Call me stupid, but I have never used oil paints before..?

Question

What must you do to the canvas and paints for preparation beforehand? I'd like to use special boards for oil painting designed
for that use.

Answer 1

I know many laughed at this idea before, but the consistency of oil paint is similar to butter, so if you want to get some handle on it, you can try to paint with some butter first.

Answer 2

The canvas needs to be primed with gesso first (after it has been stretched, of course) to keep the paint from soaking into the canvas. Some boards -- and stretched canvases -- come pre-primed so you don't have to do it yourself.

The paints are mixed with linseed oil rather than used straight out of the tube. This is necessary -- using them without mixing will result in a gloppy mess that won't spread on the canvas properly. You can use as much linseed oil as you like -- a lot of it will result in transulcent colors that are almost like watercolors while keeping the luminous qualities that only oils have. (I generally prefer acrylics, but oils do have their advantages.)

Answer 3

You can purchase canvas panels or stretched canvas pre-gessoed so they're ready to paint, no need to prepare them any further. That's really the best place to start without going to the trouble of sealing and applying gesso primer yourself.

There's no technical deterrent to applying the oil paint straight from the tube - it really depends on your style. You can thin it with linseed oil, but remember this makes the paint dry more slowly. The more oil you add, the longer you must wait before painting on top (from a few days up to weeks!). And if you paint over a layer that hasn't cured, the top layers will crack.

For a faster drying paint, add linseed oil and turpentine (or odorless solvent - artist grade, not hardware store solvent!) in equal amounts. You can also use solvent with no oil added to create a thin layer or wash (this is generally used for the underpainting, or draft). Turpentine evaporates very quickly, whereas oil must oxidize in order to cure (needs oxygen).

You can also use products called Liquin or Galkyd - alkyd resin mediums that dry the paint quickly, as fast as 6 hours.

To purposely make a slow-drying glaze that will create a real glow (like a Vermeer portrait), make your own painting medium with one equal part each linseed oil, dammar varnish and turpentine.

Have fun!

Answer 4

If your are just starting to paint in oils, get some art boards or painting pads like Fredrix markets. They are good enough to learn on. They will not endure the centuries, but will get you through the period where you have to ruin a lot of canvas before you get something that really satisfies you.
If you want to prime canvas, there are two methods. The first involves getting unprimed canvas, streching it and brushing on 3-4 coats of acrylic gesso. A coat dries hard enough to sand in 4-5 hours, but I usually just let it dry overnight. Your canvas will be ready to paint on in 3-4 days.
Then there is the Old Master method. I suspect this was the first job the apprentice artist got. First you stretch the unprimed canvas and whip up a mess of rabbit skin glue. This stuff comes in powdered form and you mix it in hot water. It makes your studio smell like a perpetually wet dog that has just rolled in road kill has taken up residence. Brush on the glue and allow to dry. Then you apply three or four coats of OIL BASED gesso. gesso. Sand between each coat. It will take more than a week to prepare the canvas for painting in this manner. Some books reccoment allowing the gesso to dry for more than a month before painting on it.
The difference. Canvases prepared in the Old Master manner have lasted for centuries. Many galleries report that paintings primed with acrylic gesso show signs of deterioration aftern thirty or forty years and require more conservation than many of the old paintings.

Answer 5

You don`t have to do anything to modern canvas. I like to lightly wipe with linseed oil first.
You can do incredible things with oils. Remember your colors are rich and deep and so will be your paintings. You have entered the world of real color. No longer are you in the realm of light and fluff. You will have to create your own light. Oil painting is not fast so don`t think you can just whip out a bunch of paintings like you did with acrylics and watercolors but the results are far more striking. I get my supplies from Dickblick.com. I like to use Dammar varnish to paint with. Plan your glazes, layer often. Paint well because your paintings will last 500 years.

Answer 6

Yes, it is absolutely possible to sue them. I hope you took pictures of her soon after it happened. If not, take a picture of how she looks now and get a written statement from the stylist who saw her and cut her hair saying what state her hair was in. Also keep the anonymous email. There should still be the "shampoo" left, correct? So be sure to save it and any other correspondences that may happen in the future. Do not engage with the girls in any fashion that could be seen as you trying to incite a fight from them. Honestly, I would say to avoid them overall except to let them know that you'll be seeing them in court. She should also see a doctor just to make sure the chemicals haven't done anything to her outside of her hair being damaged.

Answer 7

OK.....You can call me dumby....HAHAHA!!!!! Oils you want to get messy huh? I do hope you have out-grown a more forgiving and cheaper medium??? It is not much harder than acrilic.....not as forgiving as water-color.....but it sure makes a mess!!! But if you get the "hang" of it , oils are very real. You will need all the right tools, your paint supply shop should hook you up- and they may have a class on oils( If not find a new shop!) Good luck stupid....and most of all have fun!!!!!

Answer 8

Don't waste your time stretching your own canvas..A.C.Moore has canvases ready to paint on..