An oil painting is an expression on canvas that can reflect many things, from real life to abstract, and it one of the greatest gift ideas. Contrary to popular belief, painting in oil does not require that the artist to be a professional. Rather oil is a medium that is malleable, making it fun - even if it’s not always the easiest medium to use.

Where to Find Oil Paintings

An oil painting can be purchased for many occasions and does not have to be expensive. Depending on the size of the painting, its age, and the artist who painted it, oil paintings can range in price and value. Original oil paintings can be found in shows, such as at an artist expo, from a private dealer or at an antique auction. Original oil paintings can even be found online.

A Great Christmas Gift Idea

Christmas is a time of giving. Why not give a gift that will be fully appreciated? Whether you commission a painting to be done by an oil painting artist or decide to paint one yourself, an oil painting is one of the greatest Christmas gift ideas for a wife or other significant woman in your life such as a mother, a sister, a daughter or a best friend. Find out what she likes - landscapes, portraits, still life, modern art or another style and contact an oil painting artist who specializes in that particular form.

Have it Commissioned

An oil painting artist will usually charge a bit more for an original oil painting, however, the cost may be worth it to have a painting that will become a Christmas gift for your wife that she will never forget. Discuss your preferences with the oil painting artist and even consider bringing elements from your home or other things that hold meaning and have the artist incorporate them into the original oil painting they create for you. When you commission a painting, the oil painting artist is paid to create an original work that reflects your choices and style, so make sure you take part in the creative process as much as possible

Do it Yourself

If you decide to create an original oil painting yourself as a gift idea, keep in mind that perfection is probably not the best goal for a beginner. Rather, strive to be true to your creativity. While a portrait may be a more difficult challenge, painting a landscape or still life is generally not seen as difficult.

Where to Find Supplies

Supplies such as a canvas and frame, oil paints, brushes and other necessities can be purchased at any art store for much less than it would to commission an original oil painting as a Christmas gift for your wife. If you decide to commission an original oil painting as a Christmas gift for your wife, make sure to find an artist in enough time to complete the project before the holiday.

Oil paintings come in all shapes and sizes, and may be based on a variety of themes to appeal to all tastes. They may be painted on different types of material, such as canvas or cardboard. Original classic oil paintings are among the most valuable works of art that exist; some are valued at millions of dollars. While a number of valuable oil paintings are displayed in museums, private collectors who buy art for their personal enjoyment or as an investment also own some.

The ensuing discussion provides top 7 techniques of Oil Painting. Lets look.

Creating Fundamental Structure. All the forms in an Oil Painting are created from the basic five shapes viz., Sphere, Cone, Cylinder, Cube, and the doughnut shaped Torus.

Color Blending. The gradual transition from one color of Oil Paint to another is called Blending. As Oil Paints, take time to dry, the wet Oil Paints easily move around on the Canvas. This easy movement of wet Oil Paints on the Canvas, makes the Blending easy. The Paint Brush is dragged back and forth between the colors until the suitable Blend is achieved.

Matching colors. The artist handles colors with the help of a Color Wheel. The Color Wheel, an essential tool for matching colors, is a Circle, sporting basic 7 rainbow colors. It is arranged with Yellow, the lightest value color, on the top, and with Violet, the darkest value color, at the bottom. The band of colors on a Color Wheel are divided into Warm Colors such as, Yellow-Orange, Orange, Red-Orange, Red, and Red-Violet, and Cool Colors such as, Yellow-Green, Green, Blue-Green, Blue, and Blue-Violet.

Contrast. The correlation between the lightest light and the darkest dark shades in an Oil Painting is called Contrast. The representation of Color Value from Black to White is called Value Scale. The distances between the values on the Value Scale decide the levels of Contrast.

Texture. This is another significant factor in Oil Painting. It is clearly seen at the transition of light to the shadow. The sharpness of the focus on a picture decides the smoothness of the object. The same object would have a better texture in direct light than in a shade.

Glaze and Wash. The Transparent Layers in Oil Painting are called Glaze. Glaze is a thin, see-through color, used over another dry color to create a third color. Glaze always darkens a color. Translucent Layers in Oil Painting are called Wash. Wash is a thin opaque color, used over another dry color.

Shadow. Shadows are of three types, Shadow, Cast Shadow, and Proximity Shadow. The dark shade an object creates is called its Shadow. Cast Shadow is the absence of light caused by the object in its environment. It is easily identified, as it is always the darkest and is mostly focused near the source. Proximity Shadow is the Dark Shadow formed when the objects touch each other. This is considered the darkest part of an Oil Painting.