Oil painting time saving techniques
Paint en plein air in preference to studio. Outside you paint from the gut. Indoors you paint with the head. The gut is quicker.
Chose a simple subject.
Use your camera to compose.
Use Glaze Medium to speed up drying time of first layers.
Begin with a second darker neutral ground.
Big brushwork initially.
Paint shapes not details. Think angles, squares, rectangles, connections…rather than boats, trees etc.
Use thin paint initially, then progress to thicker paint with less medium.
Use a limited palette ie. 20/80 use of colour wheel.
Time limit your session. I aim to complete a piece within an hour.
Use fewer, more considered brushstrokes.
Follow the sequence… Darks—Mid-tones— Lights. Finish with Accents and Highlights.
Hold off using white for as long as possible.
Suggest, don’t illustrate.
Record information….colours, tones etc. rather than creating a finished painting.
Making corrections takes time. So aim to get it right first time. This takes practice.
Don’t try to complete one area. Rather paint the whole in draft form, then refine.
Stand back occasionally. View from a distance. Chill.
Quality materials
Minimal kit. Use a kit list.
Use professional, freshly squeezed paint.
Standard sized supports eg. primed MDF or canvas pads to fit a RayMar wet carrier box.
Lightweight, quick opening tripod.
Quick release mechanism on tripod.
Pre-prepared neutral ground on canvas.
Use white spirit to clean brushes, not as a medium.
Synthetic flat brushes are my preference. The fewer the better.
Avoid painting with the sun on your canvas. Use a parasol or paint in the shade.
Simplify the scene
Composition.
Rule of thirds Think… Background…Middle …Foreground. Horizon position. Lead-in lines. 20/80 rule ie. focus on 20% of the canvas. 80% out of focus. S Curve.
Colour. 20/80 use of colour wheel
Tone Think of the scene as a tonal spread from black to white. Paint the middle tones. Omit the black & white.
Texture Thin v thick paint. Transparent v opaque paint. Wash v calligraphy. Consider splatter dash. Consider occasional use of palette knife. Sgraffito with a knife or a brush end. Rag smudge.
