Painting with oils is an exciting way to create art, offering a variety of techniques that ensures it never gets boring. One day you might find yourself painting a Scumbling masterpiece, while the next day you might prefer Impasto. Take the opportunity to experiment with these different oil painting techniques and remember to share your pictures with us on social media.
7 Oil Painting Techniques that Every Artist Should Know
If you have been experimenting with your oil paints for a while, now may be the time to take your art to the next level. Oil painting can be an incredibly versatile way of creating pictures and there are a number of oil painting techniques that can help you to vary your end result.
Before we get into those, there are three oil painting rules that you need to follow:
The 3 Rules of Oil Painting
Firstly, when painting with oils, it is important to adhere to the three rules of oil painting. These are ‘fat over lean’, ‘thick over thin’ and ‘slow-drying over fast-drying’.
This means that each layer of paint should be progressively more flexible, thicker and slow drying than the one below it. This stops the layers from cracking as you work and can be achieved by increasing the amount of paint on the brush with each new layer.
Offering a significant contrast between the lighter and darker aspects of a painting, Chiaroscuro was used a lot by renaissance artists such as Rembrant and Caravaggio. It really helps to increase the drama of a piece, pushing a subject into the foreground and creating a 3D illusion. When using this technique, it is a good idea to start with one light focus, such as a lamp, and work outwards from there.
Technique 2 – Scumbling
A great way for beginners to bring more texture to their work, Scumbling refers to the technique of using a dry, stiff brush to apply thin layers of paint to canvas. The result is that the image does not have a smooth finish, with some of the underpainting still exposed. Turner was a big fan of Scumbling.
What will you learn in this online course?
19 lessons & 14 downloads
5 minutes, 55 seconds
8 minutes, 19 seconds
15 minutes, 28 seconds
5 minutes, 31 seconds
5 minutes, 22 seconds
9 minutes, 50 seconds
Spanish with subtitles in English
- 95% positive reviews (193)
- 4148 students
- 19 lessons (3h 17m)
- 14 additional resources (7 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: Spanish
- Spanish , English , Portuguese , German , French , Italian , Polish , Dutch
- Level: Intermediate
- Unlimited access forever
Recommended software for this course
What is this course’s project?
Create the cover of a book using oil painting techniques.
By lanacorujo
By astejedor
By roxana_brizuela
Illustrators eager to learn techniques that open up new possibilities, and anyone with a taste for oil painting.
No prior knowledge of painting is necessary for this course, although notions of drawing are advised to successfully carry out the final project.
As for materials, you need paper, a pencil, charcoal, colored pencils, masking tape, brushes, acrylic paints, oil paints, a cloth, white spirit or solvent, Liquin, and a palette to mix the colors.
Reviews
4148 Students
193 Reviews
95% Positive ratings
llpaston
very good course, I am learning a lot.
scf
Un curso genial, muy recomendable
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claritacosmos
buen curso
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cidonchabermudezisabel
Explica genial, adjunta recursos muy útiles, me parece un muy buen curso para aprender!
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forlittleseeds
Very easy to understand and learn, excellent course!
A course by David de las Heras
Teacher Plus
Plastic Artist and Illustrator
Joined May 2017
David de las Heras completed his studies at the Universidad del País Vasco, specializing in the field of painting. With his characteristic style, he collaborates with national and international publications and has created the covers for books such as Kalimán en Jericó by Àngel Burgas, Rayos by Miqui Otero, and Instrumental by James Rhodes.
His pictorial work has always tried to find interest in moments of conflicet related to the home and the feeling of belonging. Through his illustrations, he establishes a dialogue with the viewer and helps them understand the world around them. His work has been exhibited in countries such as Spain, Germany, and Portugal, as well as in collective exhibitions at La Casa Encendida and at the Matadero in Madrid.
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We hope you enjoy your course. Please note that the course ticket is non-refundable or transferable, please refer to our full Terms & Conditions here, thank you.
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