In reality oil painting is a fairly new art style. Oil painting as a painting medium, the usage of oil in combination with other pigments counts back to 1400. Prior to oil painting, painting in general dates its history back to the period of stone age, painting in that era was made with the usage of binders unlike oil painting mixed with some kind of pigments like egg in tempera paints.
The fifteenth century was seen as a transitional period in Europe, there was some sort of reality visualized in art. Art was changing from the decorative style and mythological during a middle age to a period of revival and rebirth with the beginning of renaissance. There was a realization among the artists, they were beginning to understand the mathematical laws behind the outlook and there was a scenario prevailing where the artist were interested in portraying more sincere and portrays that were more realistic in nature. They had initiated the usage of nature as a source of inspiration for their paintings.
Jan Van Eyck (1395-1441), a painter of the northern renaissance wanted to mimic nature and its scenic beauty along with his painting brush on the board. He wanted to paint every tiniest detail on his board to portray his paintings to be more scenic and livelier. Finally he realized that if he had to portray every tiny detail of painting to his fullest satisfaction, he had to improve on the technique of painting. Thus with this zeal to portray tiny detail of nature with clarity he became the inventor of oil painting. Initially Van Eyck and all painters during the period of renaissance did not buy ready made colors. They grounded their pigment from natural sources like plants and minerals and in turn they added binder to form a paste with which they could paint. During the middle ages the binder which was used was egg and the end- product thus formed was tempera paint, this had the tendency to dry very quickly. This property of quick drying agent did not permit smooth transitions in shading. But smooth transitions were necessary to achieve as sense of reality which Van Eyck was attempting to portray. Thus he initiated the usage of oil instead of egg. The work with oil as a binder was much slower and accurate to the satisfaction levels. An oil binder permits to provide a glossier look. With this technique he was able to apply tiny detailing with the help of pointed brushes. Later the new technique of oil painting was appreciated and there was a general acceptance of oil painting to be used as a widely used suitable medium of painting.
Thus the invention of oil painting took place. They are very convenient sold in tube form, there are many other mediums of oil paintings available but we still adhere to the usage of oil painting invented by Van Eyck.
Frequently Asked Questions
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QUESTION:
Where can I find oil brushes for Photoshop?
I've constantly been trying to look for an oil/pastel-ish brush that has the look of a smooth textured painting for Photoshop. I have photoshop CS3. and I don't mean "oil spill" brush, I mean the natural media of oil brush.thanks if you can help!
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ANSWER:
the best place already in photoshop is to click on the brush...at the top of the photoshop program you'll see a downward arrow that says brush next to it...
click on that...
then there is a sideways arrow...click on that... open up the wet media brushes...
in there, there are some brushes that have somewhat of an oil/pastel look...
if that's not what you want
than you can always download some free brushes
here...http://www.photoshopsupport.com/tools/brushes.html
I think they have some oil brushes...
have fun..
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QUESTION:
Where can I find Photoshop brushes that simulate realistic strokes?
I'm specifically looking for .abr files for use in Adobe Photoshop. I'd like to find some brushes that simulate realistic strokes in acrylic paint, oil paint, or watercolor. I don't want watercolor "splats", I want brushes similar to those in Corel Painter, that create a realistic and textured feel.Please provide specific links if you can, saying that I might find them on a certain site WILL NOT help me at all.
Thank you very much!
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ANSWER:
http://brushnet.com
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QUESTION:
How to make my picture look real on photoshop?
i have a REAL picture of a human, but on photoshop it looks like someone put oil paint on it.. i tried sharpening it, but now it looks like a sharpened oil paint, you know what i mean? i even tried soft brushing it but i want the edges of my clothing to look real.
what should I do?-
ANSWER:
It has obviously been subject to some post processing.
Unless you have a file which is saved in the correct format with the layers then there is nothing you cann do.
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QUESTION:
Questions about clay and sculpting...?
So, Ive never really sculpted anything...I usually work digitally with 3ds max or make my painting in photoshop, but I've sold my computer and I'm not getting a new one yet, so... I have this piece I want to make. It's a 7-8 inch human, and he's floating in a cylinder.
So I was thinking of sculpting it with clay. I have some Fimo clay someplace, but its not nearly enough. I heard super sculptey is very good. How much is it? I can't spend much, which is why I'm not going out buying a canvas,brushes and oil paints and doing it in oil paints.
I have sculpting tools, so I don't have to spend on that.So here are my questions...
1. Which clay is better for sculpting?
2. Can you bake the clay multiple times? As in, you finish the basic shape, bake it, then touch it up.
3.Can it be submerged underwater after I bake it... or should I coat it in something... how would I do that. I could also potentially submerge it in this stuff that dries like jello, I forgot what it was called...
3b.Does anybody know what that jello stuff is called. It was a clear thick liquid that dried like jello after a while. I used it in a school project 7 years ago, and it survived for 3 than my mom threw it away because other parts of the project were making a mess, but the jello was still good looking.
4. I'd also need to paint it so... how would I go about that, I heard it doesn't paint well.
5. What do I use to smooth things out? I tried to sculpt a head, and it looks pretty good, but everything is rough and ugly. I know you can sand afterward but... what can I do before? Can you use water to thin the clay?
6. Oh, and should I build up the armature with paper or aluminum or something...
3b is a purely optional question. I'm just wondering if anybody happened to know. I can't remember and I doubt it would harm the clay since it hardens...Um about the brand, There are different types of the same brand. I heard that Super Sculpey is good. Any suggestions?
I also read something about isopropyl or turpentine to blend clay... Anybody know which is better?
Oh and on the paint, is sculpey glaze shiny? I can't really have that... The figure is going to be pale white... Clothes don't matter because I'm just going to make him some from cloth.
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ANSWER:
Sculpy is pretty inexpensive. Not any more then FIMO, and it's way better.to answer your questions in requards to polymer clay
1. Sculpy
2. If you bake it more than once it is likely to crack from the stress. After it has been baked, it cannot retouch it. Nothing new will stick to it and anything to be removed will be difficult to remove. It would not be worth it. Instead, let the clay sit for a minute and let it cool. It's gets warm from you hands and makes it super pliable, to make it not move so much, let it sit for a few minutes and it will get harder.
3.I wouldn't submerge it in water. I've never done it, but my educated guess is that's it a bad idea. You should coat it in some sort of sealant. Sculpy sells "sculpy glaze".
3b. I don't know the name of it, sorry.
4. It paints just fine. Sculpy glazes come in colors as well as clear, you can use those. I've never used it before, but I've never head anything bad about it. I use acrylic paints and they work just fine.
5.Water can thin the clay, but I wouldn't recommend thinning it too much. It will just get sticky and it wont help. Only use water to make it softer. After you let it sit for a minute use your tools to smooth it out a little. I've never sanded Sculpy after baking it (it wouldn't work before hand, it's too soft), but my other educated guess is that it would work. I don't see why not. It's just plastic. Just use a lightly textured sand paper. 60 grit for example might be too much for it. Maybe just get your finger a little wet and smooth it a bit? I'm not sure, polymer clays don't react to water a whole lot unless they soak.
6. Polymer clay shrinks a little when you bake it. Make a lose armature out of paper. So when it shrinks the paper can be squeezed inside of it without too much pressure. making it out of wire or something hard can cause it to crack when it shrinks.Good Luck!
EDIT: I think it's called supper Sculpy III. It comes in assorted colors as well as large bricks of a peachish color. The box should be white and green. I would recommend that because you're suppose to be able to use more detail than other types of sculpy. It's meant for art work. I've never used any other type of sculpy. I've never tried turpentine or isopryl, but I do know that sculpy also makes a special liquid that should help if you can't find any more info on it. I don't know what it's called, but it's made by them so it works. And you should be able to get Sculpy glaze in glossy or matte (not glossy). It doesn't matter if the color glazes are glossy as long as the top coat is matte it wont shine. There's no reason why you should HAVE to use a kiln fire clay, as it's even more porous than sculpy. Just like sculpy, it needs a glaze to waterproof it. it also has even less workability after being fired. You can't really even sand the stuff.
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QUESTION:
Digital Photos Changed to Resemble a Painting?
I am trying to find a program that will take a digital photo, and turn it into something that looks like a painting. I know Photoshop has some tools that allow you to do brush strokes or Fresco, etc. However, I am looking for an oil painting or pastel look so I can print it on canvas. Any suggestions?-
ANSWER:
The best program for that is called Corel Painter X, or its cheaper stripped down version caller Painter Essentials. These are wonderful prgrams to draw and paint digially with the aid of a wacom drawing tablet. There is a process called cloneing where Corel alows you to use digital brushes over an image, so rather than applying a filter to an entire image equally, you are actually painting a filter stroke by stroke where you want it. Different brushes give you different looking effect, some look like oil, some charcol, some pastels, ect.
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QUESTION:
How do I apply "brush strokes" to a photo printed on canvas?
I have taken a photo and put a filter on it in Photoshop that makes it look like an oil painting. I am going to have it printed on canvas and then stretch and frame that canvas to look like a oil painting. To make it look more authentic, how can I apply some texture or "brush strokes" to it? I am not an artist, and the last time I painted was in art class more than 15 years ago. So, I'm looking for a fairly simple technique--if there is one.-
ANSWER:
Try an acrylic "Gel Medium. This is a transparent finish coat used in painting. It comes in varying degrees from a matte finish to a gloss. Try and match the brush strokes that were applied in Photoshop. I would also do some test runs on some smaller patches of canvas to get a feel for it.
Good luck.
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QUESTION:
Tips on photo realistic painting with photoshop?
Hi, recently i saw some amazing videos where people draw photo realistic images in photoshop (such as http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJNvKjQHv8I&feature=related). Just curious if anyone has done this, and if so, do you use multiple layers to lighten/darken color? Also, have any tips on having the colors blend and look so smooth? (Ex: do you do the work in the same layer, just brushing with different opacity and flow values, using the eye drop tool, making the color darker and repeat?) Also, is there a name for this kind of painting or is it related to any other types of painting (such as oil?) Thanks!-
ANSWER:
A computer is just a tool. Just like a pencil or a brush. It takes skill and practice to make any piece of art.I guess you could call it Computer Aided Art. Most artist still call it a drawing or a painting.
Work in layers save a lot (specially when you are testing stuff)
Lots of layers but don't be afraid the merge them and work in that.Smudge, blend, push and vary the brush you use.
Push is a very cool brush to get that oil paint effect. Vary opacity and be amazed at the effects you can get.
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QUESTION:
Painting Help for the Semi Experienced Artist?
I've been drawing for quite a few years now and am pretty good at it. I really like using oil pastels and photoshop because building the layers seems pretty natural to me. I've wanted to start painting for a while and even bought some acrylic paints, but I just can't seem to get the hang of it. Anyone out there got some good tips or sites where I can learn? I don't need to know the basics, like how to hold the brush or paint by looking for shapes in the image or anything. I need more details on how to mix the colors, build the layers, and such.-
ANSWER:
With acrylic, the paint must dry before you can layer colors. But the only reason you layer on the paint is because you want the paint to be raised above the canvas or you boo-booed and need to cover it. When mixing colors, there really is no trick. You just mix until you get the hue/shade you want. If you're looking for more opacity (opaque, milky) then try goauche paints. Those are my pick because they are like watercolors in the term of blending and layering but like acrylics because you can layer over them if you make a mistake (watercolors you cannot paint over to make corrections).Hope this helps and good luck and if you need additional advice you can e-mail me.
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QUESTION:
How do you make your photos look like oil paintings?
(1) I know you can go to your photoshop and give you photo the crackle effect. (2) Then you put your photo on canvas. Is putting my photo on canvas something that I can do? This is what I am having problems finding out. (3) Then use clear acrylic paint and bursh it on making your brush stokes follow the lines of the item you are painting. Now, what about the canvas part and can this be done on other material besided canvas?
And, I do not want to use any kind of photoshop software. I want to be able to see the brush strokes of the acryilc paint. This is what makes it look so real.-
ANSWER:
You added that you do not want to use any photoshop software to do this. However, Corel Painter 10 works quite well. You can have it automatically "clone" a photo into an oil painting, but what I like to do is use the little Wacom pad (the pen thingie), and draw it by hand (it takes a while). The "clone" picks up the color(s) of the original, but the copy looks like an oil painting.
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