This was about handling oil paint not drawing. We could use the still life objects or paint from imagination. On first day i painted a wooden elephant while on second day i painted landscapes from imagination.
Creating slippery underpainting - ie slippery because done in oil and so doesn't dry, allowing moving and removing all day. The orange brown still life using oil to paint object using 2 colours and rag to remove paint for highlights. This could them go on to form basis of a painting.
The palette, mixing colours. - The two elephants were about mixing colour on painting without ending up with muddy or grey mess. Learning to put a stroke down and not mess with it too much. The second elephant was blended with my finger and rag, again trying not to end up without muddy colours from too much mixing. Its also about using correct colour combinations that don't equal brown or grey when mixed. Still a lot more research to do on this. Some helpful motes given and on thursday will do one day course with same teacher on colour.
Day 2
Overpainting over an acrylic underpainting. - teacher had painted white paper with acrylic backgrounds as a base for the oils - either gesso or acrylic is used under oils to protect canvass or other base from the oil. We then had to do the underpainting in acrylic - white for highlights and one dark colour as shadows with the background as mid tones. Because acrylic dries in minutes, we then painted in oils over the acrylic in thin transparent glazes of oil paints. I found the backgrounds the teacher had painted inspiring and used them in my imagined landscapes. First one was too busy when i had done my underpainting so i used it along with a head to experiment with glazes before trying on finally work, a more etherial grey seascape which the background paint had suggested. I was happier with this, the only one i may keep or work on.
Glazes, mediums - we used either linseed oil, (also shown wax for body or stump oil) to thin the colour down to a transparent glaze. We also leanrt about colours that are transparent, those that are opaque, how to tell the difference, tranparent and opaque whites, lightening colours with oil rather than white for brighter glazes, using 80% similar colours and 20% contrasting/spots etc. etc. have said it before but i need to read a lot more on colour. It's important and interesting.
Sooooo much to learn about oil. Didnt find it easy but did love the slower drying process. I had done oils before but this structured class was much more enlightening.
Oil underpainting of 2 browns and wiping out for highlights.
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| Putting down oil colours and leaving, without pushing around so to avoid muddying. Done on acrylic background and u derpainting. |
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| Tried blending colours with finger without muddying them. Same underpainting as previous. |
Trying out blue glazes over brown underpainting.
The underpainting was too busy so I used this painting to try out the blue and green grey glazes for my final work.
My final, favorite effort.
Yes, I like the last one best too. Oils have never really interested me as a medium to explore, much too heavy looking for my taste. however, I can see that the different techniques could be really interesting to explore.
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