Remember everyone, when taking in these tips, don't start with something difficult to paint. Do something simple first. Like a fruit or vegetable. This way, one learns the technique first before jumping into something difficult. Then they should be able to confidently know it's not about the paint drying it's something else you have to fix. This is why I always say learn your tools and how they will behave. In my opinion, this is independent from actually painting things. Knowing how to mix colors, how your brush interacts with the canvas, how the paint interacts with the canvas, how the paint interacts with each other, has nothing to do with the painting itself. This is why I paint cubes, circles, triangles, oranges, apples, leaves, etc. when I am trying a new technique. Knowing that the problem is not from me using the tools allows me to focus on what truly is the problem. I always expect to fail at the technique the first couple of tries, this is why I won't ever try to paint something difficult when incorporating it at first. I could dismiss it and say "oh that technique didn't work at all" and really miss what the true cause was. This actually happened to me recently. I was so sure the problem was something else. When a second person came in and looked at my problem, they said I forgot something. That something was so simple, I knew I added it in there and was going to dismiss them as noise. Yet for some reason I decided to look!! That's when I felt like a complete idiot at first. It wasn't there!! I actually had it in there earlier, then I unknowingly removed it some time ago and forgot about it. Without that second persons' eyes to see that, I would have been wasting time chasing the wrong problem!! I was happy that I allowed myself to listen to that person. If I was in my 20s, I was an arrogant lil someone. I thought I could do everything myself. In my 30s, I accepted my flaws and know I can be wrong, I know it's ok to fail, and know there are always people who are better than me at things. It's why I actually decided to check. I realized then I grew into a better person. You can't be correct all the time nobody is. People love lambasting people who are wrong but I take it with some humor and own up to it. If I spent 5 hours on something and think it's the best i've ever made. Someone may say " wow that's amazing" another might say "Wow that looks like trash" and another will say "It looks good but: FLAWS LIST". In my 20s I would have taken the last two hard. Now that I am in my 30s, I realize I can't please everyone. However, I do take into consideration the feedback. Sometimes I feel angry, but then I wake up the next day and realize there is some truth to some of the comments. I don't let it bog me down too much, so long as I am consistently getting better over time. If not, I just seek help. Someone is bound to grab it and pull me up.
Not sure what video it was but he mentioned honoring the Effort of painting. You don’t have to like the finished painting . I really like the way he articulated this. I find myself thinking of this often
I have learned so much from you with oils! My method with acrylics was just the way I work like you. Darks light, thin paint thick paint! I have to say I love oils! They are like soft butter! It is great they do not dry because its frustrating when the acrylics dry redicoulsy fast. The acrylics I worked with are Golden so flat! Love the no shine they are a cross between watercolor and gouache. They are fun, but I want to really get into oils!
Chris, this is a great video for a large audience from beginners to more advanced levels. Thanks a lot for reminding us to keep going and ways to continue improving. I have been watching your videos and each one is an eye opening for me. Best wishes and much success in your career. Blessings and take care.
I’d love to see how you handle a ‘golden hour’ landscape,, Maybe paint something small of the same view a few hours apart to show how the light changes colours? Thanks for all your hard work and generosity!
Just started using open acrylics and it shares a lot of these properties and finally all this oil stuff makes sense. Watching everything you got. Thanks.
Chris, since I came across your channel, I've been binge watching all your video's and putting many of the tips and lesson into practice. Even though I'm still using acrylics (excited to move to oils soon) I can see major improvements in my paintings (like the green apple video, I keep practicing that one). Your video's are absolutely helpful and your method of teaching is very effective. Thank you 🙏
Great advice. Interesting to me because I work a lot in acrylics also and this I think is really the biggest difference between oil and acrylic. Yes acrylic dries faster but how you put down the paint in oil painting, because of that is exactly what you cover here. Hope that makes sense.
Laying your brush down almost parallel to the canvas also helps it stick. Once the bristles start to bend, they start to dig into the wet paint, so laying it down can help the paint come off easier without mixing into the layer below.
Sir your channel has changed my game! I have learned so much. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with us all. Ill be ordering a set of your brushes soon
Came across your videos a few months ago when i decided to start using the cheaper oil paints to test the waters so to speak....and binging your videos has helped alot. Your tips and the way i think and apply learning new things has helped just in using mediums thinners and working dark to lights in this week alone compared to when i started trying to learn.
I like to take a clean brush with a little paint thinner blotted, and then it really allows you to erase small areas with utter control. Clean your brush before it touches the canvas and not have enough thinner for it to run.
This was a very helpful video. I've started painting again after a long long break. I've been trying to paint still life with lots of loose strokes, and ive struggled with what order to do things, and now I definitely feel more confident after watching this . Thank you!
Thank you for helping me understand my problem with oil painting within minutes and also for resolving it! I tried oil paint, but when I couldn't apply the second coat, I gave up completely and I was looking for a solution to this problem.
One repeated confusion I see on this subject is using the term "thin". Some interpret this as "less viscous" some as a slight layer of paint thickness on the painting surface, and some as paint with thinner in it. This is why it often gets folks confused with the fat/lean conversation. Tube paint with paint thinner added will reduce the amount of pigment and oil that's on the painting surface. This will be a "lean" layer (little oil, little fat). It also means that thinned paint (with a paint thinner) also places a thin (slight) layer because the paint thinner evaporates off. If the paint is made less viscous (thinner) with adding oil then less pigment goes down but the paint is fatter (more oil). All of the paint preparations (with paint thinner, added oil, oil and thinner, and straight from the tube) can be applied liberally (thick) or worked out over a large area with a little of the paint mixture (thin). It's difficult to apply thinned paint liberally (it will just run off the painting surface) but easy straight out of the tube. However straight tube paint can easily be worked out to an extremely sparse application (thin) over the surface. This process also produces a slight or sparse or "thin" layer that can be covered effectively. Anyway, these aspects can be somewhat confusing when the same or similar terminology is used a across different meanings.
Thanks for this! question about your tip on painting around objects and leaving open space. I noticed you don't underpaint your canvases and am wondering what your thoughts are on underpainting in general?
Does Allaprima mean completing the painting in one sitting? Or does it still count if I come back to a painting the next day or two just as long as the paint is wet?
Hi. Do you have any tips for how to thin paint without using solvent in first layer? Trying to be solvent-free and linseed oil gets too greasy most of the time. Thanks
