- TOOLS

PAINT:

Currently oil paints are usually sold in metal tubes. In the past, oil paints had to be mixed. Artists could buy or gather the pigment themselves, then mix or grind it into their oil. Because they could not be saved for very long, paints would have to be mixed often, a job usually given to an apprentice or assistant.

BRUSHES AND KNIVES:

There are three main styles of brushes: flats, filberts, and rounds.

Flat brushes have square tips, which allow them to make square or rectangular marks.

Filbert brushes are flattened at the tip, but have rounded edges. They are used for making rounded brushstrokes as well as longer strokes that have rounded edges.

Rounded brushes have a variety of uses. Larger ones have similar uses as filberts, but small ones allow for great detail because their tips can be tapered to a point. (Galton 16)

There are three main types of brushes: bristle, sable, and synthetic.

Bristle brushes are used mainly for heavy paints such as oil because they are stiff and allow for texture. Sable brushes are much softer and are often smaller, which allows for greater control over detail. Synthetic brushes can be similar to sable brushes and are significantly less expensive, are less durable.

Painting knives are used to mix paint on the palette as well as paint directly on to the surface of the work. For more information see Knife Painting .

CANVAS AND GROUNDS:

Oil paintings are often painted on canvas that has been primed with gesso. Cotton canvas is most easily worked with when it is stretched on a wooden frame. After it has been stretched, the gesso (a water-based acrylic white paint similar to house paint) is applied, which helps to tighten the canvas by shrinking the cotton. Oftentimes several layers of gesso must be applied to ensure that the oil paint will not seep through the canvas. It is recommended to sand in between layers of gesso, to make sure the next layer adheres well and goes on smoothly. Other types of bases may be used, such as wood, masonite, thick paper and almost anything else, as long as it has been primed. If canvas has not been primed, the pigment and the oil may separate and leave oil "halos" around spots of paint.

MEDIUMS:

Mediums are any of a variety of things that one can add to paint to change it's consistency. There are mediums that can either thicken or thin paint. There are mediums that allow the paint to dry faster or slower, as well as mediums to increase or decrease the glossiness of the paint. (Galton 48) Turpentine, which thins paint and cleans brushes, is the most commonly used medium. There are synthetic turpentines that act in nearly the same way, but are odorless. Also commonly used is linseed oil, which thins the paint but keep a similar consistency and glossiness. There are many mediums that can be added to the paint to make it thicker. Impasto mediums increase the viscosity of the paint and prevent cracking. Other things that may be added to paint include sand, plaster, sawdust, and more. All of these add texture and relief to the paint and give the painting a more sculptural feel (Galton 66). Varnishes can be added after the painting is finished, increasing or decreasing it's glossiness.

- TECHNIQUES:

Impasto essentially means thick paint, usually thick enough so that the brush or knife leave marks, creating texture. The impasto method of painting was used in Impressionist paintings as well as many modern ones. In Wayne Theibaud's work, the thick paint gives the impression of real frosting, furthering the illusion of his work. Impasto is easy to achieve using paint straight from the tube, or mixing paint with an impasto medium that thickens it.

WET-INTO-WET-PAINTING:

Wet-into-wet painting means working a painting before any layer of paint has dried. This is commonly used for plein-air painting (painting outdoors) as well as other paintings that are done quickly because there is no time for the oil to dry. The Impressionists used the wet-into-wet technique to achieve a thick but slightly blended look. When working into wet paint, streaking occurs and colors are softly mixed together. Claude Monet painted wet-into-wet, as in Bridge at Argenteuil, which shows the water-like illusion of wet paint when mixed directly on the canvas.

- KNIFE PAINTING

Knife painting allows the artist to paint sharp edges, as well as lay down large blocks of solid color. When painting with a knife the colors mix in a different, more "striped" way than with brush painting. Gustave Courbet used a palette knife to get one layer of paint to subtly blend with another, as well as to achieve sharp lines used for details.

GLAZING:

A glaze is a thin transparent layer of paint. By building up paint by glazing, an artist can achieve a luminous quality that does not come with painting impasto . Because the paint is transparent (or semitransparent), the paint underneath shows through, giving a sense of depth. Artists during the Renaissance used this technique to create atmosphere in landscapes, as well as build up layers of shadows. Leonardo DaVinci used this technique on the Mona Lisa, as seen in the atmospheric background and shadows on the skin.

BLENDING:

Blending is a technique that allows one color to gradient into another. It is most easily achieved with a soft brush. It is possible to blend colors directly on the painting surface, or they can be blended on a palette before they are applied. During the Renaissance, painters blended their paint very well, so that there were very few lines or brushstrokes apparent.

SKETCHING:

It is common for an artist to sketch out what they want to paint before they begin actually painting. Sketching with graphite or charcoal is the most common way (see Drawing), but many artists also sketch with paint. A light sketch in paint to test colors and placement of shapes is sometimes necessary to get the final painting desired. Manet's unfinished piece George Moore at the Cafe is a painted sketch. Painted sketches are often done separately from the main piece and then are taken into the studio and used as references, or are done right on the main painting surface and used as an underpainting.