Hi, In this video I show you my technique for painting oil on canvas. It includes methods of blending, glazing, and technical tips. You'll see how my painting entitled Imposter came to life. Enjoy! Jeff
O man! This makes so much sense! I have always had trouble with oil paints! It just never clicked in my brain but this makes it all a little more clear! PLZ do more! This is so amazing! I love it!!!!
Noooooooooooo, don't do that. I am supposed to inspire you and you are supposed to kick my butt at painting :-) So don't you dare put those paints away. I know you were kidding, I just wanted to mess with you, too. LOL
My walls are covered with paintings, too :-) And in boxes in the basement, attic, closets, etc. LOL They are all over the place. Maybe I'll do a gallery showing some day.
i felt identified i have done just lastnight a painting of a universal creature i relly like the way you paint and what you have done... i woud like to get in touch with you my friend good job
Hi Jeff! Thanks for the video. It is a great demonstration of technique. Seeing the finished product, as someone who wants to be able to do what you, can be a bit intimidating, but breaking the steps down like this makes it seem possible with a lot of time and practice. I've heard that some people work up some under paintings and design elements using watercolor. I guess they seal that layer and then do a bit of what you've shown here. I guess watered down acrylics could be treated the same way?
Another excellent painting lesson Jeff. I have yet to try oils ,I don't really know why because I like that you don't have to rush through painting like acrylics. I've done several acrylic paintings, but man was I working fast lol. I would like to be able to slow way down and see what the love of oils is all about. Keep posting videos, they are really great.
Kevin, There are mediums you could add to acrylics to slow the drying time. I haven't personally tried it yet, but I recently bought some and plan to. I'll let you know how it goes :-)
thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and techniques. I have gotten alot out of the videos. A question for you, in your oil painting videos, you don't talk about any other medium other than linseed oil. Have you ever used Liquin or Galkyd, and what is your opinion of these mediums. Also, do you limit the use of turpentine or oderless thinners to cleaning brushes? thanks again for the time and effort in sharing . (and many thanks to your wife for doing the video recording and editing.)
Thank You for the amazing video, its really helpful! But I wanna ask something for the glazing technique, is it must use transparent oil paint or just by adding linseed oil??
Jeff this is great. Really showed another side to your process than the brown under painting method (which is also awesome). I am such a visual learner that I wish I could have also seen your initial rough in. I'm guessing you transferred the drawing in graphite and then just started laying in colors semi thinly with turps? And would I also be correct in assuming you did some white rag removal on that initial rough in also? I'm looking forward to trying this method like I tried your last method. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thanks again for the free education. I'll pay it forward someday.
Hey Dan, You were correct about everything except the drawing transfer part. I didn't do a drawing. I just started painting with turpentine-thinned oil paints. It was such a simple composition and subject that there was no need for a drawing.
Thank you so much. And about commissions, the price can be all over the place. I've done drawings for people as low as $40 and paintings for people well into the thousands of dollars. It all depends on what you are looking to have done. You'd have to contact me to discuss. Thanks.
I'm always like: "It looks perfect - why do you add another layer?!" - but after that it looks even 'more perfect', haha. c: Your colour schemes [is this the right word?] are wonderful. Very, very nice work!
Hi Jeff! Another great video! Could you explain to us what fat over lean means in terms of oil painting? I hear it a lot and I'm wondering if you have an opinion on the technique. Thanks very much for all the great work!
I'm not Jeff but "fat over lean" means that, basically, your later paint layers are more oil and pigment (fat) and your earlier layers are less oil and pigment (lean). Usually paint thinners are involved as well. It's a way to keep a painting from cracking, as the layers dry at different rates. IE, if you paint lean over fat, the surface will dry faster than the layers underneath and the surface will probably crack as the the paints contract. In regards to this video, he's painting in fairly thin layers the whole time and letting the layers dry for a few days between. He's using more of a glazing technique than anything else. :)
I personally never really paint in a "fat over lean" way. This method is only used to avoid cracks in your painting. As bentinho says, I paint in fairly thin layers and I do let them thoroughly dry before I begin to apply another layer. This method is really meant for those artists that are going to be applying very thick layers of paint - Literally globbing it on straight from a tube. Or for artists that don't let layers dry before moving on to the next layer. Often times, thickly applied oil paint can feel dry to the touch, but the paint under the surface isn't yet dry. So if you paint a second layer of thick paint on top of that layer, and the layer on top dries before the layer underneath, then you'll get cracks that appear in the paint. So the "fat over lean' method requires that your first or second layer of paint not have any linseed oil (or other medium) mixed into it. You let that layer dry thoroughly. Then the next layer you put over that should have some oil mixed into your paints. This makes that second layer of paint dry more slowly than the first and be more plyable and able to expand or contract when the first layer continues to dry and move. Then your third layer of paint has EVEN MORE linseed oil mixed into the paints so it drys slower than the second layer and so on. You're painting thinner and thinner as you go along essentially, because you are adding more oil to your pigments. Again, the goal is to get the layers to dry first from the bottom up. If a layer on top drys before one underneath, you get cracks. And again, I do not paint this way all of the time. Not consciously.
Jeff, I have a question for you about acrylics. Is it always necessary to seal your acrylic paintings with some sort of spray sealant? If so, are there any specific sealants out there you would recommend? Or do they all get the job done equally. Thank you!
No it is not necessary to seal your final painting. I only do it because I like the look of a smooth, rich original painting. Sealing it evens out the color and punches up the color slightly. To seal the painting, I use either a spray-on retouch varnish or a spray-on Damar varnish. Grumbacher makes a good version of both of these.
Hey Jeff! This is an amazing demo, thanks so much for sharing it. I'm curious about your color palette, though. I know you use a fairly limited palette in this video, as far as I can tell. Do you tend to do this, or do you usually use a wider range of colors? Also, do you happen to have any specific colors (other than burnt umber) that you use the most frequently?
Tristan, I knew going into this painting that I wanted a limited palette. And I used colors that I tend to use an awful lot when I'm doing personal paintings. Burnt umber, burnt sienna, pink, and yellow ochre. Yellow ochre is perhaps my most favorite color of all and the one I use the most often in paintings. I do try to limit my colors as best I can on paintings. But it really comes down to each individual painting and the mood I'm trying to convey. That being said, I do love to put a lot of color in my paintings :-)
Absolutely. I am thinking about paintings all of the time. Almost all day and night. In fact, it is very, very common for me to paint an entire painting in my head before ever actually painting it. I will work on the painting in my head for weeks or months. It makes it so much easier for me when it comes time to execute the painting in real life. And I am always working on a painting in my head before I fall asleep. So yes, it makes it tough to get to sleep, especially when I get excited for the painting I'm eventually going to make. Sometimes I want to jump out of bed and get started on the painting, but alas I do need a few hours of sleep ;-)
its basically in your blood eh, eat sleep breathe art. you have philosophical characteristics too. such a delight to watch and listen to, and your wife does excellent videography! when im out of college and have some dough im buying some of your dvd's. thank you for creating and sharing these videos, i watch them while i paint.
And that's why I don't store my oil covered rags in a pile so they can spontaneously combust. They go into a sealed, fireproof container. So yes, I am aware and have been aware from day one 23 years ago when I started oil painting.
Totally understand. I was fortunate to grow up in a family with carpenters. Safety was a big deal. So I learned about oil covered rags pretty early on. In my feature-length DVDs I cover a lot of safety stuff. I just don't cover it in my youtube videos in as much detail.
Jeff excellent work and tutorial,very helpful. I create monsters myself, if you have a moment please do check out my bestiary miniatures project on my channel please and do keep up these vids, they rock!
Very cool stuff Arthur. I've never seriously used a 3D program. I just played around with a few here and there. I figured if I ever got into it (which I won't because I don't have time), it would have been ZBrush because I like the idea of sculpting the forms and pushing and pulling like clay.
jeffmiracola Thanks! Zbrush is indeed a great and intuitive program. Photoshop took me away from paints and finally Zbrush took me away from it all as I can now model out anything, 3D print it and paint it up with paints. I understand how you feel, I'm the same with animation. I stop at digital modeling as that's where visual art still blossoms. I just have no time to learn and practice animation. Who knows maybe some day we can do a collaboration where I'll sculpt out a painting of yours ;)
Hi,
In this video I show you my technique for painting oil on canvas. It includes methods of blending, glazing, and technical tips. You'll see how my painting entitled Imposter came to life.
Enjoy!
Jeff
thanks for the tip
Thanks for sharing these videos Jeff. Amazing as always
YEA! =D great Jeff!!! Thank you. Love the details in this painting... and the colours!
O man! This makes so much sense! I have always had trouble with oil paints! It just never clicked in my brain but this makes it all a little more clear! PLZ do more! This is so amazing! I love it!!!!
Great, glad I could clear something up for you. I will do more, yes.
MORE! I want more vids from Jeff Miracola! :)
Oh don't worry, there will always be more vids :-)
I'm such a fan of your work especially in Magic..
We don't see that many artists (in Magic at least) doing this on UA-cam..
You're awesome..
Yeah, I'm kinda surprised more don't do it. But oh well. I'm certainly enjoying it. And glad you like the vids, too. thank you.
Really appreciate this linseed oil layering technique, doin a lot more oil paintings lately thanks to these videos.
Awesome. Great to hear, Jeff.
This is amazing. This is EXACTLY what I love to see on here. Thank you so much for sharing this, especially for free. You have a new fan :)
I should just put all my paints away forever after watching Jeff!!! I'll never get this good, lol!!!
Noooooooooooo, don't do that. I am supposed to inspire you and you are supposed to kick my butt at painting :-) So don't you dare put those paints away. I know you were kidding, I just wanted to mess with you, too. LOL
Jeff your work inspires me and your videos have helped me so much in developing my own techniques. Thanks for what you do .
You're most welcome, Joey. That's really awesome my vids have inspired you.
Thanku, that was great to listen to and watch! merry xmas from Australia!
Excellent work and great tips. I defiantly learned something watching this one.
Awesome, Jeff. Glad you liked it and learned something new.
If I ever fly back to Milwaukee, I will have to visit you to see those paintings in person!
My walls are covered with paintings, too :-) And in boxes in the basement, attic, closets, etc. LOL They are all over the place. Maybe I'll do a gallery showing some day.
Love getting up close and personal with your techniques! Great video! Thanks!
Im really hooked on your videos Jeff ! Thanks for sharing such great tips !
Great! More technique Jeff!
Yes sir, Mr. Ciaramello sir :-)
Awesome, i started to paint 'cause of your videos. Really love your work, great job
Wow I always learn so much from u.
Loved this video thanks Jeff the tips were very helpful and I learned a lot from it . The painting came out great
Thanks so much, Melissa.
Excelent!!! Thx for this great video!!!!!
i felt identified i have done just lastnight a painting of a universal creature i relly like the way you paint and what you have done... i woud like to get in touch with you my friend good job
amigo gracias por tus videos¡¡¡¡¡, son muy valiosos para mi, gracias a usted estoy aprendiendo, saludos desde Colombia....
Very nice!
This was absolutely amazing! And so helpful!
great vid! i love glazing. so rich.
Thanks, Mariam :-)
Hi Jeff! Thanks for the video. It is a great demonstration of technique. Seeing the finished product, as someone who wants to be able to do what you, can be a bit intimidating, but breaking the steps down like this makes it seem possible with a lot of time and practice. I've heard that some people work up some under paintings and design elements using watercolor. I guess they seal that layer and then do a bit of what you've shown here. I guess watered down acrylics could be treated the same way?
Another beauty !,... Love your videos, really inspiring!, wish I had your patience for oils
Another excellent painting lesson Jeff. I have yet to try oils ,I don't really know why because I like that you don't have to rush through painting like acrylics. I've done several acrylic paintings, but man was I working fast lol. I would like to be able to slow way down and see what the love of oils is all about. Keep posting videos, they are really great.
Kevin, There are mediums you could add to acrylics to slow the drying time. I haven't personally tried it yet, but I recently bought some and plan to. I'll let you know how it goes :-)
Cool, thanks Jeff!
Great work Jeff 😄😄😄 !!! Big Hello from Italian Artist
Thank you!
Fantastic!
Thanks, Rick.
jeffmiracola Also, I really like the close up tight shots of the canvas and brush!
thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and techniques. I have gotten alot out of the videos. A question for you, in your oil painting videos, you don't talk about any other medium other than linseed oil. Have you ever used Liquin or Galkyd, and what is your opinion of these mediums. Also, do you limit the use of turpentine or oderless thinners to cleaning brushes?
thanks again for the time and effort in sharing .
(and many thanks to your wife for doing the video recording and editing.)
great fantasy monster, nice style :)
Thank you, Davy.
Amazing as usual. :)
You're very kind, John. Thank you.
Thank You for the amazing video, its really helpful!
But I wanna ask something for the glazing technique, is it must use transparent oil paint or just by adding linseed oil??
Jeff this is great. Really showed another side to your process than the brown under painting method (which is also awesome). I am such a visual learner that I wish I could have also seen your initial rough in. I'm guessing you transferred the drawing in graphite and then just started laying in colors semi thinly with turps? And would I also be correct in assuming you did some white rag removal on that initial rough in also? I'm looking forward to trying this method like I tried your last method. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thanks again for the free education. I'll pay it forward someday.
Hey Dan, You were correct about everything except the drawing transfer part. I didn't do a drawing. I just started painting with turpentine-thinned oil paints. It was such a simple composition and subject that there was no need for a drawing.
im in love with your use of color!!!! ugh ;___;
Thank you. No matter what I do, I can't seem to get away from using lots of color in my work :-)
dont even try to do that!! hahahaha
Thanks a lot! awesome video :)
You're very welcome. Glad you enjoyed the vid, Jamie.
Amazing. Love your work. I wonder how much it would be to comission a custom piece from you.
Thank you so much. And about commissions, the price can be all over the place. I've done drawings for people as low as $40 and paintings for people well into the thousands of dollars. It all depends on what you are looking to have done. You'd have to contact me to discuss. Thanks.
I'm always like: "It looks perfect - why do you add another layer?!" - but after that it looks even 'more perfect', haha. c: Your colour schemes [is this the right word?] are wonderful. Very, very nice work!
Hi Jeff!
Another great video!
Could you explain to us what fat over lean means in terms of oil painting? I hear it a lot and I'm wondering if you have an opinion on the technique.
Thanks very much for all the great work!
I'm not Jeff but "fat over lean" means that, basically, your later paint layers are more oil and pigment (fat) and your earlier layers are less oil and pigment (lean). Usually paint thinners are involved as well. It's a way to keep a painting from cracking, as the layers dry at different rates. IE, if you paint lean over fat, the surface will dry faster than the layers underneath and the surface will probably crack as the the paints contract.
In regards to this video, he's painting in fairly thin layers the whole time and letting the layers dry for a few days between. He's using more of a glazing technique than anything else. :)
I personally never really paint in a "fat over lean" way. This method is only used to avoid cracks in your painting. As bentinho says, I paint in fairly thin layers and I do let them thoroughly dry before I begin to apply another layer. This method is really meant for those artists that are going to be applying very thick layers of paint - Literally globbing it on straight from a tube. Or for artists that don't let layers dry before moving on to the next layer. Often times, thickly applied oil paint can feel dry to the touch, but the paint under the surface isn't yet dry. So if you paint a second layer of thick paint on top of that layer, and the layer on top dries before the layer underneath, then you'll get cracks that appear in the paint. So the "fat over lean' method requires that your first or second layer of paint not have any linseed oil (or other medium) mixed into it. You let that layer dry thoroughly. Then the next layer you put over that should have some oil mixed into your paints. This makes that second layer of paint dry more slowly than the first and be more plyable and able to expand or contract when the first layer continues to dry and move. Then your third layer of paint has EVEN MORE linseed oil mixed into the paints so it drys slower than the second layer and so on. You're painting thinner and thinner as you go along essentially, because you are adding more oil to your pigments. Again, the goal is to get the layers to dry first from the bottom up. If a layer on top drys before one underneath, you get cracks. And again, I do not paint this way all of the time. Not consciously.
Jeff, I have a question for you about acrylics. Is it always necessary to seal your acrylic paintings with some sort of spray sealant? If so, are there any specific sealants out there you would recommend? Or do they all get the job done equally. Thank you!
No it is not necessary to seal your final painting. I only do it because I like the look of a smooth, rich original painting. Sealing it evens out the color and punches up the color slightly. To seal the painting, I use either a spray-on retouch varnish or a spray-on Damar varnish. Grumbacher makes a good version of both of these.
Is there any way I can buy one of your drawings or sketch books?
Hey Jeff! This is an amazing demo, thanks so much for sharing it. I'm curious about your color palette, though. I know you use a fairly limited palette in this video, as far as I can tell. Do you tend to do this, or do you usually use a wider range of colors? Also, do you happen to have any specific colors (other than burnt umber) that you use the most frequently?
Tristan, I knew going into this painting that I wanted a limited palette. And I used colors that I tend to use an awful lot when I'm doing personal paintings. Burnt umber, burnt sienna, pink, and yellow ochre. Yellow ochre is perhaps my most favorite color of all and the one I use the most often in paintings. I do try to limit my colors as best I can on paintings. But it really comes down to each individual painting and the mood I'm trying to convey. That being said, I do love to put a lot of color in my paintings :-)
does thinking about what direction you want your painting to go make it hard to fall asleep at night?
Absolutely. I am thinking about paintings all of the time. Almost all day and night. In fact, it is very, very common for me to paint an entire painting in my head before ever actually painting it. I will work on the painting in my head for weeks or months. It makes it so much easier for me when it comes time to execute the painting in real life. And I am always working on a painting in my head before I fall asleep. So yes, it makes it tough to get to sleep, especially when I get excited for the painting I'm eventually going to make. Sometimes I want to jump out of bed and get started on the painting, but alas I do need a few hours of sleep ;-)
its basically in your blood eh, eat sleep breathe art. you have philosophical characteristics too. such a delight to watch and listen to, and your wife does excellent videography! when im out of college and have some dough im buying some of your dvd's. thank you for creating and sharing these videos, i watch them while i paint.
can you do a piece of a wolf like creature please
Erin H If I get the chance, yes I will definitely do it. I love wolves so I just have to find a reason to work it into an assignment :-)
I HOPE YOU ARE AWARE THAT LINSEED OIL CAN IGNITE THAT TOWEL !!!!
And that's why I don't store my oil covered rags in a pile so they can spontaneously combust. They go into a sealed, fireproof container. So yes, I am aware and have been aware from day one 23 years ago when I started oil painting.
jeffmiracola of course. Sorry for the all caps. my studio partner once worked on a winebar that burned to the ground because of it :-)
Totally understand. I was fortunate to grow up in a family with carpenters. Safety was a big deal. So I learned about oil covered rags pretty early on. In my feature-length DVDs I cover a lot of safety stuff. I just don't cover it in my youtube videos in as much detail.
Jeff excellent work and tutorial,very helpful. I create monsters myself, if you have a moment please do check out my bestiary miniatures project on my channel please and do keep up these vids, they rock!
Very cool stuff Arthur. I've never seriously used a 3D program. I just played around with a few here and there. I figured if I ever got into it (which I won't because I don't have time), it would have been ZBrush because I like the idea of sculpting the forms and pushing and pulling like clay.
jeffmiracola Thanks! Zbrush is indeed a great and intuitive program. Photoshop took me away from paints and finally Zbrush took me away from it all as I can now model out anything, 3D print it and paint it up with paints. I understand how you feel, I'm the same with animation. I stop at digital modeling as that's where visual art still blossoms. I just have no time to learn and practice animation. Who knows maybe some day we can do a collaboration where I'll sculpt out a painting of yours ;)