You know that feeling when you try something new and instantly fall head over heels—even if you have no idea what you're doing? That was me this week, stepping into the world of oil painting for the first time. It’s like meeting someone mysterious and captivating, where you don’t quite know all their quirks yet, but you know you’re hooked. The way the paint moves, the way it lingers, the way it makes you slow down and pay attention—it’s completely different from anything I’ve worked with before. And I can already tell… this is the start of something.
The Owl That’s Playing Hard to Get
My first oil painting was an owl, and let’s just say… he’s taking his sweet time. I didn’t quite get the mixture right, so he’s still not dry, sitting there in all his moody, stubborn glory, refusing to be rushed. It’s a stark contrast to acrylics, where things dry almost too fast—no waiting, no mystery, just immediate results.
But oils? They demand patience. They tease. They make you linger and wonder if you got it right.
And clearly, with the owl… I didn’t.
But that’s the beauty of a first encounter, right? You fumble. You misstep. You learn.
The Bison That Behaved
By the time I started my second painting, a bison, I had learned a few lessons. I adjusted my mixture, played with the color differently, and suddenly, everything clicked. The paint responded the way it was supposed to, and now, unlike the owl, my bison is behaving. Tomorrow, I’ll be able to start glazing, layering on color and extra depth that makes oil paintings so rich and luminous.
Why This Feels So Different
With acrylics, I start by sketching out my subject and then filling it in. It’s structured, planned. But with oils, the process is backward—I coat the entire canvas in paint first and then pull the image out of the layers. It’s messy. It’s intuitive. It’s a little bit wild.
If you want to see exactly what I mean, I filmed a quick clip of me pulling the image out of an underpainting—watch it here.
A New Creative Romance
I don’t know where this new relationship with oil painting will take me, but I do know this—it’s changing the way I see my process, and I can’t wait to see where it leads.
And since it is Valentine’s season… tell me, have you ever fallen in love with a new creative process? Or is there a medium calling your name that you haven’t quite dared to explore yet?