Tag Archives: Portraits

The Inventor of Oil Paintings

In comparison to many other art forms, oil painting is still considered relatively new. Oil painting is the use of oil in pigments in order to paint. Oil paintings date back to the 1400′s. Before oil painting, paint was mixed with plaster found in frescoes or egg in tempera paints. The invention of oil paintings occurred because of a new desire for realism in art. Jan Van Eyck is the man credited with the invention of oil painting.

The desire for a more realistic look in art started in early fifteenth century Europe. Previously, art was very mythological and decorative, but with the onset of the Renaissance, artists began to understand concepts and laws behind the ideas of perspective and colors. As a result, more artists began painting realer images. Jan Van Eyck had a desire to mimic nature in his paintings. In order to achieve his goal, he painted every minute detail about the object he could. Van Eyck’s attention to detail allowed his paintings to seem alive. Unfortunately for Van Eyck, the current painting styles and supplies could not help him achieve his goal of total realism. As a solution to his problem, Van Eyck created oil paintings.

Before Van Eyck, Renaissance painters did not buy colors that were already made. Painters had to make colors themselves from ground up pigments found in plants and minerals that were combined with binder to form a paste. This type of paint was called tempera paint. The problem with tempera paint was that it dried very quickly, and made it virtually impossible to have smooth transitions in painting. Van Eyck wanted to create realism via shading, so tempera paint did not suit his needs. Instead of using egg found in tempera paint, Van Eyck decided to use oil in order to work much more accurately and slowly. Having an oil binder allows the painter to make glossy colors that can be applied in several layers (also known as glazes).

With a tiny pointed brush, Van Eyck was further able to create vivid detail in his paintings. Van Eyck’s work impressed many people, including other artists. Soon, many artists were using oil in their paint mixtures, and oil paintings became a very popular form of art. Oil colors have changed since the time of Van Eyck, but the principals remain the same. Oil paintings allow the painter to create more detailed settings via shading as well as create more lifelike portraits. Van Eyck’s contribution changed art forever.

An Introduction to Pastels

There is a huge variety of pastel painting techniques and it depends entirely on which one you choose as to how the final painting turns out. The pastels themselves come in a variety of types, sizes and shades. The actual sticks are available in half size or full size. The different types are hard, soft and oil. Most pastellists prefer the soft pastel along with the hard sticks to lay down the initial sketch. The quality, texture and ease of use differ between the many different manufacturers. They can be purchased from single sticks to packs and boxes from 12 colors to hundreds. Most artists prefer to buy the smaller boxes containing the shades they are likely to use most often, then they are able to replace the sticks as they use them up. Pastels now can be bought boxes in shades for use in landscapes or portraits or you can have the boxes with an assorted selection.

Pastels are a beautiful medium, allowing an artist to create any kind of mood within the painting. They are very forgiving and very versatile and allow you to experiment in many more ways than other mediums do. They have a richness about them that gives the finished piece a beautiful glow. As for the many different shades you are able to buy. What happens is that the manufacturer will make a basic tint then from that will darken and lighten that tint to give the different shades needed. Each color does have a code number to make it easier when you need to replace, so it’s a good idea to always record color and code!

If you are wanting to begin with just the individual basic colors that you will need then you will need to choose one color from each of the major tints. Once you have these then you can look at the shades usually going for the 2nd or 3rd darker shade for each of the tints. It will depend on what you are wanting to paint as to your choice of tints e.g. landscape or portrait. The whole point of art is to be creative and to allow yourself the freedom of expression. Pastels are wonderful medium to achieve this. Even just three or four sticks of pastel with a bit of toothy paper drawing circles and squares will help you to understand that this is a medium of great potential.