Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, 1503
Painted on a wood panel from the poplar tree.
She was Lisa Gherardini, wife of
Florentine cloth merchant, Francesco del Giocondo
Frans Hals by Jasper Schade van Westrum, 1645
Painted entirely using the wet on wet technique.
Oil painting came into use in Europe around 1500 during the Renaissance. It was a natural evolution from egg tempera and distemper. The long open time, glossiness and convenience of oil paint made it preferable over tempera and it is still a popular choice today. Da Vinci developed the glazing technique to extend expensive pigments. The background the subject was painted in black and white with varying shades of gray just as one would sketch with charcoal. It was allowed to dry and painted over with thin layers of pigmented paint. Ochres were also used for underpainting because they were opaque and cheap.
The original oil was flaxseed (linseed) which makes sense because the canvas was linen made from flax. It was first stretched over a wooden frame and then, sized with rabbit hide glue that shrank as it dried. Linen was a tan to brown color which had to be primed with a while chalk gesso. This made paint more visible, more vibrant and true to color, and gave the binder something to adhere to.
Dungaree was discovered in the 17th century. It was a cheap, coarse, thick cotton cloth worn by impoverished people in the Dongri village in Bombay, India. It was often colored blue, but was sometimes undyed or natural. The cloth was called "dungri" in Hindi. It was imported into England where it was used to produce work clothes and ship sails. It may also have been used for canvas. Bleaching technology was discovered in the late 19th century and gave rise to cotton as the cheapest, most readily available fabric. By the end of the century white linen and cotton were both common.
The wet on wet technique popularized by Bill Alexander and Bob Ross was used by Italian (alla prima) and French (au premier coup) painters for 350 years to create backgrounds and landscapes. Bob had products specially formulated to capitalize on this painting method. He used acrylic gesso to prime his canvas and let it dry. He then, used what he called liquid clear, white, black, grey or opal as an under painting to help the first layer of thick paint blend. It’s nothing special; he just gave that impression. He used thinner alone to smooth the painted canvas and remove brush strokes. Every consecutive layer afterward got progressively thicker. This is a painting method referred to as fat over lean, but there’s a little more to it. The first layer needs to be fast drying to prevent thicker layers on top from cracking. If you’ve ever watched Bob’s videos, you’ll notice that he never painted over the mountains, unless the paint was diluted. This method is called lean over fat. Thin paint sticks to thick paint. The OMS in the thin paint somewhat diluted the thick paint giving the two layers a similar drying time.
Bob’s version of Titanium White was thicker than mainstream oil paint. This allowed him to skip paint over a mountain, tree or path with a palette knife to create texture. This technique is called impasto and it has to be the topmost layer. To remove the oil and thicken paint from other manufacturers, use a cut up cereal box to soak up excess oil from a dollop of paint. It still may require an impasto medium.
Walnut Oil has been used interchangeably with linseed oil. It flows more freely, and has less tendency to crack or yellow. Today it is known that Renaissance masters such as Da Vinci and Durer generally favored walnut oil over linseed oil. It is available from Blick Art for $5.85. Flaxseed and pure linseed oil are technically the same thing. Painters in 7th century Afghanistan used poppy oil made from the resin. Afghanistan is still the #1 producer of opium poppies in the world.
Tung Oil made from the tung nut is a fast drying oil. It was used in China for 2500 years for making oil paint and for waterproofing wood and paper parasols. A rag soaked in tung oil will spontaneously combust, so be careful with it. Soaked rags should be submerged in a metal bucket of water. Use only 100% tung oil, not polymerized or boiled. Use for making alkyd paint.
Stand Oil is produced by heating linseed oil to 600F in an oxygen free environment. It’s very thick with the consistency of honey. It is resistant to yellowing and that’s why it’s the oil of choice for mixing mediums. It’s available from Blick Art for $8.40/8.5 oz. This is another oil that generates heat as it oxidizes and can spontaneously combust. Paper towels or rags used for cleanup should be submerged in a metal bucket with water. Store completed paintings in a cool room with good air flow until the paint has completely oxidized and dried.
Rublev Oleogel is a mixture of walnut oil (some sites say linseed) and silica. This additive is used to make paint transparent without thinning it. It’s also used as an impasto medium and to make paint with intense pigments like pthalo blue and green. Allow paint to stand on the palette after mixing to restore the silica’s thixotropic property. Does not alter drying time. Get it from Natural Pigments for $28.35/8 oz. Also sold as Liquin Impasto and Oleopasto.
Calsolene Oil can be used to make water soluble oil paint. Don't use it with other oil. It's available from Dharma Trading for $3.65.
Gum Turpentine is steam distilled from the resin of the Pinus pinaster. It’s a powerful solvent that is gentle enough to be used in a diffuser or on the skin. It’s on Amazon for $15.97/30ml. Do not use clear wood or petroleum distillate marketed as gum turpentine. They’re very toxic and flammable.
Orange oil: If you want to use orange, opt for pure D-Limonene. Get it on eBay for $7.99/4 oz. This is the same as Eco House Orange Terpene Solvent or CitriSolv without the orange dye.
Spike lavender (Lavandula latifolia) oil was used by oil artists for hundreds of years to dilute oil paint. It has resurfaced as a safe alternative to petroleum distillates. It's also a skin-safe alternative for those allergic to orange or pine oil. Other lavender oils are not the same and should not be substituted. May be too expensive for mixing mediums. Get it on eBay for $19.97/50 ml.
Klean Strip Green Odorless Mineral Spirits Substitute (OMSS) is a white liquid that dissolves oil and varnish. It contains 15-40% of an unnamed hydrotreated light petroleum distillate. It has no odor and 65% less VOC fumes than Gambling OMS. Use it for cleaning brushes and diffusing paint on the canvas.
Refer to my posts: Make Your Own Art Supplies, Makeup, Pigment, Paint and Dye, and Media Molds and Containers for a list of things you will need to complete this tutorial.
The viscosity and consistency of oil paint depends on how much pigment is mixed with the oil. Start with a small amount pigment and add oil to it until you get the desired consistency. The highest quality oil paint is 75% pigment. Mix paint thoroughly with a muller and glass plate. The old masters mixed their own paint or had apprentices who did it. Art houses use roller mills. Dark paints and titanium white are usually thicker than light paints and zinc white that are used for highlights or mixing. Dark pigments and earth tones are also mineral based and are therefore heavier than chromium, ultramarine or azo pigments. They absorb more oil. Chromium, ultramarine, azo and pthalo pigments require the addition of a thickener to achieve the same consistency because they are lighter weight and less absorbent. Art houses aren’t necessarily cheating their customers by using additives. It’s simply the nature of the pigment.
Heavy Viscosity Oil Paint
100ml tube = 75 grams pigment + 25 ml oil
50ml tube = 37.5 grams pigment + 12.5 ml oil
35ml tube = 26.25 grams pigment + 8.75 ml oil
22ml tube = 16.5 grams pigment + 5.5 ml oil
10ml tube = 7.5 grams pigment + 2,5 ml oil
5ml tube = 3.75 grams pigment + 1.25 ml oil
Palette = 0.75 grams pigment + 0.25 ml oil
Paint should be thick and stand at a stiff peek.
Thickened Oil Paint
100ml tube = 75 grams pigment + 25 ml Oleogel
50ml tube = 37.5 grams pigment + 12.5 ml Oleogel
35ml tube = 26.25 grams pigment + 8.75 ml Oleogel
22ml tube = 16.5 grams pigment + 5.5 ml Oleogel
10ml tube = 7.5 grams pigment + 2,5 ml Oleogel
5ml tube = 3.75 grams pigment + 1.25 ml Oleogel
Palette = 0.75 grams pigment + 0.25 ml Oleogel
Azo, pthalo, anthraquinone, quinacridone, botanical or biological pigments require a thickener to achieve the viscosity of the heavy paint. However, they will always be transparent. Expensive geological pigments (lapis, malachite and azurite) also benefit from the use of a thickener.
Medium Viscosity Oil Paint
50:50 equal parts pigment and oil.
This is more of a student grade paint. It can be used for backgrounds and layering. It should have a soft peak.
Start by grinding your pigment if it isn't finely ground enough. Place a mound of pigment on the glass and make a hole in the center. Pour oil into the center. Work into a paste with the palette knife. Mull to a fine paint.
Liquin Original Medium
4 parts Terpene solvent (pine or orange)
1 part Stand Oil
1 part Damar Varnish
Mix 1 part medium to 3 parts paint.
Slow Drying Medium
2 parts Stand Oil + 1 part Terpene solvent
Mix 1 part medium to 3 parts paint.
Fast Drying or Glazing Medium
1 part Stand Oil + 1 part Terpene solvent (pine or orange)
Mix 1 part medium to 3 parts paint.
Liquid Clear or Liquin Detailing
1 part Stand Oil + 2 parts Terpene
Brush onto a gessoed canvas to aid blending for the wet on wet technique. Add to oil paint until an inky viscosity is achieved. Use water to thin calsolene oil.
Liquid Under Paint
3:1 Zinc Oxide + Liquid Clear = Liquid White
3:1 Mars Black + Liquid Clear = Liquid Black
1:1 Liquid White + Liquid Black = Liquid Grey
Add bismuth oxychloride to Liquid White = Liquid Opal
Black and white are used for underpainting subjects and for blending backgrounds. Lake pigments are popular for underpainting backgrounds over black gesso due to their transparent nature. May be poured into an aluminum marker tube. The calsolene formula may be poured into a plastic marker tube.
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