painting is fun!

• Learn painting for oil, watercolor and acrylic paintings.
• All medias use the same basics to create beautiful, successful paintings.
  

My painting adventure began with high school art class and in college where I minored in art.

If you teach yourself painting, it is like walking across the United States. If you learn painting with a good teacher, it is like flying across the United States.

Let me share what I have learned.....

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what helped me learn painting?

paint regularly

If someone is learning to play the piano, they practice daily. Many professional artists paint every day.

Paint regularly, no matter whether you paint daily, weekly or monthly - paint regularly.

• When you paint on a regular basis, you put your artistic learning into overdrive!

a classic -
must have book!

share your paintings

Share with your family and art-oriented people.

Join a local art association. Paint with other artists. Go to classes. Go to art shows. Get feedback.

Sharing and seeing other artwork will encourage you and stimulate you with new ideas.

paint familiar things

The best place the start painting is to paint the things you see around you. You do the best job of painting subjects you understand.

My parents had a wholesale tropical fish business with numerous outdoor fish ponds. When we fed the fish, they would all swarm around the food. So "Koi Feeding" was a natural for me.

Paint what is familiar to you.

the basics of successful paintings

Use the basics to create beautiful paintings.

composition

Composition comes naturally to some people, but it can also be learned.

Learn how to make paintings that draw the viewer in.

• Follow the easy concepts of good composition.

Easy Composition

focal point

What is the main subject of your painting? 

The main subject will be the focal point of your painting.

• What attracts the viewer's eye to your focal point?

Focal Point

values

One of my early painting lessons was to do a painting with only one color.

It taught me to use values, instead of color.

• Learn to see and use values in your paintings.
  

Values

color - the icing on the cake

You are probably anxious to start with color.

Color is probably one of the reasons I'm an artist because I absolutely love color.

A basic understanding of the Color Wheel makes it fun and easy to use color.

Color Wheel

what colors should you buy?

The paint colors on my palette (both watercolor and oil paints) are based on the color wheel.

• What are my favorite paint colors?

Favorite Colors

mix paint colors

Color is what makes a painting sing.

We don't have to buy all the beautiful colors from the paint store. We can mix any color from a basic palette.

• Save money when you know how to mix paint colors.
  

Mix Paint Colors

select colors for an individual painting

Plan out your colors before you start painting.

A color scheme with a limited number of colors makes a harmonious painting.

• The color schemes used in my paintings.
  

Color Schemes

paint often to speed your learning

While you learn painting, you are going to want to do some of the how-to-paintings.

I snap pictures when I am doing a painting and carefully document all the steps.

The why and how of each step is fully explained. Follow the steps and practice to learn painting.

• Use the methods with your own subjects to create your individual paintings.

Paint daisies with oils

Paint a WC Hummer

Paint a wave in oils

How-to start painting

most importantly - have fun learning to paint!

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