Painting Tools & Equipment
Canvas
You
can paint on any type of surface as support such as paper, wood panels,
metal etc. For oil painting the most commonly used is canvas, either
stretched or unstretched. You can buy canvas either in roll or ready
stretched, however buying a roll will turn out to be a cheaper
alternative. You can buy this canvas either already primed or unprimed.
The primer acts as a base for the oil (or acrylic) paint to adhere to
without cracking, peeling, wrinkling or shrinking. The most commonly
used primer is gesso and it can be applied either as a single layer or
double layer.
There
are different types of canvas of which cotton is the most commonly
used. The other type is linen that is very expensive. It is important to
use good quality canvas and this usually has to be of a minimum of 10
oz and 12 oz for bigger paintings. Ready made canvases found in stores are
barely 8 oz and even less. If you buy canvas by roll you can have a
better quality canvas with the same price that you buy a similar size
but of an inferior one from a store.
Brushes, Knives and Palettes
For
oil and acrylic painting it is very important that you buy good quality
brushes. Inferior brushes will start losing hair while painting and it
is really annoying to stop every minute to remove hair from the surface
of your painting. Do not buy synthetic ones but only buy those having
natural hair such as hogs hair. Brushes come in various shapes and
sizes. You must have a selection of round, flat, filbert, fan and liners
(for fine and delicate work). You must also have a selection of sizes
usually numbered from 0 to 12 (12 being the largest). Different brushes
are used for various techniques. A good brush must maintain its shape
when being used. You must also have a 2 inches brush for background
colouring (and underpainting), that you can buy from an ironmonger (also
used for house painting). The most important is to clean the brushes
while using them and after you finish as if you do not do so then you
will end up wasting money. While painting you have to clean the brush
before picking up colour and this is done using tissues. Do not clean
the brush with turpentine while painting unless you are going to go from a dark colour to a lighter colour. When you finish first remove
excess colours using a tissue and then clean the brush in mineral solvent
followed by rinsing it in water with a dishwashing detergent. Do not
throw away old brushes as you might find them useful to create different
effects.
Painting
knives are used to mix paints on the palette as well as to paint,
usually very useful to lay thick layers of paint onto the canvas and to
create structures like tree trunks and rocks. You can also use them to
create fine but straight lines, snowy mountain peaks or to create
small waves or ripples on a water surface. Same as brushes, painting knives come
in different sizes and shapes. Always clean your knife before picking up colour from the palette.
Use
a flat palette for oils and acrylics as it will be very difficult to
pick up paint from palettes used for watercolour. You can have a wooden
or a perspex palette, or even simply a disposable plate. Alternatively
you can use a tear off palette, which is very useful and you do not need
to clean it afterwards.
Paints and diluents
Always
use artist quality paints for both oils and acrylics. Artist quality
paints have more pigments rather then binders. Artist quality paints do
not fade away when mixing and also they will last longer. Artist quality
oil and acrylics are usually heavy bodied and thus easier to paint
using painting knives.
When
painting with acrylics, paints are usually diluted to a creamy
consistency with water. To increase drying time you can use one of the
many retarders that are commercially available.
Turpentine
is usually used to dilute oil paints for underpainting to decrease
drying time. Try to use odour free turpentine especially when working
indoors. Oil colours can be diluted with linseed oil for upper layers of
a painting, thus increasing drying time. Poppy oil is another diluent
that can be used to dilute oil paints. The more oil you add the more you
increase the drying time. The consistency of the paint should be creamy
and should be in a way that the paint is easily released from the brush
onto the previous layer. Liquin is another excellent medium that
decrease the drying time of oils and is very good for glazes.
Varnishes
Varnishes
are used to protect the painting and colours from deteriorating with
time besides making it easier to clean. There are two types, matt and
gloss. Matt varnish do not reflect light and hence will give a
uniformity to the painting, since oil paints have different glare when
dry.
Allow
the painting to dry well ideally about 6 months. You can apply varnish
either using a brush or using aerosol spray. To apply the varnish lay
the painting horizontal on a clean surface (dust free) and apply onto
the surface in a uniform manner. Apply in a well ventilated place or
outside, and beware of any flying insects that can rest on it
accidentally. Matt varnish can sometimes form a cloudy appearance after
drying sometimes affected by humidity.
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