6/7/10 "Late Afternoon Light", 9" x 9", Oil
At last, a warm sunny day. I did a lot of these outdoor still lifes last summer, and even though I know a lot more now, I still feel like I'm starting all over again.
I love the way that you paint! I also voted for you in the DP contest. Anyhow, I am wondering if you use a medium when you paint. I have been painting for about 4 years and started with a palette knife. This past year I decided that I wanted to be able to use a brush as well as I use a palette knife but I am struggling with the viscosity? of the paint. It always seems too dry but when I add Gamsol it gets too runny. So I tried using galkyd and that got sticky. Your paint strokes are so fluid and lovely. I wonder if you could share any tips that might help me?
The trick is to get all the paints to the same consistency before you start. Some pigments are buttery out of the tube and some are stiff, so I add linseed oil or walnut oil to the piles of the stiff ones. You also have to put out enough paint to really work with. I buy paints from Classic Oils in 10 oz tubes (put on palette with a caulking gun) at least for studio work so I can put out a lot of paint (probably nearly as much as a 37 ml tube's worth for some pigments). Then use a big bristle brush--at least #8 or #10. Really load the brush with the buttery paint. Sometimes I dip into the oil if I want more fluidity but not the Gamsol. I know what you mean about galkyk being sticky. You just have to experiment with the consistency of the pigments.
Kathryn, Thanks so much for responding. Wow, that's a lot of paint that you use! Then again, I probably use even more with the palette knife! I'll definitely try this method out on my next painting. Congrats on making the top 5. I've added your site to my blog.
I love the way that you paint! I also voted for you in the DP contest. Anyhow, I am wondering if you use a medium when you paint. I have been painting for about 4 years and started with a palette knife. This past year I decided that I wanted to be able to use a brush as well as I use a palette knife but I am struggling with the viscosity? of the paint. It always seems too dry but when I add Gamsol it gets too runny. So I tried using galkyd and that got sticky. Your paint strokes are so fluid and lovely. I wonder if you could share any tips that might help me?
ReplyDeleteThe trick is to get all the paints to the same consistency before you start. Some pigments are buttery out of the tube and some are stiff, so I add linseed oil or walnut oil to the piles of the stiff ones. You also have to put out enough paint to really work with. I buy paints from Classic Oils in 10 oz tubes (put on palette with a caulking gun) at least for studio work so I can put out a lot of paint (probably nearly as much as a 37 ml tube's worth for some pigments). Then use a big bristle brush--at least #8 or #10. Really load the brush with the buttery paint. Sometimes I dip into the oil if I want more fluidity but not the Gamsol. I know what you mean about galkyk being sticky. You just have to experiment with the consistency of the pigments.
ReplyDeleteThanks for voting for me!
Kathryn, Thanks so much for responding. Wow, that's a lot of paint that you use! Then again, I probably use even more with the palette knife! I'll definitely try this method out on my next painting. Congrats on making the top 5. I've added your site to my blog.
ReplyDelete