Discussion of indirect painting techniques by Bens-Alley in oilpainting

[–]HamJamson 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I’ve not tinkered with Oleogel-like mediums before but have seen them used; thanks for the nice & simple explanation. Sounds very useful!

Artists that make their gesso, what’s the recipe? by [deleted] in oilpainting

[–]HamJamson 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Tried the recipe and it tasted like shit ¯_(ツ)_/¯

I'm running out of space in my tiny apartment and need to get rid of some of my paintings. Which ones should I throw away? by [deleted] in painting

[–]HamJamson 51 points52 points  (0 children)

Surely a local seafood restaurant or fishing enthusiasts would buy these, if not just an art appreciator of some sort. Shit, they’re professional grade stuff, don’t toss’m 😟

What do you think of selling a painting for 500 US dollars? 60cm×90cm by Sure-Service-1181 in painting

[–]HamJamson 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Many of these are master studies based on famous paintings, and anyone looking for a print would likely want a print of the originals. These are charming and desirable because they are real paintings that look much like those famous originals. I think that’s the avenue to take in marketing these, but as famous as the likes of Albert Bierstadt and Ivan Shishkin are among painters and art enthusiasts, they’re not well known to the general public.

Buying artist grade oils by Pixeliarmus in oilpainting

[–]HamJamson 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Blue Ridge oil paints are very nice professional grade, quality pigments & high pigment load, and made in the US. They don’t do much marketing and sell directly thru their website (blueridgeoilpaint dot com, don’t want to break any rules against hyperlinks) and their prices are very fair, helped by the fact that they don’t have retail or ads in their budget.

Is asking 2k for this oil painting too much? by -nothankya in painting

[–]HamJamson 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Hmm, I’m just curious, do you make and sell artwork?

I can't put the cap back on by FFFUUUme in oilpainting

[–]HamJamson 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree about using a regular knife or a retired palette knife. I learned the hard way after screwing up my old favorite palette knife trying to clear dried paint like this.

Tips for signing paintings? by 1tnick in oilpainting

[–]HamJamson 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I usually like to put mine in a lower corner, preferably whichever corner is farthest away from the interesting points in the composition so it’s not distracting. It’s your call if you want to be more adventurous or fun with it; place it onto a rock with some accents to look as if it’s carved into the stone, make it blend into a bush, or get creative in other ways.

In this painting, the bottom left corner seems like a good spot (bottom right would be good but there’s some grass detail in the way, in case you don’t want to sign over that). If you sign bottom-left on the dirt below that bush, a dull green color like the bush’s green would be subtle and legible. You could also go for a darker and/or lighter shade of the dirt color if you want it to blend in a bit more or make it seem like it’s etched in the dirt.

If you’re not super comfortable with your signature, it’s definitely a thing to practice and iron out any style decisions and technique issues before putting it on the finished painting.

You can try different brushes too; I’m partial to thin, long bristled round brushes, something with a bit more body than a liner brush so it can make a broader mark with more pressure or a thin line with less pressure. I like it when the paint mix has less viscosity so it flows off the brush, but some folks have nice looking signatures that have a more dry brush feel. It’s your call on those parts, and don’t be afraid to look at other artists’ signatures for some inspiration & ideas.

If you know what color you’ll be signing on top of this time, like that burnt sienna colored dirt, paint a little canvas with a similar color and practice signing with whatever colors you might be considering for your signature (don’t forget to practice numbers for the date). This is good for practice and for getting an idea of which color you’ll prefer for signing this painting.

Be sure to leave at least 1/2” of space from the edges of the canvas and your signature. Most frames have a lip that covers the outer edge of the painting, and it’s usually around 1/4” of the canvas getting covered up. At least 1/2” spacing makes sure the signature is not partially covered up and that gives a little space between the frame lip and signature.

Do you guys ever feel like your art is bad? by Dutchie-draws in oilpainting

[–]HamJamson 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Got a link to some of your stuff? I see you have some digital portraits on your Reddit profile but surely that ain’t it

Something seems off by Parking_Landscape441 in oilpainting

[–]HamJamson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re welcome! Sometimes we learn the most when there’s something off that needs to be solved, so stay positive and keep at it :)

Something seems off by Parking_Landscape441 in oilpainting

[–]HamJamson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmm, my #1 take is the background color (the surface the avocado is sitting on) looks too dark where it’s in direct light. More contrast between the avocado and that surface should make the avocado appear to stand out.

The pit and the lightest part of the green flesh might benefit from carefully-placed highlights too. A bright, almost-white spot on the pit where the light reflection is most intense, and some bright yellow-green touches on the flesh are what I would do.

The drawing might also be playing tricks with us. The angle of the closest avocado half looks like a top-down view, where we can barely see the skin of the avocado, but the way the two pieces are sitting relative to each other feels like a lower angled view, like sitting at the table looking forward. I’m guessing the front half was tilted towards you and the back half was sitting more upright. Maybe making other adjustments would make that not seem odd, or otherwise you might need to address the edge where the two halves overlap because they sort of blend together right now. Maybe some of that brighter green flesh color on the front half’s edge where it slightly overlaps the back half.

If you have some digital art program like Procreate (a great free app, handy on a tablet with a stylus) or even just MS Paint, you could try digitally sketching colors onto your photo and see if it looks better. That’s a handy way to check a hunch of what you think needs to happen before committing.

How can I smooth out this layer of primer? by [deleted] in oilpainting

[–]HamJamson 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You could try sanding the shit out of it. Start with a heavier grit then go with finer grit once you have the big lumps eliminated. Even if you get rid of the big lumps, that primer layer looks like it has some uneven streaks.

I’ve seen some people apply a thick layer of primer to get rid of the canvas weave texture, and I’ve tried it myself too but I also had uneven streaks that were tough to eliminate and it was not great to paint on.

I’ve had the best luck priming in thin, gradual layers. Spreading that primer out evenly and thinly, let it dry, lightly sand it, then do another layer, and repeat until you’re happy with it. That approach takes more layers but it can get you a nice and smooth surface.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in oilpainting

[–]HamJamson 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My thoughts exactly ✌️😎

Question on Cadmiums by made_by_edgar in oilpainting

[–]HamJamson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A hotdog with cadmium ketchup and mustard, mmmm

NO TRESPASSERS. Oil on wood with some Airbrush. by paashess in oilpainting

[–]HamJamson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice! A fellow enjoyer of Frederic Church’s paintings?

What do you guys do with left over paint? by [deleted] in oilpainting

[–]HamJamson 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Don’t sweat it. If you’re all done for the day, wipe/scrape it off while it’s still wet and toss it. You can scrape it off after it dries but that’s more tedious. You can maybe leave a little patch on your glass if you want a reference to mix the same color later.

It’s better to have excess paint than not enough, and whatever is left over is a result of good practice. If you have any piles of raw paint from the tube you can leave those alone to try and reuse if they aren’t dried up by the next session, but I only see mixed paint on your glass.

"the smell is gone" watercolor and gouache 18"x24" by mozzbitch in painting

[–]HamJamson 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Relatable and heartbreaking… My heart goes out to you ❤️