First Oil Painting

One night I was painting with acrylic and I was irritated that it wasn’t blending the way I wanted it to. I kept thinking that I should just try oil paint. I dug out a small oil set that I have never used and picked out a photo of Jackson. I propped up my phone with the photo, mixed some flesh colors, and painted out an outline of his face. After a couple hours I ended up with a face that sort of looked like my son. It was 1am and I went to bed.

The next morning I tried different browns, yellows, and pinks to shade and highlight his face. His hair was a a lot of small blended strokes of brown, black, and yellow. I finished the background while Jackson was napping and fixed a few more things the next morning. I think I spend about 8 hours on it. It is 6 1/2 x 8 inches on canvas paper. I’m really happy with how it turned out. There are a few things I see now that need some work, but the paint is dry to the touch, so I might just leave it.

I’m in love with oil paint! The texture is amazing and blends so smoothly. It takes days for the top layer to dry. I can start painting and stop to spend time with Jackson during the day and pick back up at night or the next day. I think I’m going to pack up my acrylics for awhile. I’m really excited to start another portrait!