Beginner’s material for oil painting

When we start painting with using a new technique, it is important to have the right material, so that nothing is missing.

Here is a list of the basic material for oil painting:

• oils: you can find a list of the basic essential colors here
• brushes:
• -------- use flat brushes for oil - round brushes are only useful to detail little corners;
• -------- buy them of different sizes, and even if they are similar you’ll use them, because you can use two colors, that you do not want to mix, at the same time; the sizes of the brushes will, of course, depend on the size of the canvas you are using;
• -------- choose them smooth – smooth brushes allow more smooth surfaces, and it is easier to make dégradés; if the brushes have hard hair, your paints will have small risks, like small strips or scratches.

• pieces of cloth – to remove the excess of oil from you brushes, and also to clean them where you’re finished. You won’t be able to clean then, so use pieces of cloth that you don’t need anymore: they’ll go to the garbage!

• Canvas – buy canvas proper for oil. They are a little bit more expensive but it’s worth it, because they have smaller grains, which is better to use with oil.
• Easel – oil painting shal be painted with the canvas in an almost vertical position, simply because you have a better notion of space, and consequently of proportions. There are techniques in which you have to paint horizontally (like watercolour, or the water will slip and ruin your work!), but it does not happen in oil. Even if it is a small size canvas, use an easel.

• Artist smock – use it! It will protect your cloths and, be sure, you’ll get painted! There is always a brush that fells down, a freshly painted surface that you touch… always something! Look at mine :)

• Linseed oil + turpentine + drying medium – these substances are used to:
• -------- Linseed oil – make the ink more fluid and consistent
• -------- Turpentine –helps to dilute the oil, making it easier to paint when it is too thick; however, used in excess can remove the consistency of the oil
• -------- Drying medium – helps the painting to dry faster.

Linseed oil and turpentine used to be applied together, in a mix of two part of linseed oil for one part of turpentine, to make the oil more fluid. Then, at the end, it would be applied the drying medium, so that the painting would dry faster.

Nowadays you can already buy these three components mixed in proper parts, and you do not have to worry in mixing them in the right proportions, with the risk to damage you painting if you fail combining them. Now you buy them, and you apply it with the oil.

• Recipients to keep the turpentine and the mix of Linseed oil + turpentine + drying medium – when you are painting you shall have two small recipients with these substances, so that you can wet the brushes. If they are closed recipients, you can keep these substances to use later, reducing waste.

• Palette – where you put the oils that you’ll use in your current painting. There are several types: in wood, ceramic, paper… I use plastic paper palettes, because I put it to trash when the ink is dry.

• Turpentine - or some other diluents (petroleum distillate) to clean the painting brushes; be careful not to buy some terrible quality diluents, because it can damage the paint brushes’ hairs. These are not as resistant as the paintbrushes used to paint walls!
• Bottle to clean the brushes – there are different ways to clean the painting brushes. However, I always like to have a bottle where to leave them fore some minutes plunged in turpentine

• Varnish – use varnish only for oil; those that can be used in oil and acrylic can make funny reactions with the oil, and damage your paintings; I also prefer to use varnish to be applied with a brush, instead of the spray, because it will have a thicker layer that will give a better and longer protection to the painting.
• A case to store you material
• Somewhere to store the paint brushes – it can be a bottle, a box… I like to use a cloth case :)

Of course that there are always more things that you may use. For example more colors, other brushes from different sizes, etc. However, when you are starting a new technique, it’s better to start with few and simple things and evolute bit by bit. Then, when you need more things, you can by them one by one, and you will have only things that you really need, and not spare unnecessary and expensive material.

I’ve started with this, and I’m doing well. Watch this.