In this extensive 5-hour course, students focus on the construction of an oil painting and the process of layering paint rather than actual brushwork and design. To truly master oil painting, you have to know how to build a sound substructure or base, and then apply the paints in such a way as to ensure decades of life for the painting.
Students are taken step-by-step through topics such as supports, sizing, grounds, an imprimatura, the underdrawing, the underpainting, upper layers of paint, and varnish. Each layer is explained thoroughly and clearly, and then followed up with related demonstrations so that students can follow along.
I've been working with oil paints since I was a girl,
off and on when I was young, and professionally for many years now.
One thing I've noticed throughout all this time was the fact that there are confusing
and even conflicting terms and methods particular to this medium.
You often see multiple definitions for the same term. It can get very confusing.
For this reason, I spent almost an entire year researching and sorting through tons and tons
of information in order to develop a class that I feel offers a clear,
easy-to-understand description of the oil painting process and its related terms.
To develop the material, I used information from experts, examined the works of the masters,
and used common sense to put it all together.
In a sense, we take an oil painting apart, layer by layer,
and explain the various options available to you within each stage.
The course begins with a look at painting supports, and this isn't a superficial approach.
We go in-depth and explain in detail what some of your options are,
from solid wood panel to MDF board to canvas.
After the support, we discuss the preparatory layers,
where you build up the surface to properly take the paint.
Everything is explained in a clear, easy-to-understand manner,
and followed up with actual demonstrations so that you'll know how to do it yourself.
Once the surface has been prepared, we go into the many ways to produce an underdrawing.
Then we cover the methods for laying down an underpainting,
followed by the execution of the upper layers of paint,
where your individual style comes into play.
Finally, there's a thorough discussion of the varnish layer,
what it is, what your options are, and how to apply it.
Students learn through observation, as well as hands-on activities.
They can construct a painting from raw base materials, or start with a pre-prepared support.
What this course will leave students with
is a deep understanding of how to construct a proper oil painting,
and expertise in their understanding of their materials.
