Prepare an oil painting sketchbook with me! Paint on paper with oil #shorts #oilpainting #sketchbook

Here's how you do it! Start with a sketchbook, or even just an ordinary Moleskine like what I'm using (this isn't the heavyweight paper either, just an XL size Moleskine notebook). Clip the pages together so that they don't buckle. Apply Michael Harding primer onto the pages with a foam brush. THEY WILL BUCKLE LIKE CRAZY, but that's okay. After it dries, reposition the binder clips and pull them tight again. This will stretch the pages out, but they'll still work. Do another layer, and you're good to paint.

Some questions I often get asked from my Instagram when people see my oil painting sketchbooks:

- Can you paint on top of the paper without the oil absorbing? YES! Use this primer or a layer of shellac. You may still get some slight yellowing on the other side of the page, but this is a sketchbook, it's designed to practice oil painting without the pressure of working on a canvas.

- Is the book archival? (meaning will it last longer than you) Since I'm using this book as a laboratory of ideas, whether or not it's archival doesn't really matter so much to me. If the paintings crack a little due to the flexibility of the pages, I'm not going to be breaking a sweat. If you want a painting to be archival, the best surface isn't paper. But if you're looking for a fun place to experiment, practice, and play with ideas, then this is the place to do it.

- Do the pages stick together? Mine don't typically, but I'll be experimenting with various varnishes and finishes in the weeks to come. Like any good work in progress/idea laboratory, my methodology is open to tinkering, experimentation, and trial and error. If I test something out and it does really great, or even the opposite, I'll share the process to help others learn.

Happy painting! Let me know if you have any questions!