Painting Tips and Techniques: Links and Topics

When I was an art student, there were times when I felt frustrated by a lack of specific information. This frustration led me to comb the internets for my own questions and answers. However, even that was frustrating. Sometimes I didn't know the right question to ask, and answers I did find were usually strewn over multiple sites.

And so, in order to help you avoid the same time-consuming, frustrating searches, below is a list of topics, organized into primary subjects, so that both you and I may have the information we need all in one place.

Note: I will be linking each post back to this main idea page as I complete each topic. If there are topics not covered here that you would like to know more about, leave a comment and I will see what I can do.

Paint

Color Palettes: Limited vs Semi-Limited

Color palettes: Basic and Beyond

What does a Paint’s Label mean: Lightfastness, Series, etc.

Types of Paints and When to use them: Opaque, Semi-Transparent,Transparent

Painting Shadows and Lights: Warm vs Cool colors and Transparent vs Opaque 

Paint Brands: Professional vs Student grade

Are Oil Paints Toxic? Yep.

Paint Colors 

Characteristics of an Oil Paint: A Guideline to Purchasing the Perfect Paint Every Time

Which White should I Use: Lead, Zinc, Titanium, etc?

Which Black should I Use: Lamp, Mars, Ivory, Payne's? Or No Black at All?

Yellow Oil Paint: Pigments, Basics, and How to Pick the Right Yellow

Orange Oil Paint: Pigments, Basics, and How to Pick the Right Orange

Red Oil Paint: Pigments, Basics, and How to Pick the Right Red

Purple Oil Paint: Pigments, Basics, and How to Pick the Right Purple 

Vantablack: Can an Artist really own a Color?

Mediums 

Types of Mediums: The Simple Option 

Types of Mediums: Oils, Thinners, Questions, etc.    

How to Keep Solvent Odors to a Minimum while Painting 

How to Avoid and Fix a Yellowing Painting

Brushes 

Types of Brushes: Hog Bristle, Sable, Synthetic, etc.  

Brush Brands and What to Purchase: Level 1, 2, 3, what?

Saving your Paint Brushes: How to Remove Old Dried Paint and Reshape your Brushes

Going Green: Cleaning paint brushes without Turpenoid

Cleaning your Brushes with Turpenoid 

Decanting: How to make your cleaning Oil or Turpeniod stretch 

Painting Supports/Palettes 

Types of Palettes: Wood, Glass, or Paper 

Color Palettes: How to Make your Own Glass Palette 

Color Palettes: How to Organize your Paint 

Types of Supports: Board, Canvas, or Paper and How to Make Them 

Painting Methods 

Three Oil Painting Rules: Fat over Lean, Thick over Thin, and Slow over Fast Drying 

Direct vs Indirect vs Combination Painting: Differences, Terms, and Artists 

Colored Grounds / Imprimatura: What is it, What colors to Use, and Who Used Them

Indirect Painting: The Flemish Technique or Classical Approach

Indirect: Underdrawing

Indirect: Underpainting and Dead Color

Indirect: Overpainting

Indirect: Glazing, true glazing vs color correcting

How to Correct Dull, Sunken Colors: Oiling Out Vs Creating a Couch

Direct Painting: Alla Prima vs Wet-on-Wet vs En Plein Air

Direct: Impasto Painting

Direct Painting: 10 Simple Guidelines to Colorful and Clean Paintings

Tonking: How to Smooth Paint Strokes or Paint Thickness without Disturbing the Paint

How and When to Varnish

How to paint Convincing Shadows: painting the colors that you can't see 

How to Avoid Mixing Muddy Colors

Flesh Tones: Warm and Cool

What you need in order to copy an Old Master or Modern Work

Color Theory 

Hue vs  Color vs Tint vs Shade: What they are and How to make them

A small caveat: There are differing opinions all over the internet about each of these topics. The opinion I am putting forth is my own, but only after extensive research. I normally only decide what to write on a topic after I have found two or three agreeing opinions that stand out from all of the differing ones and I will be citing them when possible.