Painting Methods, Tutorials, and History

The color wheel is a great tool that helps artists decide what color scheme they want to use with a geometrical mixing method, taking into consideration the distance between colors on the wheel. Learn how to use it and how the color wheel can help you choose color schemes and mixing colors.

Water-Soluble-Oils have come to the rescue of people who love to paint with oils but are allergic to many of the components of traditional oil painting. Here's some help to make the transition easier.

Learn how to paint the beautiful northern lights with watercolor paints.

Paintbrushes are a precious tool for acrylic painters: it's very important to keep your brushes' clean. Step-by-step method to clean art brushes.

Painting rocks to look like lady bugs is a fast and easy project for beginning painters. This is a great project for rainy days when the kids are bored.

How to Paint a minimalist abstract landscape with acrylics, step-by-step. Easy acrylic landscape painting, great for beginners.

How to make Marbled Paper

For thousands of years, the process of converting tree resin into lacquer to add beauty and longevity to everyday objects has been practiced and perfected by Asian craftsmen.

Understanding the differences between and possibilities with watercolor and gouache, two similar but fundamentally different mediums

The joy of expressing the essence of a subject, learning the brush strokes and mix of paint on the brush, and finding balance and harmony in our life.

How to paint ladybugs and ladybirds on rocks and stones. Ladybug rock art. Crafts that Sell well at craft shows

Learn how to add color to clear lacquers with pigments and dyes to create fast-drying custom paints and toners!

How to mix different colors of paint and get brown using a limited palette of primary colors. Mixing brown from Red, Yellow, and Blue.

Lines and shapes are essential elements of painting. How you use them in art strongly affects the composition and overall feeling of the painting.

With so many websites offering to turn your photo into a painting, which basically involves printing and stapling it to canvas, why not do it yourself and have fun actually painting it with acrylics?

If you want some texture under your paintings then you can buy texture in the shops or you can make your own. Find out instructions how and the materials you need.

Things you need to know on how to paint with acrylics that can make your painting a lot easier and less stressful.

Acrylic artists need to know and understand how to use different types of paint strokes for creating a portrait or a landscape masterpiece in order to achieve desired effects in the finished product.

This Color Guide includes: HOW TO USE a Color Wheel. A Warm and Cool Color Chart. A Mood Color Chart. Tint, Tone, and Shade. A Color Schemes and Design Style Color Chart.

Sketch or draw in pencil a portrait of your choosing, bring it to life painting with acrylic paints. Sketching, drawing, and painting are valued techniques to producing a fine art portrait.

If you’d like to learn how to paint with oils, this three-part series will show you what supplies you'll need, how to prepare a canvas, choose a subject and get started on your first oil painting.

I absolutely loved Anna's character in ABC's Once Upon A Time. In this tutorial, I'll show you how I painted a portrait of her with watercolors!

In this article, I discuss five cleaning fluids to removed dried acrylic paint from surfaces. I discuss the properties of each cleaner and any hazard involved.

There are moments when all of the practice pays off and you start to click with your watercolors. And what glorious defining moments they are.

If you are used to painting indoors, the first few paintings you do outdoors are going to be very challenging. However, painting en plein air can be a great experience and teach you a lot. Here are 11 tips that can help you make outdoors painting a little easier and more successful.

Tips and tools for creating real works of art with watercolor, discussed and examined. Artists and creators need encouragement and inspiration to continue to create successfully.

Derwent Inktense Blocks, photo by Robert A. Sloan Derwent, formerly called Rexel Cumberland, is an old, old UK company that more or less invented pencils and to this day creates more variety, inventiveness and sheer colorful weirdness in pencils...

Oil painting tools and materials for beginners. Which are the best oil painting materials and tools to buy for a new artist? How do you choose the best art supplies? How do you avoid buying art materials that you don't need? This guide will help you get started with oil painting - economically.

Having problems mixing colors when you paint? Understanding color theory will simplify color mixing for you. We start with the basics and move to the more complex including some video demonstrations.

The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum provides visitors the opportunity to see work created by an American female artist whose paintings and other art creations are recognized around the world.

The appearance of a painting is influenced by the effect of light and atmosphere, the arrangement of darks and lights, and the harmony and balance of color. Light influences all of these factors.

Step-by-step painting tips for beginner artists. Learn what supplies you need to paint with acrylics, how to get started, how to plan your painting composition, and how to proceed in the painting process. A very helpful article for beginners.

Pinterest offers a lot of ideas for projects. My daughter is an avid painter, has a home grown gallery and offers her items on Zazzle. She needed a storage board for her paints and we built one today.

Making and stretching your own canvas doesn't have to be difficult. It's actually an art in itself. Learn how in this hub.

Understanding color temperature control is crucial in painting, especially when rendering depth. You can set the mood of a painting by controlling the temperature of color mixtures.

Plein air painting is becoming popular. A lot of artists think that painting landscapes on location is the best way to go. Learn about the advantages and challenges of painting outdoors. Would you enjoy it? Plus, tips to help you have an easier and more successful outdoor painting experience.

Acrylic painting for beginners- all you need to get started. Which art supplies and materials do you need to start painting with acrylics? This article provides great info to those who want to start using acrylics and are looking for tips on what paint, brushes, canvas, and easel they should buy.

Connie Hayes’s paintings are often recognizable for her vibrant use of color and her loose painting style. Well-known as a painter of Maine landscapes, she uses color and composition to create unique views of small towns and unseen places in Maine. Her paintings beautifully depict the quiet moments of daily life.

My scan of the cover of my favorite Japanese ink painting book. First, as a hobby, Sumi-E or Japanese ink painting is not expensive to start up. Beginner kits range from $10 to $10 from various suppliers including Dick Blick, ASW, Acorn Planet and...

Easy Lessons for teaching kids how to paint.

I’m presented with the “beauty” issue all the time. What galleries want and don’t want to hang; what people want and don’t want to decorate around; what is and isn’t beautiful. So what is beauty?

Some common mistakes quickly ruin paint brushes. How you clean and store paint brushes determines their life span and how they stay in shape. Great tips for beginner artists.

Paint a rock cat, step-by-step - detailed description and over 30 photos.

I love watercolor. It isn't as hard as everyone says. Armed with just a few simple techniques, you can be turning out some fabulous paintings with impressive skies. Come and see for yourself.

This article gives information on how to avoid having watercolor paper warp and buckle when creating a watercolor painting. Several methods and materials are discussed.

Do you want to try watercolor painting? Take these baby steps and soon, you'll be creating your own masterpieces. I've provided a list of materials that you'll need and tips on how to use them.

Roy Lichtenstein is best known for his work as a Pop artist, but his work goes deeper and makes a statement about art, culture, and what would soon become of both.

Paint stones to make custom plant markers for your garden. Easy to do and fun to make.

Painting tips for beginners. A guide to acrylic paint techniques you can use to get creative effects: splattering, pouring, masking, collage, and more.

I would like to make people aware of the alternatives to paint thinners when it comes to oil painting. Would you like to learn about an easy way to paint in oil with beautiful results, and, without the fumes? Read about it in this article about walnut oil based paints.

Abstract Wheels created with three primary color Sennelier oil pastels and one black Caran d'Ache Neopastel for the strong black lines. If you're looking for a fine art medium that is clean, portable, lightfast and powerful, consider oil pastels. ...

Fine Art Painting Brush Stroke Techniques. Understanding brush strokes helps artists painting more successfully.

Varnishing step-by-step. Your acrylic painting is complete. As a final step, apply the best varnishing techniques to protect your artwork. Your acrylic painting will be ready to hang or be sold.

What present can you get to an acrylic painter? Here are some great gift options for your artist friends.

Painting tree leaves with water colour appears tough especially to the beginners. With this trick painting tree leaves will become very simple and easy.

How do you find photos that can be used as a reference for a painting without risking copyright infringement?

Relax and paint your stress away with nothing more than a Buddha Board, Water, and Your Paint Brush. No mess, no fuss, no stress...

To get some great paint effects on a textured canvas base you need to apply the paint in different ways - check out my hints and tips of how to apply paint to a textured surface.

Before you can paint on canvas, the fabric should be primed. How do you prep a canvas for acrylic or oil painting? Step by step instructions on how to prime a canvas with acrylic gesso.

Painting landscapes successfully is a learning process. I learn best through visual means. So, I have shown things that will help you succeed and also provided some videos to help you learn.

Learn how to paint a lone rider in the forest! It's a moody scene that you can easily create with watercolor paint.

Acrylic paints provide the opportunity to experiment both watercolor and oil painting techniques. A review of the most popular acrylic painting techniques.

Value means light or dark, an essential element in drawings and paintings. Learn how value is the key to a successful painting, not color. How to understand and see values in art.

Verdaccio is a classical underpainting technique used traditionally in tempera and oil painting to produce better flesh tones.

It's the season for making cards.

Painting from photos vs. from life. Why professional artists and art teachers recommend painting from life and not from photo. What are the differences and the challenges?

How do you represent distance and depth in art? Learn Aerial Perspective and tips on how to render the illusion of recession in painting.

If you enjoy painting but just aren't inspired, check out these painting ideas. Lots of photographs are included!

An art lesson on how to draw and paint American flags and easy fireworks for the 4th of July. Step by step instructions on using oil pastels, watercolor and acrylic paint to create one-of-kind-art.

If you're new to watercolor painting, use these five helpful brush techniques and painting principles to create something beautiful!

The way elements are arranged in the picture acts as the armature and supporting structure of a painting. To make a piece successful and interesting for the viewer, plan a composition with a strong value structure. Squinting helps. Seeing simplified shapes, it’s easier to “see” the composition.

A step-by-step overview of the different stages and decision making involved in a landscape acrylic painting.

Simple step-by-step guide on how to paint galaxies using paints, a paintbrush, water, sponges and a toothbrush!!

The Bob Ross Joy of Painting series is a tutorial for beginning oil painters and a very good one.

How to improve your landscape paintings. A list of practical, helpful tips to help you improve your artwork.

A guide for fine art painters on how to choose and use paint brushes, the best artist's working tools. To achieve the desired painting effects you must choose the right brush for the job.

Things You Need to Plan Before Starting a Painting. What to paint? How? With what techniques and styles? Learn how to take the most important decisions before and during the painting process.

Need to paint a dark background in watercolor? Need help in achieving depth or luminosity in your painting? This tutorial is my step-by-step process for creating both dark and luminous backgrounds.

Basic Oil Painting Supply List. The 10 things artists need to have to start painting with oils. The answers to the common questions of all beginner painters. Gift ideas for oil painters.

This article will explain my approach to painting images of vintage cars. It will follow my process step by step to help artists create beautiful watercolor images of some of history's greatest cars.

This is my technique that I have made up for creating abstract paintings with watered down acrylic paint. I have sold quite a few paintings created with this method.

Can you happily create representational paintings but despair at the thought of attempting something that isn't supposed to BE anything? If so, then you are not alone, help is at hand.

Self portrait, Winsor & Newton Artists' Field Box watercolors in 5" x 8 1/2" Moleskine watercolor journal. Copyright Robert A. Sloan, October 2007, all rights reserved. In the watercolor self portrait I started my Moleskine watercolor journal with,...

How to paint an abstract painting using acrylic paint, masking tape, and bubble wrap on canvas.

How to clean up acrylic paint from brushes, painting palettes, or clothes whether they are still wet or after they are dry.

Detailed explanation of the mother color painting technique as a great way to create color harmony. Learn about how to pick the mother color and how to mix harmoniously.

10 great tips on how to paint skies, clouds, and sunsets. Sharing the techniques I learned the hard way hopefully will help beginners to avoid my mistakes and improve their paintings.

If you are tempted by boxes of miniatures and figures at your local hobby shop, or keep seeing cool figures online, and don't know how to even begin painting figures, discover what supplies you need to get started in the hobby.

As it’s coming up to Mother’s Day, I thought I’d celebrate by compiling a hub about Mothers in Art. Initially, I thought of blue gowned Renaissance madonnas, or chubby Renoir babies balancing on the knees of fresh cheeked country girls.......

Still life painting step-by-step: setting up a successful composition, lighting it, sketching it, and getting ready to paint or draw it.

Learn to make colorful bookmarks using simple watercolor techniques and materials! A fun project for artists of all ages, making bookmarks is a great way to enhance your enjoyment of reading!

Step by Step instructions on how a professional artist created an abstract acrylic painting using texture and various paint techniques.

Columbine, 4" x 6" watercolor on cold press watercolor paper by Robert A. Sloan. The finished painting for this step by step demonstration. This step by step demonstration can be done using my colors and choice of flower, or you can use the...

Learn how making thumbnail sketches and using them as value studies helps you create winning painting compositions. It's essential to see value and tone relationships for better painting.

In this beginner’s step-by-step guide to oil painting, you'll learn the simple steps to turn a blank canvas into a finished painting.

Learn to draw fish in Underwater world and to use a plastic packet to draw scenery of the underwater world as seen by a scuba diver.

The rule of thirds helps artists and photographers to plan a winning composition. Use it as a guide to composing pictures that looks balanced and interesting. Keep the rule of third as guidance, but integrate more structural elements to make the scene visually pleasing.

People have asked me if watercolor was hard. I had heard that too and avoided watercolor for a long time in favor of oils; I was afraid it would be too hard to tackle. My fears were unfounded.

Opacity sounds like a good quality for paint to have, right? Maybe. Discover the differences between opaque watercolors and transparent watercolors to see which is best for your paintings!