Painting figures using oils

[megroot]

Terry, I think you do to much at the same time.
Now and then it is better to let dry the paint.
If you use VanDyke brown and white wet on wet you get a grey color.
You don't shade a yellow with a brown but with magenta or violet. Then you want see any graineyness.

Marc

 

[TERRYSOMME1916]

Thanks Marc you are bang on with that grey tint, I will add a tube of Magenta to my paint box as I watched a video yesterday and the guy was using it so well worth giving it a try, how long would you let the base coat dry before working in the shadows and highlights are you talking about an hour or so or overnight?
As I posted earlier I have just broken the habit of trying to paint a section of a figure to completion in one session and have been adding shadows/highlights onto a dry base but I would say that I will need to wait until I finish my latest bust as this is the guinea pig to judge the results.
TERRY

 

[Alex]

Terry, acrylics are more suitable if you want do it all in one session. However, it will be much more difficult to obtain smooth transitions.
In my opinion, both should be mastered equally. That's why this hobby of ours is so fun. I will not have enough of my lifetime to master everything about it !

 

[TERRYSOMME1916]

Hi Alex when I started painting again it was watching the Koreans and some of the American guys painting Busts on youtube that gave me the push so I bought a load of Acrylics to give it a go but I just cant get anywhere with them so gradually I have slipped back into the oils although I still use acrylics when trying to create effects on leather etc. I am totally amazed at the results that even kids can get on those wee Games Workshop figures using acrylics, never mind the older age groups who have taken it to another level.
TERRY

 

[misfit151]

Hi Terry.....been following with interest comments from fellow painters....all good stuff and the variations show what a great hobby this is...Santa brought me a new prezzy...a set of oils for painting flesh tones ( thought I'd throw you a curved ball mate!!!!) the new colours are quite creamy to work with and I'm trialling them on my figures....early days yet... ...Mike

 

[TERRYSOMME1916]

Hi Mike that's what so good about starting a thread information comes in with all different ideas and variations that can drift in and out from the main issue but still hold interest that gets the mind going, I will be interested to hear how you get on with those flesh tones, going now to check that range of paints out. This thread has put a additional dimension to painting my current figure in that when completed I can stick it on here so that some of the stuff that has been discussed on PF can be seen.
TERRY

 

[TERRYSOMME1916]

Hi Mike that's what so good about starting a thread information comes in with all different ideas and variations that can drift in and out from the main issue but still hold interest that gets the mind going, I will be interested to hear how you get on with those flesh tones, going now to check that range of paints out. This thread has put a additional dimension to painting my current figure in that when completed I can stick it on here so that some of the stuff that has been discussed on PF can be seen.
TERRY

 

[TERRYSOMME1916]

Hi Mike that's what so good about starting a thread information comes in with all different ideas and variations that can drift in and out from the main issue but still hold interest that gets the mind going, I will be interested to hear how you get on with those flesh tones, going now to check that range of paints out. This thread has put a additional dimension to painting my current figure in that when completed I can stick it on here so that some of the stuff that has been discussed on PF can be seen.
TERRY

 

[TERRYSOMME1916]

Hi Mike that's what so good about starting a thread information comes in with all different ideas and variations that can drift in and out from the main issue but still hold interest that gets the mind going, I will be interested to hear how you get on with those flesh tones, going now to check that range of paints out. This thread has put a additional dimension to painting my current figure in that when completed I can stick it on here so that some of the stuff that has been discussed on PF can be seen.
TERRY

 

[megroot]

Thanks Marc you are bang on with that grey tint, I will add a tube of Magenta to my paint box as I watched a video yesterday and the guy was using it so well worth giving it a try, how long would you let the base coat dry before working in the shadows and highlights are you talking about an hour or so or overnight?
As I posted earlier I have just broken the habit of trying to paint a section of a figure to completion in one session and have been adding shadows/highlights onto a dry base but I would say that I will need to wait until I finish my latest bust as this is the guinea pig to judge the results.
TERRY

You can paint wet on wet, but after some time you see that for instance the shadow isn't going to be darker. That's the point that you have too stop. There is allready to much paint.
If i do wet on dry, I let it dry overnight. Sometimes the paint is still wet, and if I started to paint then, the basecoat is coming off. So I stop then.
I have a drybox, and that helps to speed the painting. last year I never used it, but use less paint and more then one layer. That will help me to paint wet on wet.
And Terry, buy a colorwheel.

Marc

 

[TERRYSOMME1916]

Hi Marc thanks again for this help, going on amazon shortly to get colour wheel lol.
Sorry folks just noticed the 4 replies to Mike, PC was slow and I had hit the post reply several times, then they all went lol.
Terry

 

[brian]

I thought youl'd developed a stutter Terry.

 

[TERRYSOMME1916]

Hi Brian just going blind, deaf and hairs growing everywhere apart from my head but no stutter yet.

 

[brian]

Hi Brian just going blind, deaf and hairs growing everywhere apart from my head but no stutter yet.

Same as me Terry

 

[Eludia]

Hi Terry, fascinating thread

It's nice to see so much useful feedback and tips from the experienced oil painters. I haven't used my oils for a few months now as I've been concentrating on improving my acrylic painting but I think I'll be blowing the dust off them again soon.

For what it's worth, I like a simple palette of three primaries (Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue, Cad Yellow Light), Gold Ochre, Burnt Umber and White for most of my painting (all W&N). I find that the only one that needs "leeching" is the Burnt Umber, which is very oily. I thin my paints, and clean my brushes, with Zest-It. I also use a home made hot box to speed up drying, it also helps to matt the oils down a bit.

 

[fogie]

Another basic-palette man ..... Oh joy !......I was starting to think I was the only one left !

 

[Ron Tamburrini]

Well lots of tips here , Like Brian " super snadd" i have been painting in oils since the 1970's and like him soaked in so much oil I don't need to use suntan lotion anymore .
There are many ways to go about using oils . Ron Clark uses the lift off method to great effect, Pete Watson dilutes with minuscule amounts of white spirit to great effect , Dave Mitchell paints wet on dry , Eddy Vandersteen wet on wet, as does Massimo Pascuale.
As mentioned above ,take too much oil out of the paint and it will drag and give you all sorts of problems , personally I never take oil out of the pigment but prefer to use the higher quality oils from the likes of old Holland . another thing to consider is the transparency of the paint , these colours are very useful but must be used with discretion , if you use the series 4 ones which are pretty expensive but will last you 20 years in some cases you will get your moneys worth with sublime pigments . Go cheap students pigments ; and you will get high gloss finish
Jacksons Arts does the full range of Old Holand .
Recently I bought some rather expensive Vasari paints in New York , very dense in pigment but the carrier seems to be some sort of vegetable oil so the jury is still out on these.

 

[Jay-BFG]

Hi,

New here, but paint in oils (W&N mainly, no reason other than my local shop sells them). Interesting to see a lot of you remove oil from the paint, whereas if anything I will add oil to mine.

I store my tubes of oils on their caps, as the carrier oil tend to work it's way to the top, which being on their caps it now the bottom of the tube (I Hope that makes sense). I know that the more oil the longer the drying time, but I tend to paint at night, put it in a light box, then it is dry and Matt by the next day.

I don't worry about shine as I dullcote afterwards anyway.

I am no expert, and have only being painting in oils for about three years, and not that proliferate either, just what works for me.

 

[megroot]

Hi,

I store my tubes of oils on their caps, as the carrier oil tend to work it's way to the top, which being on their caps it now the bottom of the tube (I Hope that makes sense). I know that the more oil the longer the drying time, but I tend to paint at night, put it in a light box, then it is dry and Matt by the next day.

I did that to. After oil the oil is down into the tube your paint is drying out. So i stopped with this.
You should be very carefull with resin figures. Not all can stand the heat.

Marc

 

[TERRYSOMME1916]

Hi Billy please tell me that your are having trouble mastering the acrylics and that's why you are returning to the oils, it will make me feel better as that's what happened to me , however you are right this thread has provided us with a multitude of techniques, tricks and gadgets that painters have come to use through experimentation, we have just got to try some of this stuff out and make it work for us.
Ron thanks for listing those figure painters and their chosen techniques I will see if I can find examples of their work to see the finishes that each of them get, I checked the Old Holland at Jackson and I had been forewarned they are expensive.
Jay good to have you onboard some good tips there.
Keep painting everyone.
TERRY