Learn How to Paint

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Learn to Paint

Learning to paint can be a highly personal journey. I've heard lots of people tell me they wish they knew how to paint. I think everyone can paint, it's a matter of allowing yourself the freedom to actually do it.

Even artists can feel that fear of making a mark on a clean surface. This is  the fear that the first mark will ruin the possiblies the blank surface offers. Its not a reasonable fear because no one mark, line or brushstroke can irretrivably ruin a painting. But it is a real fear nonetheless.

 

Horse Painting Turtorial by Kim Wyatt

A work in progress from start to finish!

This is a tutorial starting from a pencil drawing on canvas, all the way through to a completed painting. Not all of my paintings begin as drawings but this drawing actually became about three or four differant finished paintings.

This drawing was made while looking at a horse breeder magazine, I didn't copy any photos (which would be copyright infringement) but I did refine some rough sketches into this composition.
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A work in process

The pencil drawing

This is a painting started from a pencil drawing from my sketchbook. Not all of my paintings begin as drawings but this drawing actually became about three or four differant finished paintings.

The original drawing was made while looking at a horse breeder magazine, I didn't copy any photos (which would be copyright infringement) but I did refine some rough sketches into this composition.

Remember, while there are many right and wrong ways to make art, when it comes right down to it, most rules are flexible. If you want to try something, try it.

Art Instruction Sites

free online art lessons

Now how can you beat that? These are free websites where artists are willingly giving away their knowledge to anyone who wants to learn to paint, draw or otherwise make art!
free art lessons - learn how to draw, sketch and paint
Free art lessons and tutorials for drawing people, sketching faces, wildlife ... Learn how to draw and develop art skills. Commercial Art Video Tutorials also available.
Free Watercolor Painting Tutorials: How to paint, Hints, Tips, Techniques
Watercolor Painting Tutorials: Free Watercolor Lessons. Learn to Paint. Free online Watercolour Classes.
Watercolor Painting
Watercolor can be a tricky medium to master. Here are helpful tips, essential techniques, and step-by-step demonstrations on using watercolors (and watercolor pencils).
Painting With Acrylics
Acrylics have their own advantages, characteristics, and unique possibilities. Here you'll find helpful tips, essential techniques, and step-by-step demonstrations on using acrylic paints for artists of all levels.
Oil Painting -- How to Paint with Oils -- Oil Painting Techniques
Helpful tips, essential techniques, and step-by-step demonstrations on using oil paints for all artists, from beginner to expert.
Watercolor Tutorial Bern Sundell's
This great website shows an artist painting a picture in a slide show.
The ultimate arts learning site!
This free website is wonderful. This is what they have to say for themeselves, "From our humble grass-roots beginnings in 1998, Wet Canvas ! has grown into a veritable gold mine of information, serving painters, sculptors, illustrators, digital artists, photographers, and other visual artists."

New The MAKE Blog

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Painting on You Tube

Video painting demonstrations

Watching videos helps a lot of people learn to paint.
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Need more help finding inspiration?

If you need more help getting started painting let me know. I'll be happy to share whatever I've learned with you.

  • mary neat Dec 13, 2008 @ 10:27 pm | delete
    I am having trouble viewing all of Michael Thompson's The Ole Fishing Hole. I am trying to follow along.

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Basic painting rules

Some things just don't work

Oil on Top!!!
Oil Paint is oily, therefore waterbased paints like watercolor & acrylic paints will peel & flake off if applied over oil paint.

Oh, and oil paint on paper tends to age badly, eventually the oil will bleed out of the pigment into the paper & you'll get an oily stain on your picture.

Buy the best you can afford
There is nothing worse than trying to learn to paint with cheap paints. Buy decent supplies while they are on sale, liquid watercolor paint, acid free 140lb wieght watercolor paper sold pads or watercolor blocks. Try to avoid the cheap canvas boards which have cardboard in them that swells and bends as the painting ages.

If painting in watercolors get a couple of decent brushes. They make all the differance.
As for acrylic paints, you can use cheep brushes, plastic knives anything you can think of to get the paint on the canvas or paper.

by

kimsart

My name is Kim Wyatt, I'm a visual artist with a passion for painting horses. My art is full of bright vibrant color, energy and humor.I studied art at... more »

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