Art Q & A? How to fix a scratch in an oil painting

ART Q and A HERE....

I had a dreadful problem recently and I thought it may be something that has happened to other canvas artists as well. Many times when art has been hanging somewhere; we get it back and it is not in the condition it was when we delivered it and we have little recourse other than trying to fix it. Frames getting chipped and nicked is the most common complaint and many times if it's not severe you can just use a furniture marker to fix that. Of course if its scratched or dented; you have a bigger problem and this story isn't about that; so I will move onward.

The problem I faced was a 6 inch scratch staring me down; almost dead center through my oil painting. There was no way for the eye to avoid its presence. A situation which had to be fixed.

I called around like most artists do and no one was exactly sure. Then I thought about all the furniture, frames and faces I had fixed. I know that's an odd combination but let me explain; each is subject to cosmetic repair on occasion. I used the combination of all those techniques to fix my painting.

The scratch encompassed at least 6 different colors and to mix each color and do a color match was a chore. I used a spare canvas to test colors and paint thickness; as oils do take a long time to dry and it could have led to a mess with all those colors if used any amount of paint other than a very dry brush on each color. Slowly and diligently; I applied each color and gently blended each and use a q-tip to remove any excess paint. I spent 4 solid uninterrupted hours on my painting and when I was done you could not tell it ever had a scratch. The painting was beautiful!!!

Any art problems you have solved email me about them and I will post your helpful hints.

Jeanee