Five tips to start you to learn how to paint

Millions of people are painting and you can learn how to paint, too!

Let me share five simple things to jump start your painting journey.

What to Paint? What materials to use? What are the fundamentals of painting? How do we learn painting and stay inspired?

"Koi Feeding"

#1 what should we paint?

Paint things that are familiar to you.

We do the best job of painting subjects we understand. Start painting the things you see in your environment.

You may want to paint your children, your pets, a tree in the backyard or your favorite fishing hole.

My parents had a tropical fish business with outdoor ponds. When we fed the fish, they would all swarm around the food. So "Koi Feeding" (the painting above) was a natural for me to paint.

#2 supplies to learn how to paint

Start out with 3 colors of paint, a couple of brushes and something to paint on.

What kind of paint appeals to you?

There are three popular art paints. One type of paint is not better than the others.

• Watercolor is an easy paint to use. All it takes is paint, water, paper and two or three bushes. Watercolors on paper require a mat and they are framed under glass for protection.
  

• Oil paints are also, easy to use. They dry a little slower. You may start oil painting with a couple of brushes, mineral spirits and a canvas. A dried oil painting is easy to frame and it will last for centuries.

• Acrylic paints dry very fast and just like oil paintings, they are simple to frame. The down side is the paint dries so fast that it's hard to blend the colors. However, a dried acrylic painting is very durable.

Watercolors and acrylic paintings use water. Oil paintings require mineral spirits. Gamsol, an odorless mineral spirits is recommended for painting indoors.

Student quality paints are less expensive for starting out. Artist paints (professional paints) are actually a better buy. They cost more than student paints because they contain more pigment. So, they cover better and produce more vibrant colors.

You may actually try different types of paint to decide which one you prefer.

what colors do you need to learn painting?

Begin with the primary colors.

• Yellow - Cadmium Yellow Light
• Red - Cadmium Red Medium
  
• Blue - Ultramarine Blue
  

You will also need large tube of white for oil and acrylic painting.

Mixing other colors from the three primary colors is easy with a little practice. Start painting with these colors. Later you may add other colors to your palette, if you desire.

You can learn how to paint!

brushes

• Watercolor brushes; #7 round and a 1" flat, "labeled for watercolor"
• Oil brushes; #8 and #12 flat bristle brushes, hog hair is good
  
• Acrylic brushes; "synthetic" #6 round and a 3/4" flat (Natural fiber brushes retain water, so it's best to use synthetics with acrylics.)
  

what will you paint on?

Learn how to paint watercolors on watercolor paper. Later you may try aquaboard or canvas made for watercolor. Select your watercolor supplies.

Oil and acrylic painting are normally painted on canvas or panels. There are a variety of supplies for oil painting.

You will also need a palette to lay out your colors for painting.

When you start watercolor, an old kitchen plate, a Styrofoam or plastic one will work just fine. The watercolor will wash off the plates. Oils or acrylic artists may use plastic or Styrofoam plates or a paper palette. They are trashed after the painting is complete.

#3 learn the basics of painting

All art paintings use the same design elements; values, color, composition and a focal point. These elements are indispensable to the painting artist.

They are easy to learn and essential while you learn how to paint. Take the time to learn the basics and use them in all your paintings. They are the foundation of successful paintings.

Values in Painting

Contrasting values are the backbone of good paintings.

Create a Focal Point

Create a focal point to draw people into your paintings.

Artists Color Wheel

The color wheel is basic for mixing and using color.

Easy Compositon

The rule of thirds is easy to learn for good compositions.

 #4 you can learn how to paint

Start painting - we learn by doing!

The step-by-step painting tutorials have the instructions of the painting process. Each step has photos and details of how to do the painting.

Choose some tutorials that pique your interest and start painting.

painting watercolor

Watercolor for Beginners

Many people learn how to paint with watercolor.

Begin painting watercolor while painting a Rufous hummingbird visiting a yellow flower.

First there is a discussion about the basics of watercolor. Then, follow the easy steps and learn how to paint watercolor.

In this beginners' tutorial you will learn what colors to use, the suggested brushes, what you can paint watercolor on, how to keep your colors clean and more.

This painting is done with only 3 colors; yellow, orange and blue.

do you want to start oil painting?

How to Oil Paint tutorial

You may begin oil painting with this colorful Oriole and Dogwood flowers.

The Oriole was not actually in the Dogwood trees. So, two separate photographs were combined to make this nature painting.

The tutorial includes:

• The color scheme, suggested brushes and colors
• Suggestions for the best paint
• Recommended solvent for the studio
• How to clean oil painting brushes
  

Full explanations of the painting steps are included.

If you want to learn more about oil painting before you start, How to Oil Paint provides detailed answers to frequent questions about using oil paint.

paint often

Painting on a regular basis will put your learning into overdrive!

If we were learning how to play the piano, we would most likely practice daily. The same goes for painting. The more we paint, the faster we learn.

Include painting in your schedule. No matter whether you paint daily, weekly or monthly - paint regularly.

Many professional artists paint daily.

#5 share your artwork with others

Share your paintings and get feedback from your friends, family and other artists.

Join your local art association. Paint with other artists. Go to painting classes, art shows and visit art museums.

Seeing other's artwork and sharing your art will encourage you. It will stimulate you with new ideas. Plus, it's just fun to share.

Painting Ideas for Beginners

paint some of the popular painting tutorials

Practice painting the tutorials and learn how to paint at the same time.

There are pictures throughout the process of each painting. Each step is fully explained.

Paint the step-by-step tutorials. Then you can use the same methods for creating your own individual artwork.

Paint Daisies - Oils

Easy Butterfly - WC

Paint a Wave - Oils

Paint a Horse - WC

learning to paint is fun!