After as much deliberation as I could possibly muster I finally made a start on my Udemy course in oil painting. I could not say for sure what was holding me back from starting. I think, beyond the simple fear of making a mess of the painting there was a fear of just making a mess. Many days I am running at less than full power. In my mind oils were messy and smelly and once I finished whatever painting I was doing there would be a load of clean up to do. I dreaded it.
To my utter delight my return to oil painting was a success (and typically did not warrant the energy I devoted to worrying about it). As I predicted, the paint felt wonderful going on to the canvas board my mum donated to me. It blended beautifully on and off the canvas. It was as easy to do a sweeping background as fine detail. As I wasn't using a lot there was little smell and the smell there was merely reminded me of my schooldays, spending hours in the art room. It felt great.
Taking advice from the online tutor, I wiped off my brush between each shade (I was working in greyscale), and didn't go near the white spirits until the very end. Working on a small canvas my brushes were barely dirty and the work only required the use of two (I used three just experimenting). The clean-up was then dipping and wiping my brushes, then WIPING OFF my pallet. Can you imagine how much of an idiot I felt when I realised the clean-up was less than it would have been with acrylics? Oh dear me. When I said at the start of this that I had forgotten so much I wasn't kidding. Now I know why I painted in oils so much.
As of this afternoon (a day later), it is still wet. Probably why I also worked in acrylics. However, I no longer need to lug my art around with me like when I was in school and I have an art room it can sit in to dry as long as necessary. This painting is an underpainting and will get coloured as soon as it dries. My Udemy course has another four assignments and I can honestly say I am really excited about them. This is the most intensive course I've done and he really does give you serious work to tackle. Still life and a portrait. Thankfully no landscapes (not my favourite).
Side note: I used my very old black oil paint. I'd only bought colours I'd need that I didn't have. My old paint was a little stiff, so I added some medium I bought and I'm delighted to say it loosened up the paint and I was able to blend it perfectly. I almost didn't buy that medium as it seemed an indulgence. Now I'm relieved I have it to revive my old paints. It was certainly cheaper than replacing all my old paints!
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