Good Habits for Oil Painting

oil painting palette knife

The following are tips for you to maintain good habits for oil painting:

Tips for saving color:
• Clean up any type of mixture that is near any colors you are trying to save.
• Put the colors in the same place on the palette.
• Used areas should be wiped out and dried before new oil paints are added at the next session.
• For disposable palettes, shovel out piles of paint that you desire to keep with the knife, and move to a new sheet. If skin forms, stab and remove the skin and work with the new base color.
• If you do not paint regularly during the week , cover palette with a plastic cover and place in freezer.
• Clean the central area of the wooden/acrylic mixing palette when done with your oil painting.
• Take care to keep the paint tubes clean, wiping the paint tube threads and caps.

The care of brushes:
• Remove excess paint with rags, newspapers, etc.
• Rinse in a container of solvent but it is not advisable to soak.
• Clean your painting brush with rags, newspaper to soak up solvent.
• You can use mild soap (shampoo or dawn), put a dab in the palm of your hand, foam brush in the palm of your hand, move in a circle to work the foam into the bristles.
• Lather and wash in warm water until foam soap is snow white, and rinse with clean water so the bristles don’t change color.
• Press bristles in an strong, orderly manner while wet.
• Let dry and store in jar with bristle ends up.

Security measures:
• Read the labels of oil paints and the media – some are slightly toxic (cadmium colors), so you need to be careful with them.
• Avoid eating food or smoking while painting.
• Wash hands thoroughly after oil painting. Try using a hand lotion on your hands before painting making it easier to wash.
• Some solvents create deadly gases and should be used in either an airy room or an open window.
• Some solvents are flammable and toxic also (gasoline, kerosene) – stick to turpentine oil and things made for use as an artist.

About the Author:

Vijay is a Copywriter of Artist oil painting. He written many articles in various topics. For more information visit: Famous art painting contact him at 1artclubpainting@gmail.com

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