Trying to learn oil painting, using water mixable. Surgery date 16 October to remove breast cancer.

[LiberalLoner]

48. Oh gosh thank you for your kind encouragement! ❤️❤️❤️ I feel like I got a gold star from my

Art professor, now! Thank you! 😍👩🏼‍🎨

Wow, I’d love to see your work, do you have a website you feel comfortable sharing? i know it’s best to remain anonymous on sites though so please ignore me if my request is improper. 🙏

I knew by the time I was 14 and saw my peers in art class doing better work than me and learning faster than me, that I didn’t have the natural ability that would let me have a career in art.

But it’s remained a nice hobby to have throughout the years, when I’ve had the time and inclination. I think it is a lovely hobby that enhances the lives of everyone who pursues it.

But you were a real artist, because it takes a lot of ability to earn even one degree in art let alone two! When I hear that, I think of someone on the level of Marla Baggetta, I think she had a similar education? Can’t remember now. Anyway I love love love love her work. She’s a real artist! When I look at her art, I try to resist the thought that I will never be nearly as good, so why try, and replace that thought with a feeling of wonder about what can be accomplished in art…and I let myself dream.

I tried oil painting before but the solvents got to me, even the expensive lavender one. Headaches and nausea after an hour or two.

I just couldn’t figure out how to work without solvents, until I learned about Medium W recently. Game changer! No solvents! Just soap and water to clean brushes! And just inexpensive synthetic brushes so I don’t have to worry too much when I wear a brush out or when it starts to splay.

Now, I wonder about how archival it will end up being. Because I don’t think they’ve had this water mixable oil paint thing all that long, that I know of.

Oh and I did an experiment, was curious just to see. Took about 1/4 Dawn dishwashing soap to 3/4 blob of oil paint, mixed it. Looked very matte, like acrylics, but cleaned up easily in water. Probably, surely, not archival. But I wanted to know if it would work, and it did, basically.

Great advice about the white and the black.

I did take one oil painting class in college, needed some fun and not just the boring classes. And at that time fifty odd years ago, they had flake white. I remember really loving that flake white and I miss it now.

I did a portrait type painting in that class, and I remember loving that flake white for the portrait I was doing, felt like it made the skin look like it was glowing, when I added it to the mix. I can’t see titanium white ever making anything glow.

Seems to me it didn’t make things as chalky as titanium white does. There’s zinc, but I’ve heard there are problems with that one.

Then black…yeah…too tempting to reach for that to darken all the colors. I do like it mixed with yellows though, seems to make a nice olive green color.

But generally, yeah, I will avoid that color killing black on my palette!

One of my biggest problems in art is, I never became very good at drawing. They always say, just practice, you will get better at it. Pffft! Not me. Thank god for the grid method and other cheats like that.

And I struggle with composition, but I figure that one is a learning process for every artist and I hope I might get better over time.

Oh I have written a book!

Thank you so much again for the encouragement, great advice, just everything! ❤️❤️❤️