Cleaning your painting depends on the type of paint it is made of. If the paint used is water based, never use water to clean it. This will melt the paint and ruin your painting. Instead, use air pressured cleaning gadgets to remove all the dust from the painting. For you to avoid getting much dirt on your paintings, spray a transparent varnish on it so cleaning is never a mess. The dust and grime that do accumulate can then be easily removed.

You can always find out if your paintings are original. Check the texture of paint used. If it is made of oil paint, the texture must be oil painting as well. Do not get a painting with covers, as you cannot feel whether the paint is original. Choose a reputable gallery where original paintings are sold. Do not buy paintings without checking a gallery’s credentials. You will only spend money on fakes. There are also certificates available and you can check them out with many art aficionados and experts.

You can store your paintings in a cool dry place free from moisture and dust. An air conditioned room is the ideal place. Avoid storing your paintings in places that are exposed to the heat and light of the sun. This can ruin paintings. Also avoid storing your paintings in places with sharp objects that can puncture the painting or damage the canvas, and never expose paintings to extreme cold or high humidity.

Watercolor paints are available in form of tubes and pans. Water should be mixed in proportion to make the colors more accessible and workable. Before working with other colors, you have to rinse the brush properly. This is a must for working with pan watercolor paints. If you avoid this, a dirty and ugly looking at color shades will ruin your painting. There is a belief that people should not use black or white color in their watercolor, but it has been seen that using these two colors some people have created a master piece of art work. These works of art will describe you the delight of working on watercolor painting.

Expressing what we have in mind is one of the major ideologies of posing for these nude posters. In the time of the Renaissance, painters like Michaelangelo appreciate and praise nude artistic paintings, simply because they are focusing on art and content and not on what the picture or painting is trying to implicate. They believe that nude paintings are indecent and immoral. They are only trying to show the beauty of the form and body of humans, especially women. As you can see or notice in their paintings, women always have a special place or theme in their paintings. A common example of a famous painting showing nudity is The Birth of Venus. These painting showed Venus in nude, yet its subject doesn’t focus on the nude perspective but on Venus’ birth. Nude paintings are one of the historic subjects when it comes to art that is why it was given importance by our prolific painters of the past, and also, the present.

What is “Fat Over Lean?”
Fat over lean is one of the most fundamental approaches to oil painting and when followed will reduce the risk of your paint cracking as it dries. An oil paint is “Fat” when it comes right from the tube. If you wanted to make it fatter, you would add more oil. To make your paint “Lean” your mixture would contain more of a thinner like turpentine. Begin your painting with a “Lean” mixture. As you add more layers, you would make the mixture fatter. This will help reduce the risk of cracking.

Should I Varnish My Finished Painting?
If you want to protect your painting from dust, smoke, and other pollutants, you should varnish your painting. If not, these pollutants will accumulate on your painting and eventually darken or yellow the surface. When you apply a varnish, you are creating a layer that will protect your painting underneath. The layer of varnish can be cleaned periodically and eventually removed. A fresh layer of varnish can then be re-applied. You should wait 6 months to a year, depending on how thick your paint was applied, before varnishing. Varnishing a painting can be tricky especially if you have no experience. You should definitely do more research on varnishing before you attempt to do this yourself. You may even need to contact a professional.

Can I save the oil paint I do not use for a later time?
There are apparently ways to keep oil paint fresh until you are ready to use them again altough I have never actually tried either of these techniques. Proceed with caution. Some artists actually put plastic wrap over the paint and freeze it. You can also try and put your unused paint onto a piece of glass and then keep it submerged in water.

What kind of support should I use with my oil paint?
There are a variety of different surfaces that oil paint can be applied to. Stretched cotton canvas is one of the most popular supports used by oil painters today. Linen canvas is also used but tends to be fairly expensive. Other supports that can be used with oil paints are masonite and even certain types of wood panel.

What kind of paint should a beginner purchase?
This is a tough question to answer, as every artist is different and will more than likely have a different recommendation. There are a few different grades of oil paint on the market today. You have “Artist Quality”, “Student Quality”, and “Economical” grades. Stay away from the economical paints as these have more fillers in them than actual pigment and do not cover very well. There are some very descent student quality paints on the market, which work well if you are just starting out and for experimentation. Once you get your hands on artist quality paint however, you may never buy anything else.
There are some very popular brands to consider as a staring point. Winsor & Newton, Grumbacher and Gamblin are popular choices amongst artists.

What kind of brushes should a beginner choose?
This is also a difficult question to answer exactly. Brushes come in a variety of different shapes, sizes and brands. Every artist is different and will have different preferences when it comes to brushes. Ideally, you should have a variety of different shapes and sizes on hand to start with. Over time, you will develop a preference for certain types of brushes. Never buy cheap brushes, as they will shed their hairs and fall apart a lot quicker than a good quality brush. There is a good introductory set of 11 oil brushes made by “Silver Brush” that you may be interested in checking out. Do a search online or visit your local art store for more information.

How do I come up with ideas for my paintings?
Don’t throw your paintbrush down in a fit of rage if you aren’t able to come up with an idea for your next painting. There are a number of ways you can find inspiration and ideas. Sometimes the mind just needs a break. Take a walk outside or a long drive and just observe nature. Take a ride to an art museum with a friend and spend the day observing other artwork. Look around your home for everyday objects and setup a still life. Look to yourself for ideas. Do you have a passion for any particular subject? Do you love wildlife and nature? Perhaps you are a music lover? I absolutely love nature and wildlife. When I am searching for ideas for my next painting, I will usually take an outdoor trip with a friend. I will bring a camera of course and just take shots of whatever inspires me. Then when I get back to my studio I will take bits and pieces from each photograph and create my own composition.

I hope this article on oil painting has answered some or all of your questions. Best of luck and happy painting!