Oil Painting - The First Layer of ‘Unicorn’

April 25, 2007 in Artwork, Oil Painting | 2 comments

Once you have got the sketch ready, and the tools you need to paint, then comes the point when you cannot wait any longer.

Unicorn - First Layer - Full

You will have to excuse me, I forgot to take the snap of the canvas when I drew a rough outline of what I had sketched earlier. It is pretty much the same thing, but you do not put in any details as you are anyway going to cover it up with the paint. The more you practice by sketching, the more easier it will be for you to reproduce the same on the canvas with a graphite stick or a charcoal stick.

I am not sure if charcoal would do the same effect, but because I used graphite, when I paint over it, I get these dark patches.

Unicorn - First Layer - Closeup A

Do not worry much about getting the right shape. Just put the basic dark tone mixture of the color. Use about one third part of the medium, linseed oil in my case, and two parts of turpentine, to mix with the pigment on the palette. Pick it up with the largest brush in your set and paint on the canvas, using the drawing you had made as a guide - filling up the spaces.

Since the turpentine is more and oil is less, the paint is said to be thin. This should allow the paint to dry up very fast - within a day or two - after which you can paint the next layer.

Unicorn - First Layer - Closeup B

As far as possible, try to avoid leaving any of the canvas unpainted.  Even if the color of the subject is white, paint it with white.  The first layer will be a foundation for the next set of layers that you will paint over.

Unicorn - First Layer - Closeup C

At this point, once I have completed the first layer, I sit back and let it dry for a day or two.

I notice that the hind of the unicorn does not seem to have a good shape as I wanted.  This mistake might not have happened if I had studied a bit more by sketching it out, again and again, until I was more confident.  Seems like I have been a bit impatient.

In any case, we are amateurs here, and we have, license to make mistakes.  We can learn from them.