How to Oil Paint Using a Limited Color Palette
- 1). Select your subject matter. Sketch your subject matter with the charcoal pencil directly on to your canvas. Shade dark areas by rubbing the side of the pencil against the canvas.
- 2). Fill the mason jar 1/2 full with turpentine. Put your paint brushes into the jar.
- 3). Squeeze out a small amount of green earth pigment on to your palette knife and deposit it on your palette. Press and smear with the palette knife to spread if out a bit.
- 4). Remove a brush from the mason jar and press and blend it into the selected green pigment. Add turpentine if needed to create a thin wash consistency. Add a wash of color over shaded areas of the canvas. Leave the light filled areas unpainted. Let the canvas dry completely.
- 5). Squeeze about an inch of each color pigment on to your color palette. Add a drop of linseed oil on top of each section of pigment. Select a brush and press it against the side of the jar to remove excess solvent.
- 6). Grab some Naples yellow and paint on a thin layer for light earth colored areas. Pick up some burnt sienna and paint in darker earth colored areas. Fill in trees or plants with cobalt green. Paint the sky with cerulean blue and flake white replacement blended together. Add Venetian red for brick colored accents. Let your painting dry completely--for at least 24 hours.
- 7). Mix Indian yellow or transparent yellow oil paint with a generous amount of linseed oil to create a transparent glaze. Brush it on top of your painting to add a warm sunset-glow to the work. Your earth colors turn orange-brown, and your tree colors turn warm into a warm sunlit green.
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