Oil Painting Process (Part 2)

Oil Painting Process (Part 2) – Tools, Materials, and Working Methods (The Technical Side)

Most works are painted on canvas primed with universal gesso or oil grounds. For smaller and medium-sized paintings, I often secure unstretched canvas to a rigid board during the painting process. This allows the surface to remain stable while also making storage and handling easier between stages. Commissioned works are usually completed on stretched canvas, though I occasionally work on pre-stretched surfaces as well.

For studies, I sometimes apply a couple of layers of universal gesso to wooden boards or even to pages in my sketchbook when archival quality is not a primary concern. These earliest compositional studies are approached freely and with loose brush work using oil colors from Camel or mixtures created from leftover paint on the palette. Such studies help me explore expression, composition, and overall mood before the final canvas is even cut.

Once the final canvas is cut and secured, I begin by staining the surface with solvent-thinned paint to remove the stark white of the canvas. The larger proportions, movement, and negative-space relationships are then developed using studio-grade oils from Pebeo Studio XL, Monte Marte, and Daler-Rowney. These initial stages are exploratory and intuitive, focused more on emergence, rhythm, and emotional direction than refinement.

As the painting develops structurally, I gradually transition to artist-grade oil colors selected for their pigment strength, permanence, and handling characteristics. My palette includes professional artist grade materials from Daniel Smith, Gamblin, M. Graham & Co., , and other established manufacturers. These colors are introduced selectively during later stages, where glazing, atmosphere, subtle optical effects, and refined color relationships become increasingly important. Daniel Smith's unique proprietary pigments and mixtures are particularly valuable during this phase.

My process uses very little medium overall. Solvents are primarily reserved for the earliest staining and block-in stages, while small amounts of linseed oil may occasionally be introduced during structural development. Glazing and atmospheric passages are refined selectively using Liquin or gel medium.

I work primarily with synthetic brushes rather than hog bristle. Large flat brushes are used during the earliest compositional stages, followed by filberts during structural development and refinement. Smaller flats and filberts are introduced gradually as the painting progresses. Fine liner brushes are used sparingly and only when a focal area requires controlled detail.

Paintings are allowed to dry and stabilize over time before varnishing using archival quality varnish, usually after a minimum curing period of six months.

Usually, multiple works remain active in the studio simultaneously, existing in different stages ranging from stained grounds and compositional studies to refinement and final highlights. Maintaining this rotation helps preserve freshness within the work and reduces the tendency to overwork the surface.