Overview

Nobody ever said that oil painting was easy. But it gets much easier and a lot more fun when you follow a step-by-step approach that starts you off on the right foot, helps you build your skills one at a time, and gives you plenty of exercises to develop your craft. That’s what you’ll find in Oil Painting For Dummies.

Completely free of arty jargon, this full-color guide has all the hands-on instruction you need to master the basics. You’ll see how to plan a painting, build an image in layers, mix colors, and create stunning compositions. You’ll also find everything you need to know about oil paints, solvents, and pigments; brushes, palettes, and painting surfaces; and how to keep costs down at the art supply store. Discover how to:

  • Choose the right supplies
  • Set up your studio and care for your equipment
  • Handle your materials safely
  • Develop your design and composition skills
  • Make practice sketches and studies
  • Use broken stroke, dry brush, glazing, scraffito and other brush strokes
  • Try out different compositions
  • Mix any color you want
  • Simplify tricky still-life subjects
  • Paint landscapes and common objects out doors
  • Paint portraits and the human form

Complete with handy color chart, basic materials list, and a very useful viewing square, Oil Painting For Dummies is the fun and easy way to discover your inner artist!

Nobody ever said that oil painting was easy. But it gets much easier and a lot more fun when you follow a step-by-step approach that starts you off on the right foot, helps you build your skills one at a time, and gives you plenty of exercises to develop your craft. That’s what you’ll find in Oil Painting For Dummies.

Completely free of arty jargon, this full-color guide has all the hands-on instruction you need to master the basics. You’ll see how to plan a painting, build an image in layers, mix colors, and create stunning compositions. You’ll also find everything you need to know about oil paints, solvents, and pigments; brushes, palettes, and painting surfaces; and how to keep costs down at the art supply store. Discover

how to:

  • Choose the right supplies
  • Set up your studio and care for your equipment
  • Handle your materials safely
  • Develop your design and composition skills
  • Make practice sketches and studies
  • Use broken stroke, dry brush, glazing, scraffito and other brush strokes
  • Try out different compositions
  • Mix any color you want
  • Simplify tricky still-life subjects
  • Paint landscapes and common objects out doors
  • Paint portraits and the human form

Complete with handy color chart, basic materials list, and a very useful viewing square, Oil Painting For Dummies is the fun and easy way to discover your inner artist!

Oil Painting For Dummies Cheat Sheet

When you're ready to start your oil painting project, be sure to gather and organize all of the necessary supplies. If you're trying to decide on colors or want to mix your own colors, refer to the color wheel for help. Making and using a viewfinder will help you stay focused when painting a still life. And as with most things, a little maintenance love goes a long way: Your brushes will last longer if you clean and maintain them properly.

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