Like Rome, a great painting isn’t produced in a day. The care and precision the artist takes in bringing their masterpiece alive takes time, patience and a great deal of practice. Before settling on a single painting technique, artists are advised to experiment with different forms of paint and different brushstrokes.
You may be a master of the oil painting, perfecting your brush strokes over years of dedicated painting, but why not push your artistic skills and try a different style of painting?
Oil Painting
A traditional, elegant style of painting, oil painting has been around since the 12th century, though it didn’t become hugely popular in artistic circles until the 15th century. Its stunning composition of pigment and linseed oil creates rich, glossy images able to capture the ferocity of a storm or the delicacy of a silken ribbon.
As a slow drying paint, oil paint luminous colours can be easily modified long after being applied to canvas. This allows the artists to revisit a particular section of their work for modification before the paint can completely dry. If an artist wishes to speed up the drying process, they only have to apply a light layer of paint to canvas as thicker layers take longer to dry.
Flower Piece – Camilla Gobl
Watercolour Painting
One of the oldest styles of painting, watercolour dates back to the European Middle Ages and further. It’s pure, flowing style perfectly blends colour together on paper (not canvas) in order to properly show off the bold, untainted pigments suspended in a water solution.
With a translucent quality and a gentle matt finish, watercolour has been a favourite in the art world ever since the Renaissance period. In recent years, however, this fast-drying painting style has taken a backseat for bolder, brighter colours.
If you’re wishing to capture a splash of colour, or to create a simple, subtle piece of artwork, watercolour will certainly grant you the effect you’re hoping for.
Dell Quay near Chichester – Edward Wesson
Acrylic Painting
If you’re looking for the best of both worlds, then acrylic painting might be what you’re searching for. Created in 1939, the paint combines both oil and watercolour components for a truly magnificent finish. Though acrylic can produce a glossy or matt finish, it more commonly portrays subtle satin-sheen for viewers to appreciate.
Depending on the level of dilution, the artist can manipulate acrylic paint to resemble the soft, subtle wash of watercolour, or the glossy luminosity of oil paint. Due to its combined components acrylic is fast-drying and water-soluble (as watercolour is) when wet, yet water-resistant when dry.
Brightening Later (Dorset-Hampshire Border) – Terry Watts
Whichever painting style you choose to adapt or work with, focusing on producing stunning landscape paintings is the best focus point for your painting practice. If, however, you’d rather admire the beauty of a painting than delve into the artists’ world yourself, our stunning landscape paintings are perfect for any home. Contact us today on 0207 493 8732 or like and follow our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest pages for our latest news and updates.
