Oil Painting: Where to Start?
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Many people want to start oil painting, but do not know where to start. I’m here to help! I have been painting over all for 11 years, but have been painting with oils for 8 years. I have learned some things in those 8 years that were unfortunately not taught to me in college, but I would like to bring that knowledge to others.
You can absolutely start oil painting with no prior painting experience. Oils are a unique medium, and having knowledge in other mediums can give you an edge but doesn’t always. I love the properties of oil paints over any other medium because of the color pigmentation, butteriness of the paint, and blendability. Many people will tell you that oils are intimidating and hard to master, but that isn’t always the case! I personally have worked with the main painting mediums: acrylics, watercolor, gouache, and oils. Oils have been the most intuitive for me, and they don’t need a whole slew of added mediums in order to work.
So, where does a person wanting to embark on painting in oils start? Well, first you need paints and other materials. The bare minimum I would recommend starting with are as follows:
Paint
I recommend a base kit of ultramarine blue, pthalo blue, pyrrole red, hansa yellow, titanium white, and ivory black.
Palette knives
Metal ones, not plastic. It’s important for them to have a shovel aspect and to not be flat since oil paint is mixed by scraping, not stirring.
Odorless mineral spirits
I do not recommend turpentine or its derivatives as these have a high amount of fumes. However, odorless does not mean fumeless. It’s important to have good ventilation when painting in general, but especially with oils and thinners.
Paint palette
I personally use glass, but any type of palette is okay. I have not used wood or plastic with oils so I cannot give a comprehensive guide on how to best use those.
Oil paint brushes
Long handled and natural bristles are best. Do not use your oil paint brushes for anything else besides oils.
Paint
With paints, it’s best to start with minimal colors. This saves money over the long run, because you can use your base kit to mix almost any color you can buy in the store. This is why it’s so vital to have a working knowledge of color theory and color mixing. This isn’t to say you can’t ever buy premixed colors from the store, but you need not buy a tube of paint for every type of color out there.
Oil paints (and paint in general, really) are divided into 2 categories: student grade and professional grade. Student grade paints are oftentimes less pigmented and have more of the substrate (water or oil) than the pigments, making them looser in texture. Professional grade paints are more pigmented and thicker. Student grade paints are also less expensive. This is not a hard and fast rule, as I have worked with professional grade paints that are oilier than student grades in other brands. But, this is a good guideline when choosing between brands and choosing between professional or student grade paints.
Anyway, the brand I use most often for paints, mediums, and thinner is Gamblin. This is because Gamblin works hard to make oil painting as safe as possible. The texture of their paints are also my favorite as they aren’t too dry and they aren’t too oily. I have used both their student grade and their professional grade and they don’t have a huge difference in quality. Here is a link to a basic kit, but be aware this kit has cadmiums. Cadmiums are generally more toxic than other pigments, so I recommend using gloves and ventilating the room you paint in very well. Also, their 1980 line is their student grade paints.
Another brand I recommend is Winsor and Newton. However, their student grade paints can be a little streaky. Their prices are very good, so even the artist/professional grade is affordable. I used Winsor and Newton throughout my painting class in college for this reason. Here is a link to Winsor and Newton’s basic kit of their student grade. Be aware that this kit also contains cadmiums.
I also use Grumbacher Academy from time to time, and got some tubes while in college. One of the best things about oils is that paints don’t go bad with age really. However, I have not seen many paint sets in oils offered through Grumbacher.
Palette Knives
Palette knives are easier to choose from. The easy and hard thing is that it comes down to personal preference. I do not recommend plastic palette knives, and instead recommend metal ones. However, that isn’t to say that plastic ones cannot be used. The most important thing about palette knives used for mixing paint is that it has a shovel shape. This is because oil paint is mixed by scraping and not stirring. Oil paint is thicker than water based mediums like acrylic or watercolor. Another upside to metal palette knives is that many times they come in sets, especially off online stores. There are different types depending on the purpose. The trowel type is best for mixing paint, whereas the other types are good for painting. Here is a set of 27 knives! This is a set of 5 knives.
Paint Thinner
There is only one paint thinner I can recommend. That is Gamsol by Gamblin. Gamsol is an odorless paint thinner. Gamblin works to make painting materials as safe as possible, so Gamsol is probably the safest thinner on the market. I do need to mention though that odorless is not fumeless. Gamsol is low in fumes, but not without fumes. I will stress that with all forms of painting it is important to be in a well-ventilated area. I do not recommend turpentine paint thinners due to the amount of fumes present.
Paint Palette
There are a wide variety of paint palettes on the market – wood, plastic, glass, and even paper. I personally have the most experience with glass and paper palettes. Paper palettes are disposable papers that can be used one time for a paint palette. They’re great for starting out, especially since it is unwise for a palette that had oil paint to be used for water based mediums in the future, This is because oils are hard to remove, and can contaminate water based mediums. Buying a paper palette when first trying oils would be a wiser move until you know if you’d like to continue with them. Paper palettes are also low-maintenance, as when you’re done you can just tear off the sheet and throw it away. The downside is if you’re painting over multiple sessions, there is no way to easily preserve your paint. However, there are good glass palettes out there.
Glass palettes are higher maintenance than paper, and more considerations need to be taken. It’s best to have a palette with a neutral backing like white or a midtone gray to have the best color mixing accuracy. Some glass palettes also come with a storage box in order to keep paint fresh, but this comes at a price. It’s also possible to get a glass palette without the storage box as well.
A razor is also best to scrape off the paint, otherwise it smears (or is very hard to remove if the paint dries). I use the same razor that is linked and really like it because of how easy it is to change the blade, the built in storage for blades, and the cover that is included. It is of note, too, that if the paint dries onto the palette, the blade can damage the glass, so it is best to scrape it when the paint is still wet.
Paint Brushes
The brushes I use are often old and beat up, but they had to be new at some point! Oil paint brushes are best long handled and with natural bristles or synthetic natural hair bristles. I would highly advise avoiding using taklon brushes for oil painting (and, personally I’m not a huge fan of them in general). Taklon brushes and soft watercolor brushes are not sturdy enough to handle oil paint, thinners, or the materials needed for washing them. They fray or fall apart.
Personally, I am picky about the types of brushes I use and I often prefer to buy them in person at my local art supply store. There is no way to feel the bristles, how stiff or flexible they are, or the handle with only seeing a picture online. There are 2 brands I recommend: Princeton and Winsor and Newton.The unfortunate thing about the Bob Ross brand is that any proceeds do not go to the Ross family, though. The 2 Princeton brushes I use most and love most are this small detail brush and this round brush. There is also a set of 5 Winsor and Newton brushes.
It is important to not use your oil paint brushes for anything else besides oils. This is because oils are hard to remove and can cross contaminate water-based mediums and degrade the paint.
Closing Thoughts
That’s it for now. I will be making more posts in the future in regards to being a beginner oil painter. And, hopefully I will be offering courses on painting and art through my website in the future. For the time being, if you are still interested in pursuing oil painting, use this post as a guide to the basic materials needed to start. The rest can come later.