First Time With Oil...

I painted for the first time with oil paints tonight. It was challenging. I knew it would be, but I had no idea to what extent.
First of all, oil paints are VERY messy!! I've always had fun getting dirty with oil pastels, charcoal, acrylics...but damn oil paint is the grandaddy of messy mediums. Usually I can paint anywhere with acrylics...on my bed, hardwood floors, anywhere...but with oil paints I learned quickly that I need to get an easel asap! I painted on a canvas board propped up against the wall...the carpet got a nice ding when the brush fell out of my mouth while I was trying to get some damn ventilation going but luckily the wall stayed clear.

Also, with oil the painting never seems to be over. The timing is all off because the oil takes forever to dry. So basically my inner timer for knowing when to focus on a certain portion of a painting is off now, because oil does not dry quickly like acrylics.

It blends differently from acrylic. It can just as easily replace a color as blend with it, depending how much I use and how I am applying it.

With oils it doesnt seem to take much effort to make cool lines happen while simultaneously being really difficult to blend effectively. It's definitely a weird double edged sword. BUT I was able to do some pretty cool stuff just letting the brush really move around into the painting. With acrylics I paint controlled strokes that clearly define what I want. With oil I just let my hand go and it would make really cool lines in a really effortless way. Kind of like I was surprised by the lines that came from the brush sometimes.

It was strange, but exciting! Im happy I am finally using a medium I was so intimidated by for so long.