How much oil paint do you have to use?

I just got a starter set of oi paints, a bottle of linseed oil and and pait thinner. The tubes of paint a pretty teeny, and I have a medium sized tube of black and white. The problem is i barely have any paint! I have never used oils before, how do i use the paint? Do you not need very much then mix in the linseed oil?How much oil paint do you have to use?
I usually squeeze out a small pea sized amount of the paint I need and squeeze out more pea sized amounts as I work as necessary. When you dry brush, a little bit of paint goes a long way. When you use linseed oil a little bit of paint goes a long way also but you use it up faster because you work faster. You have to let it dry between though depending on how much linseed oil you're using... I usually paint out my values regularly and then go back over it with linseed oil plus whatever colour I need to do a corrective glaze.How much oil paint do you have to use?
Well that's a tough one, and we've all asked it, at least once. Myself, I ask that question on a nearly daily basis. The problem is, there is no real answer. It'll depend very much on how you paint and what you're painting. So you are going to have to experiment. This way you'll find what is working for you.





Something that will be for certain, you'll never really get your feet wet with those itsy-bitsy tubes. Oil paint should last a good time on the pallet, so squeeze out about quarter of each tube, then start on your work, see how it spreading, how it's covering, the texture you are getting. Now, can you see how much you are going to need?





At this point, mess around. Scrub the paint out so it's thin, splurge it so it's thick. You'll notice differences in the colour, the luminescence, how the paint behaves. Different colour will have very different properties of opacity, tint, and 'length', maybe even thicker or thinner. Discovering all this stuff, and what it can do for you is one of the best facets of being an oil painter, the alchemy of the paint and how you channel that.





Next comes mediums. This is anything you add to your paint to get an effect. I don't want to lead you here, again experiment. Mediums add another dimension to your paint, and extend the possibilities, as you go on you will see a sometimes bewildering array of products of the market. Some are very traditional, some very hi-tec, maybe start with the stuff that's been used over hundreds of years, then see where that takes you. Have fun.





Lastly I'd say; Those small tubes, use em' up and move on. Once you buy larger amounts of paint you will not be constrained by the amount you use, you'll not treat paint too preciously. Look for a good balance between price and quality. I think Windsor and Newton Winton are pretty good, likewise Talens Amsterdam or Lukas Studio. All are good paints at reasonable prices.





Ok, so get the bit between your teeth and push hard. Make something great...enjoy it
PAINT QUESTIONS ? TRY http://www.how-much-to-paint.com
It depends a lot on the effect you want to achieve. If you want a thin like painting just a little but would do.





Myslef I have a heavy hand and always use lots. However I like my paintings with lots of texture. I never use the licenseed oil either, just medium.