My first oil painting! I have no clue what I'm doing (it looks like a watercolor sort of and it's a little rough around the edges still) but I had so much fun. I loved that I could cover up and redo and that gave me more freedom to make mistakes. This guy is what I imagine my guardian angel looks like. I think he's standing guard with a shotgun always watching my back. I've always seen sweet, white, fluffy angel pictures of guardians and I've always believed that the one looking after me was tough as hell and was ready for a fight so I had to paint my own. I intend to paint a series of some other good bad guys that I imagine are watching out after my other family members. Steve, Linda, Vicki -( I could name so many others) I have you to thank, really and your comments from my last post. It dawned on me that I didn't like my images because they always appeared too tough, hard, rough. And I wanted sweet, good, beautiful things to come out of me. But while I was driving the winnower today, I mulled over your advice and thought, "just let it work for you and quit fighting it". I have to give myself permission to let me paint like me, like Steve said. (it could be okay that I'm not exactly sweet, always good or scrumptiously beautiful and the stuff that comes out of me won't be either.., just a secret wish of mine I suppose.....)And I think I can keep practicing with this idea and get better results. So thanks friends. See, someone is looking out for me after all, he just isn't anymore sweeter than I am. Go figure.ps. can anyone tell me what I do now, or once i'm really finished. do you seal oil paintings? it's taking forever to dry..... Oh, and please, if you have any suggestions for improvement- you know me - i'm hungry for them good or bad. i only have 8 primary colors and some liquin and some natural turpentine. what else could be helpful?
10 comments:
found you on Karin's blog - Beyond Words. love your oil painting, though I can't help one bit because I've never used oils. I have heard that they take quite a while to dry and I don't know if you can use a heat gun like we do when impatient with acrylics:)
take care,
patti
Hello! Beautiful painting, I think it's a refreshing spin on the guardian angel theme!
I used to paint in oils all the time, I had to put them on a long hold because of cost in recent years.
It takes them a good 6 months to cure, to be on the safe side. But I've heard of people that wait a full year to seal their oil paintings.
Some people spray it with re touch varnish a few months after drying, to protect it. This is a non permanent spray, that does not impede it's drying.
I've never bothered with the re touch varnish, except when I'm still working on a painting I didn't mean to let dry, but I did, it makes the colors look wet again so that you don't get a head ace trying to match them again.
I believe my guardian angel is Arnold Schwartzangel. Your angel looks a bit like Doc Holiday - I like!
WOW, you opened my eyes of what a guardian angel "might" look like :) I think he's cool...
as for oils, have never used because of my allergies so can't help...I know they take too long to dry!!
Your drying time with oils depends on the degree you thinned your paint as you created it. As Morganna said it can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months for it to be rock hard. It looks like you worked relatively thin here though – so I bet it will only take a week or two.
I use Windsor Newton Dammar Varnish on my oils and acrylics. (About $20 for an 8.5oz bottle- but it’s real thin and last forever!) I prefer to get the liquid and put it on with a brush. I’ve had the misfortune of getting some really bad aerosol cans (Including spray varnishes made by Windsor Newton) that have literally destroyed my work. They created a nasty white film. Varnish of any sort just doesn’t spray well and you never know how long the cans have been on the store shelf.
Any way cool- Cowboy Guardian Angel. You’ll find that your art and style will evolve as you evolve as an artist. It’s a fun journey and your on your way.
Vikki
I like the originality of this image. And I'm glad that you're learning and accepting your own individual artistic style.
I like your guardian angel. He looks like he could hold his own, far better than a sweet little fluffy one. I would say he's right up my ally.
Don't know the first thing about painting, so I'm of no help.
This is beautiful! What an awesome guardian angel :) I love the movement in your brush strokes - wonderful oil!
Oh Odd Chick! How delightful! Seeing this made my day - and I have a cold and I'm generally feeling crappy, so I had a long way to go, but this did it. I am so glad to see you painting something so YOU. I mean that this comes from your own unique message and your own unique view of things. Brava. And tackling a new medium, as well. Not one I can give any advice on, though - I used oils briefly in school and have forgotten EVERYTHING except the old rule to never paint thin on fat (don't paint varnish or mineral spirit thinned paint layers over layers that are thicker and full of oil - the upper paint will dry too much faster, dry tighter, and crack over the fatter, still wet layers beneath).
Good for you, tackling a new medium.
I love oils, but not the smell -- chemicals give me asthma -- so I use the water-soluble kind. Still some smell, but not at all bad. Even with these oils, a painting needs a good 6 months to cure. It dries faster than regular oils, but it needs the curing time. Or so I have been instructed by my mentor who has painted for 35 years.
I'm grateful to learn about using liquid varnish over aerosols -- I've only used the sprays, but would be horrified if a painting dried white!
I like the transparency of your painting -- normally difficult to achieve with oils. (For me anyway.)
And, I like your idea of a guardian angel -- I'm sure they look as different from each other as we do. And I'd like to think mine looks as protective and able as yours does. :)
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