Basic Techniques in Oil Painting

Unlike many other art forms, oil painting is extremely forgiving. Because the pigment is opaque, mistakes can be painted over and corrected, something you cannot do with watercolors. If mistakes pile up one atop the other, you can even scrape away the paint and start fresh.

Oil painting is also an art form you can work on when the mood takes you, or when you have a bit of free time. There is no need to finish a painting in a certain period of time, which means your hobby will never become a chore.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to do much art before, warm up by sketching. This will give you a feel for transferring what you see to a two-dimensional surface and help you overcome some of the challenges you will encounter.

For your first painting, choose something uncomplicated, such as a simple landscape or a bowl of fruit. Of course, “simple” does not mean boring. Be sure to include something in the composition that excites you and you cannot wait to paint, such as a bright red lawn chair on the end of a rather drab dock.

First, sketch your idea on paper. Next, sketch a rough outline onto your canvas panel. Most artists do an underpainting on the canvas, and this is a good way for you to transition from sketching to actual painting. There are no details in an underpainting, just broad swathes of color that suggest a blurry image of the work. The underpainting creates a base for the layers of paint that will follow, and is your first chance to make changes and corrections.

You can accelerate your progress through lessons or classes with an expert artist. As with everything else, there are basic techniques in oil painting, and learning from someone else can save you years of frustration and disappointment. Most of all, knowing the basics will set you free to paint what is in your heart, and share you vision with others.