Benefits of Making Your Own Paints

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Did you know that you can easily and affordably make your own paints right at home? The supplies needed to make oil paints, acrylics, watercolors or pastels are fairly inexpensive and they can be easily purchased online or at a local shop. You don’t need a giant studio or an excessive amount of supplies to make your own paints – all you need are a few basic ingredients pertinent to each medium, and a tabletop that you can use as your work area.

You might wonder, “Why should I bother making my own paints?”

There are a number of reasons why it is beneficial for artists to make their own paints. For starters, when you break down a specific medium to its individual components, it helps you to understand the nature of the medium. Taking part in the process of creating an oil paint or a pastel stick provides invaluable insight into the qualities of that particular medium. Plus, the magic of watching loose powdered pigment transform into a usable paint can become part of the overall creative experience.

One of the best things about making your own paints is that you can control the hue, value and intensity of each color. If you need a specific shade of green that is difficult to mix using commercial paints, you can create your own. If you need a range of blues to create skyscapes and seascapes, you can create the exact colors that you need and save them for future use.

It’s easy to forget that there was once a time when all artists either had to make their own paints or purchase these supplies from a local artisan. The vast majority of artists today buy their paints and art materials off the shelf. Most artists don’t even think twice about how these materials are made or what is actually in them. This has changed our relationships to our art materials. By making your own paints, you can reinvigorate your connection to the materials that you use to create art.

In future articles, we’ll take a closer look at the process involved for making oil paints, pastels, watercolors and acrylics.

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Oil Painting Supplies – What Do I Need?

Take a leisurely walk around your local art supply store. Does being around art supplies excite you? Or does it overwhelm you?

If you’re a just embarking on your journey as an artist, your first experience with shopping for oil painting supplies could make your head spin.

Many professionals will tell you that getting your feet wet (and brushes, for that matter) will take some time. Learning what works best for you is a process. If you have had one of these frightening experiences, fear not, help is on the way!

One thing you may notice in the stores or online, is that there are a multitude of choices you must make before you start to paint. In fact, there are more choices than you’ll know what to do with.

Time after time beginners go into the supply store and come out needing a bank loan to get out from underneath the bill. If you fear this could happen to you, take a deep breath and remind yourself that you don’t need everything that you see. This leads us to tip one of three– know what you need when shopping for oil paint supplies.

Tip #1 – Stick to the basics

Most painting supply stores will have their lines of products broken down into categories assorted from beginners to professionals. If you are a first time oil painter, or are relatively new to the craft, you’re going to want to keep many of the beginner products in mind. But beware: Not all beginner products are a great idea to start with.

Tip #2 – Don’t skimp on brushes

If you are the casual painter, it may be tempting to be conservative with spending. However, it is a good idea to always consider the high-end, quality brushes over the introductory and mid-grade brushes. Why? Cheap brushes shed hair and lose their shape much faster than quality brushes do. Whether you’re 5 or 55, this is an insanely frustrating way to work.

Tip #3 – Try a small variety

There are mediums like poppy seed and lint seed oil, canvas in all textures, thickness, and sizes. Not to mention there are more paint color choices than your car manufacturer offers.

Generally store associates are there to help guide your choices, but this is not always the case. The best idea is to try a small assortment of each of the above products. The goal here is to not break the bank. (Although you needn’t worry if you break the bank because you’ll have enough supplies to paint yourself a new one!)

When shopping for oil paint supplies, take your time and don’t be too hasty. Your aim is to end up with a well rounded basic set of instruments (brushes and canvases). The easels, bags, pallets, and much more are waiting for you at your local art supply store.

So what are you still doing sitting here? Go get your paint on!

Be an Artist in 2 minutes with Segmation SegPlay® PC (see more detailshere)

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How to Make Your Own Oil Paints

In a previous blog post, we discussed the benefits of making your own paints, rather than buying commercially-made paints from art supply stores. Two of the most appealing reasons for making your own paints include the ability to control the color and the quantity of the paint that you make. In today’s blog post, we’ll take a more in-depth look at how you can make your own oil paints using just a few simple supplies.

The two main ingredients you’ll need for making your own oil paints are powdered pigment and an oil, such as linseed oil (which most oil painters usually have on hand anyway). The tools you’ll need to mix the ingredients can either be a mortar and pestle (shown above), or a sturdy spatula and a flat glass surface. The mortar and pestle is the preferred choice because it will allow you to grind the pigment into finer particles.

To make your own oil paint, place your desired amount of pigment onto the glass surface or into the mortar. Add a small amount of oil and grind together the pigment and the oil using your pestle or spatula. Be sure to start off with a small amount of oil, because you don’t want your mixture to be too runny.

As the pigment absorbs the oil, note the consistency. If the mixture looks too dry, add more oil. If it is too oily, add more pigment. Your goal is to create a mixture that resembles the consistency of toothpaste.

Once the pigment and oil are thoroughly mixed, then you are ready to paint! The process is as simple as that. Your homemade oil paint can be mixed with commercially-made oil paints, and it may be stored in tubes or airtight jars for future use. segmation dot com.

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The Benefits of Making Your Own Paints

Did you know that you can easily and affordably make your own paints right at home? The supplies needed to make oil paints, acrylics, watercolors or pastels are fairly inexpensive and they can be easily purchased online or at a local shop. You don’t need a giant studio or an excessive amount of supplies to make your own paints – all you need are a few basic ingredients pertinent to each medium, and a tabletop that you can use as your work area.

You might wonder, “Why should I bother making my own paints?”

There are a number of reasons why it is beneficial for artists to make their own paints. For starters, when you break down a specific medium to its individual components, it helps you to understand the nature of the medium. Taking part in the process of creating an oil paint or a pastel stick provides invaluable insight into the qualities of that particular medium. Plus, the magic of watching loose powdered pigment transform into a usable paint can become part of the overall creative experience.

One of the best things about making your own paints is that you can control the hue, value and intensity of each color. If you need a specific shade of green that is difficult to mix using commercial paints, you can create your own. If you need a range of blues to create skyscapes and seascapes, you can create the exact colors that you need and save them for future use.

It’s easy to forget that there was once a time when all artists either had to make their own paints or purchase these supplies from a local artisan. The vast majority of artists today buy their paints and art materials off the shelf. Most artists don’t even think twice about how these materials are made or what is actually in them. This has changed our relationships to our art materials. By making your own paints, you can reinvigorate your connection to the materials that you use to create art.

In future articles, we’ll take a closer look at the process involved for making oil paints, pastels, watercolors and acrylics.

Segmation

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SegPlay® Mobile iTunes now available for iPhone and iTouch

www.segmation.com