Painting straight edge in oil
John Ng
ropes or strings) in oil on canvas?
John Ng
Mani Deli
I don't generally talk about painting technique in the hope that the
mass of twits here continue painting the way they do. However.
Fine lines and for that matter everything requires a medium that
properly wets the painting. This means that the charge on your brush
should produce an even stroke until you lift it. This in turn requires
a homogeneous surface on which to paint. By this I mean a surface that
is equally wettable. If one part is oilier than another lean part and
you want to draw a long thin line you must restore the ground in some
way. (the same problem occurs in acrylics and mixed technique)
otherwise you will get a modern art school mess.
This is the reason that in-between layers of thin varnish and other
means were used. One method was to rub the surface with a potato
causing a thin even coat of dry starch.
Also you must develope a medium that allows the paint to flow off the
brush in a continuous even thin stream for the length of the line.
In oil many problems arise due to layers lifting and one must also
know how to avoid this.
There are lots of different ways of achieving this. Indeed, none of
this requires great artistic skill as it is knowledge of your craft.
Without this however, you will waste loads of time schmiering around
and spend your life doing corrections
I always tell students who ask, that they must be able to paint the
finest lines and do clean blends and that's for starters. They must
also have a technique for glazing and scumbling and they must
understand why this is necessary if they want to achieve an illusion
of form.
Take a close look at classical still life, Persian miniatures and the
detail in Dalii and you will see some of the finest examples.
...no skill no art!
Want to get away from the indecipherable imbecilities and absurd pretensions of the modern art establishment?
Check out my web page http://www3.sympatico.ca/manideli/
Ivor E. Black
>
>What is the usual technique for painting thin straight edges (such as
>ropes or strings) in oil on canvas?
Oh dear! Here we go again. USUAL TECHNIQUE? For whom, I ask?
I would guess you'll get all sorts of suggestions, including
using a 'ruler' or straight edge as a guide!
Here is MY personal preference. I use a painting knife
that has a long straight edge on the 'point' end for
anything requiring a fine line. The other useful, and
more commonly used tool for painters, is the long-bristled
'rigger' or 'liner' brushes available on the market.
And yes, a straight edge comes in handy at times. I use
my own variation of a 'mahl stick' (or maul stick)
that allows me to steady my hand when holding one of
the 'riggers' brushes. I've even resorted to using
a regular pen nib for detailing fine lines. "WHATEVER
WORKS!" is my first rule!
Dr. Slick
>
> I don't generally talk about painting technique in the hope that the
> mass of twits here continue painting the way they do. However.
>
"The only real power is to empower others."
"And if I claim to be a wise man, that surely means that I don't know."
Slick
keith o'connor (tinmangallery.com
k
The eye should not be lead where there is nothing to see.
Robert Henri - The Art Spirit
Mani Deli <ma...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
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Mani Deli
>very good mani: a comment about the rigger would have completed it.
>
>k
? What's that supposed to mean?
sketchdude
ca-thickety-thackety-thik-thik-thik, until the following nugget
appeared somewhere on an unknown output device:
>What is the usual technique for painting thin straight edges (such as
>ropes or strings) in oil on canvas?
>
>John Ng
One time a few years ago I was painting a close-up front view of
electric guitars, and was wondering the same thing about rendering
the strings.
Finally once the surface was dry to the touch, I rigged up a sewing
thread tied to a nail, dipped the thread in a thick umber glaze, and
then "popped" the lines on, the same way a carpenter uses a
chaulk-box.
I had to wipe it off and start over a few times, but I finally got the
machine edge I was looking for.
..
..
sketchdude
Mani Deli
wrote:
Fine, now try drawing a clean curve.
Mani Deli
wrote:
>On 9 Jan 2003 15:31:40 -0800, pigsm...@hotmail.com (John Ng)
keith o'connor (tinmangallery.com
ranting expletives about how stupid someone is and how wonderful you are and
you question my comment.
mani: what am I going to do with you? Is it one of those situations where
you can dress him up but you can't take him out in public?
k
The eye should not be lead where there is nothing to see.
Robert Henri - The Art Spirit
Mani Deli <ma...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
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