how to paint freckles with oil paints

[jackinthebox6]

i just wanted to know how to paint freckles with oil paints i am in the middle of painting my portrait and could someone let me know soon. Do i wait for it to dry or am i suppose to put them on while it is wet. Thanks

[Mark Sheeky]

This is a matter of how you paint... an impressionist type painter would try to give an impression of freckles painting in the wet. If you're aiming for fine details then things like freckles or eyelashes etc. can be accomplished using a fluid paint and a small pointed brush in a second layer... but if you're painting frugally enough fine details in a first layer are quite possible too! There are no right answers. Perhaps you could experiment and see what you like best?

Mark

[Termini.]

Originally Posted by jackinthebox6

i just wanted to know how to paint freckles with oil paints i am in the middle of painting my portrait and could someone let me know soon. Do i wait for it to dry or am i suppose to put them on while it is wet. Thanks

You could get a couple of freckle colors, maybe two or three, a base color, and one a little lighter, one a little darker. Put them on bowls, and add some mineral spirits to each, and mix in until they are juicy. Then take the work outside, place horizontal in a safe area, and dip the edge of the bristles of an old tooth brush into the juicy paint, and pick up some, then flick it gently toward the painting. Do the same with the other colors, but don't over do it. Just a couple of gentle flicks. This prevents a uniform quality, and approximates the randomness of such things. Leave horizontal until the OMS evaporates off. The same thing can be used for many things, even stars in the sky, etc. Only do this in a safe place, and if you have no problems with mineral spirits, or odorless mineral spirits, and use solvent resisant gloves. Clean up appropriately, and safely of course.

You may find it better to do this, before placing a background in. You may also have to adjust a few things that the splatter gets on.

[sarastar]

Also, you can usually wipe of stuff you don't want when you splatter paint. I was all nervous about splatter painting some stars, but then it was so easy to wipe off ones I didn't want off of dry paint.

If you go the splatter paint route, do it when the earlier layers are bone dry, and do not use staining colors.

[Termini.]

Forgot to mention that if you want the image to appear realistic, flick the juicy paint, onto a paint surface that is not dry, but wet. Then, after the solvent evaporates, take a very soft mop brush, and lightly tap the image. This way the small paint dots will blend to the underpainting, and appear to be more fused. The last thing you will want will be a splatter look, like the person stood in front of a fan, and had colored liquid blown on their face. The same thing with stars, or snowflakes, etc. They shoud be lightly blended, so they don't look like the painting was on the floor, and the artist messed it up, while cleaning a brush. This really only takes minutes, and should not be over thought. Less is better, and really only a couple of quick flicks. Then, get a small round, and go back and define a couple, of freckles, to vary them, and provide a bit of contrast. If you can add a drop of medium with larch turpentine, that will help, but isn't necessary.