Oil paintings are very durable and can last for years, both at a studio and homes of art lovers. Not only oil pigments help retain the original color used but the material also slows down the drying time which makes it excellent for artists to rework, modify or delete areas of the painting that they want to obtain their newfound depiction on the canvas.
If you are starting as a painter, whether as a hobby or a profession, it is always better, to begin with, oil paintings as they are affordable and easy to learn the ropes. Start small and learn how different chemicals play with each other before buying that canvas. There are many ideas you can consider if you are worried about where to or how to begin.
For inspiration, look at a different genre of drawing/painting. For example, you can get into portraits, landscapes, objects, abstract among many other types of artwork. The key is to work on one aspect or genre at a time. Eventually, you can get into more complex paintings that require technique and advanced skills. For this article, let us look at 5 ideas for oil paintings to get you started.
Abstract
The best idea to start making an oil painting is to get the basics right from the materials perspective. For example, what kind of surface to use as a right fit– wood, paper, canvas, etc. Getting a hang of color and how they mix with other colors. Learning how to paint on vertical standees, painting lines, curves, and creating smudges for starters.
An abstract can help you in many ways though it may seem weird to start one as a debut painting. Firstly, an abstract will help you cover up your mistakes, guess how? Well, it is abstract! Any vague outcome of your painting due to oil pigment combinations, will not be an embarrassment for you nor
your audience like family, friends, etc. Moreover, it will allow you to get your creativity flowing from the word go.
Objects
As a natural progression from abstract painting, you can start to slowly move to paint objects. What this does is that from taking you away from a “free canvas” (abstract) to a more restricted environment. This is where you will learn to put things in perspective when it comes to oil paintings. You can freely learn about more shapes like circles, squares, ovals, etc via the objects you paint.
Moving to “still painting” will help you understand the nuances that go with shades, lighting, and tone. It will help you understand which areas of the canvas to light up, what should the background color be like. This will be very useful when you move to portrait painting. So, go ahead and take out that vase from your collection – draw and paint right away!
Portraits
The easiest way to get to oil-painting portraits is to use a photo from someone in the family. Better yet, it could be a self-portrait. After all, some indulgence is well earned if you have reached this far. The best thing about oil-based portraits is that they have a glow and a stark shine due to the pigment applied as brush strokes.
Oil paintings are also best when you use contrasting tones and vivid colors. For example, if you see the portrait of Benjamin Franklin above, Joseph has visibly focused on the face by not only making it many tones lighter but using subtle dark colors around his face in the background. Not to mention, the right shades applied makes it look real and inspiring.
Landscapes
After creating a sample oil paint artwork of the other ideas that I shared with you above, I would suggest you move to the intermediate level. Landscape paintings may look simpler and easy to work on, especially after working on portraits, however, do not take the contouring and tones lightly. Learn to use light and dark oil pigments to create contrasting imagery just like the one above.
Everything in the above painting is in tandem and contributes to the overall depiction of Pieter. This is what you must aim for when you start your work. I would suggest you go to your favorite outdoor spot and get those oils ready to create a masterpiece. Make sure you know what you wish to highlight and what you don’t. For example, the flowers above compared to the faraway islands.
Conclusion
There are numerous ideas if you want to get started with oil painting as a hobby or as a profession. All you need is to be resourceful in the material you use and the experiments you do at home to get started. What more, the surface, pigments and miscellaneous material used are very affordable compared to other types of paintings. https://www.1st-art-gallery.com is a front-runner in custom artwork, specializes in reproduction of oil paints, and is a perfect place to get some ideas for your first big project.