Drawing & paintingLesson 1 of 2 in the course Drawing and painting techniques

Oil Painting: History, Materials, Techniques, and Drying

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

Save course
Lesson progress
0 / 5

Your progress is kept in this browser only.Sign up to save it

Summary

Oil painting combines colored pigments with a drying oil binder. Its flexibility, rich color, and capacity for layered effects made it a major artistic medium for centuries. This lesson introduces the medium and traces its development from early Asian examples to its spread across Europe.

An oil painting is made with pigments suspended in a drying oil, which binds the pigment into paint and forms a film as it dries. Common drying oils include linseed, walnut, poppy seed, and safflower oil. The oil is not simply a liquid added for convenience: it is a central part of the paint's composition and affects how the paint behaves and dries.

All flashcards

Drying oil
An oil that hardens through oxidation and binds pigment into a durable paint film.
Siccative
An additive used to accelerate the drying of oil paint.
Support
The surface that carries a painting, such as a wooden panel or canvas.
Fat over lean
A layering guideline in which each successive oil-paint layer contains more oil than the one beneath it.
Alla prima
A method of painting directly into wet paint, often blending colors on the canvas.

Quiz questions

  1. How does drying oil harden in oil paint?Answer: Through oxidation
  2. What is one advantage of a well-prepared wooden panel as a painting support?Answer: It provides a firm surface useful for fine detail.
  3. What does the fat-over-lean guideline recommend?Answer: Each successive layer should contain more oil than the layer beneath it.
  4. What characterizes alla prima oil painting?Answer: The artist works directly into wet paint.
  5. What is one purpose of varnishing a dried oil painting?Answer: To protect its surface and alter its appearance.

Based on the Wikipedia article Oil painting, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

More in Drawing & painting

All Drawing & painting lessons
Drawing & paintingAcrylic Paint: Composition, Techniques, Varieties, and Comparisons5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →Drawing & paintingAnamorphosis: Types, History, Applications, and Contemporary Art5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →Drawing & paintingPigments: Color, Chemistry, Processing, and Applications5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →