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How to Paint with Oils. With the right preparation, you too can paint using the medium masters
have used for centuries. You will need A variety of colored oil paints Sable brushes A stretched
canvas Gesso Fine sandpaper An easel A palette Linseed oil A palette knife Mineral spirits
Turpentine Lint-free cloth A cup Rags Paints with cadmium (optional) Resins (optional)
and balsams (optional). Step 1. Buy oil paints from an art supplier, where well-formulated
oil paints are less likely to dry yellow and brittle or harden in the tube. Get sable brushes
of various shapes and sizes. Keep in mind that paints with cadmium will dry in days
rather than hours. Step 2. Pretreat an already stretched canvas with gesso. To further fill
pores and smooth the surface, use fine sandpaper, and cover a second time. Once the gesso dries,
sketch your scene. Step 3. Set the canvas on the easel. Squeeze out the "fat" or thick
paint from the bottom of the tube onto the palette. Step 4. Mix linseed oil into the
darker colors to be used on the under-painting, since it dries better. Use the palette knife
to work in mineral spirits to make the paint lean and elastic. Essential oils like turpentine
evaporate well and are good thinners. Resins and balsams add clarity and gloss. Step 5.
Use a light hand when applying the paint, and a wider stroke when applying more medium.
Step 6. Correct mistakes, wiping away the paint with the palette knife and use a turpentine-dipped,
lint-free cloth to finish removing. When you repaint, sand that surface first and moisten
it with a touch of mineral oil. Step 7. Dip the brush in a cup filled with a small amount
of turpentine to clean as you paint. Dry the painting in light whenever possible, as daylight
cures the colors better. Painting thinner layers over a thick drying layer will distort
the surface of the painting. Step 8. Wipe your knife and handles with rags when you're
finished. Stir the brushes in solvent, but don't soak them overnight. Scoop leftover
globs of paint from the palette so that the surface is smooth for the next round. Did
you know Did you know? Oil paints were originally used only for utilitarian purposes, until
the discovery of turpentine as an effective thinning agent.