What's missing before I start with oils?

[richrock]

Hi, I'm returning back to the wonderful world of figure painting after a 8 month break due to depression and discouragement. Painting figures is one of the few creative things I know I can do, hence I've done it on and off since my early teens..

I've decided to follow one of my painting dreams - and that is to paint with oils as well as acrylics. So after much scouring, I found someone on ebay flogging a cheap set of Windsor & Newton paints, along with a number of extra that they had picked up - and a bargain which I won for £6.50 (ex shipping, but still, just over a tenner).

Now, whilst I wait for these, what else is missing before I make a start? Here's the current boxed list from their description:

The set is made up of:

• 9 x 21ml/07 US fl oz Winton Oil Colour tubes - all with minimal use
• 1 x 37ml/1.25 US fl oz Titanium White - unused
• 1 x 75ml/2.5 US fl oz bottle of Liquin - full
• 1 x 75ml/2.5 US fl oz bottle of Paint Thinner - full
• 2 Hog Brushes - Nos. 2 & 4 - used
• Plastic Palette - used
• Single Dipper - unused
• Starting in Oils Booklet

In addition to the above there are part used tubes of -

• 2 x 21ml/0.7 US fl oz No.44 Yellow Ochre - 1 used
• 37ml No.25 Lamp Black
• 21ml/0.7 US fl oz No.43 Viridian Hue
• 21ml/0.7 US fl oz No.7 Cadmium Lemon Hue
• 21ml/0.7 US fl oz No.40 Titanium White
• 21ml/0.7 US fl oz No.3 Burnt Umber
• 14ml/0.47 US fl oz Designer Gouache Prussian Blue
• 14ml/0.47 US fl oz Designer Gouache Marigold Yellow

I'll probably ditch the Gouache unless anyone says otherwise. Any advice on any other equipment for painting with oils would be greatly appreciated - I can then dive into my local(ish) art shop and pick them up.

 

[Viking Bob]

Burnt sienna, cadmium red . They and the one's you have Tit White, yellow ochre are the basis of flesh colours. Windsor & Newton have a website and easy to order.
You will find an abundance of tutorials on 'you tube', as I am no expert.
Welcome back.
Bob

 

[richrock]

Ah I realise I should have listed the colours from the box. Burnt Sienna is in there, but no Cadmiun Red.

It includes: French Ultramarine, (unreadable) Crimson, Pthalho Blue, French Ultramarine (again), Sap Green, Viridian Hue,Alizurin (sp?) Crimson and a light yellow of some sort (it's in backwards).

I was wondering if I needed things like turps, other brushes (I have a number of Pro Arte Kolinsky brushes I love) along with plenty of synthetic brushes (about 20-odd!!!)

 

[megroot]

do not know what you have to do with the Dipper. My palette is a white tile.
You gonna missing: burnt sienna, raw umber, cadmium yellow, cadmium red, mars brown, alizarin madder, green, indigo, prussian blue, van dyke brown, napels yellow.
It's all what you gonna need. Try mixing colors, you gonna learn alot of it.
The Gouache can be skipped.
Liquin give sometimes glossy paint. Use, very , very, very, very small tips of a brush.


marc

 

[Tonton]

Hi richrock and welcome. As a fellow-sufferer of depression I can empathise.

Personally, I’d keep the gouache. It’s particularly useful for re-colouring scenic elements (ground, etc.) and is a cinch to blend, much more so than acrylics.

Jeff

 

[Ron Tamburrini]

Well!!
Sounds like a bad start in oils to me as you have paints there which might be of no use to a beginner in oils, not a medium to be dabbled with , you need to take the bull by the horns or other parts and go for it

Prussian blue can be tricky and very overpowering , lamp black is also a bit on the heavy side , but at least you have got the right white .
Bright red W&N is a good base red , Cad scarlet and Cad orange are very useful colours as is Brown madder.
The earth colours that will suit you best are : Burnt Sienna , Burnt Umber , Raw Umber , Gold Ocher .
Mars black is a good start along with Ivory black , the Mars B will dry matt and the Ivory B will give a nice sheen ; great for horses.
Naples yellow deep is a good paint that can be lightened easily with the TIT white '

Ordinary household Turps is fine and much pleasanter to use than the distilled stuff from the art shops and you will really only be using it for brush cleaning .
Liquin I would avoid as a beginner , better to use a little refined linseed oil if you must " but sparingly"

You will get all sorts of palette combinations here on PF right down to what you should use for the actual palette.
I prefer grease proof paper IE parchment paper if you are in the US , it does not soak out the oil from the paint; but others like to use a bit of card to do the exact opposite , so palette choice is non absorbent or the opposite .

Best advice is to choose your undercoat colour carefully esp for a beginner in oils .
Choices are : Humbrol matt enamels , Acrylics , and for me Tamiya applied with airbrush .
So there you have it ; the proverbial mine field

Huge learning curve but worth it in the end TIP get it on thin and thin it back to a mere slick by using a series of dry clean brushes , bring shades up to one another and feather in at the edges ; try not to drag one colour into another as you will only muddy up the result .

Footnote : Oils might sound expensive at the start but as you are only using very small amounts of paint they are cheaper in the long run , my Cad scarlet I have had for twenty odd years and is only half used ,it is such a strong colour I doubt I will ever use it all giving my advancing years

Ron

 

[richrock]

Thanks Ron!

I've made mistakes with acrylic purchases too - some paint I just have sitting there because they're horrible to work with, or they degrade like crazy when thinning in various ways - like you say and medium can potentially be a minefield!

Fortunately for me my budget gets 'reset' every month so no doubt I'll be picking up a few more colours (based on recommendations here and another forum) and some turps. I've got a few figures to practice with to get used to it - I'm well aware of the huge learning curve. An old painter friend of mine said to avoid them because of that, despite the awesome results.

I looked at the prices for some of them - it seems certain colours are way more expensive than others (but as you say - they last a looooooooong time) especially the cad red. Must be the pigment type?

I'll keep your tip in mind when I practice. I've got a post apocalyptic 54mm mini coming from hasslefree which I'd like to paint in oils, so no doubt I'll do a vbench thread to show my experiences...

 

[Ron Tamburrini]

Thanks Ron!

I've made mistakes with acrylic purchases too - some paint I just have sitting there because they're horrible to work with, or they degrade like crazy when thinning in various ways - like you say and medium can potentially be a minefield!

Fortunately for me my budget gets 'reset' every month so no doubt I'll be picking up a few more colours (based on recommendations here and another forum) and some turps. I've got a few figures to practice with to get used to it - I'm well aware of the huge learning curve. An old painter friend of mine said to avoid them because of that, despite the awesome results.

I looked at the prices for some of them - it seems certain colours are way more expensive than others (but as you say - they last a looooooooong time) especially the cad red. Must be the pigment type?

I'll keep your tip in mind when I practice. I've got a post apocalyptic 54mm mini coming from hasslefree which I'd like to paint in oils, so no doubt I'll do a vbench thread to show my experiences...

If you stick to series one tubes they kick off at around £7.50 a tube , by the time you get to series three the price shoots up immensely ; it is down to pigment quality , but these types you will only require one or two off and can most certainly do without at the start .
There is a lot to learn re paint choices with some to avoid like the plague at the start " most of the chrome colours "
Dont be tempted to use the student paints as they are more cheap oil than pigment .

A good way of keeping the caps clean and not gundging up with dried paint is to use a palette knife to scoop out a little paint rather than just squeezing out the tube .

 

[Helm]

I'd add Paynes Grey to the list of must have colours otherwise I think it's all been covered
Steve

 

[kagemusha]

Colour wise...everything has been pretty much covered....we all have our favourite brand/palette of colours.....mine are 'Old Holland'....but that's for later...
However....ditch the 'Hog' hair brushes....too course for oils.....plenty of advice on brushes on other threads....

Ron

 

[richrock]

Well, the box arrived, the paints are in good nick (although used) and I'm looking online to pick up some of the recommendations here.

 

[Ron Tamburrini]

Well, the box arrived, the paints are in good nick (although used) and I'm looking online to pick up some of the recommendations here.

Good luck remember with oils less is more

 

[theBaron]

Good luck, Rich! I fitted myself out with a collection of Schminke-Mussini oils years ago, basic colors, with the idea of teaching myself to paint flats the old-school way. I can only advise, practice, practice, practice! I look forward to seeing your work.

Prost!
Brad

 

[Range Rat]

I use large plastic cheap white party plates, cut in half and works great for a palette.

 

[garyhiggins]

Two things that you will need are Acetone to keep the screw thread of the paint tube clean (if it once gets clogged, it might as well be glued with epoxy glue, and there are'nt many more frustrating things than trying to take off the cap with pliers only to have the tube tear open). Also, you will need a paint scooper outer so that you just scoop the smallest amount of paint from your tube. Use the painting to keep the depression under control.
Best wishes, Gary.