I had my first oil painting class last night and now I am more worried than ever. The first class went exactly as I expected. We covered some color theory, paint mixing and drawing techniques. Turns out, as I suspected, drawing is an important part of painting. But the style I plan to learn, impressionism, should not require the precision more realistic styles do.
We did get a chance to put some paint on a canvas. The instructor set up a still life of the usual vase and fruit. He painted first and then it was our turn. Wow, is it harder than it looks. First off, paint mixing is an art in itself. I found it hard to grab two paints to mix without contaminating each paint with the other paint. We only used brushes to mix the paint so I need to clean it before dabbing a second color. The alternative is to use a pallet knife that can be easily wiped clean. I will try the knife on my own this week.
The next problem is knowing what paints to mix and in what proportion to achieve the desired color. This will come with practice. It does seem that to get the color you want you should start with the lightest color and slowly add in the darker color until you achieve the hue and value you desire. See I am already using the lingo.
Finally, putting the paint on canvas is tough too. I ended up with solid masses of color where subtle shading and variation would be preferred. My homework is to finish the painting before the next class so that will give me a chance to give the scene some dimension.
I had a great time and I am looking forward to the doing my homework and the next class.
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