When painting still life with an oil brush, the technique used is crucial to the success of the work. Here are some key usage tips:
First, choose the appropriate oil painting brush
Type
Flat brushing: Mainly used for drawing large areas of color blocks and blocky textures. Its bristles are smooth and can evenly apply pigments, making it suitable for quickly covering large areas.
Round brush: It is the first choice for drawing details, lines and Outlines. The bristles are round with fine tips, capable of precisely drawing fine lines and Outlines, making it suitable for creating detailed patterns.
Flat brush: Suitable for drawing straight lines and wide areas. The bristles are flat and can smoothly draw straight lines and wide surfaces on the carrier, making it suitable for presenting broad and smooth picture effects.
Bevel brush: Mainly used for precise drawing of edges and details. The bristles are in an oblique shape, allowing for easy access to the corners and details of the picture. It is an ideal tool for drawing details on a flat surface.
Waist pen: Used to create soft transitions and gradient effects. The bristles have a moderate shape, which can easily create a soft and even transition effect, making it suitable for expressing the layering and depth of the picture.
Material
The materials of oil painting brushes are divided into soft bristles and hard bristles. Soft-bristled brushes are renowned for their soft and fine texture, making them ideal for depicting delicate details, creating smudging and shading, and facilitating smooth transitions between colors. Hard-bristled brushes are more suitable for applying thick paint, shaping textures and creating bold brushstrokes.
Size
Choose the appropriate brush size according to your painting needs. Large-sized brushes are suitable for coloring large areas, while small-sized brushes are better for detailing.
Second, composition and drafting
Composition
When composing still life, pay attention to highlighting the main object and reasonably arrange the position, height, size, front and back, and density of the surrounding objects. The triangular composition is a commonly used composition method in still life paintings, which can make the picture more stable and harmonious.
Make sure not to fill the edges of the picture too much. Leave some blank space to increase the sense of space.
Draft
On the canvas, accurately define the Outlines of the main objects. The size relationship, shape characteristics, and form structure between the objects should be as precise as possible.
Monochrome finalization can be used. Generally, a certain color is selected according to the need of the tone to draw the major light and shade relationship of the picture, making the form of the picture more prominent and vivid.
Third, laying out the main colors and shaping
Apply large colors
The purpose of using large colors is to express a strong perception of still life on the canvas, capturing the large forms, colors, light and shade, and rhythm relationships.
Start from the main object and quickly lay out the tone. At this step, you need to discard the subtle changes in temperature and only consider the interrelationships of the large color blocks.
Use a larger oil painting brush dipped in oil-diluted oil paint to draw the general color relationship of the still life on the canvas thinly, just like painting watercolor.
Shaping
Shaping refers to the process of establishing volumes from large to small with brushstrokes on the rough plane effect of the first coat of color, with the aim of gradually making the form and color clear and real.
Determine the outline and structure of the form, and gradually shape it from the dark areas to the bright ones, so that the object can approach the three-dimensional effect from a planar sense.
Shaping is a gradual process. Each time you draw, you must consider the smooth progress of the next one. Generally speaking, when focusing on the high points or bright areas, one should try to shape the brushstrokes as much as possible, while dealing with the dark areas and the middle layers, one should be gentle and pay attention to the connection. The thickness of the color layers should also be relatively thin.
Fourth, in-depth depiction and adjustment
In-depth portrayal
In-depth depiction should not be understood as drawing in detail, but rather as focusing on the parts that can fully express the physical features and texture of the object for depiction.
Use the language of color to represent space and express feelings. Pay attention to the thickness of the brushstrokes and pigments to represent the texture of different objects, such as the luster of metals, the smoothness of ceramics, and the softness of fabrics.
Carefully observe the texture on the surface of the object and try to represent it with different techniques.
Overall adjustment
If some parts are overdone in terms of shape and color, appearing “messy” or “disordered”, then this step of adjustment is very necessary.
Adjustment is also in-depth, but it is not just about strengthening; it may also be about weakening. You can place the painting at a distance and observe which parts of the form and color are too fragmented, whether there is any conflict in the relationship of large color blocks, and whether the virtual and real space is appropriate, etc.
Make adjustments and modifications to these issues one by one, strengthening the areas that need to be enhanced and weakening the areas that need to be weakened. For some relatively satisfactory parts, but due to their disharmony with the overall relationship, they must be modified to maintain the overall effect of the picture in the end.
Fifth, Precautions
Pigments and Color Mixing
When mixing colors, pay attention to the proportion of pigments and ensure they are mixed evenly. Avoid excessive color mixing to prevent it from affecting the overall effect of the picture.
You can try color superimposition, but be careful to do it in moderation to avoid the colors being too dull.
Brushstrokes and texture
Choose the appropriate brushstrokes according to the texture of the object and the requirements of the picture. Rough brushstrokes can express the texture and feel of objects, while fine brushstrokes can make the picture smoother and softer.
Pay attention to the direction and force of the brushstrokes to make the picture more vivid and powerful.
Light and Shadow
Observe and accurately represent the direction and intensity of the light source, as this will affect the shadows and highlights of the object. Paying attention to the shape, size and soft or hard edges of the shadows can enhance the three-dimensional and realistic effect of the picture.
Use the contrast of light and shadow to highlight the main subject and layering of the picture.
Patience and attention to detail
Oil painting requires patience and meticulousness. Don’t be in a hurry for quick success. Take your time to shape and depict every detail.
During the painting process, one should often take a step back and observe the picture from a distance to ensure overall harmony and balance.