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.

There are several reasons why this medium is favored by many artists around the world. This type of paint has the broadest color spectrum and tonal range of all available options. The slower drying time is a huge advantage for most as it allows the painter to blend strokes more smoothly and to make more 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.

The base tools used, regardless of which style or genre one works in, are generally the same. These usually include rags or towels for cleaning, brushes in varied sizes and types, canvas, easel or table top work area, thinning medium, flat knife, color palette, and paints. Combining multiple applications and a little practice, wonderful art is easily produced.

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.

Using different applications, either by themselves or several together, can bring dimension to the piece. Some of these methods include varying brush stroke styles and sizes, contrasting colors, pain thicknesses, layering and the utilization of actions like pointillism or crosshatch. These things can bring the perception of space, movement and depth to the artwork.

When wanting to create the transparent look of still waters, crystal or glass, this particular paint type tends to be very successful. This is because of the smooth and creamy way in which it flows on to the canvas, the rich purity in the pigmentation and the utilization of effective contrasting. A seamless blend that becomes like a reflective surface with no clear differentiating between one tone and another can be done using continuous and unbroken strokes across the desired area.

An artist can use these methods of application in many ways such as varying the range of pigment purity, doing irregular blending, using brush strokes in different directions or sizes, and degrees of dilution to achieve a certain look. The utilization of obvious brush marks, thicker layers, and stippling are other avenues of adding depth. Understanding the absolute power of deep blacks and full whites are very effective tools as well.