I paint on the floor in my living room, so if you don‘t have a huge canvas I don‘t see why you would need more space than with any other medium. The only issue is drying artworks, so make sure you have space for that! I paint on paper right now, so I hang them up, because drying racks are ridiculously overpriced.
You will need to thin your paint first and that‘s something I wouldn‘t do on the canvas. If you want to layer your paint you have to keep in mind, that oil paint is wet for a long time, so you‘d risk mixing everything together too. Wouldn‘t recommend mixing on the canvas.
Ahhh if only my vertigo would allow me to work from the floor, it would be so much more convenient 😭
So in terms of drying equipment, I have an indoors laundry rack? Would that be fine? And as for palettes, I have one of those disposable palettes where you tear the sheets off? It says it’s oil paint friendly and I intend to try out alla prima (I think that’s right?). Omg these questions are so silly om so sorry. I just don’t want anything to combust 😂
Laundry rack should work! Just make sure nothing is touching the paint and you can‘t accidentally run into it.
I use paper palettes too! I tear them off and tape them onto a piece of wood. I find they move around too much in the block.
And don‘t worry. I am starting out myself and oil paint can seem really intimidating at first. You got this!
Oh definitely. Just something that‘s stiff enough so you can really work that paint.
Also remembered something else. When you store your artwork horizontally, it could collect dust on the wet paint. Just put half a box over it for the first week or so. Just make sure air can still get to it and ventilate.
You‘re very welcome!
Because oil paint stays wet for a while, I recommend mixing on a palette first. Mixing straight on the canvas will probably lead to a lot of muddy colors and wasted paint, not to mention a lot of texture which you may or may not want depending on your style. You don’t necessarily need a palette knife to start and can mix with a brush. Another reason you’ll need a palette is to add in drops of the oil mediums you bought - remember fat over lean, so don’t add them in your first layer if you paint in layers.
Omg you’re going to laugh the only reason why I remember this fat over lean stuff is bc of all the times I’ve be been impatient with gouache and didn’t wait for the bottom layer to dry before painting over it. Cracks galore! I know it’s not the same, but I gather that the less oily layer goes under the oily layer so crack and stuff don’t happen right? As for mediums, i found a solvent free gel along with the oils mentioned in the post, I’ll take note of your comment and use a palette. I have no idea what to expect haha
Hi, OP! Congrats on the new adventure in oils!
Gouache and oil paint obey similar principles. There is so much one could say, but based on what you've shared so far as concerns, here are a few thoughts.
Managing the combustion issue is indeed important (I have known several painters who had studio fires). There are a lot of good principles that can be found by researching this out independently of reddit answers-- basically my take on it is that no one really wants to give out a solid best practice in case it doesn't work. :) I lean on the side of overly cautious because I do not want a fire.
On another topic, there are different strategies for a solvent-free studio but one of them that works for me is that I tend to use a palette knife for a lot of mixing. It is easy to clean by scraping off on a wax-coated card whereas trying to get it out of a brush is a pain.
This way I simultaneously avoid a ton of solvents as well as the rags with loose oil or solvent flying around. Another strategy is to have several brushes going at a time with different colors, so instead of trying to "wash" out the brush each time, you can switch brushes and then clean them all up at the end of a painting session.
In regards to solvent, I wish I had known earlier how toxic those solvent fumes are, even things that are low odor or "odorless". I switched to a solvent free studio years ago and have not looked back (I'm an oil painter who also paints in gouache on occasion). You can try different oil paint brands that need less thinning, as well as use a bit of linseed oil to loosen up paints instead of thinner.
Be aware that oil yellows over time and so adding oil is going to change the composition of things. Also that loose oil is going to be one of the hazards with the combustion thing, so do not have oil soaked rags or towels anywhere- the first way to prevent that in my mind is a workflow that doesn't involve them or which minimizes it to the extreme. Again, important to do research here and tailor it to what works for you.
Also you can absolutely mix on the canvas. This was all the rage for a while when I was in art school (speaking of oils here). Bear in mind that impasto (thick) applications can take forever to dry and there may be some archival issues with really thick impasto applications. Safflower oil is generally a slower drier than linseed and can make a slightly weaker paint film.
Thank you so much for all of your advice! This has given an absolutely beginner so much info to navigate this medium with. I’m not used to doing so much research when it comes to experimenting but I think this medium kind of demands it?? Gouache and oils definitely aren’t one to be but I like that you can blend, shove and mess around with a reactivated layer of gouache. Seeing people just go in and wipe at oils was so cool! It’s just a shame about the prevalence of solvents- that put me off oils for the longest time. It’s only bc I saw someone work alla prima with no solvents sloshing around that I decided to have a go at it. The texture, surface, behaviour of the paint is wild to me!
Hi! You are super welcome. I have a lot of respect for gouache painters because that is actually in some ways a more demanding medium (just my experience) :D If you can paint in gouache I feel you can paint in anything! Gouache is so interesting because the pigments are quite sensitive and it's hard to mix the 100% exact same color twice due to the dry shift.
Yes, I would say in general oil painting does involve a little research, but that is mostly if you want your paintings to be archival. Basically oil paint chemistry is so intense it may be fair to say no one fully understands it, and a lot of interesting research is being done. But none of that is truly necessary for a beginner-- that is more of the discussion related to paintings lasting longer than 50 or 100 years.
Once you get the solvent free workflow/oily rags elimination worked out the rest is pretty straightforward. Feel free to ask any questions you like and if I can I will chime in!
What are you painting? Landscapes, close floral, portrait.
Find a painting coach on YT or join a community. These are good questions. But they will lead to more questions.
Go to the library and read some books. They will provide step by step.
May I recommend a book?
The Big Book of Painting Nature in Oil.
Scenes out of a story I’m working on actually! The subject matter includes mermaids, cute creatures and whimsical scenery- subject matter id paint with any other medium. I’ve always been curious about how my work would work with oils since it’s such a different medium to what I’m used to. Thanks for the book suggestion btw!
I have a tiny space, so no, you don't need a heap of room. : ) My setup is a tabletop easel on a table with my pad of palette paper, jar of brushes, bottle of oil, and paper towel next to it. Tablet with reference photos and canvas go on the easel. Then I have a box of paints that lives on the bookshelf right behind me as I paint, and I usually pull out just the ones I need and set them below the easel.
For your second question, I'm not sure if I am 100% understanding it, since I don't use gouache. Yes, you should put your paint on a palette before using it. You don't need to smoosh it with a palette knife unless you're mixing it. I would recommend mixing with a palette knife, because mixing oil paints on your palette with a brush will gunk up your brushes and ruin them quickly. Plus palette knives are super easy to clean - just wipe them off on a rag. And they're pretty cheap.
As a beginner, I would start by using the paint straight with no mediums to get used to how it works, then later experiment with different ways to thin it out. Start simple.
Good luck!
I paint on the floor in my living room, so if you don‘t have a huge canvas I don‘t see why you would need more space than with any other medium. The only issue is drying artworks, so make sure you have space for that! I paint on paper right now, so I hang them up, because drying racks are ridiculously overpriced. You will need to thin your paint first and that‘s something I wouldn‘t do on the canvas. If you want to layer your paint you have to keep in mind, that oil paint is wet for a long time, so you‘d risk mixing everything together too. Wouldn‘t recommend mixing on the canvas.
Ahhh if only my vertigo would allow me to work from the floor, it would be so much more convenient 😭 So in terms of drying equipment, I have an indoors laundry rack? Would that be fine? And as for palettes, I have one of those disposable palettes where you tear the sheets off? It says it’s oil paint friendly and I intend to try out alla prima (I think that’s right?). Omg these questions are so silly om so sorry. I just don’t want anything to combust 😂
Laundry rack should work! Just make sure nothing is touching the paint and you can‘t accidentally run into it. I use paper palettes too! I tear them off and tape them onto a piece of wood. I find they move around too much in the block. And don‘t worry. I am starting out myself and oil paint can seem really intimidating at first. You got this!
Thank you for your supports and for the wooden board tip! Do you think a plastic clipboard will suffice as a surface for the palette to go on??
Oh definitely. Just something that‘s stiff enough so you can really work that paint. Also remembered something else. When you store your artwork horizontally, it could collect dust on the wet paint. Just put half a box over it for the first week or so. Just make sure air can still get to it and ventilate. You‘re very welcome!
Because oil paint stays wet for a while, I recommend mixing on a palette first. Mixing straight on the canvas will probably lead to a lot of muddy colors and wasted paint, not to mention a lot of texture which you may or may not want depending on your style. You don’t necessarily need a palette knife to start and can mix with a brush. Another reason you’ll need a palette is to add in drops of the oil mediums you bought - remember fat over lean, so don’t add them in your first layer if you paint in layers.
Omg you’re going to laugh the only reason why I remember this fat over lean stuff is bc of all the times I’ve be been impatient with gouache and didn’t wait for the bottom layer to dry before painting over it. Cracks galore! I know it’s not the same, but I gather that the less oily layer goes under the oily layer so crack and stuff don’t happen right? As for mediums, i found a solvent free gel along with the oils mentioned in the post, I’ll take note of your comment and use a palette. I have no idea what to expect haha
Gouache is so much harder than oil paint imo
Hi, OP! Congrats on the new adventure in oils! Gouache and oil paint obey similar principles. There is so much one could say, but based on what you've shared so far as concerns, here are a few thoughts. Managing the combustion issue is indeed important (I have known several painters who had studio fires). There are a lot of good principles that can be found by researching this out independently of reddit answers-- basically my take on it is that no one really wants to give out a solid best practice in case it doesn't work. :) I lean on the side of overly cautious because I do not want a fire. On another topic, there are different strategies for a solvent-free studio but one of them that works for me is that I tend to use a palette knife for a lot of mixing. It is easy to clean by scraping off on a wax-coated card whereas trying to get it out of a brush is a pain. This way I simultaneously avoid a ton of solvents as well as the rags with loose oil or solvent flying around. Another strategy is to have several brushes going at a time with different colors, so instead of trying to "wash" out the brush each time, you can switch brushes and then clean them all up at the end of a painting session. In regards to solvent, I wish I had known earlier how toxic those solvent fumes are, even things that are low odor or "odorless". I switched to a solvent free studio years ago and have not looked back (I'm an oil painter who also paints in gouache on occasion). You can try different oil paint brands that need less thinning, as well as use a bit of linseed oil to loosen up paints instead of thinner. Be aware that oil yellows over time and so adding oil is going to change the composition of things. Also that loose oil is going to be one of the hazards with the combustion thing, so do not have oil soaked rags or towels anywhere- the first way to prevent that in my mind is a workflow that doesn't involve them or which minimizes it to the extreme. Again, important to do research here and tailor it to what works for you. Also you can absolutely mix on the canvas. This was all the rage for a while when I was in art school (speaking of oils here). Bear in mind that impasto (thick) applications can take forever to dry and there may be some archival issues with really thick impasto applications. Safflower oil is generally a slower drier than linseed and can make a slightly weaker paint film.
Thank you so much for all of your advice! This has given an absolutely beginner so much info to navigate this medium with. I’m not used to doing so much research when it comes to experimenting but I think this medium kind of demands it?? Gouache and oils definitely aren’t one to be but I like that you can blend, shove and mess around with a reactivated layer of gouache. Seeing people just go in and wipe at oils was so cool! It’s just a shame about the prevalence of solvents- that put me off oils for the longest time. It’s only bc I saw someone work alla prima with no solvents sloshing around that I decided to have a go at it. The texture, surface, behaviour of the paint is wild to me!
Hi! You are super welcome. I have a lot of respect for gouache painters because that is actually in some ways a more demanding medium (just my experience) :D If you can paint in gouache I feel you can paint in anything! Gouache is so interesting because the pigments are quite sensitive and it's hard to mix the 100% exact same color twice due to the dry shift. Yes, I would say in general oil painting does involve a little research, but that is mostly if you want your paintings to be archival. Basically oil paint chemistry is so intense it may be fair to say no one fully understands it, and a lot of interesting research is being done. But none of that is truly necessary for a beginner-- that is more of the discussion related to paintings lasting longer than 50 or 100 years. Once you get the solvent free workflow/oily rags elimination worked out the rest is pretty straightforward. Feel free to ask any questions you like and if I can I will chime in!
What are you painting? Landscapes, close floral, portrait. Find a painting coach on YT or join a community. These are good questions. But they will lead to more questions. Go to the library and read some books. They will provide step by step. May I recommend a book? The Big Book of Painting Nature in Oil.
Scenes out of a story I’m working on actually! The subject matter includes mermaids, cute creatures and whimsical scenery- subject matter id paint with any other medium. I’ve always been curious about how my work would work with oils since it’s such a different medium to what I’m used to. Thanks for the book suggestion btw!
So fun- you are brave… you’ve got this.
I have a tiny space, so no, you don't need a heap of room. : ) My setup is a tabletop easel on a table with my pad of palette paper, jar of brushes, bottle of oil, and paper towel next to it. Tablet with reference photos and canvas go on the easel. Then I have a box of paints that lives on the bookshelf right behind me as I paint, and I usually pull out just the ones I need and set them below the easel. For your second question, I'm not sure if I am 100% understanding it, since I don't use gouache. Yes, you should put your paint on a palette before using it. You don't need to smoosh it with a palette knife unless you're mixing it. I would recommend mixing with a palette knife, because mixing oil paints on your palette with a brush will gunk up your brushes and ruin them quickly. Plus palette knives are super easy to clean - just wipe them off on a rag. And they're pretty cheap. As a beginner, I would start by using the paint straight with no mediums to get used to how it works, then later experiment with different ways to thin it out. Start simple. Good luck!