Tips for beginners: Materials & Equipment

CANVASES

On my painted portraits page you'll see explanations of the three options for oil painting surfaces: traditional stretched canvases, 'canvas board', or canvas paper. If you are a beginner in oils it might be worth buying a pad of canvas paper to practice on, rather than pitching in on more expensive canvases. However canvas boards are also fairly inexpensive compared to stretched canvases.

When buying a stretched canvas, you'll have the choice between cotton or linen - if you like a smoother canvas then go for linen which are a little more expensive but lovely to paint on. One thing to check is that the canvas doesn't sag a little in the middle - this can be a problem with cheaper canvasses. Daler-Rowney, Windsor & Newton or Loxley canvases should all be fine.

Finally, make sure you are buying a white, pre-primed canvas rather than a brown-coloured natural linen one that is unprimed. Before a canvas has oil paint applied to it, it MUST first be 'sized' (covered with a layer of glue, traditionally made from rabbit skin) to seal the fibres and stop the oil paint from rotting them. After that they need to be coated with a couple of priming layers mixed with the right amount of oil, which are then sanded smooth. With a pre-primed canvas this is all done for you.

CANVAS PROBLEMS AND HOW TO FIX THEM.....

SAGGING:

If you've been storing a canvas for a while you may find that it has loosened a little. In this case, before you start to paint you could tighten it a bit with 'canvas keys' - these are the little wedges of wood which usually come in a plastic bag that you will usually find stapled to the back of your canvas. (Ironically, you don't always get them with the cheapest canvases, which are the ones which usually need tightening the most!) Anyway, wedge these 'keys' into the slots in the corners of the canvas, and tap them in lightly with a hammer taking care to tap evenly in each corner so as not to skew your canvas's right-angles. This will tighten your canvas as the fabric tautens over the frame.

DENTS AND WRINKLES:

Canvases can become wrinkled if kept for a while or dented by a finger when being held or rested on. It's easy to get these imperfections out: just turn the canvas upside down on the ironing board, on a piece of clean plain paper. With the iron on a cool heat (and preferably on 'steam' setting), quickly run it over the back of the canvas. This should re-tighten it instantly. I've even tried this with (dried) paint already applied to the canvas - I don't think the heat will damage it if you do it quickly enough.

PAINTS

You'll generally see a choice of several brands of oil paint in most art shops, varying slightly in price. The difference between the prices usually reflects the amount of oil which the paints are mixed with within the tubes - you'll find that the cheaper ranges may feel oilier and thinner. For this reason I like Windsor & Newton's 'Artists Oil Colour' range, which is in the upper price range (although not the most expensive) but feels thick and buttery. Daler-Rowney's 'Georgian' Range I find a little too thin, and Windsor & Newton's 'Winton' series is really a student range and even thinner. You'll also see 'Rembrandt' paints, which are very high in quality although a bit mousse-like in texture, and then there are the most expensive brands - Daler-Rowney's 'Artists' Oil Colours', 'Michael Harding Artists' Oil Colours', and 'Old Holland Classic Oil Colours'. These are made from the finest pigments and will probably offer the best long-term durability.

As far as selecting your colours goes, I don't want to offer a prescriptive list of colours that you will need - just use common sense, buy a reasonable selection of basic colours, and then see how you get on! You'll find that different colours vary considerably in price, depending on the pigments they are made from.

All oil paints have a 'Series' number printed on them (except for the student ranges, which use only the cheaper pigments) which is a rising price scale from Series 1 to Series 4. If there's a colour you want that's very expensive, you could look for an alternative which is a similar colour labelled a 'hue'. So for instance, genuine Cadmium Red is Series 4 which is very expensive. But 'Cadmium Red Hue' is an imitation of the colour using different chemicals, and is only Series 1. This paint to the left is Series 1 (look to the bottom of the black oval on the label)

WATER-SOLUBLE OIL PAINTS

These are a relatively new product which I have to admit I haven't tried yet! Though people who have seem to speak highly of them. Essentially, a tube of water-soluble oil paint is almost exactly the same combination of pigment and an oil binder - linseed or safflower - as a traditional oil paint. The only difference is that one end of the oil molecule has been altered so that it binds with water, as in a solution. The range of water-soluble paints that you usually see is Windsor & Newton's 'Artisan' range. This product would be great for people who are allergic to solvent mixers such as turps and spirits, or just those who want to try oil painting without the slight hassle of not being able to mix or clean the paints with water. The limitation would be that there is only currently a range of 40 different colours, less than a traditional range. However there is a good selection of thinners, spirits, oils and cleaners for water-soluble oil paints.

BRUSHES

Brushes are usually produced in ranges which are suitable for being for watercolour, acrylic paint or oil paint. Oil painting brushes are made from hog's hair, which is strong enough for use with thick oil paint - thinner brushes made from sable wouldn't last long when used with oil paint and might not have the strength to manipulate it. For very fine brushes for doing detailing I have a couple of small synthetic brushes made for acrylic paint, but otherwise I use hog's hair. Cheaper makes of brush are OK, you'll probably just find that the hairs will fall out faster and they may be a little thicker.

MEDIUMS FOR DILUTING YOUR PAINT

There are two things you can use to thin your paint to the thickness that you want.

Firstly, there are Spirits - Artist's turpentine, or Artist's 'mineral spirits' or 'white spirit'. Don't buy these from a DIY store as they may contain impurities which will slow the paint from drying. White spirit is less toxic than turpentine, which can be absorbed through skin. There's one disadvantage to diluting the paint with spirits which is that it also dilutes the balance between pigment and oils (oil paint comes ready-mixed in its tubes with linseed or safflower oil to bind it) and you may be left without enough oil in your mixture. This can cause the paint to appear very matt and dull and can even cause the paint to fall off as it ages. So to compensate, use a few drops of oil (see below).

The second way to thin your paints is by the use of oil - the most common one is Linseed Oil, but there is also Safflower, Hemp or Poppy Oil. Linseed oil is a little yellowy so for lighter colours you may prefer to use one of the other types. Be aware that oil paint is already mixed in it's tubes with oil, so if you add a lot of extra oil your paint may appear overly shiny and glossy. But if you've already diluted your paint with a lot of spirits (see above) then it's very important to add a few drops of oil to restore the oil and paint balance. Another advantage to adding a drop or two of these oils is that there are brands available which will speed up the drying of your oil paint. You can buy Drying Linseed Oil, or Drying Poppy Oil for lighter colours. Another option which I like is Windsor & Newton's 'Liquin' medium which speeds up the drying time of the paint and is non-yellowing so is suitable for any colour.

What to wash your brushes with
For cleaning paint from brushes (and anything else!) cheap White Spirit from a DIY shop will be fine. Remember that paint will usually come off your hands with detergent (washing-up liquid) so you might prefer to use this as it's much gentler on your skin. You can also use it for washing brushes, though you'll need to give them a good swirl in White Spirit first. Always clean your brushes very carefully as this will really prolong their life.

OTHER EQUIPMENT YOU'LL NEED - PALETTE & PALETTE KNIFE

Wooden palettes of course have to be carefully cleaned to stop paint from drying hard to it, and this is rather a hassle. Luckily, there are now Tear-Off Palettes, which come in A4 or A3 size and are much more convenient. At the end of a painting session you can just cover over your paint with some Clingfilm (Saran Wrap) to stop it becoming exposed to the air (oil paint dries as a result of oxidization, so if covered it should keep without drying). When you are finally finished you can just tear off the sheet and throw it away.

To mix up your colours on your palette, buy a palette knife like one of these. Make sure you use this rather than your paintbrushes to mix colours as brushes will quickly be ruined by this! Of course, you can also use a palette knife rather than a paintbrush to apply the paint to your canvas with, if you like.

VARNISH

If you want to varnish your oil painting to protect it, you'll find a choice of matt or gloss varnish in an art shop. The important thing to know is that you must wait 6 months before varnishing an oil painting. This is because although the oil paint will appear dry to the touch after a week or two, it isn't considered to be fully dry for many years as chemical changes continue to take place. After 6 months you can varnish safely without trapping moisture or risking significant contractions within the paint layer.