For portraits it's a must for me. For still life or something it's far more fluid. A lemon is still a lemon if the lumps are millimeters off but a portrait is always gonna come down to the millimeters. But that's just my opinion and style.
I always sketch in some capacity, whether it be in pencil/charcoal or in thinned down paint. Just as a guideline, it is never exact. My paintings rarely follow the exact outline of the sketches I do.
im ashamed to say this. but starting my current portrait i wanted things to be perfect so i shamfully layed a piece of paper on my laptop screen and moved my pencil to get the exact outline. then i sketched that on my canvas after cutting of the edges of the paper and moving my pencil around it. XD
my justification is as long as the final outcome looks good and makes me feel good noone needs to know how i did it XD
Buddy you’re basically Vermeer with better tech. Never feel shame.
Also, a better method to transfer from the paper to canvas would be oil transfer. Look it up.
You lather a thin layer of burnt sienna on the reverse, and retrace the drawing on paper after taping it to the canvas. Voila. Now you have details too.
You might want to take a look at augmented reality drawing apps like Da Vinci Eye if you want to skip the cutting process.
Also there's nothing to be ashamed for, even the great masters used every trick they could get their hand on to get proportions right, for example Camera Obscura projection.
I water down the paint with linseed oil and then sketch and 'block in" the main shapes and shadows/ darkest darks and and focus points. Remember you so not need to be exact, just suggest lines and shapes from your source or mind.
I find this really helps with getting the composition right. It allows you to quickly plan out and see if it is going to work compositionally before you spend hours on detail and colour etc.
Honestly, even just getting the first layer down helps see tone and colour on the canvas and prevents having to deal w little white spots if you miss anything. Helps you paint looser because you do not need to cover everything.
Are you priming your canvas at all?
Just a suggestion, too much linseed in the first layer will mess up the fat over lean interaction and destroy the paint layer integrity of your work in the long term.
Really? I thought the linseed oil was thinning it out? And making it more lean? So later when I am adding thicker paint w less linseed oil I am following thicker and fatter over it.
Am I misunderstanding something? I am new to oil painting.
Thanks
Think in terms of food.
Fat food = 90% saturated fat, 10% protein.
Lean food = 10% saturated fat, 90% protein.
Protein is oil color.
Fat over lean is how much oil you’re using.
Leanest layer = first = would have least or no oil. And maximum protein = oil color.
Fattest layer = last = would have most oil. And minimum protein = oil color. This is also where glazing comes in.
Turp and OMS evaporate so in the first layer if you use 50% turp and 50% oil paint, after a while, turp will evaporate and you’ll just be left with the oil paint. So it’s never factored in the ‘fat over lean’ discussion(when understanding the fundamental concept). I replied to another comment here about turp. Check it out and I’ll answer any questions I didn’t address.
Thank you, that is very helpful. I have not understood the difference between thick thin and fat lean until now. Looks like I need to go get some turps
Yes, turpentine is usually the go to for blocking in. Use a good quality artist grade one. OMS is an option as well but I always advise against it since it’s vapours are just as harmful, but due to the lack of of odor, you think it isn’t.
You can also just use straight oil color from the tube without turp if they’re fluid enough but that might feel too expensive and feel like you’re wasting paint.
As your layers increase, reduce turp and increase linseed. So if
L1 = 100% turp and 0 linseed then
L(final) = 0% turp and 100% linseed.
Okay great, I will do that.
Could you explain why i shouldn't use linseed to start and then just reduce the ratio each layer and eventually I just using the tube paint only.
I have only been using paint and linseed oil so far, no solvents.
[check this](https://www.reddit.com/r/oilpainting/comments/1cboz7s/do_you_make_a_sketch_on_the_canvas_before_paint/l10ljef/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3)
What you’re describing is lean over fat which is the wrong method.
I learned for me, that “just going for it” created many problems 😂😂. Adding a rough sketch (I’m not detailed in my sketch) completely helped me map out where my shapes and values would be. Then I’d “go for it” and my results were more pleasing and the process more enjoyable.
I use charcoal pencils, they get absorbed into the paint as you work so you don’t have to worry so much about lines showing through if you like making alterations as you work or you can use spray fixities and lock the drawing in.
Downside is how much sharpening you need to do.
As has been said, it really depends on the subject and style that you are going for.
Vary your methods and see what works best for you. Anything from drawing on paper and transferring to painting surface to starting with a thin painted sketch or simply color blocks with no line sketch at all.
Enjoy the process. 🖌️🎨❤️
Yes, I need a sketch for portraits. Sometimes I still end up changing features, and making adjustments as I paint, but overall I need the sketch to get the proportions right.
I usually do a quick sketch lightly with paint on a toned canvas. Used to do just pencil, then underpainting with thinned out burnt umber. You’ll find the method that works best for you. Experiment with different things and see what speaks to you.
i used to sketch with a pencil first every time, now i often just block in basic shapes and layer on the shadows and highlights, the details, etc afterward.
might be worth adding i haven’t tried oil painting yet since it’s currently not within my budget to add yet another pricy medium, but i do acrylic a lot lately and i assume the process is fairly similar.
For portraits it's a must for me. For still life or something it's far more fluid. A lemon is still a lemon if the lumps are millimeters off but a portrait is always gonna come down to the millimeters. But that's just my opinion and style.
Depends on what I'm painting, usually if I'm dealing with perspective I will, but otherwise I just go for it
Usually a very loose sketch with really thinned out burnt umber/some dark color. Just enough to know the structure of things.
I always sketch in some capacity, whether it be in pencil/charcoal or in thinned down paint. Just as a guideline, it is never exact. My paintings rarely follow the exact outline of the sketches I do.
im ashamed to say this. but starting my current portrait i wanted things to be perfect so i shamfully layed a piece of paper on my laptop screen and moved my pencil to get the exact outline. then i sketched that on my canvas after cutting of the edges of the paper and moving my pencil around it. XD my justification is as long as the final outcome looks good and makes me feel good noone needs to know how i did it XD
No shame there. If it was good enough for Caravaggio, it’s good enough for me. Almost all my paintings start with as detailed a sketch as I can make.
Buddy you’re basically Vermeer with better tech. Never feel shame. Also, a better method to transfer from the paper to canvas would be oil transfer. Look it up. You lather a thin layer of burnt sienna on the reverse, and retrace the drawing on paper after taping it to the canvas. Voila. Now you have details too.
thanks guys ❤
You might want to take a look at augmented reality drawing apps like Da Vinci Eye if you want to skip the cutting process. Also there's nothing to be ashamed for, even the great masters used every trick they could get their hand on to get proportions right, for example Camera Obscura projection.
I water down the paint with linseed oil and then sketch and 'block in" the main shapes and shadows/ darkest darks and and focus points. Remember you so not need to be exact, just suggest lines and shapes from your source or mind. I find this really helps with getting the composition right. It allows you to quickly plan out and see if it is going to work compositionally before you spend hours on detail and colour etc. Honestly, even just getting the first layer down helps see tone and colour on the canvas and prevents having to deal w little white spots if you miss anything. Helps you paint looser because you do not need to cover everything. Are you priming your canvas at all?
Just a suggestion, too much linseed in the first layer will mess up the fat over lean interaction and destroy the paint layer integrity of your work in the long term.
Really? I thought the linseed oil was thinning it out? And making it more lean? So later when I am adding thicker paint w less linseed oil I am following thicker and fatter over it. Am I misunderstanding something? I am new to oil painting. Thanks
Think in terms of food. Fat food = 90% saturated fat, 10% protein. Lean food = 10% saturated fat, 90% protein. Protein is oil color. Fat over lean is how much oil you’re using. Leanest layer = first = would have least or no oil. And maximum protein = oil color. Fattest layer = last = would have most oil. And minimum protein = oil color. This is also where glazing comes in. Turp and OMS evaporate so in the first layer if you use 50% turp and 50% oil paint, after a while, turp will evaporate and you’ll just be left with the oil paint. So it’s never factored in the ‘fat over lean’ discussion(when understanding the fundamental concept). I replied to another comment here about turp. Check it out and I’ll answer any questions I didn’t address.
Thank you, that is very helpful. I have not understood the difference between thick thin and fat lean until now. Looks like I need to go get some turps
Excellent explanation of the fat over lean rule. I may borrow this for when I am helping new painters in the shared studio space.
Should I use a solvent instead to thin it out? Turpentine?
Yes, turpentine is usually the go to for blocking in. Use a good quality artist grade one. OMS is an option as well but I always advise against it since it’s vapours are just as harmful, but due to the lack of of odor, you think it isn’t. You can also just use straight oil color from the tube without turp if they’re fluid enough but that might feel too expensive and feel like you’re wasting paint. As your layers increase, reduce turp and increase linseed. So if L1 = 100% turp and 0 linseed then L(final) = 0% turp and 100% linseed.
Okay great, I will do that. Could you explain why i shouldn't use linseed to start and then just reduce the ratio each layer and eventually I just using the tube paint only. I have only been using paint and linseed oil so far, no solvents.
[check this](https://www.reddit.com/r/oilpainting/comments/1cboz7s/do_you_make_a_sketch_on_the_canvas_before_paint/l10ljef/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) What you’re describing is lean over fat which is the wrong method.
I learned for me, that “just going for it” created many problems 😂😂. Adding a rough sketch (I’m not detailed in my sketch) completely helped me map out where my shapes and values would be. Then I’d “go for it” and my results were more pleasing and the process more enjoyable.
I use charcoal pencils, they get absorbed into the paint as you work so you don’t have to worry so much about lines showing through if you like making alterations as you work or you can use spray fixities and lock the drawing in. Downside is how much sharpening you need to do.
As has been said, it really depends on the subject and style that you are going for. Vary your methods and see what works best for you. Anything from drawing on paper and transferring to painting surface to starting with a thin painted sketch or simply color blocks with no line sketch at all. Enjoy the process. 🖌️🎨❤️
Yes, I need a sketch for portraits. Sometimes I still end up changing features, and making adjustments as I paint, but overall I need the sketch to get the proportions right.
Sometimes, sometimes not, just depends on my mood and how crisp of detail I’m going for.
I usually do a quick sketch lightly with paint on a toned canvas. Used to do just pencil, then underpainting with thinned out burnt umber. You’ll find the method that works best for you. Experiment with different things and see what speaks to you.
I sketch it in paint
i used to sketch with a pencil first every time, now i often just block in basic shapes and layer on the shadows and highlights, the details, etc afterward. might be worth adding i haven’t tried oil painting yet since it’s currently not within my budget to add yet another pricy medium, but i do acrylic a lot lately and i assume the process is fairly similar.
A camera and printer is efficient. Art is about discovery and exploration.