Limiting waste when painting with oil paint

With the cost of paint and art supply, I make sure to waste as less as possible.

Making the best use of your paint

When I paint in oil, I put all the colours on my palette before I start painting, because I don’t want to have to stop and break the rhythm when I am in the flow. I pour a blob of each colour (experience will tell you how much you need for a certain canvas size) and two or three times the amount of the colour paint for Titanium White.

Even if I am careful, I always end-up with some paint left on the palette. For example, my painting Coate Water Lake turned more on the cooler side of the palette. I used most of the blue colours, but was left with some of the following:

• Cadmium Lemon
• Cadmium Yellow Deep
• Cadmium Red
• Alizarin Crimson

Certain colours in oil paint are pricey and you would be surprised how much money you would waste by just wiping off the paint. There is so much you could do with the left-over paint.

A few things you can do to make the most of the paint left.

• The first option is obvious. If you plan to carry on working on the painting the next day, the paint should still be good. Traditional oil paint takes a few days to harden. Same thing if you plan to start another painting the next day. In both cases, selectively clean your palette to wipe out thin layers of paint that would dry more quickly and areas where you mixed the colours.

• Outlining your next painting and putting on some undertones. I did just that in the painting below. Warm tones (orange and red) work well as undertone for grass and foliage because they are complimentary colours to blue and green colours. Don’t be afraid to be bold.

• Priming a white canvas with colours. There are two schools for coloured grounds: the first one is to apply a neutral mid-tone (See my articles Using toned canvasses for oil painting and 2 more advantages of toned canvasses). The second school is to apply bright tones, as I did for the canvas below.

Re-using oil thinner

The first way to save thinner is to pour only what you need. I am using a small metal dipper that I clip on the side of the palette. The lid allows me to close the dipper and bring the full dipper back home without any mess. Some models have two containers.

When coming back from an outdoor session, I would start cleaning the brushes by dipping them first in the used thinner and pressing them on a rag (for a step-by-step description of the cleaning process, see Cleaning your brushes for oil painting).

I then use the same thinner to clean (or partially clean) my palette. I just pour the thinner on the palette and wipe the paint with a rag or some tissue paper.

Related resources and articles

• Oil underpainting, why should I care? 
• Making MDF Canvas Panels contains an explanation of how to apply a mid-tone ground to canvasses.
• The art of recycling – Recycling for art

Coate Water Lake

Coate Water Lake - Oil painting (18" x 14") by Benoit Philippe

I did this plein-air painting on Saturday in Coate Water Country Park in Swindon (England). I sat on a bench sheltered by trees, which became convenient when the rain fell shortly after I started... I was also glad to work with oil and not watercolour.

Here is the palette I used for this painting. All paints are by Winsor & Newton:

• Titanium white (Griffin Alkyd paint)
• Cadmium Lemon
• Cadmium Yellow Deep
• Cadmium Red
• Alizarin Crimson
• Cobalt Turquoise Light 
• Cobalt Blue Hue (Griffin Alkyd)
• French Ultramarine (Griffin Alkyd)
• Phthalo Blue (Griffin Alkyd)

St John Baptist & St Helen graveyard - watercolour

I am not usually painting in graveyards and I only did it for a commission. That said, there is nothing sinister about the graveyard of St John Baptist & St Helen church in Wroughton (The village of Wroughton is located 3 miles south of Swindon, England).

St John Baptist & St Helen church graveyard - Watercolour (38 x 30 cm) by Benoit Philippe

The churchyard covers around five acres grass, trees (including some old yew trees with wide branches) and wild areas.

The historic church building contains a few features from the 12th century, was extended in the 14th and 15th centuries, and altered in the 19th century. Around the church are centuries old headstones.

The lower and newest part of the graveyard is located down a planted bank and looks towards a beautiful valley. This is the view I was asked to paint on location.

Painting spots along the Thames

On Sunday, the weather proved better than forecasted and we enjoyed a nice family walk along the Thames. We started from Buscot, crossing the Buscot Lock, built in 1790 on the River Thames. It is the smallest of the 45 locks on the Thames operated manually by pushing and pulling large beams.

We then followed the twists of the river Thames for a few miles, until we reached Kelmscott. Both Buscot and Kelmscott are traditional Cotswold villages with grey stone houses and cottages.

On the way, I noticed many places that would make perfect painting spots. I managed to shoot a few good pictures that I may use as reference photographs for paintings.

Eaton Footbridge

We passed KelmscottHouse that dates from the 1780s. It is a museum open to the public, but it is closed on Sunday. The designer, poet and socialist William Morris (1834-1896) lived in this house from 1878 until his death. 

Kelmscott House

On the bright side, The Plough Inn (a 17th Century Inn) was open for business, with a very cheerful and welcoming landlord. I highly recommend the place.

The Plough Inn

Kelmscott

GL7 3HG

The Plough Inn website 

I noticed a somewhat art related advertising plaque on the outside wall. Not sure how easy it is to paint with a pint in hand…

And at the back of the Inn, they built a beautiful tree-house.

I must go back sometime on this walk with my easel…

Wallace & Gromit from the drawing board – M Shed exhibition

This summer exhibition at the M Shed museum in Bristol (England) invites you to discover the story making process of Aardman’s, the makers of the Wallace & Gromit films. There is a special connection with the town as the Aardman’s studios are based in Bristol.

“I doodle. Doodling has always been important to me. That’s where it all begins.” - Nick Park (Creator of Wallace & Gromit)

Nick Park’s sketchbooks

 “I always keep a sketchbook to hand. I never seem to finish them, I just half-fill them then start another one.” - Nick Park

Rocket - from “a Grand Day Out”.

The exhibition features several sets with props and characters. I let you enjoy a virtual tour.

Antique stall from “Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit”, 2005

Living room from “Wallace & Gromit’s Cracking Contraptions”, 2002

Living room - Detail

Dining room from “A Matter of Loaf and Death”, 2008

Kitchen from “A Matter of Loaf and Death”, 2008

Kitchen – bird’s eye view

Kitchen – Detail

A selection from the Top Bun, Wallace & Gromit’s Traditional Bakery - from “A Matter of Loaf and Death”, 2008

Gromit in the greenhouse - from “Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit”, 2005

A team of two model makers spent 18 months making miniature vegetables.

Gromit in the greenhouse - Detail

Letsby Avenue - from “Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit”, 2005

Wallace in the studio – from “Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention”, 2010

Gromit in the studio – from “Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention”, 2010

Gromit in the studio - Detail

Details for the exhibition

Wallace & Gromit from the drawing board

24 May—7 September 2014

Princes Wharf

Wapping Rd

Bristol

BS1 4RN

England

M Shed website 

Related resources and articles

Gromit in Bristol: A few Gromits from the Gromit trail they had in Bristol.

Two of Wallace & Gromit movies:

If you are in the US (Amazon affiliate link)

• Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (Widescreen Edition)
• Wallace & Gromit: A World of Invention

If you are in the United Kingdom (Amazon affiliate link)

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2 Disc Special Edition) [DVD] [2005]

Wallace and Gromit's World of Invention [DVD]

Arles Archaeological Museum

The Arles Archeological Museum is a modern building housing the rich archaeological collections of the city of Arles (South of France). I took a few pictures of some stunning antique art, but the collections are broader (A 31 metres Gallo-Roman boat, amphorae, oil lamps, small objects, jewelry, beautiful scale models of roman buildings, etc.)

Building by Henri Ciriani

I managed a quick sketch of two of the statues on display.

Caesar and Hadrian

Column capital

Column capital

Column capital

Column shaft

Roman mosaics can be seen from a specially built elevated gallery.

“The Trinity” sarcophagus (or “The spouses” sarcophagus) – White marble

This sarcophagus has been discovered in 1974 on the side of the road to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. It is decorated with scenes from the Old and New Testaments. The spouses appear in the middle, against a seashell.

The Hunt Sarcophagus – White marble

This sarcophagus, from the third century, features hunting scenes. On the left, a boar is tormented by 3 dogs and about to be attacked by a hunter on foot.  On the right, hunters on horses are catching a deer. I took a close-up photograph of each section so that you can better see the details .

Address of the museum

Musée départemental Arles antique

(The Arles Archeological Museum)

Presqu'île du cirque romain - 13200 Arles - France

ArlesArcheological Museum Web site 

Related article

Van Gogh in Arles