Learning to Oil Paint: A Beginner's Guide
The main audience of this post are students, guests, fellow artists who visit me in my art studio in Washington, D.C. My humble, basement oil painting workshop by Blagden Alley is a small but fairly social place where friends and colleagues come by to paint ‘n’ sip.
Some folks show up with a particular oil painting project in mind, like a portrait of a family member or pop culture icon. Others just wanna freestyle for a couple of hours on the weekend. Whatever the aim, this post aims to give some direction to those who are totally new to oil painting.
First Step: Watch ‘Paint Coach’ on Youtube
‘Paint Coach’ by American oil painter Chris Fornatero is a weekly YouTube channel that got me started in the medium. Specifically, this 10-minute video covering the basics is literally what motivated me to go buy my first paints and canvases at Blick Arts —
If you find this video interesting, poke around Fornatero’s channel. He’s got tutorials covering dozens of aspects of oil painting, from color mixing to composition. One of my favorite exercises focuses on painting a portrait using a random(ish) value spectrum. You can find it here.
Dig Deeper: Watch Florent Farges on YouTube
French oil painter Florent Farges has a great weekly YT channel that approaches the medium from a very European perspective, emphasizing scarcity and precision to Fornatero’s looser vibe. Farges, too, has an intro video that I found helpful starting out. At nearly 30-minutes, it’s nearly thrice as long as Paint Coaches and covers a lot of the same materials; but gets deeper into some basic techniques you can use when you actually sit down to paint —
FWIW: "10 Beginner Problems and Solutions” is another Farges video that I found super helpful starting out, especially his thoughts on overcoming self-doubt and oil painting with confidence.
Your First Studio Oil Painting Sesh
Now that you’ve watched one or both (or none) of the YouTube videos that got me started as an oil painter, let’s get into your first session painting in my studio. In terms of art supplies, my studio has everything Fornatero and Farges mention in the videos above, so there’s really no need to pick up any art supplies before you come. But if you’re one of those people who prefers to bring your own oil painting kit, that’s fine too. Here’s where to shop —
Blick Arts: Barely a 15-minute walk (less than 5-minutes driving) from my studio is an art store that probably has what you seek. Address for Blick D.C. is 1250 I Street NW.
Shop Online: Blick, Jerry’s Artarama, and Amazon are where I’ve bought most of my art supplies online. Gamblin Oils has a page that sells discounted pigments that’s also pretty great.
What to Bring, Wear, and Expect
WHAT TO BRING: If you do use my art supplies, I do ask that you Venmo me $25 per session for the art supplies, though, since oil painting is a relatively expensive medium. The good news: you can keep whatever you paint (obvi). Also, bring wine if you want to sip.
WHAT TO WEAR: In most cases, oil paint stains don’t come out of clothes, so dress accordingly in something that you can designate as your painting outfit if it gets paint on it, which it probably will.
NOTE. There are some rockstar dry cleaners around town that remove small amounts of pigment from fabric, but don’t count on it.
WHAT TO EXPECT: My small basement studio with ring lights and an Echo dot is a vibe. If you know what you want to paint, I’ll get you started right away. If not, we can discuss. Collabs are fun if folks wanna partner off. I’m usually happy to do the heavy lifting on your painting as long as you give it the ol’ college try.
WHO TO BRING: No one. Just you. No plus-ones is basically the rule, with rare exceptions (like if the person is an actual oil painter). My art studio is a dedicated workspace, not a lounge. So no dogs, besties, lovers, co-workers, neighbors, etc. Basically, if I didn’t invite you to paint (either directly or by adding you to my ‘Artsy Pals’ chat), I probably don’t want you there.
NOTABLE EXCEPTIONS: I’ll usually make an exception for a fellow painter. And obviously if you’re being staffed, I’ll accommodate your team. Beyond that, if you’re not geeked to oil paint, no offense but you’re probably the wrong vibe for my studio.
Welp, that’s it for now. I’ll add to this post as I think of things. Meanwhile, if you have any questions, let me know. Bottomline: if you’re curious about oil painting, watch the videos above. If you’re interested in trying it out, let me know. I’ll happily teach you what I know about oil painting. I’ll even coach you as needed. If you already paint, even better! Maybe you can teach me.