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< Make certain that you replace the cap of each color tube immediately after using it.
< Do not allow the oil in the palette cup to accumulate and become gummy.
< Remove unwanted paint from the working surface of the palette knife, then wipe the palette clean with a rag.
< Wipe the palette knife frequently, never allowing the paint to become tacky on the blade.
< Take care not to nick the blade of the palette knife.
< Before folding up an outdoor easel, always remove any paint that may have smeared on it. Check especially the cross-piece that supports the canvas.
< Keep a small pair of pliers in your paint box for use in removing caps, when they stick to the tube. If a cap does not unscrew, light a match and hold the flame at the cap. The heat should soften any dried paint, which is generally the cause of the sticking.
< Although most paint boxes are sold with a protective coating on the outside, many manufacturers leave the inside untouched. A few coats of shellac will help to preserve the wood and will make paint smears easier to remove.
< Never store materials or equipment in a damp place. This applies particularly to paper and canvas.
BRUSH HANDLING
In an earlier section I listed the essential brushes needed for painting, but as you progress you will naturally want to add to your collection. As you paint more you will realize the importance of good brushes, too. A good brush will hold its shape and, with good care, will last several years, but an inferior brush never has the spring and resiliency of a more expensive make. Inferior brushes also have the infuriating habit of depositing loose hairs on the painted canvas. This always seems to happen when you have just executed a particularly fine color passage!
Start to paint by dipping the brush lightly into the color, taking care not to let the color come up to the ferrule. Use the rag frequently, removing surplus color and at the same time pressing the hairs back into shape. If you lay-in your paintings in a dry-brush manner, that is, applying color with a rubbing technique and with little or no medium, use one of your older stiff bristle brushes. Once you start using full color, apply it with a crisp, firm touch.
You can clean your brush fairly well while working by dipping it into the turpentine and wiping it dry with a rag. However, when a deep blue or violet color is followed with a shade of yellow, the darker color may tint the lighter one in spite of the quick turpentine rinse. You will find it convenient, therefore, to use a separate brush for lighter colors, particularly the yellows and ochre. Many painters use several brushes when working outdoors, reserving a brush for yellows, one for blues, another for reds and so on. That may not always be necessary, but it is advisable to have separate brushes for Thalo colors, whose tinting quality is so powerful that they can easily find their way into all the colors used.
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AN INTRODUCTION TO OIL PAINTING
Material & Equipment for Oil Painting
> Introduction & Colors
> Working with Canvases
> More about Using Canvases
> The Paint Box and Palette
> The Palette Knife and Other Tools
> Oil Painting Brushes & the Home Studio
> Care of Equipment & Brush Handling
> More about Brush Handling
> Arranging Colors on the Palette & Color Mixing
> More About Color Mixing
> Color Mixing Exercises