How do I use these oil paints?

Question

If it matters, it is called "Oil Colours" or something .... I got these paints from my aunt, who said she didn't use them much. I've never used oil paints before ... I don't exactly know what to do. I tried to look it up elsewhere on the Internet, and got kind of confused on different things ... do I HAVE to have thinner? what's turpentine for? the difference between oil-based and oil paints? gah! I'm pretty confused. And currently, I only have this one canvas thing that she gave me with the paints, and I don't want to waste it by using the paints incorrectly. When I want to get more canvases, too, how much moola? I don't got none moola! Hopefully I can coax my mom into buying me some, if they're sort of cheap ....

Also, what should I paint? flowers, maybe. I think I'll go with a flower, cause I'm not hugely artistically talented .... or maybe I should go with abstract .... I like abstract. I'm good at that. any ideas? Anyways ....

Your help is much appreciated.

I don't know how to start ... where should I go? The garage? If I put a cloth or newspaper down, can I work in my room? Is there something I should do initially before I start painting, and what kind of brushes do I need? I really know nothing about this! Specialties of oil painting, I mean, I know how to paint, I just don't know what's got to be done different than painting with acrylics, etc.

Answer 1

Paint in the garage or someplace ventilated. You will be using turpentine and the fumes are bad for you.
Here's how to use the paints... BTW, oil paints are oil-based paints. There's no difference.

Get a Palette for mixing the colors. When you're mixing the colors, use "Turpenoid" or "Gamsol" to thin the paints so you're not wiping a Chunk of paint onto the canvas. It'll paint smoother. You can also use "Liquin" as a thinner, and it aids in the drying of the paints. Lighter colored paints take days to dry. Titanium White, the base of any painting, takes 4 or 5 days to dry if you don't thin it.
So:
Squeeze a LITTLE BIT (like toothpaste) of each color onto the palette. Dip your brush in the Liquin or Turpenoid or Gamsol (all are available at any good art store) and then dab the paint and mix it however you'd like.

Canvases are expensive, so buy "Canvas paper", which is a book of coated pieces of canvas that you tape to a board and paint on. Or you can use "Canvas boards" that are already fastened to a board. Both of these are much cheaper than stretched canvases on frames.

CLEANING:
This is the most important thing. Dip your brush in turpentine and wipe off ALL the paint (it will take several dips and wipes) and store the used turpentine in the garage. When you use acrylics, which are water-based, you don't need to mess with this, because all cleaning is just soap and water.

BTW oil paint will NEVER come out of your clothes so wear stuff you don't mind ruining.

WHAT TO PAINT
Start with landscapes if you're not an experienced painter, because just dabbing a brush on a canvas can make nice looking bushes and trees, etc.

You need your primary colors, red, blue, yellow, and white, and for shadows mix the colors with Burnt Umber, NOT black. You don't even need black. Every color can be mixed using these paints.

Answer 2

Your aunt gave your a wonderful gift. Go to an art supply or craft store even Office Max has art supplies. Buy some odorless turpentine, Weber Turpenoid has no odor at all. You can get inexpensive canvas tablets to paint on and disposable palettes or use glass from a frame with a piesce of whte paper under it so you can see the colors real well when mixing.

Don't let anyone scare you about the smelly paints. They really aren't smelly in fact I love the rich smell of oil paint. Maybe because of all the wonderful memories they give me. You can use common sense when using them and put on vinyl gloves when you wash your brushes. Of course always use odorless turpentine and your house will not smell. I just put an old throw rug under my easel to protect the floor. Have fun and good luck!

PS You can find some real good 'how to' books at the library that will help you get started too.

Here are some websites with painting demonstrations that I think would be very helpful to you. The second one is a demo on painting flowers.

http://painting.about.com/od/oilpainting/youtube/JerryFresia1.htm

http://painting.about.com/od/oilpainting/youtube/DRDarrow1.htm

Answer 3

Go to a library and check out books on oil painting or if you really want to learn how to paint a little quicker take a painting class. You can learn to paint with oils on your own as i did with books. You can check out my work at hellosanantonio.com under artist name ''Guerro''. It was my brother who suggested i try oils but i read as much as i could on oils before i started painting with them, i also picked something simple to start out with. Canvas are relatively inexpensive and there are odorless thinners one can buy. Many artist use projectors/tracing to get an image on a canvas to paint. If your mom sees that you really are interested in painting she may buy you some of the stuff you need. Also try to remember that back then many painting were done on wood so buy some gesso and learn to use it. With it you can paint on just about any surface.

Answer 4

For starters you can find amazing sorces on the net on different techniques to try. uncluding dry brush and many kinds of brushes and canvases.
Yes, you should lay out some newsprint paper and start with some thick constuction paper. (or canvas paper) You can find all of these supplies at any craft store.

try mixing different colors and adding water to them. just paint something you are familiar with. oils take a while to dry so store your finished piece in a cool dry place for a few weeks.

To clean your brushes and any other tools you may be using--try turpintine.

hope this helps :)

Answer 5

If you paint with acrylics the process of painting is the same but oils dry a lot longer, I mean a lot longer. You might have to wait at least two days between coats. The second thing you should think about is that oils smell bad when they dry and might be carcinogenic, so you should take care not to get them on your skin or in your mouth. When they dry they give out chemicals and I tried to paint in my house but everybody was getting headaches, runny noses and didn't feel good, so you should use them in well ventilated areas , at least have your window open so you can get fresh air in. When you research paints on the net search for artistic quality paints and not regular home paints. Oil paints are oil based paints but oil based paint is usually used for household paints.
Canvas can run you from $5 and up.
Paint thinner does the same to oil paints as water to acrylics.
Experiment: oil paints dry longer but are easier to mix and you can get better effects with them, and they have better colors.
don't over mix them because you will get mud. Experiment with different color combinations and you will find that different color mixes and color combinations are limitless in oil. Oil dry longer so they stay wet on you pallet for days.
I hope it helps
Check out my web site http://www.piotrwolodkowicz.com

Answer 6

You need to paint from your soul. Use the colors you like, and don't think too hard. Pick subjects that matter to you. Good art doesn't imitate life, it shows confidence and emotion. You don't have to use thinner... but if you want a lighter medium then it's advised. Canvasses aren't that expensive... depends on how big you want. You can even stretch your own.