Oil painting for beginners: useful tips

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How quickly can you learn to paint in oils? You definitely cannot do without professional advice from experienced painters, so for those who want to thoroughly learn the craft of painting or at least to try, it will be useful to attend a master class at the Lihtaryk art studio. And if you want to master this technique yourself, our tips will also come in handy.

Oil painting workshops for beginners are the best way to try oil painting at a minimal cost. You don’t need to buy an easel, canvases, paints, brushes, palette knives, or thinners. The art studio provides everything you need for a drawing lesson and you will have your oil painting ready in three hours. During the master class, the artist will tell you how to paint an oil painting and help you to do it.

Drawing master classes for adults have their own specifics. Painting master classes are created for you to come to an art studio, where all the materials necessary for painting are waiting for you and, with step-by-step instructions from an experienced artist, you can draw a picture in three hours. We use oil paints for painting from the best Ukrainian manufacturers.

Schedule of master classes in oil painting are always available in the Calendar section on the website of our art studio.

Features of oil painting for adults

First of all, oil painting is love! You can’t do creativity because it is fashionable, or because everyone else is doing it and I need to. The desire for creativity must come from the heart. This is the main key to success!

Secondly, oil painting for adults is not an attempt to become Leonardo! It is a way of self-expression, an option for wonderful relaxation, art therapy and a way to escape from everyday life.

Third, this is not a story about perfectionism. This is a story about your personal vision. You do not need to make a copy, make your own version and enjoy the result.

Finally, on the technical side, listen to the professionals. They will advise which brush is best to choose and how to use a palette knife. A professional artist will help you to find the right shades of color and to build a harmonious composition.

Tools

  • Things that you will need for painting: brushes, canvas, palette, palette knife (an artist’s spatula with a steel stack), thinner for oil paints and an oil can (special double flask used for solvent).
  • You can purchase several different types of brushes at once, for example, for beginning, you can take round, flat and bristle brushes of different sizes.
  • The basic set of oil paints consists of the following colors: white, black, ocher, blue, red, green.
  • You need to draw in a place well-lit with natural light, otherwise the colors may differ from those they appeared in a specific light.
  • If you have never drawn before, then it is better to start by taking some well-known painting for example and depicting it – in this way it is easier to gradually master the skill. For example, one of the most famous paintings by Ukrainian artists.

Oil painting for beginners

Technique

  • Any painting begins with building a composition on canvas. It is advisable for a beginner to outline the main compositional elements with a pencil and build a composition;
  • One of the main rules in painting with oil paints: from dark to light. That is, in any case, the first color should be dark. Try to stick to this oil painting technique constantly;
  • To prevent oil paint from being too thick, you need to mix it with a solvent. To obtain the consistency you need, it should be added to oil paints gradually;
  • While working, do not be afraid to get dirty with paints, because they can be washed off quite easily (with water and laundry soap), and things can be washed without problems using ordinary detergents. It should be remembered that it is easier to clean things on the same day that oil paint has come into contact with them.

After master class

  • Please note that oil paintings take about three weeks to dry, but this is very short compared to, for example, the famous oil paintings of the masters of past centuries, which sometimes took five years;
  • After the oil painting has dried, it can be varnished if desired, in this way you will protect your oil painting and colors from fading;  Brushes must first be cleaned using solvent, dry and wet wipes or towels. Then, when all the remaining oil paint has been removed, the brushes should be washed with water and laundry soap. Oil paint should be scrubbed until the water becomes completely clear. If oil paint dries on the brush, it can seriously damage the tool;
  • Oil paint from hands is washed off under warm water for several minutes. Use regular soap, but if you have a bar of laundry soap (laundry soap with kaolin is especially effective), then everything will wash off perfectly;
  • If you plan to continue painting in the coming days, then the remaining oil paint can be stored on the palette, covered with cling film. After that, they can be used next time.

If you do not dare to paint with oil paints at home, then we will be glad to see you in the art studio for oil painting lessons.

We sincerely recommend oil painting master classes for celebrating birthdays and meeting with friends. Such a creative relax will be remembered for a long time by all participants.

You can create your own interior paintings in one or more master classes. The time it takes to create a painting depends on the complexity of the chosen composition and the size of the canvas. As a base, we use primed canvas on cardboard or on a stretcher.

Oil painting workshops are primarily a relaxation and a way to switch your attention from the daily routine.

Oil painting is perfect for corporate events and team building. Collaborative creativity brings people together, reveals their talents and allows you to learn more about the behavior of colleagues in a non-standard atmosphere. By painting the large size picture with oil paints, you can learn to work in a team, delegate responsibilities, and take responsibility for the overall result.

An oil painting master class is very popular as a romantic date. The creative atmosphere brings you closer together and opens up new facets of your loved one.

If your heart strives for creativity, do not hesitate! Come to paint.

Also you can buy gift certificates for creative activities for loved ones, relatives and colleagues. In addition to our master classes in the studio, we have online master classes. So now you know about one more creative place where to go in Kyiv.

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