Oil Painting | How to Paint | Paint Box and Palette

MATERIAL AND EQUIPMENT FOR OIL PAINTING

The Paint Box and Palette

You will need a box to store your colors as well as to hold brushes, palette, and panels when you go sketching.

The most popular sizes for paint boxes are 12 x 16 and 16 x 20 inches; the box lid should be grooved to hold canvas panels of the same size. A box in either of these sizes will serve both for the studio and outdoors. Paint boxes are available in wood and metal. Metal ones are more expensive but will last a lifetime, and wooden ones already painted or stained cost more than unpainted ones. If you buy an unfinished box, give it a complete coat of good varnish, both inside and out. It is easier to wipe off any unwanted paint on a varnished surface, and the varnish will also help to preserve the wood. For any wooden box, check the hardware, making certain that the hinges and clasps are substantial, and check the lid to be sure it will hold the panels comfortably. Inexpensive boxes occasionally warp, making it difficult to slide the panels in the slots of the lid.

You can buy a paint box completely outfitted with tubes of color. If the assortment happens to be made up of the colors you want, that is fine, but some dealers stock their boxes with colors that are seldom used. If this should be the case, by all means purchase the empty box and select only the colors you want to use, rather than confuse your palette with unnecessary colors.

A wooden palette fitted to the paint box is generally supplied. Give it a coating of linseed oil before using it. Remove the surplus paint from your palette at the end of each day's work, then rub it well with a paint rag, using linseed oil occasionally. In time your palette will acquire a beautiful protective sheen and will give you an excellent surface for mixing colors.

The Easel and Other Equipment

There are two main types of easels, studio and outdoor or sketching easels. If you purchase a sketching easel, select one that folds into a small, compact unit. Remember that you will be carrying a paint box and probably a sketching stool along with the easel.

A sketching easel can be used for working indoors, but it will lack the stability of a regular studio easel and will limit the size of your canvas, because the grips on a sketching easel are not designed to hold large canvases. Its stability can be improved by placing rubber tips on its legs when it is used indoors.

Whatever easel you select, make certain that it contains a fixture that allows the canvas to be tilted at an angle to eliminate surface glare.

Continue to The palette knife and other tools

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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