Complete Artist’s Manual: The Definitive Guide to Materials and Techniques for Painting and Drawing. Simon Jennings

Complete Artist’s Manual: The Definitive Guide to Materials and Techniques for Painting and Drawing

end by folding it over the blade of a clean palette knife.

Safety precautions

When handling dry pigments, wear a dust mask, to avoid breathing in the pigment particles. Do not handle toxic pigments without a mask and gloves. Disposable face masks are not adequate; respiratory masks designed for use with toxic dusts are available from major art-supply stores and safety equipment companies. Do not eat or drink when working with dry pigments. Keep all materials out of reach of children. Label all dry pigments so that they can be identified in case of accident.

Shelf life

Without the addition of any stabilizers and preservatives, handmade paint should always be used within a few months of making.

Improving texture

Some pigments, such as ultramarine, viridian and zinc white, make a rather stringy paint. To improve the texture, use 4 parts linseed oil to 1 part poppy oil as a binder.

Amounts of oil

Some pigments require quite a lot of oil to make a smooth paste – alizarin crimson, for example, needs far more oil than flake white.

SEE ALSO

BINDERS

MEDIUMS

HEALTH & SAFETY

OIL STICKS

A few manufacturers are now producing oil paints in stick form, which are fundamentally different from oil pastels or crayons. They are made by combining artist-quality pigments with highly refined drying oils, into which are blended special waxes which enable them to be moulded into stick form.

Using oil sticks

These sticks can be considered as either a drawing or a painting medium. They combine the richness of oil colour with the freedom and directness of pastels or charcoal. The chunky sticks glide across the support, making expressive, flowing lines. Some brands are thixotropic – they become more creamy in texture when applied with slight pressure, and harden again on the support. The lightfastness rating is the same as for tube oil colours; the range of colours is smaller, but the basic oils palette is sufficient.

Blending and brushing

Different colours can be blended together on the support, using a brush or a painting knife. Alternatively, special colourless sticks are available: these aid the blending process and increase the transparency of the colours. The paint can also be brushed out on the support, using the same solvents and mediums employed with tube oil colours. The end of the stick may be dipped into the medium or solvent before working on the support, thereby improving the flow of colour. You can even apply the paint in thickly impasted layers and model it with a paintbrush or knife. The paints remain workable for several hours.

Compatibility

Oil sticks are compatible with a range of painting and drawing media, including conventional oil, alkyd and acrylic colours, oil pastels and pencil. They can be used on primed canvas or hardboard (Masonite), acid-free sized paper, fabrics, and other surfaces.

Drying times

The actual drying time depends on temperature and the type of surface being painted, but on the whole oil paint in stick form dries more quickly than tube oil paints. It is important to note, however, that paint sticks should not be used for underpainting if tube paint is to be applied on top. The reason is that although paint sticks dry faster than tube paints, they dry to a more flexible film, due to their high wax content; if less flexible paint is applied on top. This may lead eventually to cracking of the paint surface.

First-time use

Brand-new oil sticks must have the film removed after the protective wrapper has been taken off.

Protective skin

An invisible, dry film forms on the surface of the stick, and helps to keep it clean when not in use. The film is removed from the tip of the stick by rubbing it with a cloth, and re-forms in a day or two after use to keep the paint from drying out while being stored.

Using diluents

You can work on a support that has been given a liberal wash of turpentine, or dip the tip of the oil stick into diluent or medium, to create a more liquid line.

Outdoor uses

Sticks are particularly useful when you’re painting outdoors, as they remove the need to carry some of the accessories associated with tube oil paints.

Different brands

As with tube oil colours, there are variations in the texture, handling properties and drying rates between one brand of paint stick and another, and thus it is advisable to sample different brands. However, do not intermix brands in the same painting, as the chemicals may be incompatible.

Types of stick

The selection of oil sticks shown here includes some of the iridescent colours available.

Oil-stick versatility

The five square-format examples show some basic oil-stick techniques. The two sketchbook paintings used oil sticks and oil pastels, brushed out with turpentine. The framed picture was worked directly with oil sticks and then blended and brushed out with turpentine.