Learn How to Paint Art for Beginners

You can learn how to paint wonderful artwork - right at home.

This beginner's path and set of quick-start projects will walk you through your first paintings step by step.

On this page, you’ll find ideas of what to paint, the supplies we really need, the fundamentals of good art, and step-by-step tutorials where you learn by doing.

Enter the awesome world of art!

Enter the awesome world of painting art!

How to Paint Art for Beginners: A Simple Path and Quick Start Projects

If you’re brand new: skim Sections 1–3, then choose one beginner tutorial from Section 4 and paint along.

If you have some experience: feel free to jump straight to the tutorials in Section #4. Use the other sections as a reference whenever you need them.

1. Why and What We Paint

It's no secret why artists paint. We paint to share things we see, what's important to us, express our emotions, or even document history.

Finding ideas and inspiration is a fun part of learning how to paint.

Keep a watch for things to paint.

Everyday life is full of inspiring ideas for a painting. The wonders of nature hold endless paintings. 

It may be the bird perched on the backyard fence. We may find interesting things to paint on vacation.

It could be the dog curled up in front of the fireplace or the precious face of a child.

Start a file of ideas. 

Keep your eyes open for inspiration. Look at paintings in books, on-line or at art shows.

If you don't have time to sketch things, take some photos that will jog your memory later.

Where to get more ideas for future paintings.

2. What Painting Materials Do You Need?

Quality materials make painting enjoyable and affect the outcome of our paintings.

What are the necessary supplies we need to learn how to paint? Basically, we need: a small set of paints, a couple of brushes, a simple palette, and something to paint on.

Open the sections below to see what I recommend for beginners and why.

What Type of Paint Should We Use?

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

The most popular types of paint are oil, watercolor and acrylic. Any of these three paints are great for learning to paint art.

Painting watercolor is easy to learn.

Oils dry slower, allowing the artist time to blend and rework the passages before it dries.

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

Acrylic paint is fast drying and relatively inexpensive. It can be painted on various surfaces. One of my art friends does little landscape scenes on rocks and she sells almost every rock.

Visit an extensive explanation of the 3 popular paint mediums.

3. Fundamentals of Painting Art

When we’re learning how to paint, we all have questions. 

Some common concerns are about composition, color theory, mixing colors, and how to avoid mistakes that can weaken a painting.

What Is Composition and Why Is It Important?

Composition is the way things are arranged in a painting. 

An intriguing composition of Koi

A good composition:

• Invites the viewers into the painting.
• Allows their gaze to move around the painting.
• Avoids any blocks or hindrances that stop the eye.

Artists use the rule of center lines and the rule of thirds to create pleasing arrangements.

We want to avoid mistakes with lines, shapes, tangents, positioning and grouping items. 

Get my tips for creating strong, beginner-friendly compositions.

How Do We Avoid Mistakes? Start by Seeing Values

We all make mistakes (myself included). It’s part of learning. The key is to learn from them so we don’t keep repeating the same ones.

One of the biggest early challenges is paying attention to values - the lightness or darkness of your colors.

It’s easy to fall in love with color (I do!) and forget about values. But even the most beautiful colors will look flat if they’re all in the middle value range.

Your paintings become much more powerful when you use a good mix of light, medium, and dark values.

The colorful painting below has many medium values, but there is good contrast between the light and dark values.

Colors are awesome!

Values are the backbone of paintings.

You’ll see a big difference when you use a good range of light, medium, and dark values in your work.

Learn more about seeing and using values in your paintings.

Try this:
Before your next painting, do a tiny value study with just 3 values; light, medium, and dark. Then use that as a guide when you paint in color.

Do I Use Color Theory to Mix Colors?

Yes, definitely. 

Artists use the color wheel often.

We learn color theory from the artist’s color wheel. It teaches:

• Primary colors 
• Secondary and tertiary colors 
• We learn how colors relate to each other (warm and cool colors, complementary pairs, etc.)

Over time, many artists memorize the color wheel and use it almost automatically.

Visit the artist color wheel page to learn more color theory.

How Do We Learn to Mix Colors?

Beginning artists should start with the three primary colors; red, yellow and blue.

Mix colors from the 3 primaries.

• We know mixing red and yellow creates orange.
• Yellow and blue make green.
• Blue and red make a violet (purple).

Mix oil, alkyd or acrylic with a palette knife. Watercolor is mixed with a brush.

Use small dabs of paint and slowly add bits of the darker color to the lighter color until you get the desired color. 

It doesn't take much dark color to change a lighter color.

How Do I Choose the Right Colors for My Paintings?

Each of the painting tutorials have a list of the colors used in that particular painting.

This painting only used 3 colors.

For your own paintings, lean toward a limited palette with the least number of colors possible. This makes color harmony easier.

A simple way to choose your colors:

1. Decide on the main color for your focal subject. It may be a warm or cool color.
2. Choose a color that's the opposite of the subject's color. For example, if the subject color is warm, choose a cool color or vice versa.
3. Add a third color that complements or highlights the first two colors.

Get the details on how I chose the colors of the turtle painting.

4. Learn How to Paint with the Tutorials

The best way to learn painting is by actually doing it! The tutorials are great for practice and learning how to paint at the same time.

Choose the tutorials that pique your interest and start painting. You may be drawn to the fluidity of watercolor or the rich textures of oil paint.

Oil Painting Tutorials

Please Note: The oil tutorials may also be used for acrylic or alkyd paint.

Learn and paint with the oil painting rules.

Begin painting oils with a colorful bird.

Ready to choose your next project? Browse all my step-by-step painting tutorials.

How to Paint Watercolor Tutorials

The best way to learn how to paint is by actually painting.

Paint 3 basic watercolor techniques.

Begin painting watercolor step by step.

5. How to Stay Inspired and Find Your Style

We stay inspired by painting often. Many professional artists paint daily, but even short, regular sessions will keep you moving forward.

• Join your local art association and paint with other artists.
• Go to art shows, and visit art museums.
• Share your paintings with friends, family, and other artists.
• Try painting different subjects, using new colors, or a different medium for a while. I often switch back and forth between oils and watercolor.
• Notice what you enjoy most and explore it. It may become your new style.

How Do I Find My Own Unique Style?

Experimenting with different painting styles is part of finding our personal artistic voice.

Realism depicts subjects as they are in real life. It takes sharp observation, technical skills a lot of time and patience. It's a challenge, but it can be very rewarding.

Abstract art works with shapes, colors, and forms, that may or may not represent real-life subjects. It conveys emotions and ideas rather than discernible objects.

Impressionism emphasizes light and color, instead of realistic details. The impressionist often uses bold brushwork to create vibrant and dynamic paintings.

Trying different styles expands our horizons and we can discover new ways to express ourselves.

Our artwork may not be a specific style, but it will be uniquely ours.

Don't hesitate to experiment.

Realism requires patience.

Frequently Asked Questions

We’ve covered what to paint, your materials, fundamentals, and tutorials. Here are some final quick answers to common questions beginners ask:

Can I learn to paint if I can’t draw?

• Yes, you certainly can. Start by looking at things as simple shapes - a triangle for a Christmas tree, a square for a sandwich, or a circle for a ball.
• When we get the shapes right, our subject automatically starts to look like what it is. As you paint, you’ll gradually pick up more drawing skills, so don’t wait to be “good at drawing” before you start painting.
• If drawing is holding you back, visit my How to Get into Painting page for a simple trick to start you painting right away.

How long does it take to learn how to paint?

• There’s no single answer. How fast you learn depends mostly on how much and how often you paint. For example, one person might paint once a month for 6 hours, while someone else paints four times a month for 1½ hours. 
• The more frequent painter usually improves faster, because skills grow with regular practice, not just long sessions.

Is oil painting harder than watercolor for beginners?

• I don’t think oils are harder (I’m a bit biased, because I learned with oils!). Oils dry more slowly, which gives you extra time to blend and adjust. Watercolor is beautiful but less forgiving, because it dries faster making adjustments harder.
• You can learn to paint in any medium with a good teacher and some patience - choose the one that excites you most.

How often should I practice painting as a beginner?

• Daily painting puts our learning into warp drive!
• Many of us can’t paint every day. But painting once a week is a fast track to steadily becoming a confident, proficient artist.
• The key is to paint as often as your schedule allows, and keep coming back to it.

You Can Learn How to Paint

Let your creativity flow!

As you explore the different techniques and subjects, focus on the joy of creating and allow each painting to teach you something new.

Don’t hesitate to experiment, express yourself and find your style. That's the joy of painting art.