Painting takes practice and you have to be patient with yourself. It’s okay and totally normal to not make masterpieces in the beginning, just enjoy the process, test this great medium and have fun creating art. Never give up. I hope you’ll have a lot of fun with this medium.
Oil Painting For Beginners – 11 Steps On How To Get Started With Oil Paints
This post might contain affiliate links. I’ll receive a small commission when you purchase from my links, at absolutely no cost to you. Your constant support is always appreciated!
Oil painting can seem very intimidating for beginners.
Does oil painting seem scary and complicated to you? Like a medium that’s only meant for experienced and professional artists? Are you confused by what solvents and mediums are and which ones you should use, if any at all? Maybe you are afraid of your materials spontaneously combusting?
Well, I’ve certainly been there. I didn’t know which colors to pick, what the use of solvents or mediums was and at first I didn’t even know oil painting could be dangerous (it is only if you don’t pay attention to these simple precautions I talk about later in this post).
All these thoughts kept me from starting using oil paint for years but after thoroughly researching, a friend convincing me to give it a try and a global lockdown forcing me to learn something new I finally jumped into my oil painting journey this year.
Before starting I watched tons of helpful beginner videos on YouTube and it would have been super helpful to have everything summarized and written down somewhere. So I made this guide on oil painting for beginners with all researched information I find important and my personal recommendations and experiences.
Why oil painting?
Maybe you’ve always wanted to try oil painting or you are bored with acrylics or watercolors. Or maybe you’re in a rut. Trying a new medium is always exciting and can be very motivational. It can also help getting you out of art block.
Oil painting is a lot of fun and the medium is so different from acrylics, watercolors or gouache. It’s a slow drying paint consisting of pigment particles and drying oil as a binder and it has been used for centuries. Long drying times, versatility and richness in color are three of the many advantages.
Oil paint is not only meant for experts or professionals. If you’re a beginner artist and interested in oil painting don’t hesitate, oil painting can certainly be for beginners.
Oil paints
Of course you need some oil paints to get started. If you’re on a budget or don’t know if oil paints will be right for you, you could start with an inexpensive standard introductory set with all the basic colors (like this one). But if you can, invest a bit more in higher quality paint.
Cheap paint usually has a low level of pigmentation making it less covering. They also have all kinds of additives or stabilizers in them which will make painting much more frustrating.
High quality paints can be pretty affordable these days. Since they are more pigmented they will last longer because less paint is needed.
Luckily you don’t need many colors to start out. If you know a bit about color theory you will only need the primaries red, yellow and blue. You’ll also need white and maybe some kind of brown shade.
You can choose your primaries from these shades:
- Yellow: Cadmium Yellow Light, Cadmium Lemon, Hansa Yellow Light
- Red: Cadmium Red, Quinacridone Red, Perylene Red
- Blue: Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue,
- Brown (optional): Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber
- White: Titanium White
The colors I decided on getting first were Titanium White (a large tube), Cadmium Yellow Light, Quinacridone Red, Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna.
For the brand I decided to stick to Gamblin because they are high quality, they don’t use solvents in their paints and I agree with their company and work ethic.
Great brands you could choose from:
- Gamblin Artist Grade Oil Paints ($8.25 – $175.50)
- Winsor & Newton Artists’ Oil Colors ($7.56 – $60.01)
- Schmincke Norma Professional Oil Colors ($15.10 – $38.47)
- Rembrandt Artists’ Oil Paints ($10.88 – $945.00)
- Blick Studio Oil Paints ($3.29 – $35.98)
- Bob Ross Oil Colors ($5.45 – $25.71)
- Holbein Artists’ Oil Paints ($6.96 – $133.41)
What You Need to Start Oil Painting
To get started with oil painting, you will need the following supplies:
-Oil paintbrushes in various sizes
-Palette knives
-Canvases or canvas boards
-Oil paints
-Easel (optional)
-Rags or paper towels
-Solvent (for cleaning brushes)
Now that you have your supplies, you’re ready to start painting!
Good luck!
Oil Painting for Beginners: The 5 Basics of Oil Painting
Oil Painting for Beginners – Supplies – Photo by tabitha turner on Unsplash
Oil painting is a popular medium for both amateur and professional artists. The basic techniques of oil painting are not difficult to learn, and with a little practice, you can produce beautiful paintings.
To get started, you will need some supplies. Here is a list of what you will need:
-Paints: You will need a basic palette of oil paints in order to start painting. A good selection of colors to start with would be white, black, yellow, red, blue, and green.
-Brushes: A variety of different sized brushes is essential for oil painting. Look for brushes that are made specifically for oil painting; these brushes will have natural bristles instead of synthetic fibers.
-Palette: A palette is used to hold the paint while you are working. You can purchase a pre-made palette or make your own using a piece of glass or plexiglass.
-Canvas: Canvas is the traditional support for oil paintings; however, there are other supports available such as wood panels or Masonite boards. Choose the support that you feel most comfortable working with.
-Easel: An easel is not required but it can be helpful in keeping your canvas at the correct angle while you are painting.
Now that you have all of your supplies, you are ready to begin! Here are some basic steps to get you started in oil painting:
1) Begin by sketching out your design on the canvas. This will help you plan out your painting and make sure that everything is in proportion.
2) Squeeze a pea-sized amount of paint onto your palette for each color you plan to use.
3) Dip your brush into the paint, then tap the excess off on a rag or paper towel.
4) Begin to paint, using long strokes and working from light colors to dark colors. You can use blending techniques to soften edges and create subtle effects.
5) Allow the painting to dry before adding any additional layers of paint. When the painting is completely dry, you can varnish it with a protective coating if desired.
Oil painting is a rewarding art form that can produce beautiful results with practice and patience!
Oil Painting for Beginners: Different Techniques for Oil Painting
Oil Painting for Beginners – Different Techniques for Oil Painting
Oil painting is a versatile medium that can be used in a variety of ways to create different effects. The most common techniques include:
-Glazing: This involves applying thin layers of paint over a dry base layer to create a translucent effect.
-Impasto: This involve using thick layers of paint to create a textured surface.
-Drybrush: This is when you apply paint to the surface using just the tips of the brush strokes, resulting in a dry, textured finish.
-Scumbling: This is when you use a rough, textured brush to create a soft, blended effect.
-Pallet Knife: This involves using a palette knife to scrape and mix paint on the canvas, creating interesting textures and effects.
-Wet-in-Wet: This technique involves working with wet layers of paint to create organic shapes and forms.
