When you start using animal oil, there are a few things you need to know. First, there’s the priming layer. Then, you’ll need to prepare your canvas. This includes adding any necessary glazes or priming layers. You’ll also need brushes and other materials.

The Production Process of Animal Oil Painting

When painting animals, it’s essential to use a suitable priming layer. The priming layer prepares the surface for the oil paints to adhere to. It also helps mitigate the uneven absorbency of the support and buffers the effects of humidity. It can make the paint application easier and create aesthetic effects. A white ground will also minimize visual distortions caused by transparent paint.

Acrylic gesso is a common choice for priming a painting surface. It is inexpensive, easy to apply, and dries quickly. Unlike traditional gesso, it does not need to be applied twice to each surface. It can be applied on all types of supports.

Glazes

Glazes are used in oil painting to soften and deepen colors. They can also be used to reveal underpainting. The process of glazing an oil painting involves building up layers of paint and allowing each layer to dry before adding another layer of glaze. The result is a more vibrant, deeper color. It also allows the artist to apply thinner layers of paint.

Depending on the painting, glazing can involve multiple layers of single pigments applied over one another. Each successive layer is separated by a glossy film of oil, and the colour of each layer gradually alters the previous one. Some artists apply glazing to the first layer and then add a small amount of oil to the next. This technique minimizes cracking.

Layers

Animal oil painting is typically composed of multiple layers. The first layer is an alkyd material, such as rabbit skin glue, which is applied as a warm liquid. Although animal skin glue is typically derived from rabbits, other animals are also used for this purpose. This type of glue is highly reactive to changes in relative humidity. When the humidity drops, the glue will shrink, while it softens when the humidity rises. This can cause damage to the painting in a number of ways, including delamination and planar deformation of the support. For this reason, rabbit skin glue is usually applied thinly to rigid support material.

The final transparent layer is a varnish. This layer unifies the paint’s gloss, increases colour saturation, and provides a protective barrier. Natural resins such as mastic, aromatic acids, and essential oils are used to make spirit varnishes, which are applied to paintings. Synthetic acrylic resin is also sometimes used.

Brushes

There are several different types of animal oil painting brushes available. Red sable is an animal that is part of the marten family and is indigenous to the mountains of Russia, northern Mongolia, and Kazakhstan. It has extremely soft hairs that are ideal for blending oils. Squirrel bristles are an alternative to red sable. They are suitable for picking up large amounts of pigment, making them a popular choice for wet-in-wet techniques.

The hair type of the brush is of the utmost importance. A wrong choice can lead to disappointing results. Different animal hairs are suitable for different purposes, so it is essential to know which type you will need.

Rabbit skin glue

Rabbit skin glue is produced from various animal parts and is used for animal oil painting. It is a dry product that comes in granules or in cubes. The glue should be stirred before it is mixed with water. It should be applied in a thin layer. A thick layer is more likely to crack later.

Rabbit skin glue is best used when applied over a panel. It can be used to prime the panel and make gesso. The rabbit skin glue will absorb water after about four to eight hours and become soft. Once wet, it will become gummy and may go bad. Therefore, it is important to purchase fresh glue whenever possible.

Chalk

The production process of animal oil painting with chalk is similar to that of traditional oil painting except that it is made of chalk instead of oil. In the production process, the chalk material is mixed with coagulants, which are usually calcium carbonate and titanium oxide. Then, water is added gradually. The mixture is then poured into a mold that is covered with wax paper. Once the mixture is ready, the mold is cooled at room temperature.

The traditional chalk is made from burnt plaster or chalkstone. This is mixed with various kinds of pigments. It is a versatile product and has the advantage of allowing for different levels of light absorption and reflectivity.

Gypsum

The production process of animal oil painting using Gyppsum involves preparing the canvas with successive layers of gypsum or animal glue. Once the canvas is prepared for the painting, a thin layer of primer is applied. This primer seals the absorbent surface and provides a light foundation for the painting.