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Archive by category "Oil Painting"

The Blocking In Technique for Painting and Drawing

In this article, I explain the blocking in technique, by defining its purpose and demonstrating how to use it to plan the placement of tone, colour, and composition in artwork. I refer to art history by looking at examples of unfinished paintings from the Renaissance to the pioneering approach of Cézanne. Through my demonstrations, I show how blocking in can speed up the art making process, in acrylic, oil, pencil, and pastel. Articles in the Painting Techniques series define the meaning and context of art making processes and give practical tutorials on how to work with them. Blocking In Technique Definition ‘Blocking in’ refers to media that has been applied broadly with minimal detail, to give the artist an idea of the placement, form, tone, size, or colours of the imagery. A resolved artwork may be completely ‘blocked in’, or retain some areas from the blocking in stage. Although it more commonly functions as an initial underpainting or underdrawing that will later be developed further by the artist. What is the Effect of Blocking In? When you block in the early stages of an artwork, it provides a foundation to build from and allows for any necessary …

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Samir Rakhmanov: Colour’s Emotional Charge

Samir Rakhmanov won Anita Klein’s Choice Award in Jackson’s Art Prize this year with his work A Burial. In this interview, he discusses his shift from realistic to expressive painting, making the most of daylight, and finding beauty within grief. Above image: Samir in the studio Josephine: Could you tell us about your artistic background? Samir: I was born in a small town of Pavlohrad in Ukraine, but grew up in Baku, Azerbaijan. When I was a kid, I liked drawing – but honestly, nothing worth framing. My parents, being optimistic, put me in a small art school that had art lessons alongside regular subjects. That experiment didn’t last long, and I ended up in a regular middle school. For a few years after that, I barely drew at all. Then, in 8th grade, something clicked. I got hooked on drawing again, this time with a focus on manga, video game concept art, and illustration. That was the first time I thought, “Alright, maybe this is what I want to do”. A few years later, I got a graphic tablet and started doing a ton of digital painting. By the time I finished middle school, my goal was …

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Testing Natural Earth Paint’s Natural Varnish on Oil and Acrylic

If you’re searching for a vegan and environmentally conscious varnish for your oil and acrylic paintings, then the Natural Earth Paint: Natural Varnish may be the perfect solution. Made in small batches with archival ingredients, it’s claimed to be fast-drying, clear, glossy, ideal for retouching, and free from harsh fumes. In this review, I put these descriptors to the test and explore its qualities by testing it on canvas and wooden panel, with oil and acrylic. Review of Natural Earth Paint: Natural Varnish About the Natural Earth Paint Company Natural Earth Paint is an American art materials company founded in 2009. The founder, Leah Fanning, started the company while intentionally pursuing a non-toxic painting practice during her first pregnancy. From there, she developed paints, mediums, primers, and varnish using natural pigments and ingredients that don’t contain any fillers, heavy metals, or derivatives from the oil and gas industries. A couple of common examples of these derivatives are acrylic polymer emulsion found in acrylic paint and alkyd resins sometimes used in oil paints; both are derived from petroleum. The company also advertises its products as safe for kids to use because of their non-toxic qualities. Alongside donating to …

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Janie George: Insistent Colour

Janie George won Andrew Torr’s Choice Award in Jackson’s Art Prize this year with her work Pine Cone. In this interview, she discusses her practice of writing to help realise an idea, the perfection of indecision, and turning to ceramics to slow her down. Above image: Janie in her studio Josephine: Could you tell us about your artistic background? Janie: I owe a lot to my mother who was very good at making things and had a good sense of style. We were a large family and had little money. Everything was pretty much handmade and hand-grown. She taught me how to sew, cook, and garden. She also bought me a sketchbook to record the wild flowers that I found. That experience of drawing to identify and know things was the beginning for me. I still draw things gathered from the fields. I was lucky in my art college experience; it was a more formal time, but people were pretty nurturing and kind. Although I paint now, I studied printmaking at college and lithography in particular. It was how I learnt to be very precise about colour. After college, I had longish periods without a studio. However, when …

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Blending Techniques in Oil, Acrylic, Pencil, Pastel, Charcoal, Watercolour, and Ink

In this article I explore the technique of blending, referring to examples from Sfumato paintings in the Renaissance, through to Symbolist pastel drawings. Followed by practical demonstrations for blending in a variety of mediums – oil, acrylic, pencils, soft and oil pastel, charcoal, watercolour, and ink – and give tips for achieving a seamless finish. Articles in the Painting Techniques Series define the meaning and context of art making processes and give practical tutorials on how to work with them. Blending Techniques in Oil, Acrylic, Pencil, Pastel, Charcoal, Watercolour, and Ink Definition Blending refers to the mixing towards, or transition between, two or more different colours or values, to create a smooth gradient between them. A successfully blended area will have a consistent, melded-together finish, without any hard edges, lines, or random marks. What is the Effect of Blending? The visual effect of blending may help to achieve realism, or simply add a pleasing gradient to an artwork. Whether a work is naturalistic or abstract, areas of blending often provide a sense of depth, be it blended tone across a glass on a table or blending between bright colours. It’s a technique that’s doable in all …

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