Oil Painting workshop

The Oil Painting techniques

Although Vasari credited the Flemish painters with the “invention” of oil painting it was in Italy during the Renaissance period that the painting with oil media flourished and became one of the most popular and refined art techniques. Four centuries later the French impressionists modified the Renaissance method of oil painting by blending the wet paint directly on the canvas without layering and glazing and often without even sketching. That was the beginning of a new concept of art.

During our workshop, students will learn to master both the Renaissance (or the traditional as some art critics say) and the Impressionist techniques in order to create their artworks. The following issues will be dealt throughout this intensive 5-day workshop:

• The types of brushes and their sizes, shapes and purposes. Students will learn what kind of brush has to be used for detail work, or for broad swaths of color. Students will also be taught to apply and remove paint on the canvas with a palette knife.
• How to sketch the subject onto the canvas with charcoal and then depict it with oil colors.
• How to mix paint with linseed oil and other media such as wax and varnishes, which can modify the sheen, the density and the translucency of the paint itself.
• Get practice with the use of layers and glazes (indirect painting) in order to give images a greater tonal depth.  After the first layer dries, students can learn to paint a sort of mosaic of color patterns, working from darkest to lightest, and then they can be taught on how to apply details, such as the brilliance of the colours and the effects of light on metal, glass, etc. Students will also be taught ho to depict a subject with darker shadows and brighter highlights so that images can appear more three dimensional and lifelike.
• How to make a canvas.

This workshop is also open to practicing artists looking for a new challenge.

Duration of the workshop: 5 days, Monday-Friday, 30 hours of tuition in total.
Classes are held either in Italian or in English.

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