Painting Tips

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Student vs Artist Grade Oil Paints: The Ultimate Guide

What You Will Learn

In this comprehensive guide to student vs artist grade oil paints, you will learn the difference between each grade of oil paints and how to pick which oil paint grade is right for you. I will also discuss a bonus category of paint. And in the end there will be an exercise to help you experiment with oil paint.

First let’s discuss some key terms to help us better understand the differences between student and artist grade paints.

Key Oil Paint Terms

Pigment Dry powders that give paints their color

Binders Typically linseed, walnut, or safflower oils used to contain the pigment

Pigment Load The ratio of colored pigment to the oil binder

Extenders Colorless pigments like calcium carbonate used to partially replace colored pigment

Tinting Strength How much one pigment will effect another when mixing colors

Opacity How easily one pigment covers another

Student Grade Paint

Student grade oil paint is typically a more affordable option and, as the name implies, it is marketed toward art students and beginners. But what makes it more affordable and why is it marketed toward beginners?

First, it is important to remember that paint typically consists of three components: pigment, an oil binder, and sometimes fillers and extenders.

Student grade paint typically has less colored pigment in the tube. The pigment is what makes paint expensive, so having less pigment is why student grade paint is more affordable.

To compensate for less colored pigment, manufacturers typically add extenders, which are less expensive than colored pigment.

The extenders often do not effect the color of the paint, but they do effect the tinting strength.

What this means is that with less colored pigment and a weaker tinting strength, you will need to use more paint to mix the colors you desire and to get more opaque coverage on your canvas or panel.

For example, if you have a pile of blue student grade paint, you’ll have to add much more yellow to mix a green you desire. This is okay if you paint thickly or don’t want to tightly control the thickness of your paint mixtures.

In addition, if you have a blank white canvas, and would like to paint it a single color, like burnt umber, you might need to use more student grade paint to get full coverage and get the canvas to a darker value. But student grade paint could work well for under paintings, which tend to be a bit more transparent.

The last aspect to note about student grade paint is that there are typically fewer pigment options. This shouldn’t be a major limiting factor, because if you are just starting to learn to paint it can be helpful to start with just three primary colors and white.

It is important to note that there is no standard for how manufacturers name paint grades. Many use the term student grade but others may use words such as academy or collegiate line. Other lines, like Gamblin’s 1980, don’t list any terms on the front of the tube to indicate it is student grade paint. So you have to be sure to research each brand.

Below are some common examples of student grade paint brands.

  • Winton by Winsor and Newton
  • 1980 by Gamblin
  • Artist’s Loft
  • Georgian by Daler and Rowney
Student Grade Paint Daler Rowney cadmium yellow Artist’s loft titanium white crimson phthalo blue
Student Grade Oil Paint Examples

Artist Grade Paint

Now let’s examine artist grade paint and what makes it different from student grade paint.

Artist grade paint is typically marketed toward painters who have transitioned past the initial learning stage and are now more knowledgeable about the way paint handles and have a better understanding of what they prefer.

At this stage a painter may be selling work and have more money to invest in higher quality paint.

Artist grade paint typically has a much higher pigment load and typically far less extenders. Because each tube contains more colored pigment, artist grade paint is more expensive than student grade paint.

But here is a secret tip! If you stick to earth pigments, you can usually get artist grade oil paint under $10 for a 37ml tube. I like yellow ochre, Venetian red, and Prussian blue.

In addition, because there is more pigment, and a higher tinting strength, less paint is required to alter color mixtures and to get better coverage and opacity.

For example, if you have a pile of blue paint, you may need to add much less yellow to achieve a green that you desire. And if you are trying to cover up the white of a canvas or underlying paint layer, artist grade paint will be more effective at creating a more opaque layer.

It should be also noted that when a paint has a higher tinting strength and less paint is needed to achieve the color mixture you desire, it saves paint over time. A higher tinting strength can also give you more control over your color mixtures. If you want to significantly alter a color mixture quickly, you might just need to add a small amount of paint to get the effect you desire.

Finally, you can typically find more pigment options in artist grade paint. For example, if you are looking for lead white, it will typically be found in artist grade paint because it is more expensive and difficult to manufacture.

Below are some common artist grade paints:

  • Gamblin—Very stiff, requires a stiff natural bristle brush to mix it right from the tube
  • Utrecht—Softer and dries slower from safflower binder
  • Williamsburg—Softer than Gamblin, slightly gritty feel, easier to mix than Gamblin
Artist Grade Oil Paint Gamblin phthalo blue Williamsburg yellow ochre domestic and Utrecht Venetian red
Artist grade oil paint brands

Premium Grade Paint

Now let’s discuss one more bonus category of oil paints before we discuss how you choose the right grade for you.

The final category of paint is the premium brands. This isn’t an official category and you may not see them labeled this way (they are often labeled as artist grade), but these brands are usually the most expensive and typically have a very high pigment load and little to no extenders or stabilizers.

These paints typically have a very strong tinting strength which again means you need to use less paint to alter color mixtures. This means you have much more control over the consistency of your paint mixtures and use less paint.

The most notable aspect about premium brands is the viscosity of the paint. Because they consist mainly of oil and pigment, the paint is often very soft, like warm butter. When paint is soft like this, it is much easier to mix right from the tube. This means you are less likely to need mediums to thin down your paint and make it more mixable.

This is a desirable quality if you paint alla prima and are trying to limit fumes in your studio, from solvents and mediums. These are my personal favorites because I don’t have to use solvents or mediums with them.

Here are some common premium grade paint brands:

  • Michael Harding—UK brand, soft and easy to mix
  • M Graham— Walnut binder yellows less, very soft, solvent free business model
  • Blue Ridge—direct to consumer brand, very high quality at reasonable prices, soft feel
Premium oil paint brands Michael Harding yellow ochre blue ridge oil colors yellow ochre m graham titanium white
Premium oil paint brands Michael Harding, Blue Ridge oil colors, M Graham

How to Choose What’s Best for You

Now that you know the differences between these oil paint brands and grades, how do you know which one is right for you?

Just because you are a student doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from artist grade or premium grade paints. And just because you’ve been painting for a long time doesn’t mean you can’t use student grade paint.

The first thing to consider is your experience level. If you have never used oil paint before, it might be helpful to start with a tube of student grade paint so you have a baseline to judge all the other paint grades.

I typically encourage students to start with just two tubes of paint – titanium white and burnt umber. This will enable you to create monochrome paintings which will help you focus on paint application without being bogged down by color mixing.

The next thing to consider is price. There’s no point in paying more for artist grade or premium grade paints if you will be afraid of using them and wasting them.

When you are learning, the most important thing is to paint as much as you can, so if using a more expensive paint is going to inhibit your painting output, it might be worth it to stick with student grade oil paint until you feel more comfortable using more expensive options.

If you want to experiment, however, with how artist grade paint handles, try a small tube of yellow ochre. Earth pigments are usually the least expensive pigments but are still excellent colors to have on one’s palette. They are only less expensive because they are easier to manufacture, not because they are inferior pigments.

Another thing to consider is how thick or large you paint. If you paint right from the tube with thick impasto and don’t do a lot of precise color mixing, then student grade paint may be a good choice. And if you paint really large without a lot of color mixing, student grade paint could be a good option to start with.

And finally, the last thing to consider is what stage of the painting you are using the paint for. For example, some artists might use a student grade burnt umber for an underpainting, and then use much more highly pigmented artist grade paint to paint over it.

What to Buy First

As I mentioned before it’s far less expensive to buy a few tubes instead of buying a set of oil paints with multiple colors only to find you don’t like oil paint.

After trying the burnt umber and white, if you find you like the consistency of oil paint, you can start adding some primary colors instead of buying a complete set of colors.

I recommend yellow ocher, ultramarine blue, and Venetian red. These are all considered earth pigments and are much more affordable than pricey cadmium and cobalt colors.

You won’t be able to mix extremely bright and saturated colors (for flowers, for example), but these colors are perfect for landscape paintings, which are also excellent subjects for beginners.

Here is an example of a landscape made with just these three colors.

Impressionist landscape oil painting of French country road with tree and clouds
Landscape oil painting made with Venetian red, yellow ochre, and Prussian blue

Let’s Review

  1. Student Grade Paint
    1. More affordable
    2. Contains less pigment
    3. Weaker tinting strength
    4. Weaker coverage and opacity
    5. Fewer color choices
    6. Good for underpaintings or painting large
    7. Good if you fear wasting paint
  2. Artist Grade Paint
    1. Costs more than student grade paint.
    2. Contains more pigment
    3. Fewer fillers
    4. Higher tinting strength
    5. Better coverage and opacity
    6. Larger selection of colors
    7. More pigment means less paint is used

Paint Test Exercise

If you have never used oil paints before and want to try them, here’s a great exercise for you. Purchase a small 37ml tube of burnt umber (black would work too) and titanium white.

Next find a black and white reference photo (or take your own). Landscapes are great because they require less drawing.

Next you need something to paint on. Gessoed watercolor paper would work well for a quick test. But a piece of cardboard with acrylic gesso would work well too. We are trying to keep costs down until you decide whether you like oils.

Now you will need three brushes—one each for shadows, mid tones, and highlights. You’ll need three brushes so you don’t have to buy a solvent or oil to wash brushes between values. You can wash them with soap and water in your hand when you finish painting. Click the following link for the brush care video on the Gallery Bry YouTube channel to learn the technique. https://youtu.be/2gMDf1Bwo9o

Now it’s time to paint. Squint at your reference and put in the darkest values first with your burnt umber. Then add in some mid tones with burnt umber and white. Finally add in the lightest values with white and perhaps a touch of burnt umber.

The goal of this exercise isn’t to create a masterpiece with these limited materials. So don’t get too frustrated if it doesn’t look the way you expected. The goal is to get an understanding of how oil paint handles.

It takes time to get used to oils so don’t judge it on your first painting. Give it time and make lots of quick little studies. Focus more on the process of working with the paint than the outcome.

Next ARTicle

In the next ARTicle we will review the book Alla Prima by Richard Schmid. And the next Gallery Bry YouTube video will discuss how to mix colors for a simple still life. Register for Academy Bry for FREE if you don’t want to miss them.

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How a sketchbook can improve drawing and painting: 3 ways to rapidly improve your skills

 Today let’s examine 3 ways a sketchbook can improve drawing and painting skills.

1. Judgment Free Zone

First, a sketchbook can be a place to experiment quickly without fear of judgment. It’s a place to try new ideas and explore your creativity. It can be traditional or digital. The choice is yours. I use both.

Just don’t fall into this trap: sometimes people get trapped into the belief that a sketchbook is a showcase book. In other words, they think each page has to be a finished, perfect work.

That’s okay if finished work is your intent. But it’s also helpful to have a book specifically to experiment and fail in a safe environment. Failing fast is a very efficient way to learn and a sketchbook can provide the environment.

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
—Thomas Edison

Still have trouble letting down your guard in sketchbooks? Afraid to ruin a blank page or expensive materials? Try sketching on sticky notes or trash like old envelopes to warm up. If you don’t like it, just throw it away.

This is an example of an ink sketch on an envelope. Created with a pentel brush pen.
Pentel brush pen sketch on the back of an envelope

2. Daily Sketchbook Practice

Second, keeping a sketchbook can improve drawing by helping maintain a daily sketching practice. Sketching and painting every single day could be the single most important thing you can do to improve your skills. And by keeping your sketchbook with you at all times, it will help prompt you to make quick sketches of the world around you.

Keep your sketchbook in a place that you will always see it. For example maybe keep it next to your tea kettle if you make tea every morning. And try to carry it with you everywhere you go.

Moleskine makes a small sketchbook that fits easily in a pocket or backpack.

A sketchbook can improve drawing and painting skills by helping you sketch more often. This is an example of a Moleskine watercolor sketchbook with a gouache landscape by Bryan McCormick.
A Moleskine small pocket watercolor sketchbook is perfect for travel

3. Quick Reference

Finally, keeping a sketchbook can improve drawing and painting skills by helping you learn faster, if you keep notes about what you are learning. Make notes in the margins of things that you learned from your sketch. Keep notes on facial and figure proportions. Record color notes. Jot down notes about compositions you like.

A sketchbook can improve drawing skills if you take notes. This is an example of a shadow diagram illustrating a cast shadow, core shadow, and occlusion shadow of a watercolor pear in a Moleskine watercolor sketch book.
A shadow diagram in a Moleskine watercolor sketchbook

Making notes will not only help you remember things better by processing it in a different manner, it will also make it easier to refer back if you want to confirm your thoughts later.

So let’s review and then try an exercise:

  • A sketchbook is a safe place to experiment and learn quickly from mistakes.
  • Keeping a sketch can help create a daily sketching practice.
  • A sketchbook is a great place to keep visual notes for quick reference.

Daily Sketching Exercise

Now that we know the benefits of a sketchbook, let’s put it to use with this exercise. Pick a location and time in your day that you know you will have about 7 minutes free to sketch.

Next, keep your sketchbook there and make it visible and easy to reach. Don’t keep it in a drawer. The goal is to eliminate as many steps as possible to make it easier to start sketching.

Then draw or paint what’s around you. It could be a teacup, a snack you’re eating, office supplies. The possibilities are endless.

The purpose isn’t to create a masterpiece or to learn something groundbreaking. It’s to establish good sketching habits. Once your habit is established it’s very hard to break. That’s why minimizing time is important so you can establish consistency. And once you establish that consistency, you can always add more time to your minimum sketching baseline when you have the opportunity.

The Next ARTicle

The next Youtube video will discuss how to paint a still life step by step in oils. And the next ARTicle will discuss choosing oil paints and the difference between student and artist grade paint. Sign up for Academy Bry if you don’t want to miss them.

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How to Blend Edges: Three Techniques for Blending Edges With Oil Paint

For today’s ARTicle, we are going to discuss blending and three common ways to blend edges.

We will discuss some examples, look at some visual diagrams, and finish with an exercise.

Let’s get started.

In the last ARTicle, we discussed hard and soft edges and everything in between. Blending those edges is how to achieve such a multitude of edges. Let’s look at three examples.

There are three common ways to blend edges: by using a dry brush, using a between color or value, or a combination of both.

Using a dry brush is probably the most common and well known technique. Essentially all it entails is mixing one color and value shape into another. See the example below.

Light and dark blue oil paint blended together with a dry brush.
Blending oil paint with a dry brush

The benefit of this technique is that it’s quick and efficient and you don’t have to be a master at color mixing. Now let’s look at some shortcomings.

The down side is that it’s easy to over blend and lose beautiful brushwork, resulting in a potentially flat painting. The next technique helps avoid this problem.

Another option is to use a between color and value. In other words, brush in a color or value that is somewhere between the two color shapes you want to blend. See the example below.

Light and dark oil paint blended with a mid tone value
Blending a light and dark value with a mid tone

With this technique you will achieve a much more painterly effect with beautiful brush strokes, rather than a painting that appears overworked and flat. But there is still one more option.

The final option is to use the best of both techniques. Why use just one tool when you can use multiple? You may find that using a mid tone to blend doesn’t always give you the effect you desire. In that situation you may find that blending with a dry brush, your finger, or any other tool can give you exactly the edge you desire. Now let’s finish with an exercise.

To master blending values, try painting an apple on a small panel. This will help you efficiently practice blending without being slowed down by drawing.

Do one a day until you feel confident in the progress you have made. Experiment with different lighting directions and temperatures to keep the exercise fresh.

Landscape oil painting of a red apple on gray background
An apple a day helps the inspiration stay

In the next article we will discuss how connecting light and dark values can make a strong composition and make starting a painting easier.

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How to Create and Effectively Use Edges in a Painting

Today we will discuss edges, how they are created, and how you can use them to attract the eye of the viewer.

First let’s define what an edge actually is. An edge is essentially a border between two contrasting elements.

The variations in the following components can create an edge: Color, Atmosphere, Light, Form, Shape, Texture, and Values.

You can remember this with the humerus mnemonic CALFS TV. Just imagine baby calfs on TV. (Yes calfs is a variant of calves. )

Edges fall on a continuum with one extreme being lost edges (aka soft edges) and the other extreme being found edges (aka hard edges).

Let’s look at an example of hard and soft edges created with color. The edge between blue and yellow will be much harder than an edge between blue and purple. See the example below.

Example of hard and soft edges using blue and purple and yellow and blue
Example of hard and soft edges using color alone

Now let’s look at an example of edges created with light. Shadows tend to have harder edges closer to an object and softer edges farther from an object. We can see this in the oil painting below of a red apple.

Oil painting of red apple and purple shadow with hard and soft edges
Shadow edges soften as they get farther from an object

Now that we know what edges are and have seen a few examples of creating them, let’s discuss how they can engage your viewers.

Hard edges naturally attract the human eye. Thus, sometimes it is helpful to use sharper edges in your focal point and softer edges as you move away from the focal point.

In the example below, I used harder edges in the fire hydrant to make it the center of interest. The edges in the background trees are far softer.

Red and yellow fire hydrant and green trees digital oil painting in procreate
Example of lost and found edges

Let’s summarize. Edges are created with contrasting borders and can be hard, soft, and anywhere in between. Hard edges can be used to make your focal point stand out among a sea of softer edges, attracting the eye of the viewer.

Do you use hard edges in your center of interest? Feel free to comment or ask a question. I’m here to be your painting guide.

Stop back tomorrow (and every day) for more tips.

Stay inspired

Bry

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What is Color Temperature: How to use Warm and Cool Colors

Today we will further define color temperature and give some examples of how to use it in paintings.

Color temperature is nothing more than a way to group colors and describe how they relate and interact.

Color temperature falls into two categories—warm and cool. Cool colors are often closer to blue and purple. And warm colors are closer to red and yellow.

An example of how colors are commonly grouped into warm and cool colors

They were likely put into these categories because warm colors evoke feelings of fire and passion while cool colors evoke feelings of ice and tranquility.

But these color categories play a far bigger role than helping you decide what color to paint fire and ice.

Warm and cool colors can be used to turn form (see the previous article), create moods, and suggest space and distance.

Warm and cool colors can be used to make small turns in form while still keeping values close together. This helps simplify values and maintain a strong value structure.

Color temperature can also suggest moods. Want to paint a sunset or the feeling of golden hour? Use more yellows and warm colors in your highlights.

Landscape oil painting of a desert sunset and cactus
Example of one of Bryan’s landscapes that exemplify how warm highlights create the feeling of golden hour

One of the most common ways to use color temperature is for atmospheric perspective in landscape painting.

You will often find cooler colors like blue and purple in the background and warmer colors like red and yellow in the foreground.

Landscape oil painting of blue mountains green trees and green grass
Example of a landscape oil painting by Bryan, demonstrating atmospheric perspective

The main takeaway is that warm and cool colors give us a convenient way to describe color groups and can create specific effects in paintings.

It’s not a hard science and there are no rules to describe which colors fall into which categories.

It’s helpful to think of a color as being warmer or cooler in relation to a nearby color, rather than thinking of a color as inherently warm or cool.

How do you use color temperature in your paintings? Feel free to comment or ask a question. I’d love to help you on your painting journey.

Stop back tomorrow when we will discuss edges.

Until then, just keep painting.

Bry

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How to Turn a Form With Color Temperature

Today let’s discuss how to turn a form with color temperature rather than with value alone.

First let’s define turning a form. A form in art jargon is a three dimensional object, as opposed to a shape, which is two dimensional. See the example below.

Example of a circle and sphere to illustrate shape and form in visual arts​
Example of a circle and sphere to illustrate shape and form in visual arts

So turning a form often involves making a shape three dimensional, by adding values or temperature shifts.

Often, highlights are warmer and shadows are cooler, especially in landscape painting. In the example below, the sphere appears to be three dimensional with light on the right and shadow to the left.

A sphere with yellow highlights and purple shadows to illustrate how color temperature can turn a form
Example of how color temperature alone can suggest a three dimensional form

You can use this knowledge to create form in your paintings with color before resorting to value alone.

In the example below, you can see warm colors in the highlights and cooler colors in the core shadow of the apple.

The form of a red apple suggested with warm yellow highlights and a cooler core shadow​
The form of an Apple suggested with warm highlights and a cooler core shadow

This technique is also used in portrait painting quite a bit, where using color temperature can suggest very subtle shifts in the form and skin tone.

As an exercise, you can try painting some spheres using just yellow, blue, and red. Avoid using black and white for shadows and highlights. This can help with mixing skills and with getting a feel for the effects of color temperature.

Do you use color to turn your forms? Feel free to leave a comment or question. I’d love to help you on your painting journey.

Stop back tomorrow (and every day) for more tips and lessons.

Tomorrow we will discuss color temperature further and what warm and cool colors actually are.

Stay inspired,

Bry

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How to Create Contrast and Interest in a Painting, Using Value Interchange.

Today we’ll discuss some examples of how to create value interchange and contrast in a painting and how it can make your work stand out.

Value interchange is essentially when two opposing values overlay each other. The effect is most prominent when strong lights and darks intersect. This can create a very pleasing composition and direct the eye of the viewer to your center of interest.

In landscapes this can happen in a number of ways. One common way is when a dark tree or building overlaps a much brighter sky. It can also happen when objects in the foreground overlap objects in the background.

As you can see in my painting below, the dark trees in the foreground/mid ground overlap with the much lighter sky in the background. This puts emphasis on the trees and draws in the eye of the viewer.

Landscape oil painting of French country road and green trees and cloudy sky by Bryan McCormick
Landscape oil painting of French country road by Bryan McCormick

With this concept in mind, take a look at some paintings by some old masters and study how they used values next to each other. This is a great way to get ideas for compositions as well.

In the example below, I have exaggerated the value interchange and contrast from The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh.

The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh is an excellent example of value interchange with the dark cypress trees overlapping the lighter starry sky
The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh is an excellent example of value interchange

You can see how the dark cypress trees overlap the lighter night sky and how the moon and stars pop out from the darker sky.

You can even try creating master copies. This is a great way to really lock a concept into memory.

Go to your local museum and create some NOTAN studies (black and white) or three value studies (black, white, and gray).

Below is a four value study I created in Procreate of Edward Hopper’s painting Sailing. As you can see, the contrast of the boat and the water immediately catches the eye of the viewer.

Three value study of Edward Hopper’s oil painting Sailing​ shows a much lighter sailboat contrasting with a darker ocean.
Four value study of Edward Hopper’s oil painting Sailing

It also has a very simple value composition which makes for a very strong painting.

What techniques do you use to create contrast and interest in your paintings. Feel free to leave a comment or question below. I’d love to help you on your painting journey.

Stop back tomorrow (and every day) for more painting tips.

Stay inspired,

Bry

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How to Simplify Values When Starting a Painting: A Nine Value Scale for Visual Artists

Today we will discuss the role of values and how to simplify them.

Values are how light or dark elements of an image are. The lightest value is white and the darkest value is black. Right in the middle is where we find neutral gray.

Without values, everything we see would be virtually invisible. Contrast between values is what differentiates one object from another. Color certainly plays a role, but not as much as values.

If you looked at a black-and-white image that was only one value, you would not be able to see anything. So now, similar to the way we simplified shapes, we want to simplify values to make it easier to start a painting.

Most painters use a nine value scale to represent the visible world, which has too many values to be fully represented in painting.

Nine value scale reference page for painters and visual artists
Nine value scale reference page for painters and visual artists

But when we start a painting we want to simplify those nine values to make it easier. Then, as you progress through the painting you can add even more values, the same way you add smaller shapes as you progress through a painting.

You could simplify values with a program like photoshop. But you already have a tool that is far more efficient and effective.

The tool is your own vision. All you need to do is close one eye and squint like Popeye the sailor man. Squinting reduces the amount of light that reaches your eye so that you see only the most prominent values.

Example of how squinting can simplify and group values in a painting subject
Example of how squinting can simplify and group values in a painting subject

When possible it’s helpful to group all the light and dark values together when starting a painting. Not only does this makes for a much stronger composition but it makes starting a painting easier too.

So if you find yourself struggling with starting a painting, ask yourself if you squinted enough and simplified the shapes and values. Don’t make painting harder than it needs to be. If you don’t make starting a fun process, it can be easy to get frustrated and not want to paint. And nobody wants that.

Do you squint to simplify values? Feel free to leave a comment or question. It’d love to help you on your painting journey.

Stop back tomorrow (and every day) for more painting tips and lessons.

Stay inspired,

Bry

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How to Simplify Drawing for Beginners: Simplifying Curves and Soft Edges

Today we will examine some tips to make drawing easier and why it is so darn difficult.

At its core drawing is really just measuring. A human head has a precise height and width. So why is it so darn hard to get accurate?

This is because real people, places, and things aren’t defined by sharp lines—they are fuzzy and curvy. Here are a few tips to get around this conundrum.

First, it’s helpful to see the world in terms of geometric shapes, like triangles, squares, and circles. If you can find these big shapes first, it makes it easier to get proportions correct.

For example, many artists learn figure drawing by using cylinders for arms and boxes for hips. From there you can model more details onto the body. These simple shapes help get overall proportions correct.

In portraits, there are a lot of curves and soft edges, which can make it very difficult to get measurements. To get around this, it’s helpful to break a portrait down into straight lines.

Simplified graphite drawing of man with beard using only straight lines
Simplified graphite drawing of man with beard using only straight lines

I know what you’re probably thinking: Thanks, Captain Obvious, but how do I know where to put a line on a soft edge? The answer: You guess.

The point isn’t to get it perfectly accurate from the start. You get it as close as possible and then make minor adjustments as you proceed through the drawing.

The straight lines also help you slowly develop curves. If you start with large shapes and straight lines, you can slowly refine them until you arrive at something close to a curve.

Then you can draw a confident curve with one stroke because you now know exactly where it is.

For portraits, it’s helpful to use plumb lines, lines that help you align two or more spots vertically or horizontally.

For example, the pupils usually line up with the corners of the mouth. And the inside corners of the eyes usually line up with the outside of the nostrils.

The takeaway from all this is that it helps to start with very simple shapes and lines and refine them into more complex lines and shapes.

This certainly isn’t the only way to start drawing nor is it a way to draw forever. But it can help if you are struggling with proportions.

Eventually artists develop their own method for drawing. As long as you are getting the results you want, it doesn’t matter that much how you get there.

Do you start with straight lines? Let me know in the comments. I would love to chat with you. 🙂

Stop back tomorrow, and everyday, for more painting and drawing tips.

Stay inspired,

Bry

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How to Oil Paint on a Budget: 3 Tips to Save Money on Oil Paint, Brushes, and Panels

Today let’s discuss how to start (or maintain) oil painting for as little money as possible, without sacrificing quality.

One of the main things you need is paint. But you don’t need every color in the rainbow to start. In fact, you’ll learn quicker if you start with just one pigment, say, burnt umber, for example.

It may not be as exciting, but if your goal is to learn to control oil paint, one pigment is all you need. (See the previous article on monochrome painting.)

And you can get a 37ml tube of premium M Graham burnt umber for under $10. Not bad. Premium oil paint is usually softer and easier to manipulate so you don’t need mediums while painting. So there is more money saved right there.

Now you need a firm brush to push that oil paint around. You can get a high quality Princeton Dakota number 8 for about $10. Sound like a lot for a brush? If you treat it well, it can easily last years.

Here is a video on how I clean my brushes to make them last forever. https://youtu.be/2gMDf1Bwo9o

It’s helpful to have multiple brushes but you can definitely get by with just one. I like angled bright brushes because you can get broad strokes, sharp lines, and fine points. All that from one brush, and more money saved.

For a support to paint on, I like hardboard panels, formally known as masonite. They are great for learning and even finished paintings if properly sealed and primed.

You can get a 4×8’ panel at Home Depot cut into 96 6×8” panels, a perfect size for quick studies. At around $14 for the full sheet, that comes to about 15 cents per panel, compared to $2.50 at an art store.

If you bought those 96 panels in an art store it would be $250. That’s quite the discount.

If you are learning to paint in monochrome, there is virtually no reason to clean your brush while painting. So no solvents need. Just wipe it with a rag or paper towel. More money saved.

Now you could wash your brushes with soap and water after you finish painting, but if you paint regularly, you could just dip them in Gamblin safflower oil.

You can get a bottle for around $25, but that bottle could easily last you a year if you are just using it for dipping brushes. It’s well worth it because it will save you from washing brushes all the time.

Finally you need something to prime your panels. You could get some Golden acrylic gesso for about $15 or student grade gesso for even less. It will do just fine if you are learning and experimenting. But here is a little tip if you want to use some of that money you just saved.

Consider trying Michael Harding nonabsorbent acrylic primer. If you are painting in monochrome with a reductive technique, it will enable you to wipe off paint much more easily than gesso.

It’s a little pricey at $28 for the small jar but a little goes a long way. Not a money saver but it makes painting more enjoyable.

Gamblin oil ground is even better but you’ll also need a sizing like GAC 100 from Golden, and that is more money to spend, and defeats the purpose of this article.

Just about the only other thing you would need is a mixing palette. I prefer wooden palettes but for the sake of saving money you could just use aluminum foil. You probably already have that, so that’s free.

So there you have it: An absolute bare bones way to start oil painting or maintain it if you you are short on cash. It may not be very exciting, but it will get the job done.

What tips do you have for saving money on supplies. Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.

Stop back tomorrow, and everyday, for more painting tips.

Stay inspired,

Bry