Oil painting techniques : Blending and brushwork 

This is a topic for which there is a serious lack of instruction - so thanks so much Florent for covering it!

Didn’t realize that it was so important to keep loading the brush .Your instruction is excellent .thankyou for your generosity

So basically don't try and blend by actually smudging the colours into one another but blend by adding a colour in between the 2 colours eg black and white would be blended by placing grey in between them instead of just smudging them together. Please correct me if I'm wrong

"Nothing wrong can come of fun." Beautifully said. Thanks you.

Always had trouble blending, merci beaucoup! This even applies to digital painters overusing the smudge tool as well.

First of all, there is some confusion regarding the relationship between shading and contrast. In principle shading by dry-brushing leads to a more neat finishing, but the process weakens the contrast. The solution to this is simple, just apply more contrast before shading(that way, if your intention is a clean transition without texture, you will achieve it without losing three-dimensionality). On the other hand, the second technique is ideal for achieving more expressive brushes. My point is that in essence, contrast and three-dimensionality has nothing to do with your shading techniques. In conclusion, both techniques are valid depending on your style and objective(there are quite a lot of experienced artists in both teams).

As a beginner painter, I appreciate this excellent discussion of the concept of blending with a very effective demonstration of the concepts. Your point about whether one style of blending is preferred depends on your style. Basically neither type of blending is more correct than the other. What. Is important is to use the techniques without ending up dulling colors or mud.

I have taken courses, read books and watched many tutorials. But you are by far the best teacher I have come across! I think it is due to my learning style. I have to understand the concept, purpose, and technique. You are amazing! Thank you!

Finally I found why my painting looks dull... I watched many RU-vid videos tips and tricks but nobody actually mentioned it. Thank you for sharing this.

Finally, I find this very useful I really want to learn alla prima but I keep on blending with dry brush, I wasn't aware . Thank you so much !

Clear instruction on brushwork. This brought to mind what an instructor taught me was load the brush with paint and laid on the canvas with just 3 strokes...

I would get the portrait colours right.... then ruin the values into mud. Merci Florent for this lesson

Just started oil painting yesterday and I was making all the beginner mistakes you were talking about. The sphere on the right looks so much more lively and three dimensional. Thank you for the demonstration!

What a great video. Thanks for the effort in painting both styles to show us how it looks at the end. And thanks for the time you've spent taking snapshots with your paintings. Your channel is filled with great information.

Thanks Florent. Very useful advice when approaching my blending techniques, especially those where paints lose intended colors to excessive blending.

Hello Florent, a fantastic and simple explanatin for a subject that I've heard countless people talk about but never explain properly. Really easy to follow few minutes. I'm much the wiser afterwards. Thanks for taking the time to do this. L.

Hello Florent, I'm so glad I cam across this video today. Last week I had begun reading Speed's book and I'm half way through it. He teaches so much about technique and perception of oil painting. So it was really nice seeing someone mentioning and demonstrating Speed's teachings. Thank you! I'll go back to painting now :)

Genius! You explained it very well. You're right, blending with dry brush makes the painting flat. To blend with pigments takes a lot of practice but really makes painting more vibrant. It's almost similar to pencil sketches, that it looks more flat when you blend the shades by smudging, rather than blending the shades by controlling the pressure in pencil strokes. Thank you so much Florent!

I remember watching this video long time ago. This really helped me a lot to grow as an artist. 🙂. Thank you so much.

Thank you very much!There are not many valuable videos about blending on youtube .I was very unpleased with my Blendung without figuring what I was doing wrong.Instead of a painterly style, I was achieving a kind of pastel on velours paper looking painting. It was great also that you translated Speeds affirmations to a more realistic approach.That has really helped!

Much thanks for this! As I am practicing in painting with oil - and loving it - I felt I had trouble with my strokes, and yes, now I know what I have been doing all the time. Blending out! I guess it has part to do with confidence, and where the professional painter splits itself from hobbyist. Your simple example in this video makes me want to run to my canvas!

Thank you for describing what you are doing! So helpful.

Brush strokes are one of my favorite aspects of oil painting❤

I love the color result on the speed idea. But it leaves more sharp edges than the more blending method. Thank you for this great demonstration.

Florent, vous êtes un jeune artiste de talent,un jeune homme intelligent et éduqué et un bon pédagogue. Bravo, continuez!

The second sphere was waaaaay more better. You can see clearly how alive the painting was.

Funny enough the one blended by the dry brush looks kind of flat the other has so much more dimension

Brilliant my friend. Absolutely. The exceptional teaching here is pure delight. Thank you.

Wonderful! Thank you! Yes, I watched it twice!

i do acrylics mostly , the cheaper liquids i still like your video with oils and inspiration and some of your teachings thank you for sharing your insights and inspiring inspiration and something about this speed guy i never hear of him but you teach me some stuff and i appreciate this .... very much thank you for taking the time to make your video... wow i see what you teach at the end with speeds idea the colors are more bolder and vibrant... i think speeds idea like you said was also because your amount of paints make bolder spots because you can carry that color to other portions increasing your accuracy painting as well as color flows

Thanks I watched many tutorials but you are a great teacher. Take time to explain slow and precise. I blended acrilic and oil in a paint with the second result.

This is an excellent demonstration and very convincing. Thank you Florent, I have been painting with acrylic all my life but your videos help me to see that getting started in oils might not be as difficult as I thought.

Wonderful works of art at the end! Thank you for this great video!

Harold Speed bein' awesome as always

I tried to like this twice.its a great video. Thanks!

Wow this is so important! I was doing it the wrong way and I was getting upset for getting mud often. This is going to make such a huge difference! Thank you!!

I liked your 2 portraits at the end. You have a great painterly style.

Great demonstration-I love your videos. Now that I’ve done a little bit of oil painting, what you teach means even more. Thank you so much.

Thanks, I know why certain painting appear more stylish and some not, so glad to know!

i’m just starting and i definitely am doing the technique on the left but want to try the technique on the right. thank you for this video

you are a genius. thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. I can see the amount of work that you put in to reach at this level, God bless you.

This was so helpful, thanks for helping us

I can totally see what you mean it can be much more beautiful that way..as i blend much more than i should thanks for this perspective ☆☆☆

Thank you so very much!! This was the video I needed to see today!!! I really appreciate this!! :-)

Thank you for addressing this 0:30 its something a lot of people don’t mention when showing this technique

Wonderful demonstration! I've only ever used graphite pencils and watercolour paints, but I want to get into oils and this was so insightful! You explain so well and your tone is so calming. Thank you very much. 😊💕

I wanted to step out of my comfort zone of using watercolors and acrylics, so i want to try oil paints. Your video was really helpful and how to blend them as precise

Fantastic and helpful , really received the points. Thank you 🙏

now i see Speed's point. your demonstration was very helpful. nice protraits!

awesome tutorial. thank you!! and the two paintings at the end are both very beautiful

The difference is incredible

Amazing demo... Thank you Florent!

This is wonderful advice and great demo. Thanks!

Ouahh. Je désespérais de trouver des vidéos intéressantes avec des tutos faits par des artistes français. Je suis rassurée, ils existent! But ils se déguisent en anglais. Damned! Dieu merci, je vais m'en sortir car vous avez la bonne idée d'écrire, et là je peux gérer. Thank you very much! :D

wow, what a difference, I'm sold...thanks for sharing!

Thank you so much. This is my number mistake. I never understood why my colours are dull. Thank you so much

Merci Florent 🙏🏻 cette demonstration est parfaite 🤩

Interesting stuff. Thanks, I will try this out.

Beautiful demo. Thank you!

Great lesson!

Thank you, very realistic.

Very useful instructions as usual. Thank you 🙏🏻

what an impact! heartfelt thanks! love your art style and the sincerity in your voice. subscribed!

Love this video.

Thank you for showing one of the common mistakes made by beginners like me and the alternate way

Brilliant!

LOVE THIS

Very good, unbelievable

Tremendous lesson!! Love it.

Great video. Thank you! I think the main reason beginners blend on canvas so much is that they’ve put down the wrong color/value to begin with and they are trying to correct. Being able to paint this way requires a certain amount of skill and confidence, but it’s extremely useful to keep this goal in mind so as not to keep leaning on the blending crutch.

excellent demonstration, thanks!

Really great topic and demonstration 👍🏼

Wonderful demonstration.

This is so satisfying, thank you! Incredible work!

Florent, for years I would paint Alla Prima laying down my paint then start blending, I would get discouraged with the loss and then quit. Thank you so much!

Wow perfect example

Thank you for the lesson, this is good info to have :) I’m hoping to find a happy medium between the two, I like the vibrancy and depth of the second sphere but I’m particular to a less painty and more smooth look, unless I’m intentionally going the impasto route. Also I’m super impressed with the pieces you showed us at the end btw 😯

Brilliant. cheers fella

Thank you, Florent! I am glad I recently found your RU-vid tutorials! What I think I have learned is to mix a lot of very similar transitioning shades and tones and place them to gradually lighten and/or darken as the form takes it's shape...I think laying the color fresh not overly blending....softening in between slowly and subtly but not over pressure to blend?? I think not to be afraid of the paint so it can do it's job and the Artists can be more painterly because it can be freeing to not be so precisely concerned with the perfection of smoothness?? I hope my take on this is somewhat right! ??? LOL! Painting is meant to be fun not too tedious but still must be thought out...

Very interesting, I will try and practice your advices; thanks a lot!

The mistaken way seem perfectly good to me

Great! Thanks, you are so talented!😌🙏🏻

Thank you for making this video!

I just understood oil painting - Thankyou.

That's a great example and explanation. Thanks

Very good tips, and Harold Speed's books are amazing. When I was watching it, I was thinking that this could relate to drawing. Some people blend with stumps/fingers, and others with only pencils. If artists blend with only pencils instead of stumps/fingers, then it seems like it would prep them for oil painting in this fashion a bit more. What do you think?

Brilliant explanation, thanks!

Thank you so much for showing this!

Good advices much appreciated!

Thanks so much...

Thanks for sharing, I really like this technique !

Thank you!

Thanks so much ..the advices is helpfull.

Great video thank you

Wow thank you for this, I myself run into this problem. I would see digital artists pick the tones in between to blend more before. But you explained it very well. Thanks again for your videos!

This was very helpful! Thank you.

You solved a great issue of my life man #respect

Very Good!

Great lesson! Very much appreciated, this subject is somehow not covered by other youtube painters...

Great tutorial sir. Thank you n stay blessed.