Getting Started with Oil Painting: Recommended Materials and References

The oil used in making oil paint must be of a kind that will eventually dry and solidify into a solid, uniform coating. Oils such as linseed, walnut and safflower have traditionally been used for oil painting, each having slightly different drying times and clarity (safflower, for instance, is typically preferred for white paints as it is the clearest and does not yellow the color as linseed oil can.) One could not, however, use olive oil as the oil would never completely dry.

First, try to have a designated painting room in the house with good ventilation: windows which can be kept open during warm weather, fans to encourage air circulation to the outside, or potentially have an exhaust fan specifically installed in a room for the best safety precautions. Make your painting space a room which can be closed off from the rest of the house, especially if you have young children or pets who could get into materials hazardous to them.

Oil paint can be applied to virtually any painting support surface, including canvas, wood panels, masonite, copper, cardboard and yes, even paper. However, the surface to be painted must first be prepared and primed so that the paint will adhere properly and also not cause the support to degrade and rot with time.

Wooden panels were the first support typically used in oil painting and are still popular today. Gesso, a mixture of binding glue plus white pigment and chalk, is used to seal the panel from moisture and provide an absorbent surface for the paint to be applied. Up to 10 thin coats are applied and sanded to a desired smoothness, typically similar to an eggshell.

Canvas became more popular for oil painting in Venice, where the shipping industry was booming during the Renaissance and canvas was cheap for artists to buy. Canvas also made it possible to create extremely large yet lightweight paintings that could be used as ceiling or wall decorations. Canvas is traditionally sealed with glue to prevent rot of the fibers with time, and then primed with a base white primer paint. Gesso can be mixed with linseed oil to make it flexible enough for use on canvas as well, otherwise it is too rigid and could crack. Canvas can be painted loose, pre-stretched on a frame, or glued to a support panel.

While many serious artists like to prepare their oil painting supports themselves, to get just the smoothness and absorbency they prefer, it is easy to buy canvas and panel already prepared with gesso or primer and just start painting!

Medium is not absolutely necessary, if your paints are already very soft and workable and you want to paint in thick, heavy brushstrokes. However, medium is useful in thinning store-bought oil paints to your desired fluidity and transparency as some paints can be very thick and difficult to blend at first. Medium also can also affect the appearance and properties of oil paint, speeding drying time or increasing the gloss if the medium contains an amount of varnish in it.

Artists have for centuries experimented with different painting medium formulas and combinations for oil painting, but one of the most traditional is linseed oil and turpentine in a varying ratio. If working in layers of paint, typically you should add more oil to your medium in each successive layer. This principle is called "fat over lean" and can help prevent paint cracking with time as the lower layers of paint should dry faster than the top layers. Varnish may be introduced into the medium for finishing layers, but it should be a different kind of vanish than used to finally coat the painting (this way, if the painting is later cleaned, a chemical can be used to remove the protective varnish with less chance of removing layers of actual paint.)

I recommend all oil painters experiment with mediums and medium additives to determine which they find the most comfortable to use, personally. If you want paint that dries very slowly and with a flat finish, then you will likely appreciate a different medium than an artist who wants a high-gloss appearance and fast-drying paint.

Liquin is an alkyd-based painting medium, and actually my medium of choice 99% of the time when painting in oil. It helps paint dry quickly and gives oils a strong shine and gloss. It works very well for glazing techniques as well as to help underpaintings dry quickly. This is the medium I prefer using the most when working in oil paint.

Galkyd is similar to Liquin in that it is primarily used by artists who like to glaze in multiple layers of paint, and want a glossy appearance. Some artists swear by it, however I find it a little "sticky" and thick for my personal tastes and preferences.

• Brushes. Oil painting brushes can be made from bristle hair, synthetic fibers or fine sable. Coarse bristle brushes are best for underpainting and thick applications of paint; for detail work soft synthetic or sable brushes are the best. A range of sizes and shapes (flat, round, filbert and fan) will give you flexibility in your work.
• Palettes. Glass or plastic sheets from the hardware store make great palettes as they are easy to clean or remove dried paint from with a razor blade. Wood palettes are traditionally favored but take greater care in use. Also good to use for quick glazes and on-the-go painting are disposable paper palettes, available in large blocks and coated with a waxy finish for easy mixing work. In a bind, you can even tape wax paper to a flat tabletop and use that for a palette!
• Painting and palette knives. A painting knife can be used to create textured painting effects or instead of a brush for thick, impasto painting. Palette knives are used for mixing paint on your palette, either blending different hues together or mixing medium into the paint.
• Painting rags. Paper towels can be used, but cloth painting rags are often sturdier and won't shed lint or particles onto your painting surface if wiping away excess paint or cleaning your palette.
• Brush cleaner. You can use turpenoid or odorless mineral spirits, or you can also use a special solution such as Turpenoid Natural to condition and clean your oil painting brushes.

Traditionally oil paintings have been finished with a finishing coat of varnish applied once the painting was fully dry (often 6 months waiting time is ideal). Varnish gives the painting a uniform glossy appearance and also provides a layer of protection from smoke, air pollutants, moisture and other destructive elements. Applying varnish takes some skill and practice to ensure the coat is uniform and adheres properly to the oil paint surface. Varnish can be removed and reapplied with care to clean a painting, preserving it for many years - even centuries!Varnishing fell out of favor with the Impressionists, who preferred a flat, matte appearance to their final work. 

_{A varnished painting on panel. Note the high gloss finish!}

Damar is a classic varnish for oil paintings. Some artists even add some into their glazes along with other painting medium.

Spray varnish is easy to apply, especially for canvas paintings.

This is an excellent introductory book discussing many of the ideas I've mentioned on this webpage related to oil painting methods and materials.

Simple and easy to read. Learn about surface preparation and basic techniques including glazing, alla prima, plein air, impasto and knife painting.