When creating an oil painting, I like to break it down into steps. In art, there really are no rules but I think it’s good to know “the rules” before you can break them. These are the steps that I learned when I started painting. I still use these steps when I’m not going free form:
1. Wash In- Establish the basic drawing onto the canvas. Put down the values, and edges in monochrome. I like to use a brown, washy tint for this.
2. Lay-In – This is where you lay down some opaque color. Use a flat color. I set up the complexion of the subject while still concentrating on values and edges at the same time.
3. Painting – This is where you develop your lay-in in step two. Paint directly into the wet paint, manipulating shapes and shadows. If you need to keep that paint moist longer during this process, put a couple drops of oil of cloves in the paint on the palette.
4. Finishing- This is where you step back, look at the painting and add highlights and details as needed.
