Of all the various mediums artists use to paint, such as acrylics, tempura, and watercolor, oils are typically considered to be the among the most versatile to work with. The pigments go on the canvas with a rich, buttery consistency, and stay vibrant and true as the age. With a range of oil painting techniques, the creative possibilities are virtually endless.

Artists all over the world prefer this medium for several different reasons. For one thing, it has the broadest spectrum of color and the widest tonal range out of all the options. Another advantage is the slower drying time which allows the user to make smoother blends in their strokes and to do more intentionally precise corrections.

Yet another advantage to using this kind of paint is its suitability for whatever genre one prefers and practically any style. Both artists who prefer to do rapid style paintings and those who like to go slower and add carefully controlled details enjoy this medium. With this medium, certain nuances which are typically not possible to achieve with other types, come easily.

No matter one's chosen genre or style, the tools of the medium are basically the same. The necessary items include an easel or tabletop work space, canvas, paints, gesso, color palette and flat knife, a variety of brushes and towels or rags to clean with. Using these products and using one or more different applications, an artist can produce wonderful art.

A good foundation is the key to starting a successful work of art. Color blocking, which is a method where the artist applies sections of diluted pigment to an area of the canvas, using either small or long brush strokes, to map out where various elements will be painted. This creates an base background for building the picture using layering options and purposeful details.

Giving dimension to one's work can be done with a variety of applications, often being used in conjunction with each other to get some interesting results. Among these are the thickness of paint, layering, brush stroke size, contrasting colors, as well as methods such as pointillism and crosshatching. Each of these, alone or in combination, create depth and lend the feelings of movement and space.

This type of paint is incredibly successful at creating a transparent look that gives the appearance of glass, crystal or still waters. The key to this accomplishment is the purity of color and the smooth, creamy consistency with which the medium goes onto the canvas, along with the use of contrast. Using long, uninterrupted brushstrokes allows the pigment to blend into a seamless mix where it is difficult to tell where one tone switches to another, like a reflective surface.

There are any number of ways that an artist can use the methods, such as a range of brush strokes in different directions and sizes, keeping pigment pure, blending irregularly and varied levels of dilution to get the look they want. Using thick layers, deliberate strokes, and stippling are other avenues which bring convincing depth perception to the piece. Knowing how to implement the power of pure whites and deep blacks are also incredibly effective tools.