that you buy the best paint that you can afford. There are dozens of other paint brands out there and many of them are excellent. I have recommended these four to simplify things as at least one of them is readily available on most continents. 

Oil Paint

There are now several different kinds of oil paints available:

• Traditional Oils are those made with pigment and traditional type binders such as linseed oil and safflower oils. Both Artist Oil Colors and Student Grade Colors are usually made with these traditional binders. I recommend starting with traditional oils.

• Alkyd Oils are pigments that have been combined with an alkyd binder that speeds up the drying time. These can be particularly useful in underpaintings; however, you do not want to use them in top layers over Traditional Oils. A top layer must not dry faster than a bottom layer.

• Water Miscible Oils are pigments that have been combined with a chemically altered binder and other additives that will mix with water. You can, therefore, clean your brushes with water instead of Mineral Spirits. You do not want to paint with the water; only use it to clean brushes. These oils need special mediums that work with the miscible binder. I, personally do NOT recommend these except under extreme circumstances of allergic reaction to oil paint. The viscosity of Water Miscible Oils is very different from Traditional Oils. More information follows below in Lesson Two.

For recommended colors look below at "Palettes."

Mineral Spirits

Also referred to as SOLVENT, TURPENTINE or 'TURPS'

You should ONLY be using Odorless Mineral Spirits (often referred to as OMS). A relatively new development in the history of oil painting, OMS have been chemically altered to be much safer to work with. You still do not want to get a lot of it on your skin and it is best to keep it covered when not in use, but it is far less toxic and flammable than turpentine and regular mineral spirits. When someone refers to SOLVENT or TURPENTINE in instructions or ingredients, you can use OMS. Most companies that supply Mineral Spirits to artists now make OMS. You will need to research what is readily available in your country as it varies greatly. 
We use OMS mostly in the early stages of painting to create thin layers that dry quickly. I also use it to lightly clean brushes during an oil painting session. (See the video below).

Mediums

Very basically, we use MEDIUMS in oil painting to help spread the paint without making it too thin or 'watery' in consistency.  Using only OMS can make the paint more 'watery' (thin) than desired at times. Mediums help to retain the viscosity of the oil paint. We also select mediums to help slow down or speed up drying time. Some keep the brush-marks evident, while others smooth them out. Many mediums add gloss. Every MEDIUM has different properties so there is a lot to learn about them, but we can start by using just one or two. You don't need to understand every MEDIUM to begin! There are literally dozens of different kinds of MEDIUMS to choose from. Watch the video on the to see me explain a few.

Medium is also the word that we use for what type of paint we use, so that gets a bit confusing sometimes. One might ask, “What medium do you use?” And one could reply, “I use oils, but sometimes I dabble in watercolours.”

NOTE: Mediums in the video: Linseed Oil, Walnut Oil, Walnut Alkyd Oil, Liquin, Galkyd Lite, Solvent Free Fluid, Solvent Free Gel
Schmincke makes excellent mediums for those of you in Europe and countries where it can be difficult to find Gamblin.

Please Note: Each video in this course has its own unique password.

• VIDEO PASSWORD: Mediums

• VIDEO LENGTH: 7:15 minutes

Gesso

A ‘primer’ for your support. The oils in oil paint will cause many supports to deteriorate over time (think of olive oil dropped on a piece of paper) so the supports must be protected by a protective layer. There are different types of GESSO, but for this class, I am referring you to Acrylic Gesso which is easy to apply and cleans up with water. Of course you can also easily purchase pre-gessoed canvas and/or boards which are totally fine and generally preferable for beginners.
My favorite gesso is Utrecht Professional Acrylic Gesso.
Watch the video below to WATCH ME GESSO A CANVAS.

Please Note: Each video in this course has its own unique password.

• VIDEO PASSWORD: Gesso

• VIDEO LENGTH: 12:55 minutes

Brushes

The most common brushes are made of Hogs Hair, Sable, or a Synthetic fiber. The different styles are shown here.  The BRIGHT is a bit deceptive as they show a large size here compared to the FLAT. Brights are very similar to FLATS, but shorter. the brushes shown here are HOGS HAIR and that is what I recommend to start with as they hold a good amount of paint and leave nice brush-marks for interesting brush-work. Sable and Synthetics tend to smooth out brush-marks.

I prefer Filberts, Flats and Rounds.

I recommend starting with at least 6 brushes. We do not clean brushes during the actual painting process as much in Oil Painting as we do in Acrylics so it is easier if you have more brushes to work with to help keep your colors 'clean.' The larger you paint, the larger you will want your brushes. If you are starting out and painting on canvases in the range of 12 x 12 inches (about 30 x 30 cm) to about 24 x 24 inches (60 x 60 cm) these would make a nice collection to begin with:

• Two (2)  Size 8 Filberts

• Two (2) Size 6 Flats

• One (1) Size 10 Round

• One (1) size 4 Filbert

A word of caution about brush sizes. Sizing is not consistent throughout brands. A size 10 may be a size 4 in another brand. Very frustrating. The best option is to buy your brushes in person so you can see what you are buying until you are familiar with what brand relates to what size.

Of course you can always buy more brushes and larger brushes! You can never have too many brushes! An excellent brush for the price is Robert Simmons Signet or Escoda . I, personally, do not use expensive brushes. I buy them on sale whenever possible.

Brush Cleaners

There are many different options for cleaning brushes. Here are the three products that I recommend. You only need one, so choose whichever you prefer.

• Turpenoid Natural

• Citra Solv

• Safflower Oil

Watch the video to see how I clean my brushes. Also, click HERE to see Gamblin's recommendations on brush cleaning. I do not use a soap rinse after cleaning my brushes, however many people do. (I never have the time!) Here is the link to an excellent soap cleaner if you choose to use one.  "The Masters Brush Cleaner".

Please Note: Each video in this course has its own unique password.

• VIDEO PASSWORD: Brushes

• VIDEO LENGTH: 6:52 minutes

Substrate of Support

A few common ones are:

• Canvas, stretched, glued to panels, etc.

• Wood panels

• Paper

• Metal

To begin with I suggest that you use either pre-gessoed stretched canvas or canvas covered boards. Paper, Canvas paper and wood panels all have unique properties which interfere with an inexperienced painter's ability to control the paint. (Encausticbord and Gessobord by Ampersand are also great for oil painting, but I would recommend beginning with canvas).

Palettes

The PALETTE is the board or surface where we lay out our paint. It can come in many different shapes and sizes. Watch the video on the left to see me talk about why palette choice is important in Oil Painting, and also how to lay out your Oil Paints.
Below are the recommended colors for a beginning palette. They include a warm (W) and cool (C) color for each primary. As mentioned in the paint and safety sections, feel free to buy “Hues” in place of true Cadmiums.

Please Note: Each video in this course has its own unique password.

• VIDEO PASSWORD: Palette

• VIDEO LENGTH: 7:51 minutes

Palette Knife

PALETTE KNIVES have many uses in Oil Painting, from scraping off paint, to applying paint to mixing and more. As I develop these courses I will explain their multiple uses further, but for this first eCourse I recommend that you have at least one.  Here is a link to my favorite, Style #10.

Miscellaneous Items

PAPER TOWELS OR RAGS, you will need some.  I prefer VIVA paper towels in the USA, as they are the most absorbent for oils in my opinion. They are a bit more expensive but I use fewer of them.

PLASTIC WRAP (SARAN WRAP), you may want this to cover your paints to help keep them ‘wet.’

PALETTE BOX, some people like to keep their palettes/paints in these boxes, again to help keep the paints ‘wet’. As seen in the ‘Palette Video.’

GLOVES, this is the link to the gloves that you see me wear throughout my eCourses. They are nitrile on the bottom and fabric on the top. The nitrile prevents solvent and paint from coming into contact with your skin. The top fabric part breathes so they are really quite comfortable. Much better than the disposable ones which are also bad for the environment! I like wearing them because I am messy.