As you begin your oil painting lessons, there are many things which will be helpful to learn and remember. I have been painting for years, but have only adopted oil painting recently. What helps me is to remember that while oil paints have different properties than other paints, they are incredibly adaptable and can be used in many different ways. Through using different mediums, you can even make them feel like other types of paint. So as you begin learning this new form, there are several things to keep in mind.
1. Supplies
You will want to find quality oil painting supplies that are clearly graded for use with oil paints. This is especially true of your brushes. Make sure that they say they can be used with oil, or you will find yourself replacing your brushes much more often than you would like. Besides the brushes, you will want to pick up the primary colors of oil paint, along with white and black. I would suggest buying two different tones of each color. You will also want some linseed oil and turpentine, some canvases or wood to paint on, some cloths, and some different mediums to experiment with changing the properties of oil paint.
2. Drawing
I can’t stress enough the importance of learning how to draw before you start any kind of painting. It will set a strong foundation for your artwork and allow you to create realistic representations of your subject matter. No matter how much you want to jump into working with paints, please do some drawings first to make sure you have the piece just the way you want it.
3. Composition
One of the things that will set your piece apart from others is the composition it has. Composition refers to how things are laid out on the page. Try not to put all of your focus directly in the center of your page, or all on the left side. Make it interesting! A piece of good advice is to split your canvas into unevenly sized sections. This will attract viewers and make them want to keep looking. It is that special something when you think “I don’t know why I like that piece so much, but I really do.”
4. Patience
When learning anything new, just remember to be patient. It takes time to learn new skills, but I guarantee that if you persist you will be so happy with the results you are getting.
Oil painting lessons are a great way to learn and practice this beautiful medium, and will help you in your path to becoming an expert oil painter. Before you know it, you will be creating masterpieces!
