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Oil painting is a painting style which is done with pigments that bound with dry oil followed especially in early modern Europe. Most of the famous paintings of world are the great creation of oil on canvas. The most eternal example of this is, Mona Lisa, an oil canvas work on wood panel by great artist Leonardo da Vinci.
Traditionally an oil canvas was made of linen but some less expensive varieties were also made of cotton. For depicting a painting on a canvas the artist first prepares one wooden frame called as stretcher. Now the canvas is pulled across the wooden frame and is tightly
stabled towards the back portion. Now the canvas is applied of size which makes it isolate from the paints acidic qualities. Previously the oil canvas was coated with an animal glue layer, and then primed with white lead paint. The panels of the canvas were prepared with a glue and chalk mixture called as gesso.
The acrylic gesso of contemporary days frequently used on canvas is made of titanium dioxide mixed with an acrylic binder. The artists apply several layers of gesso and sand each layer smooth after it dries out completely. A sandable acrylic gesso is not suitable for a canvas it is suitably created for applying on the panels. The layer of gesso which is applied on the canvas tends to draw the oil paint into the porous surface, depending on the thickness of the gesso layer.
Sometimes in the surface of finished art work, excessive or uneven gesso layers are visible. The standard size for oil canvas was established in France in the 19th century. That set standard were maintained by many artists not only in France but also by the artists from rest of the world. The pattern is still followed widely.
The main separation from size 0 to size 120 is divided in separate run for figures, landscapes and marines which is often created diagonally.
The style of oil painting differs from artist to artist but still there are certain steps that are followed by all. Firstly, the artist prepares the surface. Traditionally many other surfaces have been used such as linoleum, wooden panel, paper, slate, pressed wood, and cardboard, oil canvas has been regarded as the most popular surface since 16th century.
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