Getting started fine arts, sooner or later you should decide on “your” painting technique. Moreover, these are not necessarily the techniques that you do best now - these are the techniques with which you can most fully realize your creative potential. The mistake many promising artists make is choosing the most easy way. After reading this article, try, experiment, search. You will definitely find painting technique to your liking.

So, painting techniques. Our online store "Lucky-ART" presents products for easel painting, which is performed on canvas, easel and paper. There are more monumental painting, where walls of various structures are used as canvases. The first muralists began in prehistoric times primitive people, painting the walls of caves with images of animals, hunting scenes, and so on. By the way, cave rock painting also called petroglyphs and was made not only with the help of yellow, red, white and black paints, but also with the use of chisels, primitive tools for carving images in stone.

For the ancient Egyptians, this technique did not lose its relevance, but was modernized: working surfaces - stone and wood - were covered with a layer of limestone and gypsum, resin. In addition, green and blue colors. Now this painting technique got the name tempera, that is, paints based on natural pigments.

In the same Ancient Egypt originated and glue painting, which involves the use of tempera and glue (of plant or animal origin). Since then it has become known encaustic, a wax painting technique of painting with molten paints, which was adopted first by ancient artists and later by Greek icon painters.

Approximately around 2000 BC. already existed fresco- drawing on wet plaster. As you know, this painting technique is still relevant today. Painting oil- very ancient painting technique, it appeared back in the seventh century BC. at least in Afghanistan, where evidence of this fact was found.

Watercolor - painting technique water-soluble paints, originated in the second century BC.

Paint made from soot - mascara, also called the method itself, is very ancient and used for calligraphy and sumi-e.

The Chinese also invented Guohua, where ink and water paints are used. This is the second century BC. They were invented in the fourteenth century dry brush- rubbing oil paints on a paper surface.

A century later, the world appeared carnation- multi-layer paint application. Thanks to this painting technique portraits and images of people began to look more “alive”.

Grisaille write by artists who have conquered gradations of one color, usually sepia and gray.

Gouache- painting images with more matte and dense paints than watercolors. It was invented in Europe in the sixteenth century.

The famous Leonardo da Vinci invented sfumato- softening the outlines of figures and objects. With its help you can even convey the air that envelops people and objects. Translated from Italian, this name translates as “disappearing like smoke,” obscured. By the way, no one has yet surpassed this master, who applied a layer of paint a couple of microns thick, while the entire layer of paint did not exceed 40 microns in thickness!

Glaze- also an invention of Leonardo da Vinci. This painting technique also called glisalya. It consists of applying translucent tones on top of the base layer.

Pastel- drawing with crayons and pencils. The method has been known since the sixteenth century, and there are three varieties: wax, oil and dry.

When paintings are painted with rectangular strokes and/or dots, then this is - divisionism or pointillism, which originated in the nineteenth century.

Andy Warhol became the founder acrylic - painting techniques waterproof acrylic paints.

By the way, if you want to use at least part of all this at the same time, then this is also acceptable. Then you will work in mixed media.

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Various methods oil painting

Oil paints adhere well to the appropriate primer and make it easy to model, shade and achieve subtle, imperceptible transitions from tone to tone, since they remain wet for a long time, and do not change their original tone when drying.

All the best oil painting techniques were developed during the Renaissance. Knowledge of the properties of the material enabled the old masters to create a style of oil painting that was never surpassed later. Throughout the history of oil painting, this style, in its harmony between the material and artistic achievements, is the only one.

Knowledge of painting techniques was preserved in the workshops of painters until XVIII century, but then, with the separation of painting as an art from craft, under the influence of the emergence of new ideas in it, they were gradually lost.

Already at the first Carracci Academy, the previous technical and artistic education of the painter was replaced by philosophical and artistic education. From this time on, technical knowledge, which in the past was always a support for the painter, seems to be a constraint on artistic freedom.

A particular decline in the technique of oil painting was observed in the era of the French impressionists, who laid the foundation for unsystematic work with oil paints, which was brought to grandiose proportions by their followers (neo-impressionists).

Pointillism has an undoubted meaning from an artistic point of view, but it does not follow from the properties and nature of oil painting; new ideas in art must seek other material for their implementation if they run counter to the old. Thus, with scientific point Impressionism gave birth to a false style of oil painting, which, unfortunately, still has adherents among painters.

Work in the field of painting technique, both by representatives of art and science, at first consisted mainly in the disclosure and revival of lost ancient techniques of oil painting, ignorance of which made it felt so bad in later painting. Much of what was lost was found and revealed, but painting itself at that time went too far from the tasks and principles of ancient painting. Of course, in our time it is not possible to reconcile the techniques of the ancient technique of oil painting with the modern understanding of painting, but the technique of oil painting, whatever its objectives, which claims to create durable works, must follow from the properties and nature of the materials of oil painting.

All normal methods of oil painting come down to two characteristic techniques.

1) Painting in one step " alla prima"(alia prima) - a method in which painting is carried out in such a way that, given the artist’s artistic knowledge of the matter and favorable conditions, the work can be completed in one or several sessions, but before the paints have time to dry. In this case, the color resources of painting are reduced only to those tones that are obtained from the direct mixing of colors on the palette and their illumination on the ground used in the work.

2) Painting in several techniques - a method in which the painter divides his painting task into several techniques, of which each is assigned a special meaning, intentionally with a certain calculation or due to the large size of the work, etc. In this case, the work is divided into the first registration – underpainting, in which the painter’s task is reduced to firmly establishing the drawing, general forms and chiaroscuro. Coloring is either given secondary importance, or it is carried out in such tones that only in further prescriptions with overlying colors give the desired tone or effect - on the second, third, etc. registrations, in which the task is reduced to resolving the subtleties of form and color. This second method makes it possible to use all the resources of oil painting.

Painting "alla prima" (alla prima). In technical terms, this painting method is the best, since with it the entire painting consists of one layer, the drying of which, with a moderate thickness, proceeds unhindered and quite normally, which is why, with the appropriate soil, it is protected from cracks, just as the paints themselves retain their original freshness. But this method cannot always be implemented in practice and, moreover, it is not always part of the painter’s task.

The primer for painting “alla prima” should not be too sticky, nor too impermeable and slippery, therefore, when using adhesive primer, all necessary measures are taken to prevent too noticeable changes in the color of the paint due to loss of oil. Oily soil, especially one that has dried thoroughly and is therefore impenetrable, is given some permeability, which is achieved by rubbing it with alcohol or pumice; In addition, choose soil with a rough surface. As for the color of the soil, the most suitable in this case are light soils with various shades, in accordance with the pictorial task, as well as pure white soil. Pinkish, yellowish and other shades of primer are obtained by painting the white primer with transparent paint.

The painting method described often does not require conventional drawing, and the artist can directly proceed to paint and writing, depending on the painting task and the experience of the artist.

If a drawing is necessary, then it can be limited to a light charcoal sketch. Black charcoal drawing with its fixer should be avoided, since any sharp black contours will subsequently show through a thin layer of paint and thus spoil the painting. The composition of the fixative is also important for its strength.

To be able to finish the painting “raw”, i.e. Before the oil paints begin to dry, all sorts of measures are taken, but harmless to painting, starting with the selection of paints. Slow-drying paints are preferred here.

In order to delay the drying of paints as long as possible, the painting being executed is placed in the cold, in the dark, in the intervals between work, and, if possible, it is blocked from free access air. The implementation of these last measures, unfortunately, cannot always be used, especially with large sizes of the painting, however, these measures are very effective.

Essential oils are used for the same purpose.

Painting with this method is carried out differently and depends largely on the individuality of the artist; That is why, when presenting this method, we can limit ourselves to only the most essential and important instructions.

By painting “alla prima”, in the literal sense of these words, one must mean one of the methods in which the artist sets himself the task of immediately reproducing in paint everything that he sees in nature, i.e. color, shape, light and shade, etc., without resorting to the division of this difficult task for certain moments of work. The difficulty of solving this problem is, of course, great, and becomes even greater if the artist strives to finish his work “raw,” i.e. before the paints dry.

Painting is done in different ways. It can be started with strokes of semi-thick paints, applied freely, tone by tone, without stirring them for a long time on the palette, until the entire canvas is revealed.

Painting should be done with tube paints.

When applying too thick a layer of paint, which makes further work difficult, you should remove the excess using a palette knife, spatula and knife, as well as applying it to the layer of paint blank paper, which presses the palm of the hand against it and then, after removal, takes on all the excess paint.

When painting “alla prima”, you can start rubbing it, thinning the paints with skippy and applying them liquidly, like watercolors. This laying is carried out planarly, without modeling forms, with the goal only of a broad overall effect. For it, it is better to use body paints, introducing white into them. Then, in further work, impasto paints are introduced, and real painting begins.

When working “alla prima” on too tacky ground, oil paints produce a matte painting, which is inferior in color to tempera and, in addition, if the paints are de-oiled too much, they lack strength.

Painting performed “alla prima” has a unique beauty; it is pleasant in its freshness and spontaneity, revealing the author’s “brushstroke” and his temperament. Examples of this type of painting can serve as I. Repin’s sketches for his painting “The State Council”.

Painting in several stages. This kind of painting is called multi-layered.

Techniques multilayer painting are different. It can be carried out from beginning to end with oil or oil-varnish paints, as well as a mixed method of painting, the beginning of which is given with water paints, and the end with oil and oil-varnish.

Depending on the painting method chosen by the artist, the canvas primer used is also selected.

The drawing from which the work begins is made with different materials, depending on the color of the primer, its composition and methods of pictorial underpainting. As stated above, it is best to do it separately on paper and then transfer it to canvas, where it is outlined over an adhesive or emulsion primer with watercolor and tempera and thinly diluted oil paint, which dries quickly on the oil primer.

With this approach to the matter, the soil retains the purity of its color, in addition, its surface, which may suffer when corrections and changes are made in the drawing with charcoal, pencils, etc.

Then comes the underpainting, the technical side of which should perhaps better suit its purpose.

Underpainting. Since the underpainting in a painting is the first layer of painting, which must then take over the subsequent layers, then, in the interests of the strength of the painting, it should be done in such a way that it makes it possible, with full guarantee of the strength of the work, to short term proceed with further registrations.

The most suitable technique for this task will be water paints: watercolor and tempera.

Underpainting with water paints is done only on emulsion primer, on which both watercolor and tempera paint work quite well. This primer should contain a significantly smaller amount of oil than an emulsion primer for oil painting.

Watercolor, however, is only suitable for small works; In addition, the tone of watercolor paints under varnish is not similar to the tone of oil paints. This is why watercolor underpainting requires a full coverage of it with oil paints.

Tempera painting should be considered the most applicable in underpainting. It is especially appropriate when performing large-sized works. Here, of course, only tempera of the highest qualities can be used, i.e. casein or egg tempera.

Tempera underpainting gives greater strength to paints, which become so intense under varnish that the oil paint that finishes the painting can give up in terms of color intensity in front of them. This circumstance must be taken into account when performing underpainting. The best material In this case, for underpainting, oil-varnish paints will be used.

Tempera underpainting is done with body and transparent liquid paints, but always in a thin layer without any paste.

Underpainting with oil paints, both technically and pictorially, is done in different ways.

Carrying out painting using this method on adhesive and semi-adhesive primers is the most appropriate, since using last number oil deposits are reduced, which has a very favorable effect on the strength of the painting, but impeccably prepared oil primer can also be used.

One of the frequently used and quite productive ways of painting in underpainting is to do it “as a rub” with oil paints, diluted essential oils, turpentine, oil, etc., which is also practiced in “alla prima” painting.

A thin, as if watercolor layer of paints establishes the forms, the general coloring of the picture and its entire ensemble.

Drying of the underpainting made by this method is very fast if the paints are fast-drying, and, moreover, through, due to the thinness of the paint layer, which, of course, is of great importance for further work on the painting.

But you can also do underpainting with impasto painting, and the technique will depend entirely on the properties of the soil used.

Paints are applied to the adhesive pulling primer in the form in which they come from tubes, without any thinners.

The positive properties of this underpainting are that its paints dry quickly and bind tightly to the ground. The disadvantage is the change in the tone of the paints during the painting process, as well as when wiping the underpainting with varnish before further registration.

The old masters, especially those more distant from us, looked at their work in the underpainting as a preparatory rough work, where all the attention of the master was absorbed in the setting of the drawing, modeling of forms, and details of the composition; As for the coloring, only the necessary base was prepared for it in the underpainting, based on which the color of the picture was subsequently created, the freshness of which is largely explained by the method of work described above.

Modern painting adheres, in general terms, to the same system of work, but the “alla prima” method of painting has received very great importance in it. Each era, as we see, creates its own system of painting, which, of course, cannot be ignored.

The underpainting in a pictorial sense should be carried out in such a way as to simplify, if possible, all its further registrations. A correctly executed underpainting is therefore easy to finish with a small load of paints during the second registration.

An underpainting made with tempera will be ready for registration earlier than other underpaintings. Then, in order of readiness, come oil underpaintings on adhesive primers and, finally, impasto oil paints on emulsion and oil primers. A well-dried painting can be recognized by the following characteristics: it does not stick; when scraped with a fingernail and a knife, it turns into powder, but not into shavings; It doesn't fog up when you breathe.

If necessary, the underpainting can be well scraped and smoothed with a knife, a special scraper, etc., before re-painting.

Scraping, pumice and smoothing layers of oil painting is especially appropriate when underpainting with impasto (greasy) layers of paint, since here excess roughness is cut off and, most importantly, the top crust of dried oil is removed, which, when dried strongly oil paint prevents the attachment of layers of oil paints applied on top of it. After this operation, the underpainting is washed clean water and dried.

If the underpainting is not impasto, there is no need to scrape it. In order for the dried layer of oil paint to regain the ability to accept paint, if it has not been scraped and sanded, it is wiped with bleached oil, which is rubbed into it with the palm of the hand. The oil is applied in the smallest amount, just to moisten the surface that is supposed to be painted again.

Instead of oil, the underpainting can be coated with a warm liquid solution of Venetian turpentine (balsam) in turpentine, as was practiced in the old days, or with a liquid solution of turpentine varnish, since essential oils easily moisten dried oil paint. The same goal is achieved by adding painting varnishes containing essential oils to paints.

If the rules for handling the underpainting are not followed, the upper layers of the painting become prone to crumbling, and the more so, the longer the underpainting is left in place; There are many examples of this in the works of painting of a later era.

When further painting the underpainting, glazes can be introduced if they were part of the painting execution plan, or secondary painting is carried out in the so-called “half-letter”, i.e. with a thin layer of body paint, and the painting ends with this technique. It must be borne in mind, however, that too much build-up of colors in oil painting is considered unacceptable; Each newly applied layer must be dried, and only then can further work begin.

Basic rules:

1) do not apply oil paints in thick layers in general, and especially paints rich in oil;

2) always use a moderately adhesive (oil) primer in painting, as well as the underpainting and, in general, the underlying layers of painting, saturating them with oil if its content in the latter is insufficient.

The best painting technique for the second registration is “alla prima” painting, which gives freshness to the pictorial execution.

The second registration is carried out with more liquid paints than underpainting. Painting varnishes and condensed oils are applicable here. The latter are introduced into paints in a mixture with turpentine varnishes. The second registration, in terms of the content of binders in its paints, thus exceeds the underpainting. The ancient principle of layering oil paints - “fat on skinny” - is fully observed.

If the underpainting was carried out in conventional tones, then to make the work easier, it is useful to start the second registration in local tones of nature with glaze or semi-glaze, on top of which body painting follows.

Glazing. Glazes are thin, transparent and translucent layers of oil and other paints applied to other well-dried similar paints to give the latter the desired intense and transparent tone.

Almost all paints are suitable for glazing: some are transparent, others are semi-transparent. Less suitable ones include cadmium, cinnabar, Neapolitan yellow, English red, kaput-mortuum, black cork and peach and some others.

Transparent glazes only change the tone of the underlying preparation into a thicker and more transparent one, without affecting the detail of the modeling and the main light and shade. Translucent ones can significantly change, depending on the degree of their transparency, the detail of the underpainting modeling.

Glazing can be used to complement or complete almost any painting that has been started in one way or another, but also best results achieved on an underpainting specially prepared for this purpose. In this case, the underpainting is done in such a way that the painting is lighter and colder than it is supposed to be in its finished form; the proper tone and chiaroscuro give it glazing in combination with the tones of the underpainting.

Glazing was of great importance to the old masters. Titian, Rembrandt, Velasquez, their contemporaries and other masters of earlier times made excellent use of them in their painting. The popularity of glazes in past eras indicates that they perfectly met the pictorial needs of the artists who used them.

Glazes, due to their physical structure, strongly absorb light, and therefore a painting made with them requires much more light for its illumination than a painting painted in body paints, which reflect light more than they absorb.

For the same reason, painting done with glazes is devoid of airiness, which is best achieved in painting with paints with a matte surface that strongly reflects and scatters light.

The tones produced by glazing come forward rather than receding back. Therefore, the sky in the painting is not painted with glazes.

Of great interest to the artist of our time are semi-glazes applied in translucent tones.

Semi-glaze is paint applied in a thin translucent layer. From an optical point of view, such a layer of paint is one of the types of so-called “turbid media”, which are responsible for some of the visible colors of nature. The tones obtained in painting using semi-glazes have a unique beauty. They do not shine with strength and brightness, but it is not possible to obtain them by physically mixing colors on a palette. The old masters of the later era made extensive use of the described painting method; they use it and contemporary artists, often accidentally or unconsciously.

Corrections. Oil paints become more and more transparent over time. This increase in transparency is also observed in body paints, and some of them, like lead white, become translucent due to their loss of hiding power, as well as the thinning of the layer upon drying. Taking into account this feature of oil painting, it is necessary to be very careful about all kinds of correspondence and radical alterations in oil painting, which the painter sometimes needs, since all corrections and notes made with a thin layer of body paints, after a long period of time, become again visible.

Thus, in the equestrian portrait of Philip IV by Velasquez, eight legs are visible (Madrid gallery), of which four protrude from under the tone of the ground, which the author covered them with, apparently being dissatisfied with the position of the legs.

In the portrait of the artist Litovchenko by I. Kramskoy (Tretyakov Gallery), through the black hat placed on the artist’s head, Litovchenko’s forehead can be seen quite clearly, on which the hat was placed, apparently, later, when the head was already painted. In Rembrandt's portrait of Jan Sobieski, the stick that Sobieski holds in his hand was originally large sizes, and then shortened. There can be many such examples.

The above examples clearly show that corrections made in a thin layer, even of opaque paints, in oil painting do not achieve their goal. Here, thorough repeated layers of paint are needed, which alone can make forever invisible those parts of the painting that they want to destroy. It is even better in this case to clear the areas intended for alteration completely from painting and then write them down again on clean ground. Using chloroform, acetone and benzene, you can easily and quickly remove even very old oil-based paint.

When making small corrections on important areas (for example, the head, hands of a portrait, etc.), you need to take into account the possible swelling and the usual darkening under the varnish of the corrected areas. And therefore, when starting to correct, the areas to be altered are thoroughly dried, covered with liquid varnish and corrected with paints and painting varnish in order to avoid the appearance of dryness. In the same case, if a fade has formed, it should not be covered with retouching varnish, but the lost shine and tone should be restored to it only by oiling.

Material index
Course: Painting Techniques
DIDACTIC PLAN
Introduction
General information about paints

Oil painting. Basics. Bill Martin's lessons for beginners.

There are things you should know before you start painting in oils.
All paints are a mixture of dry pigment and liquid. In oil paints, the coloring pigment is mixed with linseed oil. Flaxseed oil is an oil that dries out through the process of oxidation with air. It absorbs oxygen from the air and crystallizes the paint pigment on a permanent basis. Once the oil dries, it cannot be removed.
Oil paints are thick. They are produced in tubes. The paints are squeezed onto the palette and mixed using a palette knife to obtain new shades. Then they are applied to a vertically positioned canvas with hard elastic brushes.
Oil paints dry very slowly. Typically you need to wait three days before adding the next layer. This long time drying is both an advantage and a disadvantage. The big advantage is that you will have time to comprehend what you have drawn. This is very useful when you make gradient transitions from one color to another. Or, if you are unhappy with how it turns out while the paint is still wet, you can scrape it off with a rag, palette knife or rubber scraper and repaint.
The disadvantage is that if you put two wet paints next to each other different colors, they may mix together inaccurately. The palette, brushes and damp canvas must be handled very carefully so as not to smear yourself, clothes, food and furniture.
You can work with paint for up to 12 hours at a time, then you must leave the work to dry for three days, after which you can continue working. When the paints have dried, you can apply new colors on top. There can be many layers to a work. Each subsequent layer must be the same in thickness or thicker than the previous one, otherwise cracks will occur.
After the work is completely dry (from three to six months), you need to apply a protective layer of Damara varnish.

DRAWING.

A complex design is quickly lost when applying oil paints, so it is better to label the design simple figures And contour lines. The drawing can be done directly on the canvas, or it can be prepared in advance and transferred to the canvas.
When applying a drawing directly to the canvas, it is better to use diluted paint. Since it's already paint, you won't have to seal it from subsequent layers.
You can also use coal. The charcoal fill will need to be isolated from subsequent layers with a fixer. Soft charcoal is easier to fix with fixative than compressed charcoal.
The drawing can also be applied with a pencil to the canvas. Then also secure with fixative. The sharp tip of a pencil can make cracks in the primer layer, so you can additionally apply another transparent layer of primer. If you have applied another coat of primer, no fixer is required.

In the photo: a can of fixer, in the box there is carbon paper.
It is better to prepare a drawing for translation using carbon paper on thin tracing paper, then it will be easier to translate. Attach the drawing to the canvas. Translate it using carbon paper. Trace your drawing with carbon paper underneath. Use a ballpoint pen of a contrasting color to see which areas you have already translated and control the thickness of the lines. The applied pattern must also be secured with a fixer or a thin glaze layer of transparent primer.

TRANSITION ONE COLOR TO ANOTHER

Let's consider a graduated transition from one color to another. Oil paints, because they take time to dry, allow you to move them around the canvas while they are still wet. This is why it is much easier to create smooth gradations of color with oils than with other paints. This can be done with any brushes. But flat brushes are best, and round brushes are worst. The same principles apply for small and large stretch marks.


The paints are mixed on the palette and applied to their intended places on the canvas. The brush is then moved back and forth in a cross pattern between the two gradations of color until a satisfactory result is obtained. Then parallel strokes are carried out to finalize the area. Work with a clean brush from dark to medium, and then again with a clean brush from light to medium.


(A) In this example, the brush strokes are ALWAYS perpendicular to the highlight. Moving the brush in a circle, we try to make strokes perpendicular to the highlight, respectively, we get the shape of the strokes of a twisted brush.
(B) Depending on the location of the main colors of the stretch, an idea of ​​the plane in which the surface is located is created. Notice how the shades are arranged to represent a flat surface (left) and a curved surface (right).

WE CREATE FORMS

All shapes are created from five basic shapes. These shapes are: ball, cone, cylinder, cube and torus (donut, bagel). Parts of these forms form any objects that we see. Imagine half a cylinder on a cube and you get the shape of an American mailbox. Half a ball and a cone will give you the shape of a teardrop, a Christmas tree is a cone, an oak tree is a hemisphere (half a ball), and a cylindrical mug usually has a handle in the shape of half a torus (donut).


Chiaroscuro creates form. Each of these forms has clearly defined locations of light and shadow. The sphere is characterized by a sickle and ovals. The cones have a triangular illuminated part and the rest is in shadow. Cubes and flat surfaces contain stretch marks (a gradient transition of light into shadow).
The cylinders are made of strips. Thor - made of crescents and stripes.
Concave versions of these forms have the same chiaroscuro, but without reflections.
If you learn to draw these five shapes, you can draw anything.

The ball (sphere) is defined by crescents and ovals. Balls are painted with crescent-shaped and twisted brush strokes.


Cones are made up of triangles of light and shadow. Cones are painted with triangular brush strokes.


The cylinders consist of stripes of light and shadow. Cylinders are painted with parallel brush strokes.

Cubes and any flat surfaces follow the same rules. Graduated transition from light to shadow. If the depicted surface is parallel to the canvas, then it is depicted in one even tone. A cube is a combination of intersecting planes. Each side of the cube contains a chiaroscuro stretch. The cube is drawn with parallel brush strokes.

The Thor contains aspects of two other figures. It has stripes of light and shadow, like a cylinder, in the center, and crescents, like a sphere, at the edges. Thor is written using twisted strokes and crescent strokes.


Here you see that to convey the shape of an object you need to use light and shadow, not contour lines. Light can be confusing, so try to see the shape of the object first, and then how exactly the light falls on that shape.

COLOR MATCHING


The rainbow gives us examples of the pure colors that surround us in the world. The colors of the rainbow in order: red-violet, red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, yellow, yellow-green, green, blue-green, blue-violet, violet. When these colors are arranged in a circle, we get a “color wheel.” The color wheel is a must when comparing colors.


The circle is positioned so that yellow, the brightest light color, was at the top, and the purple, darkest one was at the bottom. From top to bottom, from the right, there are yellow-orange, orange, red-orange, red and red-violet. These colors are called warm.
From top to bottom, on the left side, there are yellow-green, green, blue-green, blue and blue-violet. These colors are called cool.

Additional colors.


Any TWO colors located opposite each other in color wheel are called COMPLEMENTARY colors. Red and green are complementary colors to each other because they are located opposite each other on the color wheel. Yellow and purple are also complementary to each other. Yellow-green and red-violet are complementary colors. Complementary colors placed side by side on the canvas enhance each other. Complementary colors neutralize each other when mixed on the palette. On this plate, complementary colors are at opposite ends of the scale opposite each other. If we move toward the middle of this scale, we end up with a neutral gray color, the least saturated of all.

All colors have shades. The pure spectral colors in this picture are indicated by letters.
So how do we select colors keeping all of the above in mind?
We just need to answer these three questions.
1. What color will make the color we need, where is this color located on the color wheel? (meaning spectral color).
2. How intense is it? (the more additional color we add to the color, the less saturated the color we need becomes).
3. Shade (how dark or light it will be).

Here's how it all works.


The paints are arranged by color on the palette.


We select a color like a brown leaf.
The spectral color will be red-violet. White is added to match the shade. Yellow-green, complementary to red-violet, is added to reduce its saturation.


Select the color of the green leaf.
Spectral green. Cadmium green is our base color. It contains a bit of yellow, so we tone it down with red-violet (quinacridone pink). Yellow-green and red-violet are complementary colors to each other.
We add white to clarify the shade.


Select the color of the silver electrical tape.
Spectral color blue. We add white to clarify the tonal saturation. Orange, complementary to blue, is added and we get gray.


Selecting the color of a three-dimensional object. A bar of soap.


First we select the middle. Spectral color – yellow-orange. We add a very small amount of additional blue-violet to reduce the intensity of the color. And a little bit of white.


To get light areas of our soap, we add white to the resulting color in the middle. To get the color of the shadow, add more blue-violet to the color of the middle.


So, the colors of the soap have been selected. Usually, to get the color of a shadow on an object, you need to add an additional color to the main color of the object. For darker shadows, use the base color of the subject, but with less white. In some cases, adding additional color doesn't darken the color enough, so that's when we add a little black.

SHADOWS

Shadows create light. Shadows are divided into three categories. The first is the shadowed part of the object, known simply as the SHADOW. The second is a falling shadow from an object, which is formed when the object obscures the light from the illumination source. The third category is the shadow of neighboring objects.


The shadow portion of an object is a darker, less saturated version of its base color.
Direct light produces dark shadows. Diffused light produces less intense, blurry shadows.
Reflected light in the shadow (reflex).


Light falling on an object from its surroundings is called reflected light or reflex. The color of the objects that surround our subject significantly affects the reflected light. See the green reflected light in the left ball? Notice the reflected red in the middle ball. The color of the environment is an integral part of all shadows.


The light and shadow saturation of surrounding objects also affects the reflected light. The first ball just hangs in the air. The second ball also reflects the white surface. The third ball reflects the black surface. The light and shadow saturation of surrounding objects is also an integral part of shadows.

Falling shadows.

A cast shadow is always characterized by being darkest and most focused at the source of the shadow (the subject). Falling shadows are painted in a darker, less intense color than the color of the surface on which they fall.


The color of the falling shadow always contains additional color to the color of the lighting and a complementary color to the color of the surface on which the shadow lies.
See a blue tint in the shadow of an object that is illuminated by orange light? And an orange tint in the shadow of an object lit in blue. In the shadow of an object illuminated by red light there is a shade of green. And notice the red-violet hue of the shadow cast by an object illuminated with yellow-green light.
Drop shadows are associated with shape and texture.


Falling shadows describe the surroundings of an object. On the left, the wall is defined by the falling shadow of the glass. The shadow on the right indicates the presence of a mound.


The edges of a shadow define the texture of the surface on which the shadow falls.
Grass on the left and dirt with rocks on the right.

Falling shadows in direct and diffuse light.




Direct light (left) usually comes from a single light source - for example, the sun or a spotlight. It produces high contrast and rich, dark cast shadows.
Diffuse light is usually obtained from several light sources. It produces low contrast and unclear cast shadows.


Objects with virtually no cast shadow are ALWAYS in diffuse light, where they appear flatter and less textured.

Shadows from neighboring objects.


These are the dark shadows we see in places where objects touch each other. A dark line around a closed door, a dark line under a mug of coffee, a dark line between tightly clenched fingers - this is the shadow of neighboring objects.
It is relatively independent of the direction of illumination. These shadows in the shadows are usually the darkest parts of the drawing.


A narrow dark stripe under the cylinder on the left tells us that the objects are separated. The cylinder on the right is connected to its base.

CONTRAST

Using light and shadows together.

Contrast is the ratio of the lightest and darkest parts of an object or its surroundings.

Tone scale.

On the left is high contrast, on the right is low contrast.

When objects have high contrast, they appear closer to us. When contrast is lower, objects appear further away from us. Those rocks in the distance seem further away from us, their contrast is lower than the contrast of the rock closest to us.


The gradual saturation of objects with contrast makes them visually closer to us.


By the contrast of the falling shadow and its surroundings, you can determine the distance.

Low contrast


Objects in diffuse light have the lowest contrast.


Objects without a falling shadow are always in diffuse light. If an object has a tonal gradation from medium to dark, it should have a cast shadow.


If an object has a tonal transition from medium to light, then it will appear as if in a haze or fog.

CONTRAST IS CREATED BY THE TYPE OF LIGHT. High contrast corresponds to bright lighting. Low contrast corresponds to diffuse lighting, distant distances, and haze.

TEXTURE

Texture helps define what exactly you are seeing.

The texture is best seen when light fades into shadow. On smooth objects, glare is a distorted reflection of the light source itself. The sharper the focus of this reflection, the smoother the surface of the object. A glass bottle has a smoother surface than an aluminum bottle, which in turn is smoother than candle wax. We know how these objects focus the glare on themselves.

On objects without bright highlights, texture is clearly visible and is determined by the transition from light to shadow.

These ten objects are arranged in order of their texture.
Notice where your eye immediately looks to appreciate the texture of an object.

We look at the transition of light to shadow to determine how textured an object is.

Texture in diffused light.

On the left is direct light, on the right is diffused light.

Objects in direct light appear more textured than objects in diffuse light.
The log and towel appear softer and smoother in indirect lighting. Objects appear less textured in diffuse light because the transition from light to shadow takes longer.

GLAZING/LAYER LAYERS

Glazing layers are applied on top of the dried paint.

Transparent layers of oil paint are called glazing layers. Translucent are layers of glaze. To obtain glaze, the paint is diluted in a ratio of 1/3 Damara varnish, 1/3 turpentine and 1/3 linseed oil. Glaze is a thin transparent layer of paint, which is placed on another dried layer to obtain a shade of the third color. For example, if you put diluted quinacridone pink (a clear color) onto blue, you will get purple. If you glaze the exact same color, you will enhance it. Falling shadows on complex textures are often covered with glaze. Glazing darkens the color a little. (See the “Paints” lesson about transparency and matte).

This is glazing.

For example, the shell of a beetle needs to be greened.

The glazing liquid is mixed on a palette with cyan green (transparent color) until the required degree of transparency is achieved.

Then the mixture is applied with a core brush to the drawing in a horizontal position. Leave to dry overnight. When using glazing, you can change the color of the design without changing the direction of the paint strokes on the base layer.

Glaze is created by using a diluted matte color over the dried color of another paint. The glaze layer does not change color and is a translucent layer.

The paint is also mixed on the palette with the glazing mixture and applied to the horizontal surface with a core brush.

White (matte color) with glazing gives us rays of light. Leave the work to dry overnight.
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Nowadays, many people choose needlework or various options as a hobby. artistic creativity. With the market filled with mass-produced goods, the demand for handmade souvenirs is increasing. Photographs or computer illustrations are printed multiple times. You can create an exclusive thing by learning how to write for beginners. It is quite possible for even a beginner to master this painting technique. So you will make wonderful gift or interior decoration. Even if you try to repeat exactly the same plot twice, you still won’t get a perfect copy. This determines the uniqueness of original works of art.

Preparation of materials

To create oil paintings for beginners, you will need the following:

• base (canvas or fiberboard);
• paints;
• brushes;
• solvent (white spirit) and a small container for it;
• palette for mixing colors.

Professionals also use palette knives - special flexible metal spatulas with a wooden handle, which they use to apply paint to canvas. For a beginner, it’s enough to master brushes. In addition, professionals paint pictures on an easel or a special sketchbook, if they go out into nature to paint pictures from life for novice artists - the plot is quite complex. It is better to make them from your imagination or using a photograph. It will be easier this way.

From the point of view of professionals, it is more convenient to work on an easel, since it is easier to step away and evaluate the result from afar. In your first experience, you can also practice on a table surface, although it is better to take some kind of plywood and place it on your lap or place it on a chair at an angle. Such a review of your work allows you to better assess its quality and notice errors in time. Although for the first experience you should do what is convenient and comfortable for you, so as not to be distracted from the main thing.

Please note that the paints are used unevenly, so for a beginner it is better to purchase them separately. The release form is offered in various volumes. White paint disappears the fastest, but black paint is used in very small quantities. It makes sense to first decide on the plot, and then purchase paints in the appropriate shades. For you you will need one set, and for a summer landscape - another. In order not to waste money on unnecessary colors, it is better to buy only the necessary ones in approximately the required quantities. Although in fact all shades can be obtained with only three primary colors (yellow, red, blue), as well as white and black.

Which foundation should you choose?

Traditionally, oil painting is done on canvas, but for a beginner this can be difficult as the fabric needs to be stretched over a stretcher and primed. However, modern technologies have advanced in this direction. Specialized stores sell ready-made bases onto which paints are immediately applied. They are not cheap, but they are just right for a beginner, as they make the work much easier.

Another option is to use fiberboard. Every man's household has scraps of this material stored after repair work. It’s easy to find it by asking friends, relatives or acquaintances. Someone has definitely used it and keeps some leftovers in the pantry just in case.

The texture of the fiberboard sides is different; one looks absolutely smooth, while the other looks rough, vaguely reminiscent of a woven structure. You can use both, but it is better to apply to a rough surface. larger number layers of primer, otherwise the color may appear dull in the future, since the paint will seem to sink into the structure of such a “canvas”.

If you decide to try the oil painting technique for beginners for the first time, you can use a ready-made fiberboard base with a primer already applied. They are also sold in specialty craft stores. It is better to take a small sheet size, no larger than landscape. Once you have gained some experience, purchase or prime a format of any size yourself.

You can immediately order a frame for your future painting. Once decorated, any canvas looks elegant and complete. However, most often the baguette is selected according to color, width and narrower finished work. This is also an interesting and creative process. Seeing the same image in different frames will help you understand how different the canvas makes an impression. Even oil paintings by novice artists look exquisite in a good frame, but poor framing can ruin a professional’s painting. So this stage must also be treated very carefully.

If you still decide to prepare the DPV base yourself, a simple and cheap way is to use regular gelatin; you can add PVA glue to it to make the color white. This primer should be applied in several layers, allowing the previous one to dry first. Three times will be enough. You should feel that the surface has become different. When the base is prepared, you can move on to

Types of brushes

To work with oil, use bristles or synthetics. Their fibers are hard, elastic, and interact well with the paint composition. To begin with, you can buy two or three pieces. A thin one, for example No. 1, will be needed to work out the details, wide ones are needed to create large background surfaces in the case of a landscape - the sky, grass, water, draperies in a still life. Do not use squirrel brushes for oil painting. They will spoil. After each use, especially if you are going to take a long break from creative process, thoroughly wash the tools with solvent so that the paint does not dry on them.

Oil paintings for beginners step by step

Considering that you have prepared the materials and base, creating a canvas, regardless of the plot, consists of the following steps:

1. Apply a linear drawing to the canvas with a simple pencil or just paint.

2. Distribute shadows and highlights - the darkest and brightest areas of the image, respectively.

3. Complete the background and all large objects.

4. Draw small details.

Remember to constantly step away from the picture, assessing the result from afar. As you work, try to mix different shades of colors on your palette. The final touch will be to frame the painting.

Subjects

To make simple oil paintings for beginners, choose an appropriate theme. The easiest way is to make a still life, that is, a composition of household items, a vase with flowers. If you are working from life, and you will need a lot of time the first time, use objects that will not change in a week. You may have to complete the painting in several steps, so when composing a still life for the subject of an oil painting for beginners, it is better not to use flowers. They may change color, wither, or new buds will bloom. The perception of the composition will change. It will be difficult for you. The easiest way is to work with a photograph or copy an easy image you like. Don't take stories with a lot of detail. It is very difficult to paint a portrait.

How to make a landscape?

If you want to decorate your wall with a nature painting done by yourself, it is better to use a tutorial on how to paint oil paintings for beginners step by step. It is quite possible to do this using ready-made instructions. The main thing is to understand what elements the image consists of, and it is better to start working from the background and general space, moving sequentially to smaller details located closer to the viewer.

Let's go plein air

Painting oil paintings in nature is very pleasant, but you need to work quickly, since the weather can get worse, and the sun is constantly moving, changing the direction of light and shadows. Beginning artists can use a camera to photograph the initial painting. If you get tired of working for a long time the first time, then you can finish the painting at home.

How to draw flowers?

If you want to decorate the interior of a room with an oil painting with a bouquet in a vase, it is better to choose asters as your first experience. Asters are perfect. They are not difficult to make, as they are a simple elliptical shape, and the small petals are easy to do with separate strokes in a circle. Also suitable are daisies, sunflowers, lilacs, lupins, mimosa - in a word, choose those with inflorescences or individual elements of a simple, clear shape that can be created in one stroke, drawing several details later. Your task is not to convey the photographic accuracy of the object, but to create a beautiful impression of what you see.

So, you have learned how to create oil paintings for beginners. Choose the story you like, buy necessary materials and begin the exciting creative process.

The great figure, scientist and artist of the Renaissance Leonardo da Vinci said: “Painting is poetry that is seen, and poetry is painting that is heard.” And one cannot but agree with him. You truly perceive real art from all sides. We see, contemplate, hear, and store in our souls the works of art we like. And world masterpieces remain in our memory for many years.

Genres and types of painting

When drawing a picture, the master performs it in a certain state, a special character. The work will not be complete, worthy of love and attention if it depicts only shape and color. The artist is obliged to endow objects with soul, people with charisma, spark, perhaps mystery, nature with unique feelings, and events with real experiences. And genres and types of painting help the creator in this. They allow you to correctly convey the mood of an era, event, fact, and better grasp the main idea, image, landscape.

Among the main ones are the following:

• Historical- depiction of facts, moments in the history of different countries and eras.
• Battle- conveys scenes of battles.
• Domestic- stories everyday life.
• Scenery- these are pictures of living nature. There are sea, mountain, fantastic, lyrical, rural, urban, and cosmic landscapes.
• Still life- illustrates inanimate objects: kitchen utensils, weapons, vegetables, fruits, plants, etc.
• Portrait- This is an image of a person, a group of people. Often, artists like to paint self-portraits or canvases depicting their lovers.
• Animalistic- pictures about animals.

Separately, we can distinguish the plot-thematic genre and include here works whose subject are myths, legends, epics, as well as paintings of everyday content.

Types of painting also imply separate ones. They help the artist achieve perfection in creating a canvas, tell him in which direction to move and work. The following options exist:

- Panorama- image of the area in a large-scale format, general view.

- Diorama- a semicircular image of battles and spectacular events.

- Miniature- manuscripts, portraits.

- Monumental and decorative painting- painting on walls, panels, lampshades, etc.

- Iconography- paintings on religious themes.

- Decorative painting- creation of artistic scenery in cinema and theater.

- Easel painting - in other words, paintings.

- Decorative painting everyday items of life.

As a rule, each master of fine art chooses for himself one genre and type of painting that is closest to him in spirit, and primarily works only in it. For example, Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (Hovhannes Gayvazyan) worked in the style seascape. Such artists are also called marine painters (from “marina”, which means “sea” in Latin).

Technicians

Painting is a certain manner of execution of a plot, its perception through the world of colors and strokes. And of course, such reproduction cannot be accomplished without the use of certain techniques, templates and rules. The very concept of “technique” in fine art can be defined as a set of techniques, norms and practical knowledge with the help of which the author conveys the idea and plot of the picture most accurately and close to reality.

The choice of painting technique also depends on what type of materials and type of canvas will be used to create the work. Sometimes an artist can take an individual approach to his work, take advantage of mixing different styles and directions. This author's approach allows us to create truly unique works of art - world masterpieces.

In technical terms, there are several options for painting. Let's look at them in more detail.

Painting of ancient times

The history of painting begins with rock paintings primitive man. At this time, the paintings were not distinguished by the vividness of their plots or the riot of colors, but there was a peculiar emotion in them. And the stories of those years clearly inform us about the existence of life in the distant past. The lines are extremely simple, the themes are predictable, the directions are unambiguous.

In ancient times, the content of the drawings became more diverse, more often they depicted animals, various things, and entire biographies were made on the entire wall, especially if the pictures were created for the pharaohs, which was very believed at that time. After about another two thousand years, colors begin to appear.

Ancient painting, in particular Old Russian, is well conveyed and preserved in old icons. They are sacred and best example, conveying the beauty of art from God. Their color is unique, and their purpose is perfect. Such painting conveys the unreality of existence, images and instills in a person the idea of ​​the divine principle, of the existence of ideal art that one must emulate.

The development of painting did not pass without a trace. Over a long period of time, humanity has managed to accumulate real relics and spiritual heritage of many centuries.

Watercolor

Watercolor painting is distinguished by the brightness of its colors, purity of color and transparency of application on paper. Yes, it is on a paper surface that it is best to work in this fine art technique. The pattern dries quickly and as a result acquires a lighter and more matte texture.

Watercolor does not allow you to achieve interesting shimmers when using dark, monochromatic shades, but it perfectly models color if layers are applied one on top of another. In this case, it turns out to find completely new, unusual options that are difficult to obtain with other artistic techniques.

Difficulties in working with watercolors

The complexity of working in such technology as watercolor painting, is that it does not forgive mistakes and does not allow improvisation with radical changes. If you didn’t like the tone applied or you got a completely different color than you wanted, then it’s unlikely to be corrected. Any attempts (washing with water, scraping, mixing with other colors) can lead to either a more interesting shade or complete contamination of the painting.

Changing the location of a figure, an object, or any improvement in composition in this technique is essentially impossible to do. But thanks to the fast drying of paints, painting is ideal for sketching. And in terms of depicting plants, portraits, and city landscapes it can compete with works done in oil.

Oil

Each of the technical varieties of painting has its own specifics. This applies to both the manner of execution and the artistic rendering of the image. Oil painting is one of the most favorite techniques of many artists. It is difficult to work in it, since it requires a certain level of knowledge and experience: from preparing the necessary items, materials to final stage- covering the resulting painting with a protective layer of varnish.

The entire process of oil painting is quite labor-intensive. Regardless of which base you choose: canvas, cardboard or hardboard (fibreboard), it must first be covered with primer. It will allow the paint to adhere and adhere well, without any oil escaping from it. It will also give the background the desired texture and color. There are a lot of types and recipes for different soils. And each artist prefers his own, a certain one that he is used to and which he considers the best option.

As mentioned above, the work takes place in several stages, and the final stage is coating the painting with varnish substances. This is done in order to protect the canvas from moisture, cracks (mesh) and other mechanical damage. Oil painting does not tolerate working on paper, but thanks to a whole technology of applying paints, it allows you to keep works of art safe and sound for centuries.

Chinese fine arts

I would like to pay special attention to the era of Chinese painting, since it has a special page in history. The Eastern direction of painting has developed over more than six thousand years. Its formation was closely connected with other crafts, social changes and conditions occurring in people's lives. For example, after the introduction of Buddhism in China, religious murals became of great importance. During the period (960-1127), paintings became popular historical nature, which also talk about everyday life. Landscape painting established itself as an independent direction already in the 4th century AD. e. Images of nature were created in blue-green colors and Chinese ink. And in the ninth century, artists increasingly began to paint pictures in which they depicted flowers, birds, fruits, insects, fish, embodying in them their ideals and the character of the era.

Features of Chinese painting

Traditional chinese painting distinguished by a special style, as well as the materials used for drawing, which, in turn, influences the methods and forms of oriental art. Firstly, Chinese painters use a special brush to create paintings. It looks like watercolor and has a particularly sharp tip. Such a tool allows you to create sophisticated works, and, as you know, the style of calligraphy is still widely used in China. Secondly, ink is used everywhere as paint - Chinese ink (sometimes together with other colors, but it is also used as an independent paint). This has been happening for two thousand years. It is also worth noting that before the advent of paper, painting was done on silk in China. Today, modern masters of art perform their works both on a paper basis and on a silk surface.

This is not all the technical capabilities of painting. In addition to the above-mentioned, there are many others (gouache, pastel, tempera, fresco, acrylic, wax, painting on glass, porcelain, etc.), including original versions of art.

Epochs of painting

Like any form of art, painting has its own history of formation. And above all, it is characterized by different stages of development, multifaceted styles, interesting directions. The eras of painting play an important role here. Each of them affects not just a piece of the life of the people and not only some time historical events, but a whole life! Among the most famous periods in the art of painting are: the Renaissance and Enlightenment, the work of impressionist artists, Art Nouveau, surrealism and many, many others. In other words, painting is a visual illustration of a certain era, a picture of life, a worldview through the eyes of the artist.

The concept of “painting” literally means “to paint life”, to depict reality vividly, masterfully, and convincingly. To convey on your canvas not only every detail, every little thing, moment, but also the mood, emotions, flavor of a particular time, the style and genre of the entire work of art.