So, inspiration just hit me. I was walking down Venice Beach and I was checking out all the independent painters selling their stuff and I thought, “I wanna do that!”
So, I need advice. How do I get started? What do I need? Canvas, brushes… what else? How much will it cost me? I’m already fairly artistically inclined, but you never know unless you actually go out and try it.
So tell me - what do I need???
Just go to a hobby store and get a couple of canvas’s, some good oil brushes (which will make all the difference), some paint thinner and whatever else looks fun.
However, it’s kind of expensive. If you don’t stretch it yourself, good professional canvas’ will cost you between $20 and $65 a piece…good thing you can repaint over them. good brushes, and you’ll probably need at least 4 different sizes even for the simplest jobs will be about $5 a piece. Now the oil…a medium sized tube (1 color) will cost about $4…and you’ll probably want at least 4 colors. And the thing about oil is the more you put on the canvas the better it looks. Oil also takes about a week to dry at room temp.
My advise is to actually start with acrylic. It’s a little more forgiving, water soluable and much much cheaper. It looks pretty good and dries fairly quickly. But do it, it’s fun.
Thanks metroshane.
You can re-use a canvas??? How? Just use paint thinner? Do I need another brush just for the thinner? I’ve seen people use a squirt bottle. Are they just applying thinner that way?
I’d imagine it can get messy. I’ll probably need a drop cloth, right? How about smell? Is it like house paint?
I recommend going to an art center/school and taking a basic oil class. My girlfriend is an oil painter and she’s always trying different colors of paint, and experimenting with different surfaces and ways of preparing canvas or paper. I only understand a little of it myself.
Also, remember that selling isn’t easy or automatic.
There is a lot of stuff you can buy, but keep it simple at first or you’ll be spending a lot. Mineral spirits for cleaning, a drying medium is nice, nice brushes. I don’t paint on canvas (I do animals, on models) so I can’t help there.
Acylics can get you started, but sometimes those dry so fast you won’t get a feel for blending - oils give you plenty of time to blend colors.
I never thin my oil paints - I just use less on the brush. I get smearing/less coverage if I add paint thinner - I don’t like the effect. Linseed oil will extend the life of your paints if they happen to dry out.
As with most art, there is no right or wrong way to do it - you need to experiment to find what works for you.
I did the painting bit when I was much younger, and with pretty good results.
Had to give it up however, my eyesite got so I couldn’t read the numbers.
I forgot to add -you won’t need a drop cloth - oil paint doesn’t drip - if it does, you are using it way too thin. :eek: Keep some rags on hand to wipe off yourself and any places your brush accidentally swipes. And dispose of those rags properly, don’t leave them balled up in the corner.
Oil paints do smell, but it isn’t really a bad smell - you might not like it. Open the window/paint in a room with good ventilation and it shouldn’t bug you unless you’re very sensitive.
Try acrylic, it looks pretty much the same & its water based, cany dry much more quickly, oil & thinner have pretty strong smells. Pil can take days, weeks or months to dry.
Oh, I mean ‘oil’ not ‘pil’
You know, I was thinking of doing the exact same thing! I have a friend that paints pictures purely as a hobby, and watching her enjoy it made me think it might be a good outlet for me too once school is out and I have tons of time on my hands. She also suggested acrylics. I’m looking foward to making my first masterpiece; its so fun to decorate your room/house with things that you made yourself!
If you are thinking about painting landscapes…
Go to a Michaels or similar craft store and buy a Bob Ross beginners paint set. ($20) Odorless paint thinner.($5) Cheap canvas. ($6/ea. or 2/$10 for 18’x24") Liner brush. ($3) Oval brush. ($6) This will give you everthing you need to start out.
Record a couple of episodes of The Joy of Painting off of your local PBS station. Paint the same paintings as he does. That will give you a lot of tips and a feel for what you are doing.
If you enjoy it, then you can go out and spend some real money on brushes, paints and canvas. It worked for me.
dave
Since you’re looking for advice, I’ll move this thread to IMHO.
If you want to try something different, try drawing something with oil pastels and then blending the colours together with a bit of turpentine and a small paint brush. It’s brilliant for working on wide landscapes, though not great for fine detail.
You don’t usally have to worry about canvases here… a good quality textured parchement paper should be just fine. If possible, try to find a canvas pad - it’s got the same texture as canvas but it’s more portable and a lot cheaper.
Oh yea you can reuse canvas…so if you don’t like your painting, just put down a base coat (over the old painting) and start over. The thing about oil is it takes a long long time to dry…but once it’s there it ain’t going anywhere. sometimes when my paintings get dusty from hanging on the wall, I’ll just take a wet rag and scrub it down…no problems. You CANNOT do this with acrylic as it’s water based. *Caution, some painters put a finish over their product and I’m not sure what it’s made from, so if you aren’t positive what’s on the canvas, then don’t try it.
People do use paint thinner as oil is really thick (doesn’t drip as someone pointed out) so it’s frustrating if you’re new to it and used to not needind a lot of paint. You really have to gunk it on there…which uses up a lot of paint…which is expensive. I’m sure that’s what the squirt bottle person was doing.
I also like the idea of starting with pastels as someone mentioned. They are a lot of fun, cheap, you can use sketch paper…but a little messy. If you decide to paint with pastels, when you are finished you’ll need to very carefully knock off the excess dust from the pastels then you can set it (the poor man’s way) with a light covering of hair spray. Good Luck.
ooops, i need to learn to proofread…I’m sure the squirt bottle person was diluting the oil a little to make it go further and become a little more managable.
Take an art class too…they are fun. They give you gentle instructions & a list of things you need. You might even get a live model…
Hey everyone, thanks for all the help and advice.
Yeah, I was thinking about taking a class. Just to get the basics down. Of course, I’m a bit impatient, so I may just go get a canvas, some bruses, some oil paint and just attack and see what comes out!
Isn’ that what art is all about anyway? Emotion and passion?
You should paint on masonite board or canvas. I know that painting on paper is popular right now (and cheaper), but I don’t recommend it for anything other than canvas. The reason for this is that if you paint something you turn out to really like on paper, and want it framed, it is very difficult to frame paper paintings. The paintings really need to be without glass, but that ruins anything done on paper, which needs glazing. The paints (especially oils) will outgas and form a film on the inside of the glass that will need to be opened up and cleaned every so often. The oils may also begin to eat away at the paper itself. Acrylics are much more suitable for painting on paper if you get the urge, and there are retarder mixes that can be used to give more of the feel of oil paint with a longer drying time. Oil paints dry to the touch within a week to several months, depending on how thick you apply the paint; however, to truly dry takes a very, very long time. This is why you see cracks in very old paintings… all oils will do this eventually. I am not so sure about the long term effects of acrylics. (I use these almost exclusively at the moment.)
Oil paints are also toxic and many of the pigments contain lead or other chemicals that you should not get on your skin, so you want to make sure that you avoid skin contact, wash your hands afterwards, and unlike me, don’t eat the stuff. Keep it away from pets and small children. You will also need Turpentine/Mineral Spirits for duliting the paint and cleaning your brushes, as they cannot be mixed with water. On the other hand, most acrylic paints are non-toxic and all of them can be mixed with water or special mixing solutions, and the brushes clean up with regular soap and water. I use acrylics these days because I do not have a well-ventilated area to use oils; I have to take my paintings outside to put the top varnish on them.
The “coating” someone mentioned is varnish. An oil painting should be varnished within a year of completion, but probably not within six months of finishing to make sure it is completely dried. Acrylics can be varnished within a day or two, typically. It is imperative that you varnish your painting if you do something that you would like to last for a long time. This is the #1 crime of all the amateur, unschooled and/or hobbyist painters that come in my store. Paintings are ideally framed without glass or glazing, and the varnish is what serves to protect the surface of your painting from dust, durt, grime and the elements. I myself use a permanent acrylic varnish on my paintings with about three coats because I like it very glossy, then I use another, removable, archival varnish with UV inhibitors to prevent fading and light damage. The top varnish is the important one. As someone mentioned “wiping down” the artwork to get the dust off – this is possible, but not really the best thing for the artwork. The proper function of varnish is to cover the painting. Once the painting is dirty, or the varnish has begun to yellow (though many synthetic varnishes now do not), the varnish is removed, taking all the nasties with it, and a new coat is added – like throwing out an oil piece of glass. You may never have to redo the varnish is your lifetime, but it is important that you do include it with your painting should you do anything that you’d want to give to family members, pass on to your children, or sell, etc etc. I am always having customers call me and ask if there’s anything I can do for their dirty/damaged/discoloured artwork and more often than not they bring the thing in, some long lost family member made it, and low and behold, no varnish. All I can do is refer them to a conservator and hope for the best.
Bob Ross will teach you some excellent tricks for very easily making some lovely and impressive paintings, but in addition to any videos I highly recommend you check out a book from your local library (or purchase one if so inclined) on the basic techniques of acrylic/oil painting, including how to stretch and prime your own canvas, keep your brushes in good shape, choose and mix paint colours and pigments, and properly varnish and care for your artwork. You never know what might become important to you or a family member one day, and IMO it’s important that you’re not only aware of how to make the picture, but also prepare it, preserve, and care for it for years to come.
If you have any other questions for me feel free to post them. I’ll shut up now. 
Oh, sorry for all the inexplicable word substitutions and typos. I’m getting really scatterbrained these days. 
I second those who recommended acrylics to start. (If they dry too fast, you can slow the drying time with a solution of water and a thin gel medium.) Also, instead of using stretched canvas you can get canvas panels at any art store–they usually only cost a dollar or two per panel, depending on the size. I wouldn’t invest in expensive brushes right away either. Taking a class can be a good way to get started, but there’s also something to be said for just jumping in, having fun, finding your own style and learning as you go. Good luck.