Weird Questions Beginner Oil Painters Ask by Damian Osborne 1 | When does one do underpainting? And is that synonymous with a wash or blocking in? 2 | If you do an underpainting, what medium do you prefer to use? 3 | How many layers of oil paint can you pile on top of the underpainting? 4 | Do you paint an oil painting in subsequent layers by just adding more oil? Or is it more paint? 5 | Can I use acrylic under an oil painting? 6 | What is the difference between alkyd medium and linseed…
Painting the Skin Tone – Painting the Figure – Part 3
Watch this video on YouTube Painting the Skin Tone Painting the Figure – Part 3 by Damian Osborne There are many styles, colour palettes and methods artists present and past used for painting the skin tone, and of course it won’t do to just mix a universal ‘flesh colour’. Although I like to study as much of the old masters and their palettes as I can, as well as living artists’ methods, colour mixing is pretty intuitive for me; I’m thinking more in terms of colour temperature and value than following someone else’s method, rules, or anything else.…
Painting the Halftones – Painting the Figure – Part 2
Watch this video on YouTube Painting the Halftones Painting the Figure – Part 2 by Damian Osborne So, what are halftones in oil painting exactly? After I painted the grisaille (or ‘dead layer’) in the first chapter of this series, I was left with a cool grey, almost bluish skin tone because of the cooling effect white has over the raw umber imprimatura. So now I need to consider the values (light and dark), the colour hues (what actual local colours I need for the skin tones), and what colour temperatures I want to use for the skin,…
Final Stages of a Figure Painting in Oils
Watch this video on YouTube Final Stages of a Figure Painting in Oils by Damian Osborne Usually when I’m working on a figure painting in oils, I write down ideas I have about the painting and the next steps I should follow. So once the painting is dry after a few days, I can pick up from where I left off. My journal becomes quite important near the final stages of the painting, because this is when things really start coming together, and I want to be sure I’m getting things right and not forgetting stuff. I also…
Painting the Flesh Tone
Watch this video on YouTube Painting the Flesh Tone by Damian Osborne After the verdaccio and going over the figure with terre verte, it’s time to start painting the flesh tone. I guess this is where it starts feeling like the real painting business is beginning to happen, with the underpainting stage complete. Now we are starting to work with a bit more with local colour. But I try not to fall into the trap of thinking one layer is less or more important than another. What is the best colour for painting the flesh in oils?…
Painting the Traditional Way – Part 5 – Final Glazing in Oils
Painting the Traditional Way – Part 5 – Final Glazing in Oils by Damian Osborne After painting the background surrounding the figure in the last post, it’s time to begin the final glazing in oils. This is the last stage of the painting process. This is the final part of this blog on painting a Woman in a Tropical Pool. If you missed the start of this figure painting, check out out Painting the Traditional Way – Part 1, where I begin with priming and toning the canvas. Finishing a painting usually takes longer than expected. This is…