An oil painting traditionally begins with the artist sketching the subject onto a canvas with charcoal or thinned paint. The oil paint is then prepared by mixing with turpentine, linseed oil, or a solvent, until it is of the desired thickness. Other additives such as varnishes, cold wax, and resins can be mixed with oil paint to adjust its sheen, translucency, and ability of the artist to hide the brushstroke.
It is necessary to prime the canvas before use so that the oil paint will not cause it to rot over time. While applying the paint, each coat must have more oil than the coat applied below to prevent cracking and peeling of the paint and to facilitate drying; this principle is known as "fat over lean."
In addition to paint brushes, rags and palette knives can also be used to paint on a canvas. An artist using oil paint has the liberty to modify the color, texture, or sometimes the entire picture because the paint takes relatively longer to dry than other types of paints. The drying process of oil paint is known as oxidation, in which it hardens into a dry solid.
As the paint is drying, the artist has the liberty to change his or her mind and remove the entire upper coat and repaint it. Removal is done by using a rag and some turpentine. Once it dries the only alternative left is to scrape it off. The drying period generally varies from a day to a few weeks.
After about six months to a year, the paint is dry enough to be ready for a coating of varnish. It takes about 60 to 80 years for the painting to be considered a "completely dry painting" by art conservators.
The ingredients used for oil painting come from plants. The flax seed produces linseed oil, and the flax plant produces the linen commonly used to make the canvas. Safflower oil is used to form lighter colors such as white, since it yellows less than linseed oil, even though it takes longer to become completely dry.
Modern science has produced water miscible oil paint. As the name suggests, this oil paint was created with a tiny modification in its molecular structure, allowing it to be used with and easily cleaned up with plain water. Heat-set oil, another creation of modern science, is an imitation oil paint that resembles oil paint, and remains liquid when heated to 265-280 degrees Fahrenheit.
It is necessary to prime the canvas before use so that the oil paint will not cause it to rot over time. While applying the paint, each coat must have more oil than the coat applied below to prevent cracking and peeling of the paint and to facilitate drying; this principle is known as "fat over lean."
In addition to paint brushes, rags and palette knives can also be used to paint on a canvas. An artist using oil paint has the liberty to modify the color, texture, or sometimes the entire picture because the paint takes relatively longer to dry than other types of paints. The drying process of oil paint is known as oxidation, in which it hardens into a dry solid.
As the paint is drying, the artist has the liberty to change his or her mind and remove the entire upper coat and repaint it. Removal is done by using a rag and some turpentine. Once it dries the only alternative left is to scrape it off. The drying period generally varies from a day to a few weeks.
After about six months to a year, the paint is dry enough to be ready for a coating of varnish. It takes about 60 to 80 years for the painting to be considered a "completely dry painting" by art conservators.
The ingredients used for oil painting come from plants. The flax seed produces linseed oil, and the flax plant produces the linen commonly used to make the canvas. Safflower oil is used to form lighter colors such as white, since it yellows less than linseed oil, even though it takes longer to become completely dry.
Modern science has produced water miscible oil paint. As the name suggests, this oil paint was created with a tiny modification in its molecular structure, allowing it to be used with and easily cleaned up with plain water. Heat-set oil, another creation of modern science, is an imitation oil paint that resembles oil paint, and remains liquid when heated to 265-280 degrees Fahrenheit.
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