Beginning from Square One

I am at beginning of my oil painting journey and realizing that I know absolutely nothing! From the very first class I had already made the mistake while prepping the canvas with gesso. So far, it has been a very humbling experience. I am learning exactly how many precautionary measures we have to take due to all the toxic and/or flammable substances in the room. I am praying that none of my mistakes result in a horrible accident. On the bright side, my first project already gives me an excuse to play with toys! The goal is to create a still life from a toy sculpture of my own construction. Still lives are one of my favorite compositions to work with, so other that the challenge of working with a new medium, this prompt seems promising. 

So far, I have (after correcting my mistakes) successfully primed my canvas and have completed my underpainting by coating my canvas with burnt siena and using the wipe off method. I am using burnt sienna because it is a very luminous earth tone that will help keep all of my colors cohesive from here on out. Having an overall color to start out with is a lot easier than beginning with a white canvas and provides a kind of shortcut. Using the wipe off method, I took a rag and began to remove paint in strategic areas to map out my general composition. This, of course, leaves the rag pretty saturated with oil paint and flammable medium, so it is very important to dispose of the rag carefully and to cut it off from any oxygen.  The medium also needs to be stored in a cabinet to cut off any light and oxygen. To my horror, I completely forgot to put my medium away after class and had walked all the way home before I remembered! I ran back to the studio and put it away, but the fact that I forgot so easily gave me a mini heart attack. 

As I said before, it is only the beginning of the semester, and I am already stumbling a bit. Still, I have wanted to learn how to use oil paint for a long time and I am determined to enjoy this learning experience!