Solvents, Mediums and Oils

		Oil paint is made up of pigment and medium (often Linseed Oil). Each brand of paint, and the various colors within the same brand, will have varying degrees of pigment and medium. At times it's necessary to add a small amount of medium to your paint to even out consistencies. The exception is M Graham which uses Walnut Oil.
		Stand Oil Stand Oil is linseed that has been heated without exposing it to oxygen. It is merely heat or sun thickened Linseed Oil. It won't darken over time as does pure linseed oil. It creates a more enamel-like surface than does straight linseed. It does cause oil colors to even out as they dry, leaving minimal brush strokes. It's ideal for glazing (when mixed with a diluent or solvent such as mineral spirits)
		Galkyd An alkyd resin painting medium that increases the fluidity of oil colors and speeds drying time. The viscosity of Galkyd is similar to traditional painting mediums made from linseed stand oil. Galkyd levels brush strokes, creates a strong flexible paint film and leaves an enamel like glossy finish. Can be thinned with orderless mineral spirits.
		Galkyd Lite Formulated to thin oil colors, maintain flexible paint films and has a lower viscosity than regular Galkyd. Because of its lower viscosity, it leaves brush strokes in thicker layers. Glazes made with Galkyd Lite look slightly less glossy than those made with traditional mediums or regular Galkyd. Will thin with orderless mineral spirits.
		Linseed Oil Made from the Flax Plant. Used to make many oil paint brands. It adds gloss and transparency to paints and is available in several forms. It dries very evenly and thoroughly, making it perfect for underpainting and initial layers in a painting. Cold-pressed linseed oil dries slightly faster than refined linseed oil and is considered to be the best quality linseed oil. As linseed oil, however, has a tendency to yellow as it dries, so avoid using it in your whites, lighter colors.
		Sun-thickened Linseed Oil Created by exposing the oil to the sun to create a thick oil, with similar brushing qualities to stand oil. It has less of a tendency to yellow.
		Poppyseed Oil This is a more transparent oil and less likely to yellow than linseed oil. Poppyseed oil does take longer to dry than linseed oil, which makes it suitable for working wet on wet. With its slow drying time be careful using it in lower layers and when painting with thick paint.
		Safflower Oil This oil has the same characteristics as poppyseed oil, but dries a bit faster.
		Walnut Oil A pale yellow-brown oil with a distinctive smell. It is a thin oil, it's used to make oil paint more fluid. It yellows less than linseed oil (but more than safflower oil). It's more expensive than other oils. and must be stored correctly otherwise it goes rancid.

Transparent vs Opaque Paints

Oil paints are made up of dry pigments plus a drying oil, such as linseed oil. Pigments come from natural powdered minerals, dyed minerals or occasionally vegetable matter. As an example, Cadmium is a powdered mineral. When one mixes this mineral with oil, it produces an opaque color. If a pigment is made from dyed minerals or vegetable matter, when it is mixed with oil the color becomes transparent.

Transparent colors are useful for glazing and for painting shadows. Once you add an opaque color to a transparent color, it becomes opaque. Opaque colors cover well, obscuring the color underneath.

Below is a list of colors I use regularly or just from time to time. They are broken down by level of transparency.

Transparent
Blues: Prussian, Ultramarine Blue
Reds: Alizarin Crimson
Greens: Viridian, Sap, Phthalo
Earth: Transparent Oxide Red, Transparent Oxide Brown, Transparent Earth Yellow
Yellows: Indian Yellow

Semi-Transparent
Earth: Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Raw Umber, Yellow Ochre, Raw Sienna, Venetian Red
Blues: Prussian,Cobalt
Black: Ivory
White: Zinc

Opaque
Earth: Venetian Red
Reds: Cadmium Reds
Oranges: Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Orange Deep
Yellows: Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Lemon, Naples Yellow
White: Titanium

It's Black and White

This week I am writing about the choices of white and black paint.


WHITE
There are many different white oil paints to choose from. Each one has their own unique qualities. Whites vary in opaqueness, tinting strength, color and drying time. The more opaque the white the more tinting strength it has and the more light that will be reflected off the painted surface.

Lead White (Flake White) is an opaque white containing lead, that was used by the old masters. Fastest drying. Is is the warmest of all the whites. The paint dries with a flexible film, which it allows it to be applied more heavily than the other whites. It is a transparent white, but not a transparent as Zinc White.


Flake White Replacement  is as the name states, a replacement for flake white, warm in color, an earthy color. This Paint claims to be good for underpainting.


Zinc White is the most transparent of the whites, but holds it's whiteness over time. It is best used for alla prima painting, scumbling and glazing. This paint dries more slowly. It should not be used for general painting due to its transparency, slow drying time and brittleness. Zinc White is a cool blue white and dries very hard. Due to its transparency you will need a lot of it to lighten a color.

Titanium White is one of the newest and most popular whites. It has a very high opaqueness and tinting strength. It takes a considerable amount of paint to tint Titanium White. This paint can yellow a bit over time and dries slowly. It drys hard, but not as hard as Zinc White.

Titanium Zinc White combines the opaqueness of Titanium and creaminess of transparency of zinc.

Cremintz White is the same as Flake White without the zinc, but made from lead. Some say its the most natural of the whites. It has slow drying properties, but not as slow drying as Titanium. Cremintz should be used for final touches of white paint, not for beginning layers of paint.

Gamblin's Radiant White is the most brilliant and opaque of the whites, but is generally used for abstract paintings.


BLACK
There are 3 basic blacks most often used by oil painters.

Lamp Black has a bluish/purplish hue. It is slow drying and has the highest tinting strength. Lamp Black has a high oil content, so shouldn't be used in initial layers.

Ivory Black is a warmer black and dries slow. This is the most popular of the blacks.

Mars Black dries fastest of the blacks and is also more opaque. It is on the blue side but not as blue as Lamp Black. Use this black in the lower layers of painting.

MIXED BLACKS
Many artist, including myself, avoid using the above blacks, and would rather mix their own.

I often use Ultramarine blue + Burnt Umber or Ultramarine Blue + Burnt Sienna or Ultramarine Blue + Transparent Oxide Red (for a more transparent color). You can control the coolness and warmness of your black by adjusting the ratios.

Other mixed blacks include:

Ultramarine blue + transparent brown oxide
(Permanent) Alizarin Crimson + Ultramarine Blue
(Permanent) Alizarin Crimson + Ultramarine Blue + Transparent Oxide Red

Paint Brushes

Brush Categories: There are three categories of oil paint brushes.
Bristle:  Made from natural pig hair and used for laying in color and throughout the oil painting process.
Synthetic: Made from nylon, mongoose or horsehair. Although the quality of these brushes have improved over the years, they usually aren't sturdy enough to handle oil painting.  I do use these from time to time for blending, particularly large ones for the background.
Sable: Used primarily for smoothing or blending and detail work.

Brush Shapes: In order seen above.
Filberts: The strokes tend to have a more rounded mark than flats. They come in varying lengths, the shorter being stiffer. This brush will give a softer edge than other brushes.
Brights: A stiffer and stronger brush than flats due to their hairs being shorter. Use with thick heavy paint and when noticeable brush strokes are desirable.
Flats:  The bristles are longer and more flexible. The bristles come to a finer point than brights. This is a versatile brush than can perform both broad and narrow strokes.
Rounds: There is little variation in brush strokes. They have a sharper point that works well for details.

The metal part that holds the bristles is called the Ferrule. The best are seamless nickel-plated copper.


Sables I use:
Kolinsky Black Sable for blending
Winsor and Newton Series 7 Sable for detail work
Langnickle 5590 Series for blending and detail work

For the most part, I use Filbert Bristle brushes. These are a couple brands I use:
Robert Simmons Signet Filbert
Trekell Long Filbert


The best advice is buy the best you can afford. It makes all the difference in your paintings. And also, treat them well and discard when too worn.

Cleaning Brushes: After removing paint with paper towels or newspapers and odorless mineral spirits, completely clean with the following.
Hog: Superfatted soap and water
Sable: Unfatted soap and water
Synthetics: dishwashing soap and water

I also use Trekell's brush restorer to keep the shape of my hog bristle brushes.

Composition Part 2

Last week I discussed composition focusing on color. This week I will discuss other factors to consider when creating your still life composition. First and most important is establishing your concept. What are you trying to say in your painting. Is there a feeling you want to convey? Once you have your concept, then the process of arranging your composition can take place.

Harmony
Consider the objects you are incorporating into the scene. The objects can create a harmonious scene when they are similar in shape. Round fruits of different sizes add harmony to a composition, as do bottles and vases of the same shape. There needs to be some variety of shape to add interest. There can be a large distinctive object, used as the focal point or a grouping of shapes. Using multiples of the same object can provide rhythm and movement within a painting.

Same Shapes with a Center of Interest

The center of interest should be the most unique object, the brightest color and have the sharpest edges.

Texture
Contrast in texture, such as, pottery, flowers and a silver bowl can add interest to a painting. Similar textures can add harmony and cohesiveness.

Contrasting Textures

Pattern

Objects can be arranged to convey a pattern based on value. The objects move the viewers eye through the painting. There should however be a small object or shadow to stop the viewer's eye at the edge of the painting. Taking multiples of the same object and arranging each in a different position can make a compelling still life composition.

Viewer's eye led through painting, from left to right.

Values

Your painting should have a dominant value whether it is light, dark or medium.

Chiaroscuro 

This literally means light and dark. When applied to a painting it conveys the movement of light through a painting, by means of dramatic lights and darks as seen in Rembrandt's painting Nightwatch.

This is accomplished through changes in color, value, composition, and hard and soft edges. The light will lead the viewers eye through the painting.

Misc. Basics

The following are tips that can be used to create a satisfying still life, but by no means are they hard and fast rules. Breaking the rules can make a painting more interesting.

The foreground should be 1/3 of painting

There should be 3 or 5 of something not 2 or 4

If painting at eye level, painting should read horizontally. If painting depth, painting should read front to back with focus being center left.

Objects shouldn't touch, they should overlap or have negative space between them

Objects should be arranged light against dark and dark against light

Only have objects in your still life that add value to your composition, remove everything else.

It takes time to understand concepts and composition. It can be frustrating and time consuming to get your composition right. Sometimes you have to make changes to your painting midway through your painting process. Not following the rules can result in a very dramatic painting composition.

Salon International Art Exhibition

I am very pleased to announce that Mulberry Vase was selected to be in the Salon International Art Exhibition. The show will be in April and is at the Greenhouse Gallery in San Antonio, Texas

Mulberry Vase

16 X 20

Still Life Composition and Color Part I

A good composition can really bring a painting to life. It can create a mood, add drama and bring balance to a painting. There is much debate what makes a good composition. Color is only one factor to consider when designing your painting. Before you begin, you should have a concept or idea how your painting will look. Creating a sketch of your idea allows you to analyze your composition better than viewing it in 3 dimensions. This post with focus on the use of color in designing your still life.

Harmonious Color
The overall look of your painting could be based on harmonious colors. They are colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. As examples, your objects could be blue/green, greens, and yellow/green.

Example of Harmonious Color

Complementary Color
The use of a complementary color adds vibrancy to a painting. Complementary colors are opposite each other on the color wheel. You don't want to use equal amounts of each color, rather your dominant color might be oranges with just a touch of blue here and there. Or your painting might be yellows with a touch of purple.

Example of Complementary Color

Whites and a Limited Palette

Painting a grouping of white objects with just a touch of color can make a very pleasing composition. You can play with the different temperature of lights to create interesting color variations. If using a warm light then the lit areas will be whites with warm pinks and oranges and the shadows cool blues and violets. A cool light will have the opposite effect creating cool blues in the lit areas and warm colors in the shadows.

Example of White Composition

A painting becomes cohesive if one color is dominant, whether it is a table of apples scattered around or like colors such as cheeses and bread on a wood table. Limiting the number of colors makes for a cohesive painting.

Example of Cohesive Color

As I said in the beginning, color is only one factor to consider when thinking about your painting idea or concept. Next week I will discuss other things to think about before taking your brush to canvas. Composition can be very challenging and frustrating so just keep playing, have fun and learn from your mistakes. Lord knows I have made plenty.

New Painting

Mulberry Vase

16 X 20

Oil on Linen