Unconventional Oil Techniques is the latest in a series of instructional painting videos by artist and author James Gurney.
While the majority of his previous videos have dealt with various water based media: gouache, casein and watercolor, after numerous requests, this one is devoted to oil painting.
It should be pointed out, though, that this is not an introductory video, but rather a collection of tips and techniques for those who already have some experience with oil painting. (Not that the tips wouldn’t be useful to a beginner, but that’s not the focus here.)
Unlike most of Gurney’s other videos, which go through a fairly complete process of painting a series of paintings in a particular medium — usually 5 or 6 paintings — in which process is discussed; the format here is different: highlights from painting three works, punctuated with a series of short, direct demonstrations of particular techniques. These are usually simplified by using black and white paint, followed by the application of the techniques in color on the actual paintings.
The paintings happen to be dinosaur illustrations Gurney recently did for various publications, but the techniques are general and easily applicable to other subjects.
He uses the paintings as a springboard for discussing a variety of oil techniques that are not as often highlighted in most oil painting videos. These include: using gouache to do preliminary color studies for oil paintings, sealing pencil sketches on paper with acrylic mat medium for painting over in oil, painting thin and thick passages in coordination, making various kinds of brush marks by dragging, scrubbing, rolling and tapping the brush, using a painting knife on edge as well as on flat, pre-texturing with modeling paste, and splaying the bristles of brushes for pouncing and stippling. There are eleven techniques in all.
You can see a preview of several by searching Gurney’s blog for “UnconventionalOil Techniques“.
I’ve pointed out that several of Gurney’s previous instructional videos give the feeling that you’ve chanced on him while plein air painting and he is being generous with describing his process while he works. In Unconventional Oil Techniques, the feeling is that you’ve signed up for a limited attendance workshop in advanced oil painting, and discover to your delight that Gurney is the instructor.
The video is 90 minutes, and is $17.95 as a digital download through Gumroad or Sellfy, or $24.50 on DVD through Kunaki.
