Artists’ oil colours are made by mixing dry pigments with linseed oil, meaning oil paints take longer to dry vs acrylics. You can enjoy the luxury of being able to tweak, alter, soften and blend your work, creating wonderful, subtle paintings.
Oil Painting Lessons
Oil Painting Master Series provides the student with an overview of the medium of oil painting. Designed for absolute beginners, the course is structured with a logical progression of lessons.
VIEW COURSE
3 Hours 19 Lessons 17 Ebooks
TECHNIQUES
All About Paint Brushes
Everything you need to know about paint brushes. Brush hair types, shapes, marks, and parts are all covered in this video, comprehensive guide, and infographic.
Wet into Wet – Mixing Paint on the Canvas
Learn how using the wet into wet painting technique leads to more natural, looser, livelier paintings.
A Special Baroque Painting Technique
Learn a special Baroque painting technique that leads to dramatic scenes and light.
How to Mix Brown
Learn how to mix brown with any paint medium.
How to Clean and Care for Your Brushes
Clean your brushes and they’ll repay you with a long life.
Color Theory and Mixing – 1 Hour
Learn how to mix colors from warm and cool primaries and learn how to use color theory in your paintings.
MEMBERS
Painting Exercises
Improve your painting skills with these four painting exercises.
Using Water-Mixable Oils for the First Time
Getting started with water-mixable oil paints.
Oil Painting Master Series – Introduction
An introduction to the video series, “Oil Painting Master Series”.
MEMBERS
Oil Painting Master Series – Materials Part 1
A look at preparing a support for painting. Concepts include stretching a canvas, applying gesso, and preparing panel.
MEMBERS
Oil Painting Master Series – Materials Part 2
A look at preparing a palette, creating your own oil paint from pigment, and the brushes that are typically used for oil painting.
MEMBERS
Oil Painting Master Series – Pre-Painting Fundamentals
A look at adding paint to a palette, arranging warm and cool primaries, mixing secondaries, and using medium.
MEMBERS
Oil Painting Master Series – Blending Oil Paint
A look at isolating values in a painting and using the “stitch method” to blend smooth transitions of tone.
MEMBERS
Oil Painting Master Series – Indirect Painting
A look at adding glazes to an underpainting.
MEMBERS
Oil Painting Master Series – Wet into Wet Technique
A look at the painting technique known as “wet into wet”.
MEMBERS
Experiment with Background Colors
Experiment with your paintings to find the best background color.
Mixing to Match Colors
How to match colors through color mixing.
Painting on Panel
Approach painting as the Old Masters.
How to Varnish a Painting
Learn how to protect your paintings and make them look their best.
Oil Painting Master Series – Non-Traditional Painting
A look at non-objective painting and using non-traditional tools and materials to apply oil paint to a support.
MEMBERS
Oil Painting Supplies
The supplies you need to paint with oils.
Oil Painting Basic Forms – 1 Hour
Learn how to blend oil paint in this full length recorded Live Lesson on painting basic forms (cone, sphere, cylinder, and a cube).
MEMBERS
The Interactive Color Wheel
Learn color theory the easy and fun way with The Interactive Color Wheel.
8 Essentials of Oil Painting
The basics of oil painting.
Oil Paint – General Info
General information about oil painting can be found in this free painting lesson including brush types, surfaces, and traditional techniques.
Learning from the Style of El Greco
What can we learn from the style of painting by El Greco?
The Artist: Today vs. The Renaissance
Comparing the life of an artist today vs. that of the Renaissance.
Is It OK to Draw and Paint From Photos?
A debated subject. Is it acceptable to work from photos?
PEOPLE
How to Paint a Portrait with Oils
Learn how to paint a representational portrait on panel with oils. Add glazes to bring warmth to the painting.
How to Paint a Realistic Eye
Learn how to paint a realistic eye with water mixable oil paints.
How to Mix Skin Tones
Learn how to mix skin tones using just red, yellow, brown, and white.
Oil Painting Master Series – Underpainting
A look at creating an underpainting in which values and subjects are blocked in quickly.
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Oil Painting Master Series – Painting on a Toned Ground
A look at the advantages to painting on a toned surface.
MEMBERS
Oil Painting Master Series – Portrait Study Part 1
Part one of a portrait sketch demonstration. In this tutorial, the portrait is drawn using thinned oil paint.
MEMBERS
Oil Painting Master Series – Portrait Study Part 2
Part two of a portrait sketch demonstration. In this tutorial, the portrait sketch is completed by applying layers of mixed skin tones.
MEMBERS
Oil Painting Supplies
Before embarking on your oil painting journey, you’ll want to make sure you have all the essential supplies. This tutorial covers choosing the best paint, canvas, brushes, easels and other tools you’ll need to get started.
Oil painting techniques tutorial
In this oil painting tutorial, learn twelve oil painting techniques. From the more common, like blending and blocking-in, to the more obscure, like sgraffito. Some techniques are easy to master, but others require skill and practice. If you’ve ever wondered how to create an oil glaze, or how to paint ‘alla-prima’, then this is the tutorial for you.
Clean up after oil painting
The cleaning up process in oil painting is often something that puzzles and sometimes even puts beginners off learning the medium.
Oil cannot be cleaned from materials with water alone. Luckily, you don’t need to get harsh solvents to wash oil paint from your brushes and other materials. Read our tutorial for an easy to follow, solvent-free cleaning method to keep your brushes in perfect condition and your space free from heady solvent fumes.
How to…
How to Choose a Basic Portrait Painting Palette for Oils
How do you match skin tones?
How to Paint a Simple Still Life using Oil Paints
A simple coffee cup step-by-step study using oil paint for beginners
How do you Approach Lighting a Portrait Painting?
Different options for portrait painting lighting
How to Paint an Oil Portrait – Part 1 of 5
How to use classical oil painting techniques to build up a Grisaille portrait
How to Paint an Oil Portrait – Part 2 of 5
How to Paint an Oil Portrait – Part 3 of 5
Looking at tonal relationships within the portrait
How to Paint an Oil Portrait – Part 4 of 5
Refining our portrait painting
How to Paint an Oil Portrait – Part 5 of 5
Final part in the Grisaille oil painting tutorial
How to Paint a Portrait in Oils – Timelapse Video
Time-lapse video of the Grisaille portrait tutorials
Oil Painting Techniques & Terms
Glossary for Oil Painting Terms – The Essential Guide for Beginners
A guide for understanding basic oil painting terms
The 3 Key Secrets of Portrait Painting Success
How a simple change in approach can help your portrait paintings
7 Questions every Artist needs to ask: How to Varnish an Oil Painting
Should you use a Dammar of Mastic? What about a spray or brush? what’s the secret to oil varnish success?
The Importance of Contrast in Painting
How learning to view your paintings as drawings can improve realism in your work
The 3 Steps to Becoming a Better Painter, by Painting Less
How too many choices can cause decision fatigue and stop you progressing in your practice
How to Mix Colour Strings
How to use Classical techniques to speed up your painting
Exhibitions & Old Master Oil Painting Techniques
Inside the Artist’s Studio, Ruben’s House & the Art of Antwerp
An art tour of Antwerp, Belgium to visit Ruben’s studio and house, experiencing the altarpieces of Baroque artist Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577 -1640)
How to Paint, Sleep (and Nearly Die) like Cézanne
How a visit to Cézanne’s art studio in France highlighted the power of taking action on your dreams (even if you’re a late bloomer)
Inside Rembrandt’s Studio
A close look at the oil painting techniques used by Rembrandt, and the lighting used in his studio in Amsterdam
Discovering Zorn, the Petit Palais & Patisseries in Paris
A retrospective exhibition in Paris of the Swedish painter Anders Zorn
Singer Sargent & Friends
Exhibition review of John Singer Sargent show
Discovering Velázquez, The Duke & Unexpected Treasures
Discovering Velázquez paintings hidden in plain sight in London
Studying Holbein’s Portrait Drawings: A Brief Encounter
Exhibition review of a selection of Hans Holbein portraits
Self Portrait Painting selected for Ruth Borchard Competition
Painted with Ivory black, Raw Umber and Titanium White on pre-primed linen
Monet & Architecture at the National Gallery (London)
An exhibition review of Impressionist Claude Monet, focusing on Monet’s relationship with architecture
On Tate, Turner & Unlikely Partnerships
A look at the history and development of Turner’s style and influences
