Re: I'm a beginner confused about mediums and starting

In Reply to: I'm a beginner confused about mediums and starting posted by Katto on 09/01/00 at 10:26 AM:

: Hello,

: I've been painting for about a year with the Bob Ross technique but I really want to try a more traditional method without the use of the liquid white. My first question is: what does a medium actually do and how do you apply it? Do you put it on the canvas and then put the paint or do you mix it with your paint prior to applying it? Do you change the ratio as your paint progresses? Also, a big problem that I've been encountering: starting a painting. If I want to paint a scene with lanscape and people, do I "hide" the people under some contact paper while I do the background or just carefully paint around until I get to the details of the person? I know this is a lot of very basic questions, but I really want to learn and I've been reading many books that tell me contradictory info. Thanks in advance for your answers.

In regard to your first question about mediums, the first rule is "fat over lean" i.e. if you are going to work in several layers the earlier layers must be lean of oil; to accomplish this I use only color straight from the tube in the beginning layers and if I need to abtain a thinner paint I lightly dip the tip of my brush in solvent; after these first layers have thoroughly dried I abraid the surface of the whole painting lightly with a 3M finishing pad to remove any gloss and wash the surface with clean water and a paper towel. In the final layers of paint one can employ a rich medium such as an oil or oil-varnish medium; one can mix this into the paint to create a glaze or one can "oil out" the surface to be painted with this medium and paint into this oily bed with straight tube colors; one does not add the medium to white or other light colors because of the tendency of the medium to yellow. In regard to your second question, you may find it useful if you are painting the figure before you paint the landscape behind it (not the preferred sequence) to paint the figure AND the margin around it where the figure and field join so that you can soften the edge to your needs; once this is done you can paint the background. In unfinished old portraits you will often notice that the figure has been painted simultaneously with the margin of background around it so that the edges can be adequately softened prior to painting in the background. An alternative method is to allow the background to lap into the figure and then go back over the edge to the figure to expand it out over the background; do not leave a halo of uncovered canvas between the figure and background. If you have a bad join between figure and field and the paint has dried you can go back over the edge with small brushes and soften and refine the edge as required.
 
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