Oil Painting On Copper Plate

Copper based pigments have long been an important source of colour for artists but copper plates have also functioned as a support for paintings instead of the more familiar canvas or wood supports for a long time.

Oil painting on copper plate.

The usefulness of copper in metalwork is known to all but few people realize how much it has contributed to art and painting throughout history. The use of copper as a substrate for an oil painting dates back to medieval times. Elemental copper can serve as a primary support for oil paintings. Paint on the prepared copper plate the artist may paint on the freshly dried garlic juice rubbed copper surface right away with pure oil paint or apply primer to create a silky smooth white surface for paint application.

Painting on or with copper has a long history. Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder commonly used drying oils include linseed oil poppy seed oil walnut oil and safflower oil the choice of oil imparts a range of properties to the oil paint such as the amount of yellowing or drying time certain differences depending on the oil are also visible in the sheen of the paints. Copper based pigments were an important ingredient in ancient paints and the metal itself was frequently employed as a canvas on which renaissance artists painted. Hammered or rolled metal provides a non absorbent surface that can increase color saturation.

How to prepare a copper panel for oil painting. Paint on the prepared copper plate. Depending on the plate s preparation the reddish orange metal can also provide a warm tonality to the finished painting much like other supports including wood or other paintings.