Study: finishing The Call
The 36" x 48" oil titled The Call is finished. This is the seventh and final post in the series about making this painting. Here are the links to the other posts: Part 1 Part 2 Part…
Category: Tips and Studies
Glop, goo, and jelly
I've never understood the fascination with thick, viscous oil painting mediums. Used for special effects, such mediums are perfectly fine, but for everyday work they are completely useless. I scratch my head whenever I see recipes…
Rant
I was taught nothing of practical use about painting when I was a student. Worse than the daily dose of esoteric BS was the relentless, sneering attack on the subjects of technique and history, which…
Complementary neutral tones
The eye loves complementary neutrals. The eye will accept the 'truth' of a well placed neutral faster than it will a piece of carefully crafted modeling. Nature abounds with complementary colors. I remember as a…
No black paint one my palette
Someone asked if I inadvertently omitted straight-from-the-tube black from my palette. The omission wasn't inadvertent. I don't use ivory black (or any other black) 'as is.' Ivory black is too cold to use as is,…
Prevent oil paint from drying with oil of cloves
Artists usually doctor their oil paint to make them dry faster. By decreasing drying times, paintings can be reworked sooner and completed faster. Siccative agents, such as lead, also enhance the handling qualities of oil…
Old Brushes
Sigh...time to retire some old brushes. I hang on to things too long: brushes, paint, oils, mediums, friends. But too frequently I've reached for a brush while in the middle of a painting session only to…