Oil paint is applied in layers to
achieve desired colors and textures. Thicker paints will produce more
texture, sometimes revealing brush strokes. Thinner paints are more
transparent allowing for the creation of color variations. The layering
of oil paint correctly is essential to the process.
The primary principle of oil painting is the rule of “fat over lean.” Leaner paints, paints mixed with lesser amounts of oil, must be applied under fatter paints, pigments mixed with more oil. Leaner paints need to go under fatter paints because they dry faster than those with more medium. The bottom layers of an oil painting need to contain less oil because they will absorb some of the medium of paint layered on top of them. Paints with less oil will dry faster than fat paints. If the top layers of a painting dry before the bottom layers, the paint will crack.
Oil paint does not dry by evaporation like most paints. Oil paint dries by oxidation, which is a much slower drying process. A fresh oil painting will be dry to the touch in about two weeks' time. It will be dry enough to finish with a varnish in about six to twelve months. An oil painting will not be considered finished drying until it is 60 to 80 years old.
The primary principle of oil painting is the rule of “fat over lean.” Leaner paints, paints mixed with lesser amounts of oil, must be applied under fatter paints, pigments mixed with more oil. Leaner paints need to go under fatter paints because they dry faster than those with more medium. The bottom layers of an oil painting need to contain less oil because they will absorb some of the medium of paint layered on top of them. Paints with less oil will dry faster than fat paints. If the top layers of a painting dry before the bottom layers, the paint will crack.
Oil paint does not dry by evaporation like most paints. Oil paint dries by oxidation, which is a much slower drying process. A fresh oil painting will be dry to the touch in about two weeks' time. It will be dry enough to finish with a varnish in about six to twelve months. An oil painting will not be considered finished drying until it is 60 to 80 years old.
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