Learn to Paint: Watercolor & Oil Tutorials for Beginners and Beyond

Q: Should I Start with Oil, Alkyd, Watercolor, or Acrylic Paint?

Oil is the classic, historical paint. It gives the artist time to blend and work the paint before it dries. Alkyd is the modern oil paint that dries much faster with the same beauty and richness as oils. Watercolor is often used for light, intricate works. Once their techniques are learned they make wonderful paintings. Acrylic paint is fast drying and popular with beginning artists. Compare the four popular paints by: best colors, ease of use and expense.

Do you want to learn how to paint?

This is the place - Art by Carol May offers free step-by-step watercolor and oil painting lessons for beginners and artists with some experience. Learn the fundamentals, follow a tutorial, and grow your skills with guidance from award-winning artist Carol May.

If you’re brand new, start with the Beginner’s Guide. If you already paint, browse the tutorials and choose your next project.

Learn how to paint art by Carol May - for beginners and artists with some experience.

You can paint wonderful art!

Choose Your Starting Point

Whether you are brand-new and ready to learn, or looking for a full project - there is something for everyone.

Let’s turn your creative potential into paintings you’ll be proud of.

New to Painting?

Start with the beginner path. You’ll learn what supplies you need, how to choose a medium, the basics of value, color, composition, and which tutorial to paint first.

Beginners Guide

Ready for a Full Tutorial?

Painting tutorials for all skill levels.

Choose a step-by-step watercolor or oil painting project and paint along from start to finish. Pick from animals, flowers, butterflies, landscapes, ocean scenes, and more.

Browse Tutorials

Painting Fundamentals for Better Art

Strong paintings are built on a few important basics: values, color, composition, and focal point. Learn these fundamentals and every painting you create will improve.

Start with the Basics

How to use the fundamentals to paint good art.

Get tips on using the fundamentals.

When you are learning to paint, it helps to focus on a few important ideas first.

This page shows the simple checkpoints I use in my own work for value, color, composition, and focal point, along with short practice exercises to help you apply them.

Learn the Fundamentals

The Basics of Good Art

When you are learning to paint, it helps to focus on a few important ideas first.

This page shows the simple checkpoints I use in my own work for value, color, composition, and focal point, along with short practice exercises to help you apply them.

Learn the Fundamentals

Get tips on using the fundamentals.

Want to strengthen one skill at a time? Start with one of these core painting fundamentals.

Professional tips on creating a composition for a painting.

Composition in Art

Get tips for great paintings.

Values in Painting

Values create impactful artwork.

Focal Point

How to attract the viewers.

Artist Color Wheel

The ins-and-outs of color theory.

Popular color pages: How to Mix Colors and Color Schemes in Art.

In the beginning get a general understanding of the fundamentals.

Then, when you start painting the tutorials, you'll find they are seamlessly incorporated into the lessons to streamline your learning.

Step-by-Step Painting Tutorials

Each tutorial walks you through a complete painting with photos, materials, clear steps, and helpful tips. Choose one and paint along at your own pace.

Browse all step-by-step painting tutorials in oil and watercolor.

Learn to Paint: Oil & Watercolor Tutorials

Painting the step-by-step tutorials is a great way to learn while you paint.

They cover everything from choosing materials to mastering fundamental skills like color mixing, composition, and painting with values.

Ready to pick up the brush? Choose your medium and follow along.

Oil Painting Tutorials

Learn blending, layering, and strong values with these step-by-step oil painting projects. Many are also suitable for acrylic painters.

Learn about painting daisies with oil paint.

Paint a young lion step by step with oil paint.

How to paint a lion, the king of the jungle.

Paint a red rose and a multi-colored rose.

How to use oils and paint a horse and surf.

Learn Watercolor Step-by-Step

Enjoy the beauty of transparent color while learning watercolor techniques step by step. These tutorials are beginner-friendly and easy to follow.

Learn how to paint a giraffe in 3 different styles.

A 3-in-1: Paint a giraffe in three different styles.

Easy steps to draw and paint a Monarch.

Painting watercolor flowers step by step.

Paint three types of flowers with watercolor.

Learn watercolor techniques step by step.

Learn with Award-Winning Artist Carol May

Meet the artist and see my paintings. Learning how to paint is full of discovery, creativity, and joy!

Learn to paint with an award-winning artist.

"Country Barns"

Learn to paint with an experienced artist.

Painting has been my passion for more than 40 years.

My work has earned multiple Best of Show awards, and I created Art by Carol May to share the joy of painting through free, step-by-step lessons for beginning and growing artists.

Painting Inspiration from the Studio

Need inspiration for your next painting? Browse finished watercolor and oil paintings to spark ideas, study subjects you love, and see what’s possible as your skills grow.

Learn to paint art with artist Carol May.

Nature is my favorite subject.

Frequently Asked Questions

A blank canvas is waiting to come alive with your stories and creativity. A world of possibilities comes with each stroke of color.

Should I Start with Oil, Alkyd, Watercolor, or Acrylic Paint?

Oil is the classic, historical paint. It gives the artist time to blend and work the paint before it dries.

Alkyd is the modern oil paint that dries much faster with the same beauty and richness as oils.

Watercolor is often used for light, intricate works. Once their techniques are learned they make wonderful paintings.

Acrylic paint is fast drying and popular with beginning artists.

Compare the four popular paints by: best colors, ease of use and expense.

Can I Start Painting on a Budget?

Certainly, we don't have to spend a bundle to get into painting. Basically, we need paint, a couple of brushes and something to paint on.

See the budget supply list for beginners.

What Should I Paint?

Paint what you see in your environment. It's easier to paint things you are familiar with, things you know.

Painting is an avenue of self-expression. That's the joy of painting!

Where can you get more ideas for painting?

How Long Does It Take to Get Good at Painting?

It all depends on how much time you put in on painting. The more you paint, the better you get.

A long painting session once a month is not profitable as short, frequent painting sessions. You can speed up your learning curve by painting daily.

How Do I Develop My Own Style?

When you start painting don't be concerned about doing any specific style.

Practice painting some of the different tutorials. As you paint, your own painting style will emerge from what you enjoy the most.

Get practical tips on how to find your individual style.

How Do I Prepare a Canvas for Painting?

Raw (unprimed) canvas is generally painted with three coats of acrylic gesso.

Get ready to paint canvases - that are already prepared. They are readily available at all art stores. Our time is better spent painting art - not gesso.

What Is the Most Common Beginner Mistake?

It's easy for any artist - not just beginners to get so caught up in painting beautiful colors - that we ignore values (the light and darkness of colors).

Values are the backbone of good artwork. It's easy to master values in painting.

Immerse Yourself in the Joys of Painting!

Stepping into the world of painting is an enriching journey full of creativity and joy.

Get your supplies, select a subject and learn to paint with each brushstroke. The possibilities are as unlimited as your imagination!

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