The Oil Painting Guide

ByVladimirLondon&NatalieRichy

2012WebArtAcademy,VladimirLondon&NatalieRichy.
Allrightsreserved.

Introduction
Welcome to the Web Art Academy Club!
We are ne art teachers Natalie Richy and Vladimir London, and have created the Web Art Academy
for ne art students who want to learn traditional oil painting and drawing techniques.
The ne art video lessons presented in the Club are valuable for both beginning and advanced
students. If you have just recently started your ne art education, this course would be very helpful
to obtain a good understanding of oil painting methods. If you already have knowledge and
experience in painting, this course would still provide many advanced know-how strategies you
could use to improve your painting techniques.
In this video you will discover what oil painting is and what materials such as oil paints, painting
brushes, mediums and solvents you should use. This video will also explain to you in the multi-layer
oil painting process as well as other oil painting techniques.
Before we begin with a description of the oil painting materials and oil painting process, we shall tell
you why should you be listening to us today.
Natalie Richy and Vladimir London are both professional ne artists with extensive creative careers.
Natalie Richy graduated from the Latvian Academy of Arts and has participated in more than 30 ne
art exhibitions internationally. The gurative ne art in oil is her passion and speciality. She is
working in realistic style using traditional oil paintings techniques. Natalies paintings and drawings
are held in private collections in Latvia, UK, USA, France, Russia, Lithuania, Denmark and Switzerland.
She draws her creative inspiration from traditions of the old masters and shares those almost
forgotten techniques with her students online. Natalie Richy presents all video lessons in the Web
Art Academy Club. You, as the Web Art Academy student, will discover traditional oil painting and
drawing techniques by watching Natalie creating her paintings and drawings in front of the camera
and explaining in detail the complete process. It is as good as sitting next to her, taking an individual
educational session in a comfort of your home.
Vladimir London is the co-founder of the Web Art Academy has devoted his time and talents for this
educational institution. His 15 years of ne art education include the Fine Art School, the Easel
Painting and Drawing course at the Academy of Art, and the university degree of the professional
ne art teacher.
His artworks found their home in collections in the USA, Canada, UK, Finland, Holland, Germany,
Poland, France, Spain, and many other countries. He is also procient in design and

marketingandhelpedtopromotemanywellknownbrandsandcelebrities.Heistheauthorofmany
internationallypublishedbooksonsubjectsoffineartandfineartmarketing.
NatalieandVladimirgiveefficientsupportfortheirfineartstudentsaroundtheglobeandare
alwayshappytohelpwithanyfineartrelatedquestionsyoumayhave.
Ifyouwanttolearnoilpaintinganddrawing,makesurethatyouhaveveryprofessionalfineart
teacherswhoarefineartiststhemselves.TheWebArtAcademyisagreatresourcefortraditionaloil
paintinganddrawingeducation.Ifyouarelookingtoimproveyourpaintinganddrawingskills,join
theClubandbenefitbylearningfromprofessionalartteachersandfineartists.

Oil painting materials

Oil Paints
Oilpaintisamixofapowderedpigmentboundedwithamediumofdryingoil.
Linseedoiliscommonlyusedasacarrierinoilpaint.Oilpaintscanbemixedwithlinseedoilasa
mediumtomakepaintsmorefluid;thismediumalsoincreasesglossinessandmakespaintmore
transparent.Linseedoilcomesascoldpressed,alkalirefined,sunbleached,sunthickened,and
polymerised(standoil).
Traditionally,theoldmastersusedtoprepareoilpaintsthemselves.Today,readymadeoilpaints
availableintubesfromanyartsupplyshop.Itispossibletopaintwithoilswithoutdilutingthem
withsolvents,byusingbrushpressuretospreadthepaintoutthinly.Inthiscase,oilcanbeusedasa
mediumandtorinseyourbrushes.
Theresnoneedtobuyeveryoilpaintavailable.Infact,alimitedpaletteoffewchosenpaintswould
serveyounicely.Herearesomesuggestionsofwhatcoloursfineartistsmaygofor:

TitaniumWhite
ZincWhite
NaplesYellow
ChromeYellowHue
LemonYellow
BurntSienna
CadmiumOrange
VandykeBrown
RawUmber

RawSienna
OliveGreen
FrenchUltramarine

CeruleanBlue
SapGreen
IvoryBlack

Thefollowingpaintscangiveyouanadditionalspectrumoffleshcoloursforfigurativeartworks:

TransparentWhite
FleshTint
YellowOchre
AlizarinCrimson
CaputMortuum(EnglishRed)
CadmiumRed
WinsorRed
TransparentMaroon

Youmayalsoconsiderfewmorepaintsas:

BuffTitanium

IndianYellow
CadmiumRedDeep

CadmiumYellowDeep
DavysGray
PaynesGray

Suchabigvarietyofoilpaintshavebeendevelopedinthelast150yearsorso.Beforethat,
quitealimitedpaletteofcolourswereusedbyfineartists.Everyartisthadhisown
preferredchoiceofpaints.Belowwewillgiveyousomeexamplesfromthegreatmasters.

VermeersPalette:

azurite
carmine
charcoalblack
greenearth
indigo
ivoryblack
leadwhite
leadtinyellow
madderlake
redochre
smalt
ultramarine
umber
weld
verdigris
vermillion
yellowochre

RembrandtsPalette

Leadwhite
Ochres
Boneblack
Vermillion
Siennas
Rawumber
Burntumber
LeadTinYellow
Casselearth

VelzquezsPalette

WHITE:composedofleadwhiteandcalcite
YELLOW:yellowironoxide,leadtinyellow,andNaplesyellow
ORANGE:orangeironoxideandvermilionofmercury
RED:redironoxide,vermilionofmercury,andorganicredlake
BLUE:azurite,lapislazuli,andsmalt
BROWN:brownironoxideandmanganeseoxide
BLACK:organicblackofvegetaloranimalorigin
GREEN:azurite,ironoxide,andleadtinyellow
PURPLE:organicredlakeandazurite

TitiansPalette

LapisLazuli(naturalultramarineorlazurite)
Malachite
LeadTinYellow
ItalianYellowEarth
Vermilion
ErcolanoRed
LeadWhite
GermanVineBlack

LimitedPaletteofAndersZorn

Flakewhite,
YellowOcher
Vermilion
Coolblack(Ivory+cobaltblue)
Warmblack(Ivory+burntSienna)

VanDycksPalette

Leadwhite
Charcoalblack
Lampblack
Rawumber
Yellowochre
Redochre
Madderlake(modernreplacementisAlizarinCrimson)
Leadtinyellow(modernreplacementisCadmiumYellow)
Vermilion
Lapislazuli
Greenearth
Indigo
CasselEarth
Smalt(modernreplacementisCobaltblue)

IntheWebArtAcademyfineartvideolessonsyouwillseetheapplicationofparticularcoloursused
byNatalieRichy.

OilPaintingMediums

Oilpaintcanbeusedstraightfromthetube.Whenrequiredtochangetheconsistencyofthepaint,
variousmediumscanbeadded.Mediumscandilutethepaint,increaseitsflow,thickenthepaintfor
impastotechnique,influencethedryingtime,andalterthepaintlayerappearance,makingitmore
transparentoropaque,glossormatt.

Oils
Variousdryingoilscanbeusedasmediums.
LinseedOilisthegreatallpurposeoilpaintingmedium.Itincreasestransparencyandaddsglossto
thepaintlayer.Linseedoilcomesinseveralforms:refined,coldpressed,stand,sunthickened,and
sunbleachedoils.Thecoldpressedoilisthebestchoice.Refinedlinseedoilhasadryingtimefrom3
to5days.Standoilhasthickerconsistencyandaslowerdryingtime.Itisagoodglazingmedium
whenmixedwithturpentine.Sunthickenedoiliscreatedbyexposingoiltothesun,andsun
bleachedbyexposingoiltothesuninairtightcontainer.Stand,sunthickened,andsunbleached
linseedoilshavelesstendencytoyellow.

PoppyseedOilhasalongerdryingtimeof5to7daysandgiveslessyellowingthanlinseedoil.
Poppyseedoilshallbeavoidedinlowerpaintlayerstopreventcrackingofthetoplayers.
SunflowerOilhassimilarcharacteristicstopoppyseedoil.

Solvents
Solventsordiluentscanbemixedwithpainttochangetheoilpaintconsistency.Allsolvents
evaporatecompletelywhilethepaintisdrying.Solventsarealsogoodforcleaningbrushesand
palettes.Solventsarealsousedfordissolvingresins.Allsolventsareharmfulandsomeare
flammable,andshouldbeonlyusedinwellventilatedstudios.
Turpentine
TheArtistQualityTurpentineisoneofthewidelyuseddiluents.Itisanaturalproduct,completely
colourlessandevaporatesfast.
MineralSpirits
Mineralspiritsareproducedfrompetroleum,haveabitslowerevaporationrate,andareless
expensivethanturpentine.Mineralspirits,odourlessspirits,andwhitespiritsareallharmful
regardlessofthesmell.Agoodnontoxic,nonflammablesubstituteistheZestitthinner.
Liquins
LiquinisanalkydbasedmediumproducedbyWinsor&Newton.Severalkindsofliquinsare
available:LiquinOriginal,LiquinFineDetail,LiquinLightGel,LiquinImpasto,andLiquinOleopasto.
Liquinsareselfsufficinetmediumsanddonotneedtobemixedwithoilsormineralspirits.
LiquinOriginalistheallpurposemediumthatspeedsupdryingtime,improvesthepaintflowand
reducesbrushstrokes.LiquinFineDetailgivesglossfinish,speedsupdrying,andproducesasmooth
surfaceandisidealforfinedetailsandglazing.LiquinImpastogivessemiglossandLiquinOleopasto
givessemimattfinishes,speedsupdrying,extendstubecolour,andretainsbrushmarksand
textures.
AllLiquinsresistyellowingandincreasefilmdurability;howevertheyarenotsuitableforoilingout,
neitherasavarnishorfinalcoat.

Resins
Resignaresolid,insolubleinwatersubstancesthatareusedformakingpaintingmediumsand
varnishes.Resinsarederivedfromtreesandotherplants,andmanufacturedsynthetically.Resins

increasetheglossofoilpaint,reducethecolouranddryingtimeofamedium,andaddbodyto
dryingoils.
Dammarisoneofthebestnaturalresinsforpaintingmediums,varnishesandsealantsforabsorbent
grounds.ItshouldbedissolvedinTurpentine,notinmineralorwhitespirits.
MasticandSandalresinsareinferiortodammar,astheywillturnyelloworbrownwithage.
Shellacthinnedwithalcoholcanbeusedforsizingporoussurfaces.Itturnsdarkwithtimeandisnot
suitableforvarnishing.Itisalsonotsuitableformixingwithdryingoils.
Alkydresinsareproducedbyreactionofsometypesofalcoholsandacids.Alkydresinsincrease
flexibility,fluidity,anddryingtime.
Acrylicresinscanbeusedforvarnishing.Acrylicresinsaremodernmaterialsandconsideredstable
andflexible.

Thefollowingmediummixesareverypopularwithfineartists:
Lean(thin)paintingmedium:
Linseedoil1Part
Turpentine5Parts

Dammarvarnishcanbeaddedtosuchleanmix:
StandOil1Part
Dammarvarnish1Part
Turpentine5Parts

Fat(oily)paintingmediumwithlessturpentine:
Standoil1Part
Dammarvarnish1Part
Turpentine3Parts

Differentcoloursarepremixedonapaletteusingapaletteknife.Palettescomeindifferentshapes
andsizesandaremadeofdifferentmaterials.Awoodenmidsizeovalshapedpalettewithaholefor
athumbwoulddesuitableformostuses.

Otheroilpaintingmaterialsincludebrushes,paletteknifes,mediumcontainers,mahlstick,and
easel.

Supportsforoilpainting
Traditionally,stretchedcanvasesorwoodenpanelsareusedasoilpaintingsupports.
Woodenpanelsprovideagreatsmoothsurfaceforfinedetailedartworks.However,thissupportis
expensive,heavy,andcanwarporsplitinpoorstoringconditions.
Canvasesaremostwidelyusedasoilpaintingsupports.Linenisapreferredchoiceforagoodartists
canvas.Itismoreexpensivethoughthanacottonone.Canvasesshouldbestretchedonawooden
framecalledstretcher,andcoatedwithprotectivelayersofglueandgesso,separatingcanvas
fromoilpaint.
Prefabricatedstretchersareavailableaswoodenplanksinvarioussizesthatfittogetherincorners
andareadjustableslightlytostretchthecanvasevenfurtherwhenrequired.
Thecanvasispulledacrossthewoodenstretchersandtackedorstapledtothebackedgeofthe
stretchers.Staplingthecanvastothesideedgeofstretchersisnotadvisable.

Thepulledcanvasissizedwithoneortwolayersofrabbitskinglueandthenprimedwithagesso.
Everynewlayershouldbeappliedwhenpreviousoneiscompletelydry.Traditionally,animalglue
wasusedforsizingandthemixofanimalgluewithleadwhitepigmentandwhitechalkpowderfor
priming.Primedsurfacescanbesandpaperedtosmoothouttheplane.
Readymadegessoconsistsofwhitetitaniumdioxidepigmentmixedwithanacrylicbinder.Such
gessoishardertosandpaper,especiallyonacanvas.Someartistsapplygessodirectlyontothe
canvas,althoughsizingacanvaswithalayerofrabbitskingluewouldgiveabetterprotectionofthe
canvasfromoilpaint.
Usually,gessocomesinwhite,butitcanbetonedtoaparticularcolourbyaddinganotherpigment.
Oneortwolayersofgessowouldbesufficientenough.Toothicklayerofgessowoulddrawtheoil
paintintothesurfaceresultingindulleffect.
Artshopsprovidereadystretchedandprimedcanvasesinvarioussizes.Generally,suchcanvasesare
goodenoughforajob;however,someartistsmighthaveaspecificrequirementforthesupportand
prefertostretchcanvasesthemselves.
Otheroilpaintingsupportsincludecanvasgluedonaboard,primedpaperorcardboard,pressed
wood,etc.

OilBrushes
Oilbrushesareessentialtoolsforapplyingthepaintontoasupport.Brushesaremadeofmany
variouskindsoffibers.Differentfibersproducedifferenteffects.Forexample,hog'sbristleisgood
forboldstrokesandimpastotextures;redsablebrushesareexcellenttoolforfinedetailsand
smoothtexture.Fitchhairandmongoosearefineandsmooth,greatforportraitsandfinishing
touches.Kolinskysable,takenfromthetailoftheSiberianmink,isthefinestqualityofbrushes.They
comewithawellpointedtipandservealonglifewhenlookedafterwell.Kolinskysablebrush
remembersitsshape,hasasnapwhenliftedfromthecanvas,andishighlyregardedby
professionalfineartists.Itisthemostexpensivekindofbrushonthemarketthough.
Therearealsomanysyntheticbrushesavailableonthemarket.Syntheticartbrushesarevery
durableandcouldbeagoodreplacementforanaturalhairbrushes,especiallybecausetheyare
cheaper.
Brushescomeinvariousshapesandsizes.Roundedbrushesaregoodfordetailedworks.Flat
brushesarehandyforbackgrounds,broadstrokes,aswellasforgeneralapplication.Flatshorthair
brushiscalledbright.Filbertisaflatbrushwithshorterhairsthathasroundedcorners.Avery
longFilbertbrushiscalled"Egbert".
Othertoolsarealsousedtoapplyoilpaintontosupport.Someartistsusepaletteknifestopaint.
Paletteknifesgenerallyusedformixingpaintsonapaletteandscrapinglayersofpaintfrompalette
andpainting.

Oil Painting Techniques

FatoverLeanrule
Oilpaintisaslowdryingartistsmaterialthatgivesmoretimetochangethecolour,textureorshape
oftheartwork.Itdriesbyoxidation,notevaporation,andthereforeholdsitstextureandvolume
afterdrying.
Thereisonebasicrulefineartistsshouldobserveinoilpainting.Itiscalled'fatoverlean'.This
meansthateachnewlayerofpaintshouldcontainmoreoilthanthelayerbelow.Ifeachadditional
layercontainslessoil,thefinalpaintingmightcrackandpeel.Thepaintwiththehigheroilcontent
remainsmoreflexible.

WorkinginLayers
Workinginlayersisusedwhenpaintingrequiresmorethanonesession.Thefirstlayermaybea
ground,usuallyappliedalloverthesurface.Thenanunderdrawinginoutlinemayfollow.Then
comesunderpainting,overpainting,andfinallysemitransparentglazes.Whenthepaintingis
completelydryitiscoveredwithprotectivevarnish.Alloftheselayerswillaffecttheappearanceof
thefinallook.

Underdrawing
Theartistmightsketchortransferanoutlineofhis/hersubjectonthesupportbeforeapplyingoil
paint.SuchdrawingonthegroundiscalledUnderdrawing.
TheOldMasters,likeJanvanEyckandRogiervanderWeyden,"underdrew"withabrush,making
hatchingstrokesforshading,usingwaterbasedblackorbrownpaint.
Whenartistswantedtokeepthegroundfreshandclean,thepreliminarydrawing,calledcartoon,
wascreatedinfullsize,andtransferredontosupportbypouncingtheoutlinesanddustingcharcoal
powderthroughperforations.Therearemanyotherwaysofthedrawingtransfer,includingoptical
projections,drawingbysquares,etc.

Imprimatura
Imprimaturaisaverytransparentlayerofoilpaintwelldilutedinturpentineorothersolvent.Itis
usedtotonethecanvasbycoveringthewhitegessowithrequiredcolour,providinganoverall
tonalopticalunity.Theartistchoosesthecolourdependingonthedesiredgeneraltoneofthe
artwork.Veryoftenearthcolourslikerawsiennawereusedforthistask.

ThetermImprimaturacomesfromtheItalianandliterallymeans"firstpaintlayer."Ithasoriginsis
workshopsduringtheMiddleAges,andwasusedbyItalianpaintersduringtheRenaissance.
Followinglayersshouldbeappliedwithcaresotheimprimaturasometimescanbeseenthroughin
themiddletodarkshadowareasofthework.

Underpainting
Someartistsskiptheimprimaturacoatandstartwiththe"underpainting"layer.Underpaintingis
laiddownasathinleanlayer.Itservesasabasethatisintendedtobepaintedover.
Mostoften,brownpaintsusedforthistasklikeVandykeBrown,RawUmbraorbonecolour(1part
rawumber1partyellowochre).Underpaintingcanalsobedoneinbluish,greenishorgreyish
coloursandwillbedescribedinmoredetaillater.
Underpaintingcanbemonochromatic,butitcanalsobeamulticolour.TheOldMasterslikeGiotto,
JanvanEyckandRogervanderWeydensometimesusedmulticolourunderpainting.Inthisway
theyensuredthecoloursinvariouslayersdonotphysicallyblendwitheachotherbecomingmuddy,
butcomplimenteachotherbyshowingthroughtransparentandsemitransparentlayers.
Hereisthegoodtipforprofessionallydoneunderpainting.Ifitispaintedproperly,itgreatlyhelps
theoverpainting.However,iffineartistshavetooverpainttheunderpaintingconcealingit
completely,thenthepurposeoftheunderpaintingislost,asitnolongercontributestotheoverall
paintingappearance.
Sometimesartistsleavepaintingascompletedartworksatthestageofunderpainting.Ifsuch
paintingisexecutedinshadesofbrown,thenitcanbecalledbrunaille,orpainted"Enbrunaille."

DeadColours
DeadColourslayeristhepartofanunderpainting.ThenameDeadLayercomesfromthechoice
ofcolours,usuallybluish,greyish,orgreenishmixes.
Itismostlyrequiredforfigurativepaintingswherecoldcolourswillcomplimenttheskintonesinthe
finishedartwork."DeadLayer"isappliedoverthetraditionalbrownunderpainting.Ithasthe
purposeofalteringthewarmtonesoftheunderpaintingandimprimatura.Itdoesnotaffectthe
tonalityofthefinalpaintingthough.
Deadlayerisquitethin,sopreviousunderpaintinglayersarevisiblethroughit.Thedeadlayermust
belefttodrybeforecontinuingthepainting.
Somepaintingscanbedoneasafinishedartworksusingdeadlayertechnique.Dependingonthe
coloursuchartworksarecalledverdaccio,verdaille,orgrisaille.

VerdaccioisanItaliannameforthemixtureofblack,white,andyellowpigments.Dependingon
proportionsithasagrayish,yellowish,orsoftgreenishbrownappearance.
Verdailleisanartworkpaintedexclusivelyinshadesofgreen.Itoriginatesin12thcenturywhenuse
ofcolourwasprohibitedinCistercianmonasteriesin1134.Suchpaintingsarequiterarethesedays.
Grisailleisanartworkpaintedinmonochrome,usuallyinshadesofgrey.Grisaillemayalsoinclude
someothergreyoutcoloursinadditiontoblackandwhite.Thegrisailletechniqueisgreatfor
depictionofsculptureandarchitecturaldetails.

OverpaintinginFullColour
Thesubsequentlayerscomeinfullcolour.Fleshcoloursareappliedforfigurateartworks.Lightareas
areusuallypaintedthickerandmoreopaquethanshades.Indarkareas,theunderpaintingcanstill
showthrough.Coloursofdeeperlayersareopticallymixingwithtopones.
Theoverpaintinginfullcolourcanbeworkedoninseverallayers.Usuallyeverylayerisleftdry
beforecontinuing.
Thefinaltouchesareappliedontopofthefullcolourlayerwhenitisdry.Thesecouldbehighlights,
somefinalminorcorrections,deepeningshades,andsoon.Allthesefinaltouchesshouldbedry
beforecompletingthepaintingwiththefinallayerglazing.

GlazingPaintingTechnique
Theglazingtechniquecanalsobeappliedinnumerouslayers.LeonardodaVincidevelopedglazing
technique,calledsfumato,totheperfection.
Theglazinglayersdeepenthetoneastheyabsorbthelight,solesslightisreflectedfromthe
painting.Fineartistshouldconsiderthisandpaintpreviouslayersinlightertonesthanintendedina
finishedartwork.
Everyglazeshouldbeappliedwhenthepreviousoneisdry.Itisaslowprocessbutresultsworthit.
Eachsuccessiveglazeshouldhaveanincreasedamountofoil,conformingtothefatoverleanrule.
Transparentandsemitransparentoilpaintsaremostsuitedforglazing.Opaquepaintscanbemixed
withalotofmediumandsomeresinsmaybeaddedtoincreasetheirtranslucency.

Scumbling
Scumblingisatechniquewhenopaquepaintisappliedinaverythinlayer,sothepreviouslayeris
visiblethrough.Scumblinggivesanopticalmixingofcolours,producingasofterordullereffect.This
techniqueisgreatforlightercolours,forexamplewhenpaintingfogorclouds.

SomeOtherOilPaintingTechniques
WetonWetAlaPrima
AllaPrimatechniqueiswhenoilpaintisappliedinwetonwetlayers.Alaprimatranslatesfrom
Italianasatfirstattempt.Thistechniqueisgreatforpaintinglivemodelsorworkingpleinair
(paintingoutdoors).Theartworkcanbeworkedoninoneorseveralsessions,buthastobefinished
beforethefirstlayerisdry.
Thispaintingtechniquewasdevelopedinthemid19thcentury,aftercommerciallyproducedoil
paintsintubesbecomeavailable.AlaprimawasusedbyimpressionistslikeClaudeMonetand
VincentvanGogh,realistslikeJohnSingerSargentandRobertHenri,andmanyotherfineartists.
Alaprimacanbecombinedwiththelayeredindirectmethod.Whenthefirstwetonwetcoatisdry,
finishingtouchescanbedoneinglazing.

Drybrush
Drybrushisapaintingtechniqueinwhicharelativelydrypaintbrushholdsasmallamountofoil
paintwithoutanymedium.Drybrushstrokeshaveacharacteristicscratchyappearancethatlacks
blendedsmoothnessofausualoilpainting.Brushingoverorblendingdrybrushstrokes,whilethe
previouslayeriswetshouldbeavoidedtopreservethedistinctivelookofthedrybrushtechnique.

Impasto
Impastoisapaintingtechniquewhenpaintisappliedverythickly.Itusuallyhastexturewithvisible
brushstrokesorpaintknifemarks.Usingthistechnique,someartistsmixpaintdirectlyonthe
canvas.
Impastosurfacereflectsthelightinacertainway,providingtheartistmoremeanstoexpressthe
artworkappearance.
TheoldmasterslikeRembrandtandTitianoftenusedimpastotodepictheavyclothesorjewels.
ModernartistslikeVincentvanGoghuseditforartisticexpression.

Varnishing an Oil Painting

Oilpaintingscanbevarnishedtoprotectthemfromenvironmentalpollution.Apaintingthatistobe
framedunderglassmayremainunvarnished.
Alayerofvarnishevensouttheappearanceofpainting,itmakesitequallygloss,matt,orsatin.Matt
varnishlooksclearerifthefirstlayerwasthesamemakeofglossvarnish.
Thereareawiderangeofvarnishesavailablefromvariousmanufacturersfromanywellstockedart
supplyshop.
Thevarnishshouldbeappliedonacompletelydrypainting.Ittakesaboutsixmonthstoayearuntil
anoilpaintingisdry,orevenlongerforimpastopaintings.
Varnishshouldberemovablesoitcanbereplacedincaseofdiscolourationorbecomingdirty.Ifan
artistwouldliketorepaintorcorrectapaintingafterithasbeenvarnished,thevarnishlayershould
beremovedfirst;itisnotadvisabletopaintoverthevarnishlayer.
Beforevarnishingthepaintinghastobecleaned.Varnishshouldbeappliedwithaqualityvarnishing
flatbristlebrush,withthepaintingisflat,fromoneedgeoftoanotherinparallelstrokesinthesame
direction.Whenthefirstlayerisdry,secondlayerofvarnishshouldbeappliedattherightangleto
thefirst.Thewholepaintingmustbecoveredinonego.Afterabout10minutesofcompletingthe
secondlayer,thepaintingcanbeleanagainstthewallfacinginwardtodry.

Wehopeyouhavefoundthisoilpaintingguideuseful.
Incaseofanyoilpaintingrelatedquestions,pleasesendusyourmessagefromthecontactpageon
http://Art.WebArtAcademy.comandwewillbehappytoassist.

Toyourcreativesuccess,
VladimirLondonandNatalieRichy