Basics Of Oil Painting

**CarlSpringer** · January 21st, 2012, 01:01 PM

so for about a year or so ive been doing digital painting and now i want to get into traditional painting,

i am more use to acrylics and the process, but want to learn to paint in oils. im struggling to understand the use of "white Spirit" instead of water in oil paints, for instance when i am painting with acrylics i tend to use the water to think the paint and start of with washes to build up. but im wondering with Oil Paints is the process the same, are you meant to use the Spirit just to clean the brush or also to thin the oil paint in the same way as acrylics,

if anyone has any basic information or resources for getting to grips with oil paints i would be grateful

**sony** · January 21st, 2012, 01:27 PM

Hi

You can use the spirit/turpentine to mark or block the shapes
on the canvas, it will eventually fade but change the canvas
color a little. But you will be painting over it any way so it
doesn't matter. To get the maximum use is to lay your
proportions and change accordingly as you need to go with
your subject.

Cheers

**CarlSpringer** · January 21st, 2012, 01:31 PM

thank you very much i was wondering whether it was just to clean it or not

**Uziel** · January 21st, 2012, 01:44 PM

Refined linseed oil 60-70% + a little bit of turpentine or thinner to make a little bit more fluid 30-40% (optional: a couple of drops of cobalt dryer)

You can add more turp or thinner to do washes as a ground layer.

Some resources:
Go to TAD downloads for Giancola's or Dan Dos santos vid it's on sale at the moment for 6.99$

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/sho...d.php?t=174792