What are /r/oilpainting's favorite Products & Services?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

For small pieces, flat plastic storage bins work great. You can slide them under beds or cabinets to keep them out of the way. I also use a couple of these hanging shelves tucked up in a corner. They're not fully enclosed, but it's enough to keep drafts of air from pushing dust and pet hair onto the wet surfaces.

Larger pieces get leaned against a wall with the wet side facing the wall.

Most artists making representational work don't create entirely from imagination. Either they create their own reference images, or they cobble together dozens or hundreds of separate ones.

Even fantasy artists will reference real animals to render the musculature or wing structure on their giant imaginary dragons. Lighting, texture, scenery, it can all be pieced together.

It's easier to start small though. Gradually work away from copying references exactly by combining two of them. By making bigger and bigger changes, you'll get to the point where you can start creating the other way - coming up with the idea and then finding individual references for each tiny element (or photographing your own).

As a side note, if you aren't already, you should make sure to only use reference images you have the legal right to copy and share. It doesn't matter for private practice, but as you gradually improve, it helps to not be in the habit of using photos that will get you in hot water later. Places like Pixabay mean you don't have to worry about it.

Looks great! Especially that mountain. Use one of these: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyde-Mfg.45960Paint-Brush-Roller-Cleaner-BRUSH-ROLLER-CLEANER/38470826?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=1122&adid=22222222228026489140&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=52593772751&wl4=pla-84474461591&amp...

Rinse your brush under a faucet to get as much out. Use that tool to separate and push the paint out. Then clean with mineral spirits (or a similar solvent)

A very quick google search... there’s still ambient light even with cloudy skies. Theres is so a break in the clouds.

https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/dark-clouds-crashing-ocean-waves-during-309258380?src=mxhaZDFbE4jstItSJJq3zA-1-14

This is an amazing painting! the texture looks really nice.
I don´t know if you want to but you can experiment with layers of gray/yellow-ish to make it deeper. I'll post an example here, let's call it a "fog in the morning" effect:

http://www.pxleyes.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/forest/5.jpg

Perhaps a book like the one I linked might be worth considering[Fill Your Oil Paintings with Light & Color

by Macpherson](https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1581800533/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_ET85VJ86N9YCDDJ61F8D?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1)

First of all, good for you for going for it and opening yourself up to critique on the internet. That takes some courage.

This looks like some Bob Ross technique, and while it's a good starting place to get the hang of using the paint and tools, the main limitation there is that the technique doesn't really respect where light comes from (thus things look flat), nor the difference in value and hue as impacted by distance from the viewer.

Issue 1 for me is that the sky and background are super dark and thus the foreground looks just way too colorful and yellow in context. If it's low light, those yellows are not going to pop like that.

My other tip is to avoid the fan brush, or at least use it very sparingly. It tends to impart too much detail in most places you use it, and when you use it everywhere, everything just looks overdone. That's what others mean when they are saying to "loosen up" the style. If you think about how your eye focuses on things, if you focus on something in the foreground, things behind it are only in soft focus. So in the painting, things behind the focal point should be more blurry, generally. If everything has sharp detail and contrast, it will look off. Try using bigger brushes and put in bigger blocks of color!

A book that really helped me was Lessons in Classical Painting by Juliette Aristides.

You'll probably find a ton of conflicting information since it depends so much on how you paint and what you paint on. Really thick paint with tons of linseed oil will need to be protected longer than alkyd medium glazes, etc.

In general, you can totally store them in sealed containers like flat plastic storage tubs. The main thing is to just avoid having anything touching the surface. Even after they're dry to the touch or varnished, some materials will easily stick to the paint surface or leave a subtle imprint texture.

Long term, once a painting is varnished I hang it on the wall until it sells (and gently clean dust off with a damp rag before shipping). But I also use a hanging organizer like this to hold in-progress pieces. They're nice because I can hang them from the ceiling in a corner and not take up any floor or counter space.

Varnished pieces go into big flat storage tubs with the lid on while they dry (Gamvar can be applied once a piece is dry to the touch instead of the usual 6+ month cure time).

To be honest, $40 won't get you much as far as quality paints go. Just one 37mL tube of paint (depending on the color, of course) costs between $15-40. Sure, student grade paints are cheaper, but that's also because they're for students - impure pigments, cheaper binders, rougher body. However, u/444Rob444's suggestion is great, as Gamblin is an excellent company. I wouldn't want to use those paints myself, but the reviewers seem really happy with them. My other suggestion would be to buy her a book on oil painting. This one is my favorite, although it's astronomically expensive on Amazon. :(

https://www.amazon.in/Krylon-Gallery-11-Ounce-Painting-Aerosol/dp/B003VWHKMK

You could use something like this ^. Only apply one layer on your painting. Then another layer if you want after the first layer dries. Don't spray when your painting has thick paint. Make sure there is ventilation when using the spray

I may have a tip for you! (If you are using a rederence photo)

When I want to see what colors are in a photo better (because what I see is always influenced by what colors are around it, for example), I pixelate the image! On my phone it's already one of the 'edit' functions, but for my tablet I use this app

It really helped me when I painted a black dog, made me realize some parts of the fur were a really dark brown, some were deep purple and others dark blue :)

Beautiful painting!

I noticed your pallette and the seran wrap. I ve been using this pallette, and the container keeps paint nice and wet. No more need for messy seran wrap: MASTERSON ART PRODUCTS Mas100 Joint pour palette d'artiste Blanc 16 x 12 mm https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0027A5GVO/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_EWX1HDXE2E9MVZ0NG9WM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Hello, I can definitely help you. I'm classically trained and I teach oil painting online at an affordable rate Please follow the link for more details. https://preply.com/en/tutor/1952955/

Hello, I teach affordable classes online and I would love to help you get started. Please follow the link for more details:

https://preply.com/en/tutor/1952955/

I have cats, so even though they aren't allowed in my studio, it's a never ending battle of picking bits out of wet paint.

While the paint is drying, I put small piece in a hanging storage thing like this. It's not completely sealed, but I have it up in the corner of the room facing the wall so it keeps dusty drafts of air from falling on them pretty well. Larger pieces I just tilt towards the wall so they're facing down.

I've got a big flat storage bin for varnished pieces, the kind that are designed to slide under a bed. It fits all but the largest pieces and keeps them safe long enough for the varnish to set.

But also, if you look at other oil paintings in person, a lot have some amount of texture/bumps/fibers/etc. It's hard to get them 100% perfect.

Is it this one? I haven't used it, but it appears to be one of the more stubborn ones that will take turpentine to dissolve.

It won't help for this piece, but if you have Gamvar available where you are, it dissolves extremely easily.

Is the hair sticking while you're working or during drying?

While working, hair usually falls off my clothes, so I have a synthetic fabric smock to wear if my outfit is a particular cat hair magnet (I think it's half a pajama set, got it at Goodwill. Any type of slick fabric works).

If it's while drying, any way of shielding them from airflow can help. Leaning large pieces towards a wall, a sealed storage bin under a bed, even hanging storage racks can provide a good bit of protection for small pieces.

I still spend a decent amount of time picking out cat hairs though, so I feel your pain.

This is what I use. The coil isn't adhered to the glass jar, which is fine as I'm sure glue would dissolve over time. Glass jar, plastic screw on lid, stainless coil.

Hi! Only thing I can think of is that the canvas may not be primed enough. Have you tried applying 3 coats of gesso to the canvas first? This may help your paint stick better.

I know alot of canvases say they are primed already, but I find doing them myself again anyway gets better results. I use this FYI https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0060KWQQ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_O5lrFbRE3MNKK

Hope it helps!

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.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000TRQHXS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_xMmfFb0NM9C0N

This is what I'm talking about. They are disposable but are heavy duty for mechanic shop environments to deal with oil, grease and solvents. They last me a couple uses before having to throw out and are great for absorbing oil paint directly off a canvas since they are smooth and have no print. I either just smooth them on a painting directly or wipe painting off after scraping with a pallette knife. These are disposable. :)

I live in the desert where it's super dusty, so for works 12" or under I use one of those hanging storage things mounted in the corner of the room. Like this, except I got a couple from Goodwill for $2. Works great and doesn't take up any floor or table space. I have another one hanging in the closet for blank panels and supplies.

Bigger work I carefully lean facing a wall and hope for the best.

You can never have too many brushes as a painter! If all else fails, these are quite a nice set: https://www.amazon.com/Vinci-Acrylic-4240-Maestro-Brushes/dp/B0069FC652/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1513982653&sr=8-5&keywords=da+vinci+oil+brush#customerReviews

I was looking at these two, they both get good reviews:

http://smile.amazon.com/Martin-Bob-Ross-Metal-Easel/dp/B000OHKFBS

http://smile.amazon.com/American-Easel-Deluxe-Paint-Station-Natural/dp/B0017DGQ0C