Mastering Oil Painting Techniques: Blending and Mixing Colors

Oil painting is a versatile medium that offers artists the ability to blend and mix colors with ease, producing rich, vibrant, and expressive works of art. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced painter, knowing the proper techniques for blending and mixing oil paints will significantly enhance your artistic expression.

Blending on the Palette

To begin, start with a clean palette dedicated to oil painting. On your palette, create two mounds of the paints you wish to combine. Utilize a clean brush or palette knife to mix these two colors together. The key is to mix them strategically to achieve the desired quality of the blend. Mix enough paint for the area on the canvas you intend to overpaint, and then apply this mixture to your canvas.

Blending on the Canvas

For a more dynamic effect, you can blend the paints directly on the canvas. Leave the original paints on your palette and use two dollops of each color right on the canvas. Mix the colors together on the canvas, allowing for a less uniform, more expressive blend. This technique can produce a beautiful, textured outcome. Another method is to paint with one color, let it dry, and then add the other color while still wet. This allows for colors to blend naturally with visible brush strokes, reminiscent of the techniques used by artists like Van Gogh and the Impressionists.

Glazing

Glazing is a more advanced technique that can result in a striking finish. Start by applying a layer of paint 1 and letting it dry. Once it is dry, use paints suitable for glazing, not all are, and apply a fluid brushstroke using a lot of oil and a sable brush. Move the strokes in a long, steady manner without rubbing them in. Allow each stroke to dry completely before touching it again. This technique is challenging but can create a sparkling, glassy quality in your work. For a historical reference, look at the German and Dutch masters, or the self-portrait by Van Gogh in 1887.

Additional Tips

Oil painting does not need to manifest pure color from the tubes, and many professors advocate for mixing colors on the palette. However, the extensive range of colors available today makes distinguishing between mixed and tube colors nearly insignificant. The choice is yours, but always remember that you can paint oils onto acrylics but cannot paint acrylics onto oils. It works one-way and one-way only. A useful note on gesso: traditional gesso was made from rabbit glue, a process that involved boiling rabbit hides for days. Modern technology offers liquid plastic, which is more efficient and suitable for today's artists. When using an ungessoed canvas, always apply two coats of gesso to prevent paint from peeling off the canvas in the future.

With these techniques, you can experiment and explore the endless possibilities of blending and mixing oil paints. Practice, patience, and experimentation will lead you to develop your unique style and artistic expression.