Art: Week 4 do now task

 Write a blog post that answer the following questions: 

1) What is oil paint made of?

Oil paint is made up of dry pigment powder and refined linseed oil so basically linseed oil which is then purified. It's then mixed together into a paste which then is milled to allow any clumps to be out.

2) What are three benefits to painting with oil paints?

The first benefit for using oil paint is that there is a wide range of tones in colours that can be made compared to other paints like watercolour etc. The second reason is that there are many ways you can apply the oil paint. You can do thin layers or apply it thick. This is due to oil paint being slow to dry. final reason is the time it takes to dry, although for some it may be annoying It's actually quite helpful for others as they have the chance to take longer and create art with more detail.

3) What are three disadvantages to painting with oil paints?

The first disadvantage is that the oil paint does have an odour that can be quite strong and overpowering. Another reason is the blending capabilities it has, although it takes awhile to dry the consistency of the paint alone and doesn't allow you to blend well at all. Final reason is that oil paint can tend to change colour after time for example every oil painting tends to turn a little yellow after time.

4) Why do you need to prime your surface before painting with oil paints?

Because the oil paint can sink into the canvas which when dried can leave patches of dull paint which won't look pretty in the final overall look.

5) How do you clean up your brushes and equipment after using oil paints?

Since the substance of oil paint is quite thick in a way and glue like it takes a bit to get off of paintbrushes as it is also a little sticky. So a technique to clean your brushes is getting either turpentine, paint thinner mineral spirits etc and soak them in a cup of that substance. Then after a few minutes use your hands or gloves to help massage all the oil paint out. Then most is off to clean the brushes like normal with soapy water. May be a good idea to do this outside as the liquids that help get oil paint off can be quite messy.

6) What is an impasto technique?

The Impasto technique is basically thick layers of quantities of normally oil paint which lead to it standing out from the surface. This is done in small places and not big areas.

7) What is “Imprimatura” or “grisaille” in painting? 

Imprimatura is a thin layer of paint which is normally used as a base. Grisaille is a technique which uses grey tones while painting to then add a glaze over top of it.

8) What interesting facts did you find out about oil painting? 

I found out that oil paint is not easy to get out of paint brushes and that you normally need to use harmful chemicals like turpentine to break the oil paint away from the brushes. 

Tuesday 24 May : 

This relates to the work we did yesterday as we were able to actually use oil paint and create art from what we see outside. I created a leaf but it's not the best looking. It was very strange to use because in my opinion its quite like a water colour and feels the same as when painting.  I do like using oil paint but for next time I'll definitely get a smaller brush.