Oil Painting Things That Would Have Saved Me So Much Time

A year ago, I wanted a print at a store but would not pay 50.00 for it. So, I went to the art supply section and spent 150.00 on supplies and painted it and many others myself. I am thrilled to have found you for some guidance in myself taught journey. I just turned 65 and am having the time of my life smearing paint on every surface I can find.

Wanna save real money. Do your practice work on cardboard. I visit my favorite dumpsters and reclaim cardboard, cut it to the sizes I need, seal it with matte medium, and paint away. Cardboard is about the right value so you won't have to tone it before painting. I use my cardboard for quick studies or to work out answers to questions about painting this or that. Once you've solved your problem, you can easily move up to canvas pads, canvas panels or stretched canvas.

For me a a very significant breakthrough was learning to use desaturated colors and allowing myself to loose edges. I was always trying to paint shapes/edges/details that I knew were there but couldn’t actually see. If the thing you’re painting looks like a dark messy blob paint a dark messy blob, if you can’t see where one object ends and another begins, don’t try to clear that up for the viewer - paint what you see.

This is my life right now as I'm just starting out with oils. It's frustrating. Thanks for the tips.

I loved that quote, "value does all the work, but color gets all the credit". I've been doing a lot of value sketches to help keep my mind sharp, and when you said that line, my brain went 🤯 Thanks for the tips and the book recommendations!

I think my biggest break throughs were 1. not to outline everything, to prevent the cartoon problem , 2. paint lights and darks (values), not features or shapes, 3. use desaturated colours, broken color and limited color palettes, it put me more on track of realism. Ironically, most of this didn't come from paid DVDs or courses at all, but rather from a handful of master studies (Rembrandt, Bouguereau).

The joker painting behind you is amazing. Can you make a video on it please!

Yes I set my images to high contrast and it makes it really easy to start your images with the big shapes and the lights and darks. I’d advise anyone to do that.

Mine was to be bold and brave with the oil. I used to labour over thin layers and add to it and add to it but one day I decided to go a different direction, put the paint on fairly thick and just be really brave. I ended up with a really rich, stunning looking portrait that took my less than an hour and was a really enjoyable way to work for me. Haven't looked back since

Something that helped me is to do the brown under-painting. I do the sketch in thin brown and I under-paint the values of everything except sky and water. Sky and water need the white canvas underneath.

Thin to thick definitely. Big brush to little brush. Confident strokes and less details 👍

Oh my gosh! That's so funny. I thought I was the only one who wanted to squint my eyes...or take my glasses off to see less detail when I paint. 😄 and now I understand, WHY, I'm doing it too. Thankyou🤗

I’m new to oil paint. Your channel has been the biggest breakthrough, even though I haven’t finished anything significant. Thank you for all your work.

Dude, your videos are SO helpful. I know everybody has already said it but i have to chime in. You are advancing me SO much faster than I me going solo. THIS IS YOUR CALLING!! Keep it up and all the best. I definitely want a critique. THANK YOU!!

Wish I would have seen a video like this 20 years ago. Thank you.

When I learned how to darken colors using complementary colors I was incredibly enlightened. Thank you to my highschool art teacher.

Yes - It would be awesome to have a brush set for beginners. Thank you so much for these videos.

Skill share is a nice way to get more affordable instructions too. And yes u should do the brush set for begineers for sure!

Thanks for the tips! Dipping my toes into the world of oil painting 👊🏼

I was really intimidated when I started with oils, especially because its expensive and I'm a beginner I was scared that I'll waste paint or not make the most of it. So I switched to using a mixed medium of watercolor and acrylic White for practice. It HELPED WONDERS. Especially using this medium On wood , It really gave me an oil feel. Eventually this made oils easier for me. I also feel like choosing the right reference images with good lighting teaches you soo much. I pushed myself to paint everyday and gave myself a time limit so I don't get hung up on one painting. I think its super important that you don't fall in love with one piece so much. But constantly add more Complexity with each painting you make. I actually Started watching your videos at the time when I started. If I watch a video of you of painting a portrait, I paint a different Portrait with you. By doing this I was able to break down the image into forms and understand lighting better. I've Improved so much Just by doing this in a week. You're like an ideal guide for passionate people who pick up things in their own with regularity and practice! Thankyou!