Starting to paint with oil paints it can be a very daunting medium to work in. I know when I started to paint I had a ton of questions and was not sure if what and how I was doing things was completely correct.
We have the answers to your beginner oil painting top 5 questions such as 1) what do I mix to make my oil paints thinner? 2) is acrylic or oil paint easier to learn? 3) how to use gesso? 4) do I need to prime my canvas? and 5) how hard is it to learn to oil paint?
Table of Contents
Navigating the Basics: Top 5 FAQs for Oil Painting Beginners
Venturing into the world of oil painting can often feel like navigating uncharted waters, with its unique techniques and myriad of questions that arise for beginners. I vividly remember my own initial foray into this medium – a journey filled with curiosity and a bit of apprehension, as I wondered whether I was approaching it correctly.
To help guide you on this artistic journey, we’ve compiled answers to the five most common questions that budding oil painters frequently ask. These include queries on the essentials, such as the best ways to thin oil paints, the comparative ease of learning oil versus acrylic painting, the correct application of gesso, the necessity of priming canvases, and the overall learning curve of oil painting.
This guide provides clarity and confidence to those embarking on their oil painting adventure, ensuring a smoother and more enjoyable creative experience. Here are our answers to these top 5 questions that many beginning oil painters seek answers to.
What can I mix with oil paint to make it thinner?
There are basically two things you can use to thin your oil paints – a white spirit or turpentine. Most oil paints that come out of the tube will need to be thinned in some way.
Here is some basic information on available White Spirits and Turpentine:
White Spirit
White Spirit is also known as Mineral Spirits, Turpentine Substitute, Petroleum Spirits and Paint Thinner. White Spirits are generally flammable, so they should be stored and used carefully.
White Spirits can be used for thinning your oil paints and also for cleaning your brushes. They are slower drying than turpentine. White Spirits also has the benefit of not deteriorating when stored long term.
One of the reasons that many artists do not like to use the White Spirit is that they can have a really strong smell, and for some people, it will cause dizziness and a feeling of nausea. That is why you must always use White Spirit in a very well-ventilated room, and you should consider using Nitrile gloves and a mask if they cause you any kind of irritation.
When recommend buying the Winsor & Newton Artists’ White Spirit. You can find out more about it by clicking here.
Odorless Mineral Spirits or Low Odour Solvent
The low odorless solvent, also known as odorless mineral spirits, is another option that you can use. In the low odorless mineral spirit, it has been refined to remove some of the toxic compounds. This is a very good option to use, especially if you are regularly in contact with your solvent. I use an odorless mineral spirit in all my work.
You can use this odorless solvent precisely the same as you would use the white spirit. You can use it with your paints and also clean your brushes.
We recommend that you consider getting an odorless white spirit as Gamblin Gamsol Odorless Mineral Spirits. You can find out more about the Gamblin Gamsol Odorless Mineral Spirits by clicking here.
Artist Turpentine
Turpentine is also called the Spirit of Turpentine or Oil of Turpentine, but it is all essentially Turpentine. It is more viscous than the white spirit.
A good quality turpentine will smell like a pine tree. This is because turpentine is made from the bark of a tree that is then purified and distilled.
Turpentine is flammable and emits vapors that can irritate the skin, eyes, and even damage the lungs. Do not use any of your household turpentines for art as it probably has gum in it and this will prevent your paint from drying or causing your painting to yellow over time.
This is why it is important to use artist turpentine, as it is a purer form of turpentine and will ensure your paint dries and will not yellow. Artist Turpentine also has fewer impurities than regular turpentine you may buy at your local hardware store.
We recommend considering to Winsor & Newton Distilled Turpentine. This is very good quality turpentine. You can learn more about the Winsor & Newton Distilled Turpentine by clicking here.
Is oil painting easier than acrylic?
Working with acrylics and oil painting is about the same level of difficulty. Deciding which one to use for your painting depends on if you prefer to have paint that dries quickly or slowly.
One of the main differences between oil painting and acrylics is the drying time. Oil paints dry much slower than acrylic paints. Sometimes oil paints can take up a to year to dry completely.
Since acrylic paints dry much quicker, you must also be more decisive with your paint strokes. Because oil painting takes a longer time to dry, you can have more flexibility with your painting.
Acrylic paints are water-based paints, and oil paints are oil-based. They are similar but also have different properties and ways they need to be handled as far as the drying time, mixing them, and working with them on the canvas.
Can I use white paint instead of gesso?
Gesso is designed to be a prime or a base coat for your canvas. Gesso will dry quickly on your canvas. Some artists may use a thin coat of white acrylic or oil paint to prime their canvas instead of gesso.
Gesso is designed to be a prime coat on a canvas, so when you are starting to paint it may be best for you to prime your canvas with gesso as it will dry matt and will give you a better overall prime coat.
We recommend that you get yourself a large container of gesso if you are going to be painting a lot of paintings or very large paintings. I like to take all my canvases I will be using for the next few months and then apply the gesso on them at one time. I must find this the easiest way for me to apply the gesso as I can quickly prime them and then clean up just once.
For your gesso, you can consider purchasing a gesso like Utrecht Artists’ Acrylic Gesso. You can learn more about Utrecht Artists’ Acrylic Gesso by clicking here.
Once you have applied the gesso and the gesso is dry, depending on what I am painting and my canvas, I may apply a few coats of gesso and use fine sandpaper to sand in between each coat to ensure the gesso application is smooth.
Do you need to prime a store-bought canvas?
When you buy a canvas from the store it should tell you if the canvas is already primed for oil painting or acrylics. Many commercial canvases are primed to be used for both acrylics and oils.
With a canvas that has already been primed you can start to paint on the canvas right away and you technically do not need to prime the canvas.
If you do not feel that the canvas surface is primed enough, you can also add another gesso top coat to your canvas. Usually, for any pre-primed canvases I buy, I will put on one top coat of gesso on the canvas and then sand the gesso with very fine sandpaper before I start to paint.
Is it hard to paint with oil?
Any kind of painting or art is difficult. Painting with oils is not any more difficult than any other medium as acrylic, pastels, or watercolors. As with any kind of art, it will take practice and time to master.
Look at your art as a journey – an art form that you will spend your life learning about. The painter Edgar Degas summed it up best when he said:
“For those who don’t know what they are doing, painting is easy. For those who do know what they are doing, painting is difficult.“
Edgar Degas
Oil painting is a beautiful hobby. It is an excellent way to be able to relax and to get into the creative moments of life. It does not matter if you are just starting out or if you are a seasoned painter; oil painting is fun.
Anita Louise Art is dedicated to art education, great artists, and inspiring others to find and create their art. We love art that uplifts and inspires. #ArtToMakeYouSmile! #ArtToMakeYouHappy!
If you are interested in seeing any of my art, you can find out more by clicking here. If you are interested in what inspires me and my paintings, you can discover more by clicking here.
We have a free newsletter and would love you to be part of our community; you can subscribe to the newsletter by clicking here. I would be happy to talk to you if you have any questions. You can reach me, Anita, by clicking here.
Subscribe to our Anita Louise Art YouTube Channel filled with great videos and information by clicking here.
Join us for our podcast “5 Minutes With Art.” Spend 5 minutes a week with us to discover and learn about great art and artists. You can find out more about our podcast by clicking here.
Related Questions
What Are Some Life-changing Skills Art Helps You Develop?
There are a lot of benefits to learning any kind of artistic skill. Our Top 10 life-changing skills that art helps you to develop are 1) Creativity, 2) Observation, 3) Self-expression, 4) Memory, 5) Focus, 6) Concentration, 7) Discipline, 8) Perseverance, 9) Collaboration, and 10) Risk-taking.
To discover more about this, you can read our blog on 10 Top Life-changing Skills Art Helps You Develop by clicking here.
Should I Encourage My Children in Art?
There are many benefits of art for your children including increased creativity, better hand-to-eye coordination, clearer self-expression, increased decision-making skills, improved visual-spatial skills, the teaching of perseverance, increased focus, you learn to see the world differently, it helps to build self-confidence and it is just plain fun.
To find out more about this, you can read our blog on 10 Top Reasons Why You Should Encourage Your Children in Art by clicking here.
