Hey asshole, look what you're doing here. You're arguing about how cheaply you can buy canvas, in a thread about an amateur artist who is making shitty Bob Ross-inspired paintings on boards. So before I mute you, I'll just remind you that I said you win, you can make your crap paintings on any crap canvas you like. Just don't argue with the world that crap canvas is going to hold up over time, every standard artist's reference book has extensive details on the archival qualities of canvas, and any art restorer will inform you of the details of which you remain willfully ignorant. Judging by the peek of your real paintings in the corner of your trophy picture, I am relieved that the world will not have to endure your horrid paintings for long before they will decompose.
The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques "Since 1940, when it was originally published, The Artist's Handbook has become indispensable for thousands of practicing artists and art students. The book has remained continually in print through many editions and has sold more than a quarter of a million copies. A detailed index makes a wealth of information readily available. Charts and line drawings throughout."
First thing, remember you can always put out more paint if you run out. There’s no law saying you have to put a huge mass out.
Things to know about oil paint. One, it doesn’t dry, it cures. The curing time will vary by color because different pigments require a different oil to pigment ratio. Some need more, some need less, it’s just how oil paint do. The curing happens when the paint and oil oxides with the air around it. The reason why I say they don’t dry is nothing is evaporating from the paint to make it ‘dry’.
So if you do put a big ol glob on there and want to use it again later and slow that oxidation, cover it with plastic wrap or something else to keep oxygen from getting in contact with the oil. I have heard of people submerging them in water but that strikes me as a PITA because you would have to wait for the water to evaporate completely before you could use it.
Freezing it doesn’t stop the curing process. As long as air can get to the paint, it’s curing.
Btw, when I lay out paint if it’s still in a blob I will find it workable for several days and up to a week depending on pigment. If I’m coming back to it within a day or two I just leave it out, it’s usually fine.
That said, I only put out small amounts unless I’m doing a large section, I’d rather add more paint to my palate than worry about waste.
Last bit. Do Not Add Clove Oil to Oil Paint. Oil paint is all made with drying oils aka oils that can cure. Linseed, poppyseed, walnut, and safflower all have these properties and have been used for many hundreds of years so we know what they look like as they age. Which kind you’d want to use depends on what properties you want (more on that later).
Clove oil has been used as a retarder historically speaking, but it’s not recommended because over time it turns black. See, oil painting are kind of like living things. They never stop curing, ever. It’s why older oil paintings can have fine cracks and look yellow even when varnish is removed. A painting that may look perfect when fresh can become discolored and have spiderweb cracking or look cloudy and ashen if you use too much medium. It’s always best to be conservative with it. I would say adding a retarder in general is a terrible way to lengthen the oil on your palate, because the more mediums you mix in the more likely you’ll run into problems as they age.
To know more I would suggest The Artists Handbook of Materials and Techniques . It will tell you about different oils types, mediums, how to make paint if you ever want to give it a go, all the things you would want technical knowledge of starting out if you’re into technical knowledge. I use it as a reference, but I found it’s worth reading through as well.
Like others say, eventually you’ll get a handle on what you’ll need
I would suggest learning more about the nature of your materials and experiment with different painting styles. You’re painting wet on wet now, more or less. Perhaps try a Grisaille underpainting, or work your painting up in thin layers. You talk about doing glazing on top of what you’re doing right now, but it’s generally recommended with oils that you work fat over lean. This isn’t just for looks, it’s to prevent imperfections in the paint later on. Oil painting doesn’t dry, it cures. Think of each layer as a tectonic plate which will move around as the painting ages. Fat thick layers with lots of oil will move around a lot more vs thin leaner layers that are cut with solvents.
Get this book. It’s one of the books that should be required reading for serious oil painters. Learn your materials in more depth. Learn about all the materials that aid oil paint. You might love cold wax for the textures you can create, or you might like neo megilp or liquin, or any of the other oil painting mediums that can help you level up.
I’d also suggest checking out oil paint company YouTube channels for more info. Gamblin’s is very good, I also like Golden’s channel which has info about oils through their Williamsburg line.
Also, check some painter documentaries and find out how the people you like paint. Experiment with their ideas.
All those things will help you figure out what his bothering you and will help you level up.
If you want to research paint pigments, I would strongly suggest The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques And if you want to check out the pigment codes on your paint (which they should have if they aren’t hot ass garbage) look at art pigment database . Note: it doesn’t matter which kind you have, the same pigments are used across mediums, the only thing that makes them different is their binder. This will get you started.
You’ll have to do your own poking for glass, ceramics, and industrial paint, dyes, etc. as that is a bit beyond my wheelhouse. I only know enough to make an educated guess on that business
another greeat book to get would be The artist's handbook by ralph mayer. reviews everything one could want to know. also a color wheel is another great thing you could get her.
link to the book: https://www.amazon.com/Artists-Handbook-Materials-Techniques-Reference/dp/0670837016
Oils can be a tricky business for a beginner. There's a shit ton of technical stuff to learn, but don't let that scare you
What you'll need is oil paint, a fat (lindseed oil is generally what's used but there are others), and a solvent like turpentine or mineral spirits. The other poster is right, you don't need solvents to clean your brushes (I use safflower oil), but solvents help cut the fat of oil which is pretty fatty on its own (aka fat over lean https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_over_lean). You also can use solvents to make mediums, but don't sweat that right now. First thing you got to learn is oil painting basics.
You don't need a color painting bible. I have never used one. I did have years of color theory in college but that only teaches how colors can play on each other, not how to mix paint. What confuses new painters is often the colors they mix don't always give the expected results, especially with artist grade paint. Here's why. There are three types of pigment that make up oil, acrylic, and watercolor artist grade paint, and they are organic, inorganic, and synthetic. Organic comes from plants and animals, inorganic (the most common) are mined minerals, and synthetics were produced chemically. How pigments mix depends upon their nature at the microscopic level. Cobalt blue and cadmium red are both vibrant inorganic pigments. Most folk new to painting would assume mixed together they would produce a vibrant purple, but they don't. Instead they produce a muted purple, this is because they are both inorganic and are opaque at the granular level. The color they make together works well in landscape and figurative painting, but you will have a hard time getting an electric purple out of that combo. If you mix two synthetic pigments like naphthol red and phthalocyanine (phthalo, or thalo, it's spelled different ways by different brands) blue you'll get a more chromatic purple. At the granular level they look more like stained glass than opaque rocks. This is a mostly true but not always true rule. I would suggest you start with a traditional palate and go from there. Experiment, add colors as you go. The more experience you have the better you will become.
Brushes, typically oil and acrylic brushes have a longer handle. It's very common to use hog hair brushes (the hair comes from their ears). Synthetic is ok, look for a brush with some spring to it. As a painter you can never have too many brushes, but don't worry about getting a ton. You'll add as you learn what you need. Just don't try to paint a huge canvas with a tiny brush, you'll go crazy. Also… with art supplies you get what you pay for, and this is especially true of brushes. Don't get the cheapest, you'll be going nuts when the bristles brake and the hair falls out. Always clean when you are done, don't be lazy about taking care of them and they will last a long time. Like I said I use safflower oil, I push the paint out and then tap it in the safflower oil until the paint is worked out. Wipe and tap in the oil until it wipes clean, then finish with a brush soap. Using oil helps keep the bristles soft. You can also use olive oil or baby oil in a pinch.
For instruction, YouTube is a good place to start. There are lots of different techniques in oil painting. Some alla prima/plein aire, some are more traditional and work in layers like I do. Do your research and try painting in different ways and see what fits you.
There's a book I would like to suggest, but it can seen overwhelming. http://www.amazon.com/The-Artists-Handbook-Materials-Techniques/dp/0670837016 will teach you everything you would ever want to know about painting. It's real thick, but you can use the index and just find specifically what you want to lean. It covers everything. Why house paint is shitty, how to stretch canvas, how to make paint and mediums, what paints are made up of, everything.
But all that said, you can read all the things you want, but experience is the key to all art learning. So don't forget to practice while you're learning about all this technical stuff. Painting is the point after all.
Good luck
This book should have the information you are looking for.
smooth side, i believe.
it seems that i remember from one of ralph mayer's books that there two types of masonite and that the darker kind is less suitable due to a coating or impregnation or something like that.