PAINT TALK: Painting books, never painted before, how to clean brushes

Welcome to Paint Talk the weekly show where I answer your questions on oil painting. If you want your questions answered leave them in comments section and I just might answer them on next weeks Paint Talk.

Books

Materials I suggest for beginners:
Titanium White, Cadmium Red Hue, Cadmium Lemon, French Ultramarine, Yellow Ochre, Cerulean blue

Hi, I am the son of two artists and began painting in my hometown of Richmond, Virginia before I could walk. I was a rare combination of artist and athlete so I moved to Los Angeles in 2008 to play football for USC. I left the team my sophomore year to focus on painting and filmmaking, applying the same focus and discipline from my football career to my art. I primarily work in oils, and spend most free days painting "en plein air" in my new home of Sarasota Florida.

DISCLAIMER: Links in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.

[michaelalsop]

I want a whole video on the bike!! Haha

[bobcronk]

About disposing of paint rags/paper towels...these are highly flammable when saturated with turps! I dispose by having a separate container to throw them in near my easel and after a session it's out to the fire pit behind the house where they are back when doing so because there will be a flash! The reason I don't put them in the house trash or in the trash can to be picked up later is that they can self combust given the proper closer and temperature. Enjoy your videos...much to learn here.

[SparkPlug-mlci]

Thank you for answering my question! Also, my favorite scene or area your in is when your outside.

[olgaurueta]

Hi! I got 'oil painting with light and color' book today! Very interesting and detail. Hope i can paint like you when im done. Oh nice tip on the thinner.👍🏼

[Pharcodra]

The seven shades of Cage are a must have background!

[freedomec]

The only art classes I ever took were in oil painting. That was all that was offered in my small town. I have tried other mediums, but there is nothing like feel of oil paint. Plus I am a slow painter and I like the long trying time so I can fix stuff

[joygordon]

I’m fairly new to your tutorials and really want to say how much I enjoy them. They’re short (so much more accessible) and you always seem to touch on the subjects I’m currently interested/struggling with. Could you do one on glazes please? When to glaze, how much of the painting to glaze, can it only be done with transparent colours?

[gayathrigopalakrishnan]

Loved how you kept changing the background in the video!

[bowley]

I’ve got an idea for a video, if you haven’t already done one and I just haven’t seen it yet... brushes: hair vs. synthetic, longer vs. shorter brushes, reasons for choosing this one over that one for specific tasks and why. Maybe could show each brush with different thicknesses of paint or what they’re best suited with etc. A lot of youtubers mention what brush they’re using but don’t explain why that is their choice for the specific task at hand.

[sofiaharvey]

Hi Chris! Thanks for answering my question :) You had me in stitches when you were working out on the bike, so unexpected and the bit at the end. Very funny! So the bike scene was my favourite followed by the first take with Nicholas Cage painting in the background. Alas, I have something to confess before I saw this I went and bought oils and acrylics because so I was so confused but I like what you said earlier I will just go all-in with Oils and give it a shot!

[chrisgriffith]

As someone who has painted with both acrylics and oils, (oil for my fine art, while using acrylics for my illustration) I will tell you acrylics do not "teach bad habits" but you are correct in saying many people try to carry over the techniques with acrylic to oil and it absolutely won't work. You can do the same with either oils or acrylics, the difference is time it take to achieve it. With oils, you can achieve something totally different in far less time than what you can do with acrylic for the learning curve involved. If I had to say, many oil painters won't know how to perfectly glaze until they learn to master acrylic, BUT, an alla prima oil painter will be thwarted by trying to use acrylic techniques.

[taiel]

Not the outside, but really liked paint talk while painting

[susanrmaier]

I want to see Kensie in the background!!❤️🐶❤️

[FriscoHunter]

Love your clear answers to questions and seeing some of your medium sized works! I started with acrylics and moved onto oils recently because of wanting to portraits, I LOVE OIL PAINTS, the texture, the slower dry time, rich pigment and a little oil paint goes a long way, whereas acrylic I used a lot of it because it dries too quickly. Thanks Chris, for sharing your time and knowledge! Will sign up on Patreon. Do you happen to know how to know how to mount canvas paper? I painted something frame worthy on the canvas paper 😜

[chrisgriffith]

Rags with paint thiner/solvents in them, lay them out flat, let them dry up in a cool place, then dispose of them in a metal can. The problem with paint thinners and solvents is they are combustable VOC's. They will spontaneously combust if you crumple them up and or put them in a hot place. Lay them out flat with lots of ventilation.

[ydtgwen]

Hi Chris, enjoying every one of your videos! I can't get the brush dip in my country, and wonder if there's anything similar in the market that's more widely available? Something to allow for my brushes not to dry out throughout the week would be good!

[GM-oqhb]

Love the painting behind bike, but tough choice, i heard an artist on youtube talk about paper towels with linseed being potetnially flammable so need to dampen before binning though think she was in a hot country and I'm in Scotland not as much an issue here lol?

[fishisnotfishfish]

Hey want to say thanks for keeping it simple. I made some head way in painting, that line seed oil helped Idk I just pick up the brush and kinda just went with it helps when you dont over complicated. Now I kinda just see its mixing and matching colors. Anyways, felt like you helped make it click for me. Now I just have to get faster. I'm working on a portrait going really slow, It's been like two weeks almost done though. It's looking good actually, but I'll admit that's really slow. But hey that's kinda why I like oils paintings tough with the quick dry times. I want to get faster speed Is important right haha 😝 Welp, have a good one. I'm still check out your channel. But gotta just paint sometimes and be with that madness lol

[Saraelmawazini]

Thanks for the video :) and yes I can’t find some materials most probably because of pandemic

[CarlOlsonArt]

I also highly recommend Macpherson’s latest book Conversations With Nature.