Painting Guide Book

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Forexample, some people do not have the patience to sit down and accurately render every tone and detail of a subject. Therefore, they may be better suited to learn color and brushwork from the Impressionists rather than the rigorous practices of the Russian academic painters.

Or maybe you want to become a master realist painter like John Singer Sargent or Joaqun Sorolla. To get anywhere near this goal, you would need to follow a dedicated and rigorous training regime that focuses on drawing and the other fundamentals of painting (color, value, composition, etc).

Next, you should decide on a medium to focus on, at least for the short term. This will allow you to really get a feel for how the medium works, so that you can then pay more attention to the big-picture aspects of painting, like color, composition, value, etc.

You really cannot go wrong with oil paints. If you are not sure where to start, I suggest either jumping straight into oils or starting with acrylics with a view of jumping over to oils once you are more developed. There are some fantastic acrylic painters, but many of them paint in a very contemporary style. The traditional painting techniques which were used by the old masters are much better suited to oil painting.

Tip: For those of you who are concerned about the harsh solvents used in oil painting, like turpentine, then check out odorless solvent. It makes oil painting much more pleasant. You could also look into water-based oils.

Watercolors are generally considered to be the most difficult to pick up due to the untamed nature of water and the fact you are not able to do much re-working of errors (as the paper can only absorb so much water). However, if mastered, watercolors can produce stunningly elegant paintings.

For this reason, I recommend you start out with either acrylics or oils before venturing into watercolors. However, watercolors are a fantastic complement to your acrylic or oil painting as they train a different skill set.

For example, John Singer Sargent was famous for his meticulous portraits using oils, but he used watercolors to paint impressionist and relaxed landscapes and portraits. These watercolor paintings probably felt very refreshing for Sargent, who would have been accustomed to the lengthy and tedious portrait painting sessions.

Also, this is not to say you must choose a medium and ignore the rest. I encourage you to try many different mediums but have one which you really focus on and get familiar with. It is better to be a master of one medium than be average at all mediums.

You will be able to find all this at your local art store. If you are an absolute beginner, it may be worth starting with a beginner package that includes most of the basic supplies you would need. You can then upgrade later on.

These are what I consider to be the core pillars of painting. It is important that you get familiar with them early, as they will help you understand what exactly is going on when your brush hits the canvas. Learning these fundamental areas will benefit every stroke you make.

Value: Value is an element of color, but it is generally considered as a separate fundamental area due to its importance to painting. Every color has an underlying value somewhere between white and black. For example, take the following painting by Claude Monet.

If I take color out of the equation, we are left with nothing but the different values ranging from light gray to almost black. This painting has a strong value structure, as you can clearly make sense of it without color. A strong value structure is not essential by any means (just look at many of the great Impressionist paintings) but it certainly helps in giving your painting a solid foundation. If you paint with accurate values, then you have more leeway with your use of brushwork, color, and detail.

Edges: An edge is what separates two shapes. It can be either hard, soft, or lost. Hard edges have a clean transition between the two shapes; soft edges have a smooth transition; and lost edges are so smooth you can barely see them.

Brushwork: The physical marks left by your brush (or your palette knife, finger, or anything else you use to paint with). This is an overlooked aspect of painting, which is odd because it is what makes a painting look like a painting. If not for brushwork, we may as well just take a photograph or practice digital art rather than traditional art.

Technique: How well you are able to perform certain actions. Good technique will develop over time as you gain experience and become more comfortable with your brush and paints. But you need to be careful of any bad habits which you may pick up along the way. This could be the way you hold your brush or the types of strokes you make. Bad habits can be incredibly difficult to fix after you have been practicing them for a number of years.

My main suggestion for your first painting is to start general; try to capture your initial impression of the subject. Think about the subject in terms of shapes and colors. You can then refine the painting and add more detail.

The finished painting is below. This should give you an idea of how rough and general I start a painting. Of course, some subjects require more delicate attention, but that is something you need to consider on a case-by-case basis.

The world around us is full of life and color. Color brings joy. I like the jewel toned colors the best, but am learning to love even the browns and greens, which i used to despise because i thought them dull. They actually help the bright colors be even more noticable. There is beauty in everything. I want to share, and bless others through cards and paintings. Eventually would like income.

I really enjoyed spontaneously painting the first thing I saw when my 9 year old granddaughter asked me to paint with her. It was a great stress reliever and I was actually pleased with my work. Especially when my 14 year old granddaughter asked if she could have it.

I have always wanted to paint. I am know opening up a whole new world of colours textures etc. To sit with a blank canvas and then create what you have seen or imagine incredible stuffs. Thank you Dan, for making about painting easier to understand.

I love reading what you have to say! I just feel a great passion to create paintings and when I finish one I can hardly wait to start another one! I have always used acrylic paint and have been painting continually for about five years now that I am retired and have more time. I think based on what you have said I might try using oils next to see how that works. Thanks for your inspiring words of wisdom.

My main hobby was gardening and I took up painting initially with a thought to capture my garden as a painting not a photo both in individual flowers and as a landscape. I now find I want to paint more than garden and have recently expanded to portraits and still life. I started with watercolour but now I am in to oils am finding it much easier to achieve my ambitions.

Dave Smith, I wish I knew why I love art and painting. I used to draw and paint 50 years ago, then I had to move and run a family business. I lived close to Andrew Wyeth and drove by his home at least once a week. There is a museum nearby that features his paintings as well as other family members. It also has the works of other artists. When I am depressed, I go there for a pick me up. Art is private for me. There are so many old buildings in this area and each time I pass one I wish I was able to put it on canvas and create a develop a certain mood for it.

Thank you Dan I have found all of your emails and comments very inspiring. I started painting at the beginning of this year. I have watched and painted alongside many videos. But now I am letting go and finding my own things to paint which I find really wonderful. I love painting alot and get lost in my art. Thank you again

I started my journey in watercolor last November and am slowly learning the principles as you have talked about in this article. I find this information very helpful. Thank you for sharing your knowledge in painting. I find it very useful.

Thanks Dan for your clear, always helpful instruction

Been painting from childhood on and off but able to devote more time now to Art which has always given me much joy and which I like to share with others

Have to avoid oils because of allergies

Did water colours first but wanted more vibrant colours and changed to acrylics which I now enjoy

Yes it dries quick but there are ways to deal with this and once you learn to blend it is easier to work with. I love its forgiving nature for I can always grey out mistakes and start again?

For me Art is a hobby now but would not mind getting some of my work sold and see the joy it brings others

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and experience.

Find it very beneficial.

Hi Dave. I have not used them yet but I did recently purchase a set. I will do up a tutorial when I get around to giving them a try (hopefully soon). But I have heard good things about them, especially for people who do not like the toxic nature of oils.

Paints canvas easel You will find that when your brush and canvas meet they almost have a mind of their own. I keep many clippings that speak to me as well when I start a landscape from somewhere a wheel I like an old barn etc They just start coming together a rock etc get your creative juices flowing.

Yes, so many beautiful landscapes that I want to capture on canvas. I am not an artistic person, but, oh how I just love to watch beautiful paintings in galleries. I love photography too, and I wish to make amazing pictures of my shots on canvas.

I started painting on my own, then with you tube. I very much enjoy it. It seems that my early paintings were better. Reading what you shared in this article seems to explain why. Thank you for the chance to get a better understanding and improve. I have been painting since January 2021 and hope to have a large painting to put on the wall that I can be proud to leave hanging.

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