How to Oil Paint on Canvas

Many artists prefer working in oils above all other painting mediums. They're versatile enough to work with it as a glaze, or built up into heavier layers. Oil paints can be manipulated with many different tools, as well, ranging from traditonal brushes to old credit cards.

Things You'll Need

• Stretched canvas or canvas board
• Charcoal pencil
• Gum eraser
• Oil paint
• Paint palette
• Clean cloth
• Paintbrushes
• Palette knife
• Turpentine
• Linseed Oil
• Easel

Instructions

1. 

   Set up your work station with all the materials listed above. Be sure to work in a well-vented area, because the fumes from the turpentine are strong. Select a pre-primed piece of stretched canvas or canvas board to save time. Determine the composition of your piece, or choose a picture to place on your easel to work from.

2. 

   Sketch the basic composition of your piece on to the canvas lightly with the charcoal pencil. Don't be too detailed because all of this work will be painted over. Use the gum eraser to remove mistakes that are distracting; otherwise, don't worry too much about the line work and how perfect it looks.

3. 

   To ensure quicker and better drying time, start applying paint to the canvas in thin layers. Begin with the background of the painting first, and then build up the layers in preparation for more detailed work. Mixing colors can occur on the palette, as well as directly on the canvas. Try it on the palette first, unless you are working on a piece that is completely experimental.

4. 

   Be sure to work on the larger areas of the canvas using a broader brush. This will prevent too many brush strokes from appearing on the final piece. Blend and smooth your colors and brush strokes without cleaing your brush in between swipes.

5. 

   Work on detailed areas of the painting using smaller bruses and palette knives. Add highlights the painting by muting down darker colors, or adding white. Shading and shadowing typically occurs in this final stage of painting, as well. Many artists prefer to work only with clean brushes during this stage so their highlights and details don't appear muddy.

Tips & Warnings

• Do a very thin underpainting, thinned down to appear like watercolors, rather than working with charcoals for preliminary work.

• If this is your first oil painting, use a very small canvas to experiment with.

• Some first time oil painters have noted that using an acrylic paint palette has been easier.

• Don't apply paint too thickly, or the final piece will crack.

• Don't set your brushes head down in the turpentine for too long or they will damage.

• Wash brushes promptly after you're finished or else they will be damaged.

Resources

• Art Education: Free Oil Painting Lesson
• About.com: Oil Painting Techniques