attention painters:

[mugsy]

hey so im using poppy seed oil with my oil paints as my medium. so far its working just as good as linseed oil. im just wondering has anyone else used it and what they thought of it?
i picked it up cause it was cheaper and im broke.
i have the oil painters bible and poppy seed oil isnt in there. im currently on the lookout for this book my teacher last year had - tells you how ot make home made mediums.
anyways any input appreciated.

[silverfish]

here's some info from your friendly neighbourhood highschool art teacher:

poppy seed oil is considered a "semi-drying oil" in that it is very very slow drying (esp depending on the pigment used- ivory blacks, titanium whites, cobalt blues and most ocres may take over a week to dry).

never use poppy oils to prime a surface and if you are underpainting, give a week or more to dry or your painting will crack. you can also get "drying poppy oil" which is faster drying.

on the plus side, poppy oils are less likely to turn whites yellow and won't yellow over time.

tadaaaaa!

[mugsy]

yay!!!!!

i had an idea about cracking and thats what i was nervous about. i'm taking it slow with this painting as my schedual doesnt allow every day access so im glad to hear it slows down to up to a week. i have really cheap titanium white and it dries almost over night and it fucking sucks. but now its gorgeous and wet.
and its a raw umber, black and white painting im doing so i'm psyched to hear that it doesnt yellow it.

one more question. i want to glaze this shit outta it when im done, can i put some galkid (sp) over top after i give it a couple of weeks of drying?

p.s. thank you so much.

[silverfish]

Originally Posted by mugsy

i want to glaze this shit outta it when im done, can i put some galkid (sp) over top after i give it a couple of weeks of drying?

i'm not familiar with that product, or anything that sounds like it, off the top of my head so i dug through my files and books to double check and came up blank =(

deffinately give it extra time to dry if you are glazing in the true sense of the word. if you mean glaze as in a varnish, then you need to wait months with poppy seed oils before using a varnish (i reccomend Soluvar).

you're more than welcome for these helpful tips =)

so where are you studying???

[mugsy]

^ graduated from the studio art program up at capilano college last year. (totally amazing program taught by rediculously talented teachers... i miss it like crazy)

galkid was big at school last year - almost everyone glazed every painting in the grad show. i've never heard of soluvar - but i'm gonna have to grab some from lomis then the next time i head over there. i think im also gonna hit up a used book store and look for some oil painter's guide book.

right now im studying at home... reading up my art history text's and doing some internet research. been big on pop-surrealism and twombly.

p.s. just got home from the opening for sideshow at the aidan gallery - i recommend it, its pretty good. a guy i graded with - varian loo - has some peices in it.

p.p.s. i love working with kids - but have always been afraid of becoming an art teacher due to the fact of having to teach the same basic skills\ideas every year (i know that with each student comes something new) but im just not the kind of person who can commit to repetition. how do you find it?

[silverfish]

Originally Posted by mugsy

.p.s. i love working with kids - but have always been afraid of becoming an art teacher due to the fact of having to teach the same basic skills\ideas every year (i know that with each student comes something new) but im just not the kind of person who can commit to repetition. how do you find it?

i have never found teaching to be repetative in the slightest. doing demos on basic skills doesn't ever have to be the same way twice- you change the projects, themes, your approach, etc. besides, the foundation skills is such a tiny part of the teaching experience (it's not like you're working from a text book doing the same chapter questions year after year).

i really enjoy it. but it's not for everyone. it's extremely challenging and pretty thankless work.

sure some teachers do the same projects, same ideas, every year. most choose not to and change their projects every year. you have to do this esp when you have 9-12 combined classes (can't repete stuff since older kids will have done it last year).

have you taught before, like community centers, etc?

[mugsy]

i have been a competitve swim coach and water-polo coach for 5 years - working with kids age range of grade 9-12 was the hardest for me. but there was not alot of age difference and i was coaching more boys then i was girls and it was hard to gain immediate respect from them. once i did though, it was enjoyable.

i absolutely love working with kids. my goal in life is to open a physical\visual learning center\school for pre-school\kindegarten aged kids. having them make letters and feel their shapes, introducing basic color theory in the sense of what colors feel hot and cold to them, what color makes them happy. alot of self discovery and more guidence then in your face teaching. i know my opinion is very biased, but i really think that the most creative people in the world are kids, and that it is so easy to learn through creativity, to learn while you build. of course every person learns differently and i would still apply that to the program, but i would really want a more creative approach to learning.

i put together affordable art course plans for the city - ful package from costs to each day planned out by time and what materials would be needed and cost effectiveness, ect. but i havent approached the city with it - life got busy. (awful reason but true) i live in port moody, and the art programs they offer are so bloody expensive that its not available for everyone - and thats a major concern for me. every person in the community should have the same oppurtunities to take advantage of. especailly the kids.

i've been looking into becoming a teacher at the highschool level alot more seriously lately, along with other options. (ece, seta) if i went for the teaching highschoo, i think i'd get my bfa first. but i donno. i really want to take textiles - build my skills and knowledge as best i can, plus experience and meet people.

do you think that teaching classes in the community would give me an idea of teaching within the schools? i just thought the situation would be a lot different as people are paying to be there\want to be there. i still remember in all of my general art classes in highschool, the kids that were taking it just to get their finearts class in, and how they just brought the vibe i guess you could say, down.