Original oil paintings by South African artist
Creating Oil Paintings Using Layers
Oil paint can be transparent or opaque depending on how much you dilute it while some oil paint colours such as Naples Yellow are naturally more opaque. Transparent applications in thin layers of paint on an oil painting are called glazes. These glazes can be applied directly on the canvas or over thin layers of opaque colors, they can also be applied over thickly applied oil paint to modify the colour beneath. Building up glazes of paint creates a surface with great depth and luminosity.
Building up layers of paint is a classical approach to oil painting. Oil paint dries slowly and you will have to wait for a layer to dry before you can apply the next layer. It helps to work on more then one painting at a time so that you can work on another oil painting while waiting for a layer to dry. Oil painters often start off the oil painting by making a tonal underpainting of turpentine thinned paint. The oil painting is worked up from there using glazes, opaque washes and thickly applied impasto.
Creating an oil painting through layers requires an artist to work in a technique called "Fat over Lean". Paint that is "Fat" is paint used straight from the tube or paint to which extra linseed oil has been added. "Lean" paint is thinned with turpuntine and dries quicker than "Fat" paint. You start with lean paint reducing the turpentine as the oil painting progresses and adding linseed oil to the top layers. This technique will also prevent the oil painting from cracking when it dries because the top "Fat" layers are flexible.
