Welcome to David Langevin Artworks
Guidelines for Permanent Painting in Oils
Guidelines for Permanent Painting in Oils
- Paint on a good quality ground (gesso) that is thick enough to prevent oil seeping through to the support.
- Paint on a rigid rather than a flexible support whenever possible (see #19).
- Paint fast dryers under slow dryers.
- Paint ‘lean’ (low oil content) pigments under ‘fat’ (high oil content) ones.
- When painting in layers keep the under layers thinner and leaner.
- Paint oils over acrylics if you must but not the other way around.
- Do not paint over a layer that has a dry skin but is soft and wet underneath.
- Oil paint can be thinned with only small very amounts of solvent.
- Do not add extra oil to your paint.
- Use a good painting medium to thin paint and make glazes and veils.
- Use Retouch varnish sparingly.
- Keep the underpainting light and bright (see # 17&18).
- Do not apply the paint too thick.
- Heavy texture and collage effects are best done with acrylic paints and mediums.
- Do not use old paint that has begun to dry and is stiff and rubbery, it will not adhere well.
- Paint around things rather than over top unless you want the underpainting to show (see # 17&18).
- Remember that oil paint darkens and becomes more yellow/brown with age.
- Remember that oil paint becomes more transparent with age.
- Remember that oil paint becomes more hard and brittle with age.
- Use soap to clean hands and brushes, not solvents.
- Wait between 3-12 months before applying picture varnish, depending on the thickness of the paint.
- Do not hang or store oil paintings where they will be exposed to humidity or large temperature fluctuations.
- Never use water to clean an oil painting.
- Use the best quality paints you can afford.
- Do not mix low grade and professional grade paints in the same painting.
