Update to Oil Paint Brands
I continue to update the survey of oil paint brands. I have been using a lot of paint from the small producer Blue Ridge Colors. I am constantly on the lookout for reliable day-to-day paints,…
Category: Tips and Studies
Study: Making ‘The Call’ Part 4
OK, so where are we now? The under-painting is done and the finishing work is started. To recap, my process is divided into several stages: Design/Drawing: I draw the deign with pencil then fix it…
Painting Mediums Revisited
Someone asked why I fudged the proportion of varnish in my medium recipe. Varnishes differ widely from one another. Some are made with oil and some are made with thinner. Some start concentrated with the…
Painting Mediums
Painting mediums are a never-ending topic for discussion and debate among artists. Mediums profoundly affect how oil paint handles, and many preparations are complicated or dangerous, filled with ancient lore and alchemical processes. Oil by…
Tip: Painting Flesh
There is not a single best way to paint Caucasian flesh. Any orange-brown tone can serve as a base that can be made lighter and darker, and cooler and warmer as needed. As simple as…
Oil Paint Brands Update 6/30/2013
This is my second update to the Oil Paint Brands post (a compendium of information about oil paint producers). Blue Ridge has proved to be a reliable producer and they have supplanted Windsor Newton as…
Lost Secrets of the Masters Part I
We are in the midst of a surging revival of interest in historical painting methods. More is written on the topic each day. Many authors point to received experts (Eastlake and Doerner to name just…
Tips for Using a Grid
I frequently use a grid to enlarge designs for paintings. It’s my preferred method for transferring designs from one medium into another (except watercolors). What do I use to create a grid? Good question. The…