Don't Buy Oil Painting Supplies Before Watching This Video! (Regrets)

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About me (bio) :
Website :
www.florentfarges.com
I am an artist living and working in France. I learned the techniques of the Atelier of the Nineteenth century and now I try to share some of my knowledge with the rest of the world, because I think that beauty still has an important role to play in artistic creation. I do mostly drawing and oil painting, and my goal is always to provide techniques, thoughts and explanations that can be useful to anyone, from beginners to more advanced artists.
The material I use most of the time (not necessarily in this video) :
Drawing
✓ Kneaded eraser
✓ Plumb line (DIY)
✓ Small mirror
✓ An old synthetic brush
✓ Masking tape
✓ Cutter
✓ Sandpaper or sanding block
✓ Mahlstick or Hand rest (DIY)
✓ Level ruler
Graphite
✓ Pencils 2H, HB and 2B
Charcoal
✓ If available: Nitram charcoals (H, HB and B)
✓ Square charcoals
Black and white chalk
✓ Sketch pencil Conté white
✓ Square Conté noir : HB and 2B
✓ Chalk or pencil holder
✓ Pencil sketch Conté Pierre noire : H and HB
Sanguine
✓ Sketch pencil Conté : Blood and blood Medici
✓ Crayon Polychromos Faber-Castel : sanguine
✓ Sketch pencil Conté white
Oil painting
Palette
(Extra-fine paint, recommended brands depending on availability: Sennelier, Lefranc Bourgeois, Winsor and Newton, Royal Talens Rembrandt, Blockx, Michael Harding, Gamblin)
✓ Titanium White PW6
✓ Flake White (or substitute) PW1
✓ Cadmium Yellow light (or "lemon") PY35
✓ Yellow Ochre PY42
✓ Raw Umber PBr7
✓ Transparent Red Oxyde PR101
✓ Burnt Umber PBr7
✓ Venetian Red PR101
✓ Pyrrole Red PR255
✓ Quinacridone Rose PV19
✓ Quinacridone Magenta PV19
✓ Ultramarine Blue PB29
✓ Mars Black PBk11
✓ Cobalt Teal Blue (turquoise light) PG50
✓ Phthalo green warm PG36
Brushes
✓ Filbert hog bristle and Synthetic sizes n° 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12
✓ Flat Synthetic brushes (same size)
✓ Round sable brush or round Kolinsky sable n° 4, 8, 10, 12 (from the size of the nail (about one inch) or synthetic imitation
Medium
✓ Linseed stand oil
✓ Odorless mineral spirits
✓ Or Alkyd medium (Liquin, Galkyd, Flow'n'Dry etc.)
✓ Safflower oil
Surface
✓ Linen canvas, fine grain universal coating
✓ For studies : Canson oil-acrylic oil paper Figueras
Others
✓ Palette
✓ Sponge and spalter brushes
✓ Palette knife in the shape of a water drop, no souldering
✓ A few small pots, containers, jars...
✓ Paper towels
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#art #painting #inspiration
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Thanks for watching !

[@oscarpalm4863]

As a palette I use a clipboard, slightly bigger than A4, and baking sheet paper that I fasten to it [the clipboard]. There are dirt cheap baking sheet papers, both white and brown/ocra coloured. They are made to be grease resistant so they work really great with oil paints, just don’t mix too hard with the edges of the palette knife (in an angle, like cutting) or you will eventually make the paper coarse, possibly even tear.

[@UnbeltedSundew]

I use a tempered glass shelf from a refrigerator. I think it was recomended by draw mix paint. Easy to clean, and you can put whatever colour you want underneath, white, black, midtone. Edit: Oh he mentioned that anyways... Oh well :)

[@carlswanson8041]

For those wanting to go solvent free or to minimise solvent use I use inexpensive vegetable oil from the grocery store to clean my brushes follwed by dish soap and water. It does a good job and it you leave a small amount of soap in the brush you can reshape them so they dry and hold their form...just be sure to clean it out before you paint the next painting.

[@malcolmgaissert3619]

Carl the grocery store oil has a B Vitamin in it to prevent spoilage. You do not want to ever leave any of it in your brush. It will prevent your paint from oxidizing.

[@carlswanson8041]

@@malcolmgaissert3619 Yes thank you for bringing that up but when followed up with diah soap and water the oil residues are removed. I simply find it an inexpensive and non toxic way to clean them.

[@2gooddrifters]

I bought an old glass computer desk unit from a charity shop. £5.00. I use the top for a pallette and the slide out shelf for bits and pieces. Its on wheels too.

[@anapettyartist]

In the beginning I ruined three palettes, and after a long hiatus, I bought a dozen. I’m still on the first palette three years later. The most useful purchase were of two French box easels. They are versatile, can be used as a desk, storage, and can be used together to make a work bench or an easel large paintings. Plus, two box easels with drawers were cheaper than one small desk with drawers.

[@FlorentFargesarts]

Thanks for sharing, Ana!! Love those box easels, good investment for sure!

[@anapettyartist]

@@FlorentFargesarts

[@isabeedemski3635]

Lol, i have not figured out how to set mine up!

[@anapettyartist]

@@isabeedemski3635 It is an art in itself! 🤣

[@anapettyartist]

True!

[@TheObSeRvErTheObSeRv]

I use a smooth floor tile as a palette about 12 x 12 inches and of a neutral color. works great and easy to clean.

[@Jasmine_Shelby_art]

Thanks Florent ! I think the waste of money could be painting with professional grade paints but using a non professional canvas. Good quality of canvas are very expensive. Do you have some advices about wood panels, which ones to choose?

[@claireryan8074]

Thanks!! I appreciate the information!!

[@rodeastell3615]

Excellent advice as always Florent. Thanks for posting.

[@stoopsolo66]

Really useful tips. Merci Florent.

[@lenag5535]

Great advice! Thank you!

[@jasonanthonywilper]

Awesome guide florent

[@ndorpheline]

Aaahhh if only I knew some of these things 2 weeks ago! Ah well, still enough great "don't-buy-advices" left in this video for my upcoming oil paint shopping sprees :) You're a great motivator and teacher, merci!!

[@TMGold60]

Thank you for your generous tips! I used pizza bases for mixing, they are free! But I learnt so much from you Good Sunday!

[@ltwig476]

Since a sheet of glass typically has sharp edges and tends to break if not careful, I've been using a flat metal gray cookie sheet 14"x16" with rounded corners. Love mixing color on the gray and it cleans up as easy as glass. I use to make my own wooden palettes using a templet from a store bought. I brushed several coats of clear acrylic on them to make them easier to scrape. Always had one ready to go. The aggravation of having to clean hard paint just before painting is awful. Getting dried buggers in your paint is awful. Most galleries will not even consider an artist if they see brush hairs or buggers in a finished painting. I still use my wooden palettes on the last finishing details because I'm fiscally moving around so much. When I see paintbrush storing devices, l'm like WTF! Put your preferred paint brush cleaner in a simple plastic coffee can and hang it off the bottom of your easel with a coat hanger. Store your 50-100 used brushes in a freaking simple empty cans. Don't be pissing around with neatness and care while you should be concentrating on creating and painting. Hell, when a palette knife or brush drops on the floor, I kick it to the side and keep painting. Sure, give your brushes a good cleaning with soap and water ever so often. But paint and paint and paint until your'e staggering around totally spent. That's how you learn to paint. Paint like a very kind warrior! I'm on my way to the store, look in the mirror and I have a glob of red Cad. in my beard below my mouth and a spot of Prussian blue on my temple. I'm like hell no, I got to turn round and go wash this shit off. But yeah, don't be afraid of getting dirty and stop thinking so much! Your'e just the vehicle,, allow art to have it's way with you!

[@DarkisArt]

I love the palette glass, I use it all the time with either acrylics or oils and is really easy to clean. Also, I prefer the grey one!

[@darlenemc3586]

Thank you!

[@nicolesmith1309]

I am new-ish to oils. I don't know much about them, but I did end up buyuing some oil and water soluable oils when a store had a big clearance. Due to allergies, I use walnut oil as medium and solvent and then castile soap and water. I think I am going to look into painting on a board soon. I don't like oils on canvas.

[@askialuna7717]

I have a few regrets that have accumulated. Water-mixable oil paints - I believed for years that normal oil paints were very toxic, and I started with these. Regret because they are too expensive and used with medium, the process is hardly different to normal oil paints. I then researched whether normal oil paints were poisonous, and then found out that the majority of them weren't. Likewise, I then researched whether they work with water mixable medium, and the result was that it worked. How do I get them out of the brushes after painting? The answer was, like when washing your hands, if oil and other grease sticks to your hands then use water and soap. Actually logical, but for years I assumed that these could only be cleaned with turpentine, for whatever reason. Why did I buy these expensive special oil paints in the first place? When the colours were almost all gone, I bought new oil paints and water-mixable linseed oil and media. The only thing I regret is that I didn't get to paint as much as I had hoped, and that the colours were offered cheaper three months later than I bought them. Zinc White from Georgian Daler Rowney - yellows strongly and leads to cracking. I then quickly bought a private label titanium white from an art store as a replacement. No cracks, still yellowed a bit, later van Gogh and Winton titanium white works better. Lamp black and ivory black Georgian Daler Rowney take forever to oxidize. With putty medium, it's OK. Artisan impasto medium. It's just lying around, I thought I needed it for impasto, but the colours are thick enough from Georgian. It's been lying around here ever since, it was also more expensive than a tube of Georgian. Artisan medium Since I started using putty medium I hardly need it any more and I think it contains thinner after I looked at the data sheet. I should have done that beforehand. I have only used it extremely rarely.

[@saffronlisa01]

Great video, I know people who buy every art 'gadget' around and have wasted their money. I like to keep things simple.

[@highstax_xylophones]

Yep. Aluminum foil works fine. The non shiny side being gray works wonders.

[@dont-want-no-wrench]

all good advice

[@pastuh]

Today, I barely refrained from purchasing the Redgrass Studio XL Wet Palette and Glass XL Palette. I realized I already have homemade palettes that serve the same functions. The same goes for brushes advertised specifically for miniature painting.. I just need to test whether the brushes I already have are suitable.. if they are, then there's no need for new ones.

[@tekoanow]

Thank you very much. I use a 1 to 3 ratio of standard oil and real turp. What is your recommendation?

[@lydiatijsseling]

I find myself not using any terpentine for a while now... I do love liquin though, what is your opinion on that medium? I clean with paper towels and soap. I use tear off palettes becouse I can put them easily with the already mixed paint in the freezer for next time.

[@jensschettler1732]

Biggest waste is buy student grade paints at all. Best buy are lanavanguard support .

[@jeffshepherd927]

The mannequins are necessary because you must display to the universe and random passers-by that you are an artist :D

[@dream.in.blooms]

Do you have a video on how to make your own medium?

[@PixiePrincess501]

To me, the little wooden mannequins were a huge waste of money! They're advertised as being handy for "realistic poses", but all you can really do is bend the elbows and knees *slightly* and maybe turn around the hands and feet. I stupidly thought I got a faulty one and tried buying another at a different art store. Sigh, huge waste of $9.00...)(lol, good thing I got the smaller one! The bigger ones were like, $20.00 Huge ripoff.) It's not all bad, I made little fairy wings for it and keep it in a simple ballet pose (The only pose I can get out of it ^_^0) on my desk as a novelty.

[@chrishynes6091]

What are your medium ingredients? Mine are ... Stand oil, Damar varnish, and hardware store Turpentine; and a couple drops of Cobalt Lineolate Drier. Damar the least and more turp than stand oil.

[@fzq779]

I mix a medium of stand oil for quicker drying, linseed oil for bulk, and a touch of lavender spike oil to thin it down a touch so its not so thick. The lavender spike oil is non-toxic and smells nice. Great alternative to that citrus stuff.

[@alienjjj]

hi! do you have a video about toxicity/heavy metals in pigments, how to configurate your work space, ventilation, dissolvents, etc?

[@maggie5126]

About 4 years ago he did an oil painting safety video! I found it by searching 😂. Basically the rule is LOTS of ventilation & if you aren’t confident about keeping paint off your skin, use gloves.

[@alienjjj]

@@maggie5126 ty! I'm curious about if he implemented any modifications since then :)

[@schill1758]

I bought COLD WAX to try but later discovered that when the old masters used it, centuries later, the varnish couldn't be removed for restoration or cleaning because the wax in the paint would dissolve - so probably not archival 😮

[@the_key_x]

Thanks! Interested in your suggestions for non-toxic thinner and mediums… I use Sennelier’s green for oil, no complaints so far, but what are the alternatives?

[@fzq779]

I use Lavender Spike Oil. Cleans my brushes well, can be mixed with other oils, non-toxic, and it fills my studio with the aroma of lavender. I mix a medium of stand oil for quicker drying, linseed oil for bulk, and a touch of lavender spike oil to thin it down a touch so its not so thick.

[@RobertoDome]

There are other non toxic options too, I've been using Sennelier's green for oil as well basically for the initials washes and I am going to try the other options too just for comparison, like Lavender Spike Oil or Zest-it paint dilutant or the new Miracle Medium from MH. I did notice that with these non-toxic thinners the drying time is slower, but I believe it doesn't really matter that much if you are an `alla prima` oil painter. As a medium I personally just use walnut oil.

[@Deutschebahn]

I use gamsol and can recommend it

[@liv0003]

@@Deutschebahn Gamsol is toxic, odorless but toxic. Use it in a ventilated environment only

[@shahraad]

My biggest regret is cheap brushes and paper that claimed to be oil compatible. The paper had absolutely no grip so the paints just slid on top of one another and the brushes bristles started coming loose. I ended up buying a medium sized canvas pad and two proper oil brushes and now I have no problem painting small practice pieces.

[@ossi2635]

They're not citrus based & the work fine. I'm happy to have them so I don't need to use watermixable oilcolors.

[@Jasmine_Shelby_art]

Water mixable? Generally it is water soluble oils. Watersoluble oils are not to be mixed with water but only can be cleaned with water. So the advantage is mainly to be able to clean your brushes without solvent. For the mediums water soluble oils are included in a range with specific mediums.

[@ossi2635]

@@Jasmine_Shelby_art The Schmincke Norma Blue are watermixable oilcolors. I thought all of the water soluble oil colors are water mixable. 🤔

[@Jasmine_Shelby_art]

@@ossi2635 it was just to say it is not recommended to mix them with water, better to use the medium if your want to change the consistency of the paint ， especially if it is for glazing.

[@socratesthecabdriver]

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@grantkohler7612]

Comparing cadmium yellow medium hue as if it should be the same color as cadmium yellow lemon is intellectually dishonest - yellow medium is not the same as yellow lemon. On a color wheel cadmium lemon is ever so slightly more toward green from a true yellow where as cadmium yellow medium is fairly more toward orange comparably. It isn't the less expensive chemical pigment which the word 'hue' denotes that makes the drastic color difference between the two. I suggest buying a copy of 'Yellow and Blue Don't Make Green' or any other in depth color mixing guide.

[@amysbees6686]

Very good advice! Biggest waste of money: student grade oil paint. Period. Full stop. On a similar vein, cheap artist materials. There's a lot of poorly made supports out there. Utter garbage.

[@fontainerouge]

Typical waste of money: buying a starter set on sale. Generally has the cheapest pigments. Good enough if you just want to check if consistency/medium suits you but if so you'll have to buy the cadmiums, & more white asap anyway & the initial tubes will stay in the drawer.

[@wealthbuilder59]

Disagree . Pallet paper is great to use and I’ve used them for years . Much cleaner to use than say glass because there’s no scraping to clean up. I use grey matter paper always .

[@highstax_xylophones]

Really did not say much here. Would like you to say more about what you are looking for in a medium. Brushes are fine just sitting in a glass jar w mineral spirits. Just say it. If you are consistently working it is ideal. If you paint once a week it is not. I must have missed the canvas part. Could have sworn you said the canvas choice was going to be a topic. I think many are keeping to themselves a finer smoother canvas is ideal rather than those rougher that fight your brush. Also don't be afraid to wipe away w cloth when you find those smoother canvases for it is a great tactic. Lots of utubers touch the top page but rarely give out the keys to success. Most of what I've seen here.

[@shadowstarr7]

Biggest waste of $$$, in my personal experience, is Water Miscible Oil paints and their designer mediums and designer solvents. Moving from Acrylics to oils, I thought this type of oil paint system would help me in transitioning. This was not the case for me.

[@highstax_xylophones]

Stay with acrylics. Oils are so slow.

[@Jasmine_Shelby_art]

@shadowstar7 I think you speak about water soluble oils, they are not to be mixed with water but give the advantage that you can wash your brushes with water avoiding solvents. If you choose a good brand by researching the different advices, I think they are not different than traditional oils at the moment you don't mix them with water.

[@Jasmine_Shelby_art]

​@@highstax_xylophones This is one of the main reason to choose oils because they dry slow ! I love that.

[@jivka6518]

As always inspiring talk Thanks 🙏

[@Matchat31]

Pas cool de faire toutes vos vidéos en anglais alors que vous êtes français ! Surtout que les anglophone ont suffisamment de chaines sur la peinture !