Week 2
Getting the Base
With the start of a new week, I have started to gain momentum with my Oil painting project. I set up my dinning table as a makeshift studio. I found an old sheet and covered my table. I set up my brushes and paints. Then, I started by painting a base coat of brown. I have done this to create depth and build the painting up off the canvas. It is a slow process as Oil paints take up to 3 days to dry. It is also messy and does not come off easily off your hands – AND YOUR CLOTHES. I have surrendered an old t-shirt as a smock. I have noticed that Oil paints require a coarse, thicker brush compared to acrylic paintbrushes. This is because the paint is heavier, and thicker compared to its lighter, and thinner counterpart. I have printed off some old photographs I took when I was living in Greece studying Photography. I plan to use these as a template for my painting.
Learning to Paint with Oil Paints:
During the Winter of 2020, I started a Class with the Art Education Department on Painting. We were told to use only Acrylic Paints. This sparked my interest in using Oil Paints, as there is a historical relevance to this medium. I had a lot of free time over the last 6 months because of the Lockdown and the Pandemic in a whole. I used this time to expand my knowledge of Oil paints and canvases.