Are You Using your Brush CORRECTLY? 6 OIL PAINTING TIPS

Painting with Oil Paint takes years of practice and experience. But you can make it easier right now by following few tips when it comes to your brushes. Here, I take your through some ideas, from brush type, size, and care to recommendations for blending practices. Hope you enjoy!

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[antonioteixeira]

I've seen many artists, from amateurs to professionals... from ancient artists to modern ones and I confess... I've never seen such virtuosity and realism as you draw... a genius! if it were from the time of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci... it would be among them in history... Congratulations!

[philiphoweartistwriter]

Just a couple of ideas for your viewers - When I was painting tight and detailed like you, some 20 years ago as an illustrator, I used paper towels and realized they were the reason the surface had small (tiny) stuck on textures here and there embedded in the oil. Once I switched to clean towels, cut into 8" squares, the imperfections were no longer there. Towels don't break down into cellular particles, they absorb solvent better and are safer for your skin. (I use a leather glove now to hold the towel)
I've had brushes last for years and haven't cleaned them, just dip them lightly into Poppyseed oil and they stay fresh for days. Poppyseed is also good for cleaning and not toxic. When I do clean brushes, after my students leave, I lightly scrub them over rocks in a peach glass filled with Mineral Spirits (which you can get in a metal can, not the plastic jug, at most hardware stores for 1/5th the price of gamsol or whatever else they sell claiming its more refined. Its the same stuff, just marketed as an Art product). After the MS rinse, wipe with a paper towel to absorb the excess then wash with Dawn detergent. Dawn has chemicals that won't hurt the soft hairs (or synthetic) and will get a lot more paint out of the ferrule than hand soap. I don't ruin the brush by forcing it back and forth in my palm, bending the hairs, but rub it one way then turn it and push the other side gently but with some force to squeeze out the deep coloring, usually from processed hues like the phthalos or quinacridones. Which, by the way, are great for adding a touch of richer skin color over duller skin tones from opaque layers. I am not a refined colorist, like yourself, but more of a value painter. Yet the skintones I achieve look very realistic simply by getting close with the first pass, letting it dry, then adding a simple cool glaze for deeper shadows or a sunlight effect using a translucent red or orange, very thin, usually with liquin. My current medium is 1/2 liquin, 1/2 stand oil, so that I get a slight tack, or pull, which makes it a pleasure to blend or just add more strokes that don't get slippery or are too stiff. This dries in a day, or so, with a nice sheen and gives the same viscous quality that Sargent and Boldini had, without using heavy impasto. It also leaves the color rich as if just painted, so the color matching is easy. Great for portraits.
Just some suggestions. I like your work and look forward to seeing more. You might mention any galleries or places where, and if, you show. Thanks.

[marcoferay]

Come guys hit the like button!! Scott is someone who Really deserves it!!

[anitadavis]

I am learning so much from you. You really explain things and know what you are talking about. One idea that I use I learned from Mark Carder. If you paint most days, you don't have to clean out your brushes completely from day to day, you can just wipe them off with a rag and then dip them in "brush dip" made up of safflower oil with a 2% dollop of clove oil (I use just a health store brand) mixed in. I keep it in a dedicated jar. After dipping the brushes up to the ferule into the dip, lay them out where they won't drip on anything important and that oil will stay wet for many days. When you start painting again, just wipe off each brush as you pick it up to use it, because you don't want a load of clove oil on your canvas, but a teeny bit (after wiping off) won't hurt.

[lisavento]

the DEGREE of blending depends on the STYLE you want to achieve so people need to back off on "expert advise". A dryer brush is great for blending!!!! Great video! looking forward to more.

[michaelbarton]

Thanks for the video; great tips. I'm like you with the cleaning and mixing: I have "colour family" groupings of brushes on the go. This way I can minimize the solvent based cleaning between pigments and also minimize the "mud mixing." I also have at least two if not three different colour groupings of solvent bottles, such as dark separate from light or even white then light/mid then dark to really keep my colours clean. You're bang on with the importance of really drying things out after using solvent before your next colour; cheap brushes also let you have multiples of the same size to let one dry before you use again, subbing in the clean and dry brush of the same size instead. Again, very helpful video. Cheers!

[ytmm]

several yrs ago.. i purchased all of his videos.. they are tremendous. so worth it. i will check back, i am sure there's more by now

[brendafore]

Thank you Scott, great video. I agree with the comments; I have never seen portraits that look like yours, truly amazing!
WOW!

[swalker]

Your style is what I aim for.... (will never get before i kick-off). You are a good teacher, seem uncomplicated and simple. So far l like your attitude. Watching your videos is a real educational treat. Thanks. Keep it up.

[syko]

Great Teacher, learned so much from you !

[AlyssaAleksanian]

You're a generous genius Scott. Thanks for the video.

[campfirecult]

I discovered you today and I must say you are my favorite since Bouguereau. I've shared your video to friends already.

[KateN-yocl]

Great tips, thanks Scott! I've ditched my solvent for a block of pure olive oil soap, cleans brushes brilliantly and no toxins...

[gulagwarlord]

I've seen people put brushes that just had Cadmiums on them into their mouths to shape them for drying, lol. Great tips, a must watch for beginners. Cheers.

[crisalidathomassie]

Great tips Scott! They are simple and to the point but there have been times where I was exhausted and didn’t clean them properly, to only find out they were ruined. Thanks again for your great tips. Blessings and take care.

[ARTYCOATY]

Great! masterpiece!! I thought you were a wonderful person. thank you for sharing. I respect you who have learned a lot from your work.

[ArtofDef]

Thank you for this video! One thing thats helped me with brush maintenance is using a brush restorer and wrapping it in paper towel to keep its shape till the next session.

[LizGridleyArtist]

Yes cheap brushes or brushes on sale! Then I never feel guilty about using the brush thoroughly! 👏

[AlexKellyArtUK]

Here’s little tip which avoids several issues in one go. Use walnut oil instead of solvent to ‘wash’ out a brush between mixes. I do this by having a pot of walnut oil, after wiping the excess paint on a paper towel then dip into the pot of oil. Then massage the oil into the brush by ‘mixing’ either on your palette or a little cup. You don’t want to do this into the large pot of oil as it will quickly turn into mud. Walnut oil is excellent solvent for oil paint. It will quickly get most of the paint out of the brush. After doing that couple of times the brush will ready to make a new mix. This avoids getting excess solvent into your mixes. At the end of a session there is actually no need to wash your brushes at all. Simply clean again with walnut oil and then lay the brushes at a low angle into a a long tub of vegetable (non-drying) oil. Beginning the next session you will need to get the vegetable oil out of the brush as you don’t want that to get into your paint mixtures. Just swill in some OMS and dry on a paper towel. You could use walnut oil for the oil bath too but because it’s a drying oil will eventually clog up the bristles as it oxidises and solidifies. .’ve found I rarely need to wash brushes out with soap and water and I can eliminate solvent amongst completely from the studio and painting process.

[visualsweets]

Such good advice. These are tips that I never learned in art school. Thank you.