Tag: oil painting for beginners

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Painting for Beginners, Best Mediums

selective focus photography of paintbrush near paint pallet

What are the Different Painting Mediums?

In our modern world, surrounded by constant distractions, bad news, angry opinions, and an overwhelming sense of general anxiety, one of the greatest and most rewarding hobbies is painting. There are dozens of incredible benefits to painting, including a reduction of stress, increase in brain activity, and the joy of satisfaction. Painting tickles the brain in all of the best ways. But when dealing with painting for beginners, what is the best medium?

There are three big choices in front of you when you decide you want to start painting.

  • Oil
  • Acrylic
  • Watercolor

Besides these, there are others that branch off into different, more specific directions. Among them is gouache, tempera, casein, and pastels. There are also practices with these different mediums that can range from spray-paint or airbrush to mixed media projects. This article will not be delving into those subjects. Just know that if the three mediums we discuss don’t exactly pique your interest, there are other options.

Any links below are not affiliate, as I do not have any partnerships currently.

What To Consider

We’re considering three things when looking at these mediums and what we think is the best painting medium for beginners.

  • Ease of Use
  • Resulting Artwork
  • Costs and Materials

These three aspects help you make an informed decision when it comes time to visit the local art store or make your online purchase. Keep in mind that there are many art-related YouTube channels (including my own) that can help you get a better idea of what the medium will be like to work with.

The Mediums

Oil Painting for Beginners

Oil paint is my personal favorite. That may be because I made a concerted effort to learn it and make it my main medium of choice. I feel very comfortable with it right now and I do love the way it looks when it is finished. Let’s go over it more closely.

oil painting by john singer sargent

Elsie Palmer, John Singer Sargent, 1890, oil on canvas

Ease of Use

Oil paint might be considered by some to be the trickiest of the three options here. That can often come down to preferences in drying times. While oil paint doesn’t technically dry, but “sets”, it is still important to consider how long it can take to work with one painting. Many of the paints you will purchase from the art store will take a few to several days to set completely and experts even recommend waiting an entire six months before varnishing an oil painting, due to the duration you need for oil to set properly.

However, with slower drying times comes more flexibility. If you make a mistake with oil or want to change some aspect of your painting, it is easier to accomplish when the paint is still wet. This is much easier with oil than acrylic or watercolor which are less forgiving in this way. You can almost think like oil paint as “charcoal” compared to acrylic’s “pencil” or watercolor’s “ink”. It will give you greater freedom to move it around and make the changes or fixes you need to.

There are many ways to alter the use of oil medium by introducing additional oils or solvents. You can make the paint thicker or more prone to drying fast. You can make it easier to spread thinly or simpler to manipulate in flat strokes. The paint can have a semi-opaque quality depending on the pigments of some colors, which can help you layer “glazes”, bringing rich color in a way similar to watercolor painting. It is worth noting that water is not used as a lubricant or solvent, as it will not mix well with the oil. You should only use it when cleaning the brush at the end of your process.

A Couple of Brief, But Important Notes

All of these techniques take time and practice to acquire. While it is silly to say that oil paint is simple to work with in its most advanced forms, you can work straight from the tube with some stiff or semi-stiff brushes and achieve wonderful results. You can also use a palette knife to paint and get great textures. Oil paint is simple to use, at its heart, with plenty of room to move further into complexity and difficulty.

The last important thing to mention is how easily oil paint blends. This is a double-edged sword. Many beginning oil painters have difficulty because they use too much oil paint all at once, ending up with muddy colors. It is better to start with less paint and then work towards using more over time. This will also help you stick to the general “fat over lean” oil painting technique. This is important to reduce cracking of the paint layers. It dictates that you start with thin layers of paint then increase the amount of oil in your paint as you add layers to the canvas.

Resulting Artwork

Oil paintings are often regarded as being the most well-received and admired works in the art world. While many of the most renowned artists and movements utilized oil as a medium and many of the most expensive art sold was made with oil paint, it might be overstating the importance of the medium to put it above the crowd for these reasons.

Oil paint can maintain its vibrance and have great color depth when handled properly. The resulting paintings have a wide amount of variety depending on the artist’s methods. However, it is usually a bit easier to recognize an oil painting based on the way the paint sits in its layers. There can be a bit of blending, both through mixture and through the effects of transparent pigments layered over opaque pigments. There is often a sense of smoothly textured strokes of paint that still maintain a certain amount of mass.

The techniques of oil painters often differ from those of watercolor and acrylic painters. There is a stylistic quality to oil paint that you may often recognize (although this is not always that easy to see).

Since oil paint is easily blended, it can be hard for beginning artists to get the results they want. Sometimes paintings end up muddy-looking or blander than hoped for. Just being patient and working slowly is a great way to start. You can always increase your efficiency and speed over time.

Costs and Materials

Oil painting can be an expensive hobby. Many of the costs come down to the main materials you will be using – paint, brushes, and surfaces. The paint itself is more expensive than acrylics, but comparable to watercolor (though this can vary significantly from brand to brand). Brushes can be hard to maintain for beginners, so they can be an added expense (and good brushes aren’t exactly cheap). To prolong the life of your brushes, just try to clean them regularly. You can also rest them in walnut oil, which will make the paint easier to remove and keep your brushes nice and silky.

Most oil painters will use either canvas or wood panel as their ground, or working surface. This usually comes at a higher cost than a pad of watercolor paper, though – again – products vary by quality. You can easily get a pad of canvas paper. This won’t be that useful for hanging your art, but it is great for practicing your craft.

Then there are intangibles, such as a palette knife, paper towels, oil medium, solvent, and an easel, among other things. These have varying degrees of importance and you can use or introduce them as you need to or want to.

Synopsis

Painting for Beginners: Oil paint is the best for those who want to work with blending, layers, and slow-drying paint.

Picking the Right Paint Brushes for Oil Paint

Cleaning Your Paint Brushes

Acrylic Painting for Beginners

Most people start painting with acrylic paint. Not only is it easy to get a hold of, but it is also generally easy to work with. It is used in classrooms and elementary schools, as well as learning studios. It is usually pretty simple to set up and clean up. Let’s dive in a bit.

acrylic painting by david hockney

A Bigger Splash, David Hockney, 1967, Acrylic on canvas

Ease of Use

Beginners will find acrylic paint very easy to try out and get the hang of. Acrylic paint is essentially large color pigments bound by a polymer. Through mixing and layering paint, artists will be able to create works very quickly, without much fear of accidentally blending their layers. The paint dries very quickly, which means that it loses some of its flexibility, but gains a straightforward application method.

Many beginners will see this medium as a good jumping on point because it is so easily related to other artistic implements that we are used to from a young age. The immediacy of colored pencils, markers, and crayons is easily reflected in acrylic paint. The main downside to this is the fact that you might have to work quickly, as the paint will dry on your palette. There are mediums that you can introduce to your mix which will help to keep the paint wet longer.

Acrylic paint is generally easy to spread on your surface, having a creamy quality. It can dry to the brush pretty easily and quickly, so it is best to have some water and cloth or paper towels nearby to keep your brush clean. Little bits of dried or tacky paint can ball up and get into your fresh paint, otherwise.

Resulting Artwork

Many artists like the way acrylic paint looks when it has dried, but some do find it too dull or too glossy. This will depend on the quality of paint you are using. The lower priced paint can dry at different shades than you are seeing when you paint, which can be frustrating. It can also have coverage issues, where it does not spread nice and opaque. Mixing a little bit of titanium white or some other opaquer paint might help.

Acrylic paint is great for working on various surfaces and is often used in mixed media. It doesn’t have the same corrosive qualities of oil paint, so there is no fear of damage over time. It also doesn’t absorb into surfaces the way watercolor can, so it is a more exact medium. This can free you up to create a wide variety of unique works and end up with a myriad of results.

To get the best results from your acrylic painting, you might consider varnishing. This brings out the colors and values much more and usually results in a more vibrant painting. It also protects the painting from dust and damage. Before applying a varnish, it is important to let the painting dry at least 24 hours. Then an isolation coat should be added to prevent the varnish from sticking permanently to the paint. Wait another 24 hours, then add the varnish of your choice, being careful not to use too much.

Costs and Materials

Acrylic Paint is the least expensive of these options and is pretty easy to get ahold of. Of course, most acrylic paint that you will find in general stores is pretty cheap and of low quality. You can find higher quality acrylic paint online and at specialty art stores. Even still, it is relatively inexpensive and easy to get.

Notably, acrylic paint is best used with a plastic or glass palette. Wood palettes have too much absorbency, and most acrylic painters who have tried them end up frustrated. This is usually pretty cost-effective. You don’t tend to need a huge palette when starting out. It is best to use small amounts of paint to help conserve your supply and prevent it from drying.

The best brushes for acrylic paint have a spring to them and are able to hold up to repeated use. This is why most acrylic painters use synthetic brushes, which also cost less and are easier to clean. Having a variety of sizes and shapes can be helpful. As a beginner, it’s best to keep things simple going in, though, and just make sure you have a couple of flats, filberts, and rounds, in a few sizes.

Synopsis

Painting for Beginners: Acrylic paint is the best those who want to work directly, with opaque layers and less blending.

Synthetic Brushes from Dick Blick

Professional Acrylic Paint from Dick Blick

Watercolor Painting for Beginners

A hugely popular medium, watercolor does many unique things that are more difficult to achieve with oil or acrylic. It is versatile to work with and can be used in many styles. Simplicity of function works together with depth of complexity to make a really interesting painting medium.

watercolor painting by winslow homer

On the Trail, Winslow Homer, ca 1892, watercolor

Ease of Use

Watercolor paint is a relatively simple medium. By wetting the paint, an artist can easily start to experiment with its potential. Using either paint pots or tubes, the artist thins the paint to a desired consistency. The paint applies to paper, which thirstily takes in the pigments. It is better to work light to dark with watercolor, though there are many methods and successful approaches.

In fact, it is this versatility that might be the biggest selling point for watercolor. There is a huge space for experimentation and use of a wide variety of tools and techniques. Watercolor also boasts a large selection of different implementations, such as watercolor pencils and sticks. Some artists also complement their watercolor paintings with ink or gouache.

All a watercolor artist needs to start is some paint, some watercolor paper, and water in at least one jar. The water thins the paint, making it easy to manipulate and achieve desired results. It can be challenging to regulate the use of water and to control blending of pigments. With practice, this becomes second nature.

Resulting Artwork

Much like the medium itself, the resulting works show a wide variety of results. Watercolor is often very easy to recognize, though the styles and arrays of work can have vast differences. Because watercolor applies on paper, the end painting is often matte in finish. This is nice because glare on artwork is distracting.

There is a sense in which watercolor art is “soft” probably because it has a lot of natural gradations. The water disperses the pigments around the paper, creating areas of differing values. There are ways in which an artist may achieve higher levels of contrast and crisper effects. However, watercolor generally has a soft glow to it.

The best paints do result in wider ranges of vibrancy, so that the painting doesn’t lose its color to the effect of the water. This is a good thing because, contrary to oil and acrylic, layers of watercolor are thin. The pigments do not build up in the same way. Thoughtful artists achieve mixtures of colors through this application of thinly layered pigment.

Watercolor artwork often looks humble beside its oil and acrylic siblings. This is part of its charm, though, and is a primary reason why artists love it. It is less forgiving than its counterparts, requiring artists to be aware of what they are doing and to treat the medium differently. There is often an almost “sketchy” and lively look to watercolor art that is difficult to replicate with the other mediums.

Costs and Materials

As always, the best materials are going to be the most expensive and give you your best experience with the medium. The pigment won’t fade in the sun as quickly and the spread throughout the paper will feel smoother and satisfying. So, the overall cost may vary based on what you are hoping to achieve. Costs are comparable to oil paint, though watercolor medium tends to be used at a slower rate.

Instead of canvas, you’ll be looking for watercolor paper to work with. There is cold-pressed and hot-pressed paper. Cold press is more textured, whereas hot press is smoother. You will want to tape down the paper or use a watercolor pad with paper that is already taped around its edges. These pads of pre-bound paper are on the expensive side, though they are nice to work with.

As usual, you will find general-grade, student grade, and professional grade materials. The big differences here are affordability and quality. If you are just beginning, you might want to skip the general-grade stuff and go to student grade. It will make your experience more enjoyable.

Also remember that watercolor brushes are nice and soft, ready to soak up water and paint. They are not good for other mediums, besides gouache or other “watercolor adjacent” mediums. The cheapest versions usually wash away the hairs which can be very frustrating. So be sure to consider investing in some better materials if you want to give the medium a fair shake.

Synopsis

Painting for Beginners: Watercolor is the best those who want to experiment and work quickly with less fuss.

Professional Watercolor Paints from Dick Blick

Watercolor Brushes from Dick Blick

Verdict: Best Medium, Painting for Beginners

Not So Fast

It’s not exactly a science, is it?

Any beginner artist has a choice in front of them and there isn’t a wrong path to take. There might not be a best painting medium for beginners. You should consider a few things before jumping in.

  • Which medium has art that appeals to you
  • Which medium do you have space for
  • Which medium appeals to your sensibilities

If you stick to these criteria, you will undoubtedly make a great choice. And remember, you can always experiment with any of them! Though I mostly paint with oil, I am very excited to get more experience with watercolor. I’m getting to a point where I want to work more quickly and take on a different challenge with different complexities.

So, at the very least you have some examples and knowledge that can help you make an informed decision. I hope this article was helpful to you.

Need More Help?

Speaking of painting for beginners, I am always open to taking on private lesson students. I offer one free half-hour to get an idea of what your goals are and how we can get you to them. Then I design a specific lesson plan for you and we go from there. You can hire me for your personal lessons here at SuperProf or here at LessonFace.

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Oil Painting for Beginners (A Primer [pun?])

shallow focus photography of paintbrush

“Isn’t Oil Paint Hard to Work With?”

Maybe you’ve been at an art store and wondered about all of the different kinds of paints on display. Which one is the easiest to use? Which one makes the best paintings? What’s the difference between oil paint and acrylic paint? How would I even start oil painting?

It’s a lot to take in for somebody new to painting! And it can feel so intimidating. What do you choose and would you even be able to figure it out? You’ve heard of oil paint and its long tradition in the studios of famous artists, so would you have any chance at doing anything good with it? Maybe you’ve tried it and found it to be difficult to work with. Bob Ross makes it seem so easy!


It’s true that oil paint has a long and storied tradition in the world of painting, but much of that is because many artists over the past millennia have found it to be a flexible medium to work with. It doesn’t dry as fast as tempera (eggs) or acrylic paint, it has a mix of opacity and transparency, and, with the right approach, it can last for a very long time. I personally enjoy the feel of oil paint on my brush, the freedom in blending that it produces, and the incredible amount of versatility it offers.

First, Some Basic Knowledge

The first thing to understand about oil paint is that it is like any other paint, in that it is made up of pigments that are bound together by a binding agent. These pigments are what we see as the color of the paint. Many of the pigments come from minerals or metals that are ground up into a powder. For example, the earliest Ultramarine Blue pigments came from Lapis Lazuli, a semi-precious stone that is rare and required Italian traders to sail to Afghanistan to acquire (hence the name ultramarine). These days there are synthetic ways to produce a wide variety of beautiful colors.

The binding agent in oil paint is, you guessed it, oil. Often this is a form of linseed oil, specially crafted for painting purposes. It may also be safflower or walnut oil, among others. Some oils have a tendency to turn yellow over time, especially noticeable when mixed with white pigments. There are many studies about this that turn up complex results, so I won’t go into any of that here. Just be aware that it can happen and has been a problem for hundreds of years!

A word about the surface you paint on – it needs to be primed. This is not usually an issue, as you will probably start painting with a pre-stretched canvas from the store. These come with at least one layer of “gesso”, an all-purpose primer that creates a perfect ground for your oils. If you were to paint directly on canvas, without gesso, the oil would be difficult to work with and the canvas would eventually rot. So don’t do it!

“Oil takes a long time to dry!”

In fact, oil doesn’t exactly “dry”, but it oxidizes and sets into a semi-solid state. It often takes days to set-to-the-touch and months to fully set, becoming ready for varnishing. This is important because it gives us artists a big insight into the medium that we are using. It also explains some of the reasons why we paint differently with oil than we do with other mediums.

Oil paint’s reluctance to set quickly opens it up to easier blending and mixing of paint colors. For those familiar with acrylic, this might be a tough shift at first. Give it some time, though, and you may appreciate the added flexibility. You will also now have an opportunity to blend colors on your canvas itself, something tricky or impossible to do with other mediums.

Because the binding agent is oil, most experienced painters will employ solvents and additional oils depending on their needs. Solvents, like turpentine or odorless mineral spirits, break down the oil and leave the pigments less bound together, thinning the paint. This is often used sparingly or with great intention (and in very well-ventilated spaces! The fumes can be extremely harmful.). Additional oil mediums can do a number of things, including speeding drying time, helping the paint flow better, or adding heft to the paint for impasto textures. There are many ways to customize your oil painting experience.

The Key to Oil Painting? Fat Over Lean.

If you’ve ever seen an old oil painting, you may have noticed little cracks all throughout the surface. This can happen when the oil sets up in a way that is too brittle. The flexible canvas underneath may shrink and stretch over time and is susceptible to vibration. In many ways, cracking is difficult to prevent, but there are methods that will make your experience with oils much easier and less prone to cracking.

The best method is called painting fat-over-lean. Each successive layer of paint should have more oil introduced, making for a top-level surface that is more flexible and less pigment-heavy than lower layers. There are other reasons to add oil to your paint, like aiding pigments that are more oil-absorbent, but that is a bit advanced for this introduction. Just try to incorporate a fat-over-lean approach as you get more comfortable with the paint.

A really nice by-product of painting fat-over-lean is control over your composition and colors. Starting your painting with a thin and sketchy monochromatic (one color) first layer is referred to as doing an underpainting. This can help guide the rest of your painting, acting as a framework. As you add more detail, you can use more paint and different colors, being careful to avoid or incorporate blending as you go.

But Now I’m Having a Problem…

It is helpful to keep in mind that different paints serve different purposes. While you may be able to take some of your acrylic or watercolor skills over to oils, you will have to learn some new things. Note that even very advanced oil painters run into issues and challenges. It is only through more experience that we improve and get the results we want!

One tendency for beginners is to use way too much paint too fast. This is usually because they are used to acrylic paint. Using less paint at first and slowly building is a much better approach. It will keep you from making messes and muddying up your colors. In conjunction, you should work dark to light or start with your mid-tones before moving up or down in value. Don’t be afraid to have lot of paint on hand, just don’t go crazy with it too quickly!

Another thing I see a lot of beginners do is having way too many colors on a palette. This is a recipe for disaster as these colors will not harmonize easily. Keep it simple! Use a limited palette. Limit yourself to only using white, one red, one yellow, and one blue. See how many colors you create with just those. You will surprise yourself! If you need a place to start, go with Titanium White, Alizarin Crimson, Lemon Yellow, and Ultramarine Blue. These will combine to make so many beautiful and saturated colors. Then start experimenting with different combinations, trading out Alizarin Crimson for Burnt Sienna, Lemon Yellow for Yellow Ochre, and Ultramarine Blue for Phthalo Blue or Payne’s Gray (or even Ivory Black). Color is relative and what matters most is harmony!

Now You are Set!

There really is nothing stopping you from learning how to paint with oils now. Go pick up some small tubes of paint (go with a large tube of white) and a few brushes of different sizes and shapes. Experiment with what looks fun! To be more frugal, skip the pre-stretched canvases for now and get a pad of canvas paper. I like to use them for studies. Tape a sheet to a drawing board and you’re set!

If you’re feeling old-fashioned (like me), get a wooden palette. They are really nice for weighing your values and they hold up really well to repeat uses (as long as you clean them). Go the less expensive route with a pad of palette paper, a waxy kind of paper that works really nicely, too. I personally have used them many times and prefer them far more than plastic palettes.

And, with that, you should be very ready to begin oil painting (after you read the little bit of safety advice I have below). I hope you enjoy getting to know how to paint with oils. It really is a fantastic way to improve your abilities, your understanding of art, and your patience. Just know that nobody is born with a complete mastery of painting. You grow equal to the amount of time you put into it. Have fun!

One last word of advice: know how to clean up your paint in a healthy way.

  • Be aware that you cannot pour solvent down a drain or into the ground (very illegal and bad for the earth). Best to use it sparingly and let the small amount you use evaporate over time (in a well-ventilated area!), leaving whatever solids behind that you can then dispose of safely. Again, only use solvent in a well-ventilated area (I cannot say that enough!).
  • Oil is very flammable. A normal painting experience shouldn’t end up with any excessively oily rags or paper towels, but if you do, do not wad them up or pile them together. It should be easy to either let the paint dry enough to dispose of later or prevent yourself from ending up with a whole bunch of excess paint.
  • Clean your brushes with soap and warm water immediately after you are done using them. If you do not want to get too much oil paint on your hands, use gloves while painting or cleaning. Paper towels are enough for cleaning them while painting.
  • If you have any other safety concerns, make sure to do your research before you begin, so you can have peace of mind and enjoy the experience.