Mandar Marathe Fine Art - Blog #oil paintingMandar Marathe Fine Art - Blog #oil paintinghttps://www.mandarmarathefineart.com/blogs/tag/oil-paintingTue, 20 Jan 2026 20:59:21 +0530http://zoho.com/sites/<![CDATA[6 Aerial Perspective Phenomena That Add Depth]]>https://www.mandarmarathefineart.com/blogs/post/aerial-perspectiveWant to add a feeling of distance in your paintings? We can use the principles of aerial perspective to do that. Here are the 6 aerial/atmospheric per ]]>

Want to add a feeling of distance in your paintings? We can use the principles of aerial perspective to do that. Here are the 6 aerial/atmospheric perspective phenomena that occur in nature. 

As the distance between the object and the viewer increases,

1. Colors become lighter and closer to sky color
2. We see fewer details in objects
3. Edges become blurred
4. Value Contrast reduces 
5. Size of objects reduces
6. Overall values become lighter


The video below shows how I use these in a painting.  So, next time you want to suggest depth or distance in your paintings, use these things to your advantage.


Happy Painting, 
Mandar

]]>Fri, 01 Mar 2019 17:50:19 +0530<![CDATA[Painting The Same Scene In Oil Vs Watercolor]]>https://www.mandarmarathefineart.com/blogs/post/painting-in-oil-vs-watercolor

This video is about painting the same scene in Oils and Watercolor. I demonstrate and talk about my approach to painting with these two mediums. I've used Oil colors in opaque fashion and watercolors in a transparent form.

Using Oil vs Watercolors!
In this video, I paint the same scene side by side in Oils and Watercolor and compare the painting methods in these mediums. Here are the differences in the way I use these painting mediums.

    Oil Painting
  • Paint dark areas first and then lighter ones.
  • No drying time in between layers.
  • No Layering of colors. Painted in Alla Prima or Premier Coup method.
  • Use opaque White color
  • Painting develops area by area.

    Watercolor Painting

    • Paint light areas first and then darker ones.
    • Drying time is allowed between layers.
    • Painted in Multiple layers of paint
    • Use white of the paper
    • Painting develops layer by layer.

      Watch the video below to actually see me paint and explain this in detail. 

      Happy Painting!
      Mandar

      Gouache!

      P.S. Gouache is a lesser famous painting medium that has qualities of watercolor and oils. When painting with gouache, one can paint from dark to light and use opaque layering techniques from oil painting world and water mixability and transparency from the watercolor world. Interesting, isn't it? In fact I am planning to write a book titled Mastering Painting In Gouache. Here is how it will look.

      ]]>      Fri, 22 Feb 2019 19:43:30 +0530      <![CDATA[Artists' DIY - Make Oil Painting Panels Yourself]]>https://www.mandarmarathefineart.com/blogs/post/making-oil-painting-panelsMaking your own oil painting panels has 5 major advantages Oil paintings can be made on various surfaces and I've talked about it  one of my earli ]]>

      Making your own oil painting panels has 5 major advantages

      Oil paintings can be made on various surfaces and I've talked about it  one of my earlier videos but gesso panels is one of my favourite surfaces to paint on.

      1. Control The texture

      You can make them highly textured or highly smooth and every level in between, depending on your preference and the type of painting you want to paint on them.


      2. Cost-effectiveness

      As you make them yourself, they turn out to be very cheap as compared to readymade ones. This saves you some money and you can paint more!


      3. Custom Sizes

      You can make them of exact sizes that you want and don't have to be restricted to the standard sizes that market provides.


      4. Easy To Dry

      As we are using a board as the base, the paintings made on these panels are easy to dry as compared to paintings on lose canvas.


      5. Easy To Frame and Ship

      Framing these panels is easy and they don't even need a sturdy backing as the board itself has enough strength. You can also ship them unframed without the fear of something poking through it during transit.

      In today's video, I show you how I make these panels myself. Some people also call them gesso panels or gesso boards.

      Happy Painting!
      Mandar

      ]]>      Fri, 22 Feb 2019 19:43:30 +0530      <![CDATA[Oil Painting Surfaces]]>https://www.mandarmarathefineart.com/blogs/post/oil-painting-surfacesIn today's video, I talk about various Oil Painting Surfaces that you can use to create your artwork. So, if you paint with oil colors or are consideri ]]>

      In today's video, I talk about various Oil Painting Surfaces that you can use to create your artwork.

      So, if you paint with oil colors or are considering it, this video is for you. 

      These surfaces can be broadly classified into three categories, fabric, hard surfaces and paper. Each category of surfaces has many variants that offer different advantages and disadvantages.

      Watch the video to know more.   


      Happy Painting,

      Mandar


      ]]>      Thu, 07 Feb 2019 21:01:26 +0530      <![CDATA[A farm near Mulshi – Oil painting demo video]]>https://www.mandarmarathefineart.com/blogs/post/farm-near-mulshi-oil-painting-demo-videoHere is another oil painting demo that I recorded last week. It is a video recording of my steps in painting a landscape titled "A farm near Muls ]]>

      Here is another oil painting demo that I recorded last week. It is a video recording of my steps in painting a landscape titled
      "A farm near Mulshi".

      I have removed the audio and sped up the video to make it small enough to upload to YouTube easily. I'll be releasing the full 1-hour version with my commentary in a few days. Till then, enjoy this 2-minute video of my painting process.


      Keep painting!

      Mandar

      ]]>      Tue, 16 May 2017 03:03:33 +0530      <![CDATA[Moonlight – Oil painting demo video]]>https://www.mandarmarathefineart.com/blogs/post/moonlight-oil-painting-demo-videoHere is the oil painting demo video I talked about last week.  If you have any queries about this, please let me know in the comments section or w ]]>
      Here is the oil painting demo video I talked about last week.
       If you have any queries about this, please let me know in the comments section or write to me using the form here.
      ]]>      Fri, 12 May 2017 03:03:36 +0530      <![CDATA[Digital Oil Painting demo]]>https://www.mandarmarathefineart.com/blogs/post/digital-oil-painting-demoHappy Friday! In this blog post, I am happy to share a Digital Oil Painting demo. I have used Artrage on iPad Pro with Apple Pencil for this ]]>
      Happy Friday!
      In this blog post, I am happy to share a Digital Oil Painting demo. I have used Artrage on iPad Pro with Apple Pencil for this painting. Complete painting took me about an hour but I have sped up the video for a better viewing experience. So, sit back, enjoy the video but do not forget to paint something yourself this weekend. This video is a part of my complete landscape painting course in real oil colors titled " Landscape Painting using oil colors".

       Keep making art, 
      Mandar
      ]]>      Fri, 21 Apr 2017 03:03:58 +0530      <![CDATA[Benefits Of Daily Painting]]>https://www.mandarmarathefineart.com/blogs/post/benefits-of-daily-paintingI try painting a new painting daily and each one is a great learning experience. After I started painting small and almost daily, I came to know about ]]>

      I try painting a new painting daily and each one is a great learning experience.

      After I started painting small and almost daily, I came to know about "a painting a day" movement and it appealed to me. Here are a few reasons for that. 

      See My Daily Paintings Here

       Pushing the envelope, 6 x 8, oil on canvas

      1. Available Time

      I started painting small when I was still in a full-time job in IT industry. So I only had weekends to paint. Coming back to a half-done painting was not so appealing and so painting small was a better option.

      2. Inspiration

      I was inspired by the "a painting a day" movement which was started by artist Duane Keiser. It appealed to me as I would potentially have a finished painting at the end of each day I got to paint.

      3. Easy to store

      At that time I did not have a dedicated studio for painting and so painting small was more realistic than painting big canvases.

      Tropical Sapodilla, 6 x 8, oil on canvas

      4. Less mental involvement

      If I mess up a big canvas I feel worse than when I mess up a small canvas. Mistakes happen and then you need to either wipe the canvas or totally throw it away. It's all less painful with smaller canvases.

      5. Experimentation

      The initial investment in the canvas, paints and time is small for small paintings and so I feel more willing to experiment with them and try new ways of working. Experimentation is the key to artistic growth.

      6. Easy to sell

      It is easy for art buyers to buy smaller paintings due to their smaller price tag.

      7. They are bought as gifts

      Small paintings are easy to give as gifts to friends, family, clients and so on due to an affordable price tag.  This results in more sales and who doesn't like that?

      8. Easy to ship

      Small paintings can be easily shipped in an envelope. Shipping charges are also more affordable. 


      If any of these reasons resonate with you, start painting small, more often and see if it's right for you.
      To get some inspiration, see my small daily Paintings here. 

      Happy Painting!

      Mandar
      ]]>      Thu, 06 Apr 2017 17:14:40 +0530      <![CDATA[Grisaille]]>https://www.mandarmarathefineart.com/blogs/post/grisailleAn artist has to overcome various challenges when he or she wants to paint a good painting. The drawing should be right, the composition has to be app ]]>
      An artist has to overcome various challenges when he or she wants to paint a good painting. The drawing should be right, the composition has to be appealing, the colors should be right and values of the colors should be right too and these are just a few of the things.
      In this post, let's see how one of these challenges can be tackled rather easily. 



      Grisaille layer of painting 

      Many beginner artists have a common problem when they start out. They can draw well, but when they paint over it, everything seems to go wrong. That's because they are trying to overcome two challenges at the same time. They have to get the value of the color right and the color itself right. There is an age-old and easy way to overcome these challenges, one at a time. "Divide and rule" method works great here too. That method is called "Grisaille" method. Grisaille is the name given to a monochromatic painting done typically with a near neutral (grey) color. It is more popular in figure painting, portrait painting and also as a cheaper alternative to 3-dimensional sculpture. Though this method acts as a stepping stone for painting with colors, the monochrome paintings also have a charm of their own. Let's look at the two steps of painting a colored painting using grisaille method.

      Step 1: Grisaille layer

      Here, the artist is concerned only about getting the values right. It is easier to achieve that when you paint with just one color.  As we know, getting the value right is very important for showing the form. Value is the parameter which gives the feel of 3rd dimension to a 2D painting. Before applying other colors, this layer of painting is allowed to dry completely. If you paint with oil colors, this can take few days but if you use acrylic colors, you only need few minutes.

      Step 2: Adding Colors

      The next step is to get the color right. To achieve that, artist mixes the color for each area in the painting, matches it's value to the relevant area in the grisaille layer and then applies it to that area. This way, the artist has a perfect way to get the right values of the colors. Sometimes even a glaze of color is enough to bring the painting to life. When glazing is used instead of opaque colors, you are using the value of the grisaille layer and color from the glaze layer. This type of painting produces more translucent and lively paintings. Even though this method is time-consuming because of two distinct steps and some drying time in between, it yields a higher percentage of good paintings. I recommend this method to my students when they are starting out. Once they are confident enough to achieve correct values and colors at the same time, they can use a direct painting approach. So, when you paint with oils, acrylics or casein next time, try the grisaille method and experience it's benefits! If you are painting with Watercolours or Gouache, do a small value study (a small painting done with just black and white) instead of a grisaille layer.
      Keep making art, 
      Mandar
      ]]>      Tue, 04 Apr 2017 03:03:17 +0530