Q&A for How to Oil Paint

No. Using water with oil color does not work, as the water and the oils get separated.

They can, but be aware that their inherent hues and opacities will be altered.

Acrylic is a good base if you are covering a large space or using a large amount, as acrylics are easy to dry and also because oil paints are very expensive, so you don't want to waste any. Oil paint can overlap dark colors and acrylic paint, so black acrylic can be a good base.

You can paint on paper, but it's best if it's thick and made specifically for painting. Regular printer paper potentially could work, but it wouldn't last nearly as long as a canvas or archival-grade paper. For practice purposes, though, it would work fine.

Make a layer really thick to create protrusions and emphasize. You can punch the canvas (lightly, with the brush perpendicular to you canvas) with the bristles of your brush to create a stipple.

Varnish is a coat protecting the artwork underneath it. It's extremely helpful if you've drawn something great and don't want anything to happen to it, like smudging or getting dirty.

No. Coconut oil is mostly saturated fat and becomes solid at moderate temperatures. Other drying oils, such as walnut oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, and poppy oil, are substitutes you can use.

Yes, but the point of watercolor is to give the painting a gentle, transparent look. Using oils is generally not compatible with that.

Paint the darkest values first and work your way to the lightest value.

It's a good idea to start with an unprimed canvas (called cotton duck). You then prime it with three coats of gesso. If you're looking to skip the priming stage, a lot of craft stores sell primed canvasses suitable for oil painting.

Block out the subject(s) first, then paint the background around it. It will take a long time for the background to dry. If you paint the entire background first, you'll just smudge it if you try to paint on top of it.

You can try another type of oil that dries. Do not use cooking oil, such as olive oil, as it does not dry out and could ruin your painting. You might also be able to find a linseed oil substitute at an arts and crafts store.

Oil paint can take over a week up to a few months (!) depending on the thickness and the individual brand of paint.

Oil and/or other organic solvents/vehicles. That would include linseed and poppy oils, turpentine, and white spirits/paint thinner/naphtha.

With oil paint the finish will be glossy. To get a matte finish, a different paint would be best, like gouache.

You don't have to use a dark color, but it does make your painting stand out. Using a white base coat is perfectly acceptable.

Turn the canvass 180 degress, so the back of the canvas is visible, and lean it against the wall. Make sure very little or no paint is touching the wall.

Use Gesso on the canvas to prepare it.

You can scratch the oil paints off while the paint is still wet to reveal the base or darker colors behind it. I personally find the scratching technique useful for creating the effect of branches or twigs in a landscape painting.

It depends on the artist. Most likely, a scene needs depth of fields and a focus or focal point.

Sure, you can paint on wood or linen or an art board.

You should. Look up instructions on YouTube. It's called "underpainting," and it will save you a lot of oil paint if you do it.

No. Spirits will thin the paint, but won't make it glossy like linseed oil.

It is not recommended, as the oil paint is not good for your skin.

Yes. Use Gesso. If you bought it in a shop, it may have already been primed, however, and wouldn't require treatment prior to painting.

You can get a spray can of varnish from any stationary mart or craft shop.

Linseed oil is preferred for darker colors as it yellows the lighter ones too quickly. Turpentine is an effective diluting agent for the first few thinner layers.

It's due to the moisture in the air and the amount time it takes for the oil to evaporate. The time it takes to dry really depends on the amount of moisture in the air. So for example, it'll dry faster during the winter months than the summer.

This is up to you as the painter. Generally, varnish will protect your painting from damage and make it last longer, and there are some varnishes that will give the paint different effects, such as a glossy finish.

Oil paints are made of oils and pigments. They take much longer to dry, and are great for blending when compared to acrylics. Unlike acrylic paint, oil paint can be thinned with turpentine, or made to be thick and textured.