Oil Painting Basics

Inspiration & Exploration

Oil painting has a rich history stretching back 600 years, and you're about to join that tradition. Start by visiting the Utah Museum of Fine Arts on the University of Utah campus — admission is free for Utah K–12 students — and spend time in front of actual oil paintings. Notice how thick or thin the paint is, how light seems to glow from certain areas, and how artists blend colors on the canvas. At home, search YouTube for "oil painting for beginners" on the free channel "Will Kemp Art School" to watch how the medium actually behaves. Browse the free "Google Arts and Culture" site to zoom into masterworks and study brushwork up close. Make a Pinterest board or folder of ten oil paintings that excite you. Write a few sentences about each one: what colors dominate, what mood it creates, and one technique you'd like to try. You're ready for the next step when you can describe five specific qualities of oil painting that make it different from other mediums.

Tools & Techniques

Oil painting requires some specific supplies, and knowing what you need saves money and frustration. The basic starter kit includes a few brushes (flat, round, and a fan), three to five colors (titanium white, ivory black, cadmium yellow, ultramarine blue, and alizarin crimson mix most others), odorless mineral spirits for thinning, and a small canvas or canvas board. Watch the free "Oil Painting Techniques" videos by artist Marco Bucci on YouTube to understand how paint consistency affects marks. Learn the "fat over lean" rule: early layers use more solvent and thin paint, later layers use more oil and thick paint. Visit Blick Art Materials or a local craft store in the Salt Lake area to compare supplies in person. Set up your workspace near a window for natural light and put newspaper or a drop cloth down first. You're ready for the next step when you have your basic supplies ready and can explain the fat-over-lean rule in your own words.

First Creations

Your first painting exercise is a simple monochrome study — just one color plus white. Squeeze a small amount of ultramarine blue and titanium white onto your palette. Using a reference photo of a simple object (a mug, a piece of fruit, a shoe), block in the darkest shadows with thinned paint first, then build toward mid-tones and finally highlights. Don't worry about making it look perfect — you're learning how oil paint moves. Watch Proko's free YouTube video "How to Paint Values" before you start. Let your first attempt dry for at least 48 hours before adding more layers. While it dries, practice mixing on a piece of wax paper: how many steps between pure blue and pure white can you mix? Try a second small study from life using an object sitting on your desk at home. You're ready for the next step when you have two completed monochrome studies and can identify where the light source is coming from in each one.

Style Development

Now introduce color and start developing a personal approach to painting. Do a series of three small color studies — each no bigger than 6 by 8 inches — of the same subject under different lighting: morning light from a window, afternoon, and lamp light at night. Notice how dramatically the colors shift. Study the work of Utah painter Utah Plein Air artists by searching "Utah Plein Air Painters" online — many post free process videos showing how they mix colors outdoors in landscapes similar to places you might visit along the Wasatch Front. Experiment with two different brush techniques: smooth blending by working wet paint into wet paint, and broken color by placing short separate strokes side by side. Keep a color-mixing chart in your sketchbook — when you mix a color you love, write down the approximate ratio so you can find it again. You're ready for the next step when you have three color studies and can point to one brushwork technique you're intentionally choosing over another.

Refine Your Craft

Refining your craft means slowing down and making deliberate decisions about every mark. Choose one painting from your series and do a "compare and critique" — photograph it next to your reference photo and list five specific differences. For each difference, decide whether it's a mistake to fix or an artistic choice to keep. Study composition rules like the rule of thirds and leading lines using the free "Practical Color Theory for People Who Code" article online, or search "composition rules painting" on the free site Smarthistory.org. Repaint one of your earlier studies using what you now know about edges — the difference between soft, lost, and hard edges creates the illusion of focus and depth. Watch the free "Edge Control in Oil Painting" video by artist Kevin Macpherson on YouTube. Ask a family member or friend to give feedback by answering: "What is the first thing your eye goes to in this painting?" You're ready for the next step when you can look at any painting and name at least three deliberate compositional choices the artist made.

Portfolio Piece

Your portfolio piece is a finished painting — at least 9 by 12 inches — that represents your best work to date. Choose a subject that genuinely matters to you: a view from a Utah trail, a family member's hands, your favorite corner of your room. Do a thumbnail sketch first to plan your composition, then a color study, then the full painting. Expect to spend at least three to four sessions on it. Photograph your work in natural light with your phone at the end of each session so you can track your progress. The Utah Arts Alliance holds student art exhibitions in Salt Lake City — research their submission guidelines online and consider entering. Varnish your finished piece with a light retouch varnish to protect it and even out the surface. Write a short artist statement (three to five sentences) explaining what drew you to the subject and one technique you used intentionally. You're ready for the next step when your portfolio piece is signed, photographed, and has a completed artist statement attached.