To many artists, oil paints have always been their first choice for many years now. Artists make their colors by blending dry powder paints with selected oils. They mix the products to achieve a stiff paste that has consistency. The consistency of these colors is usually important. Actually, the recommended standard is to have a smooth and buttery paste that is not stringy or tacky. However, oil painting has been a good choice for many artists over hundreds of years, of course, with good reasons.

As a matter of fact, colors are beautiful and gorgeous, and they last forever. The nature of oil paints is that they are slow drying making it possible to remove what you might not want when it is still wet. Again, you can still paint over the picture once it get dry.

As noted before, consistency for this type of paints is a vital property. However, if some flowing quality is required, a liquid medium like turpentine could be added. Still, a siccative or liquid drier can be added in order to accelerate the rate of drying. By just learning the basics, oil paints are easier to use.

During this artistic work, the artist uses canvas as the ideal support. After it is cut to the right size, it is laid on a wooden frame which is then fastened using tracks or staples. A primer may also be used to lower the absorbency of the canvas so as to get smooth surfaces. This primer should be given some allowance to dry before you begin the painting process. Common primers used are such as rabbit skin glue, gesso and lead white. In other cases, smoothness and rigidity could be preferred over springiness and texture. In such a situation, a sized or primed wooden panel or even a processed paperboard could be used.

A brush is a very important tool in this artistic work. Brushes are used to apply the paint over the sketched outline of the subject. These brushes are usually made from different fibers so as to create different effects. Two types of brushes are used, the bleached hog bristles and red stable brushes. The brushes come in different sizes and shapes such as flat shape, round, and oval.

After the painting work, a picture varnish coat is normally done in order to protect the picture from atmospheric attacks, accumulation of dirt and minor abrasions. Nevertheless, the varnish can be safely removed using some solvents such as isopropyl alcohol. Also, the varnish adds a uniform luster, tonal depth and color intensity originally in the wet paint.

There are numerous benefits of oil paints. The slow drying nature allows the artist to work longer on their creations and make changes unlike watercolors. On the other hand, these paints are wear and tear resistant.

Finally, once the painting work is done, correct any mistakes before the paint dries up. Then, save the unused paint and use it in your next artistic work. Lastly, ensure you clean up the brushes since the paint can ruin them if allowed to dry with the paint.