30 + Painting Tutorials in Oil and Watercolor

Browse the library of free painting tutorials.

Choose from step-by-step paintings of butterflies, animals, birds, flowers, and landscapes, organized by medium and skill level.

If you’re new to painting, do these in order:

1. Beginner’s How-to Paint Guide - Select a medium, materials, skim the fundamentals, quick-start exercises and answers to frequent questions.
2. Beginner Oil tutorial - Find answers about oil painting and learn the oil painting rules for doing the tutorial.
   Beginner Watercolor tutorial - Paint using the watercolor techniques of painting wet on wet and wet on dry.
3. One easy Oil project - Paint a cuddly Teddie Bear using the two rules of oil painting. 
   One easy Watercolor project - Use your techniques to paint a wash around a striking Koi Angelfish.

Oil Painting Tutorials

Learn to do oil paintings of animals, landscapes, flowers, a hummingbird and butterfly - all skill levels.

Watercolor Tutorials

Detailed step-by-step lessons to paint animals, birds, butterflies, and flowers for beginners and beyond.

What's Included in the Tutorials?

The tutorials generally include:

• A reference photo and/or the finished painting image - You're welcome to trace a drawing from the finished painting.
• Materials list; colors, brushes, what you paint on, and clean-up, etc. 
• The painting process with detailed explanations: How to mix the colors, tips on composition and using values.
• Rules and techniques specific to the medium
• When I make mistakes, I show you how to fix them.
• As soon as you have paint and a couple of brushes, you are ready to start painting the tutorials.
  

Most of these step-by-step lessons focus on nature – butterflies, birds, flowers, animals, and landscapes.

To see how these techniques come together in finished artwork, visit my Beautiful Nature Paintings gallery.

Painting Tutorials by Artist Carol May

Painting has been my pass-time for many years. Back in the 1980s when my mom retired, she took up painting and I became one of her students. 

Oil was my learning medium. Then at the turn of the century my sister gave me a calendar with watercolor artwork. I thought - I can do that.

So, I applied what I had learned with oils and taught myself watercolor.

The basics of painting art (composition, mixing colors, values, etc.) are the same for any medium. Now I switch back and forth between oil and watercolor. 

Read more about my art journey.

Oil Tutorials

Oil paintings are long-lasting and held in high regard for their rich, luminous qualities.

The steps of oil painting are the same steps that are used for acrylic or alkyd paintings.

If you are brand-new to oil painting start with this beginner's tutorial.

This page answers many frequent questions about oils.

What is the best paint, what brushes, what to paint oils on, can we use oils straight out of the tube and more.

You learn and use the two rules of oil painting while painting an Oriole in a Dogwood tree.

View Tutorial

Oil painting for beginners

Beginning Oil Projects

After the mountain landscape, paint more from any of these beginning oil tutorials.

How to Oil Paint

Paint this fuzzy bear step by step.

Starting Oils

A good tutorial to begin painting oils.

Limited Palette

Paint this fun fish with only 3 colors.

Paint a Dog

Learn and use the rules of oil painting.

Easy Oil Painting Tutorials

Painting Daisies

Daisies are a popular subject.

Paint a Butterfly

Do this lovely Malachite butterfly.

Oil Hummingbird

Paint an iridescent hummingbird.

Painting Roses

2 for 1: Paint a red + a multi-color rose.

Next Level Oil Tutorials

Once you are familiar with the rules of oil painting, these tutorials are the next level for expanding your painting skills.

How to Oil Paint

A lively horse running in the surf.

Paint a Lion

The king of the jungle done with oils.

Paint a Landscape

You can paint this mountain landscape.

Paint a Waterfall

Colorful foliage with falling water

Paint Ocean

Rolling surf crashing on the rocks.

Paint a Beach

Sunset shining on the beach.

Ocean Colors

What colors do we paint the ocean?

Paint a Wave

Do a transparent wave with oils.

Watercolor Tutorials

Watercolors allow the white of the paper to show through thus creating delicate, luminous colors.

The more we paint - the better we get!

You may choose to paint birds, butterflies, animals, and flowers and learn the techniques of watercolor at the same time.

Beginners learn the basic watercolor techniques by painting the hummingbird below.

Begin painting watercolor with a Ruby-throat Hummingbird and learn how to paint a wash, paint wet into wet, and paint wet on dry.

Practice and hone your skills by painting the tutorials.

Then you can use the same techniques to paint your own favorite subjects.

View Tutorial

Watercolor for beginners

Beginning Watercolor Tutorials

Any of these four tutorials are excellent for beginners.

How to Watercolor

Learn the basic WC techniques.

Paint a Hummer

A Ruby-throat visiting a fuchsia.

Glazing WC

Painting with watercolor glazes.

Paint a Monarch

Easy tips to draw and paint a butterfly.

Easy Watercolor Paintings

Paint a Butterfly

Paint any butterfly with 5 steps.

Paint a Horse

Have fun painting a vivid background.

Painting Daylilies

Watercolor some passion pink flowers.

Paint Giraffes

3 different styles to paint giraffes.

Next Level Watercolor

Move on to the next level when you can finish the beginner projects and you're ready for more.

Three Flowers

Watercolor iris, poppies + echinacea

Painting Koi Fish

Pour the watercolor background.

Paint Butterflies

3 butterflies in a composition

Paint a Hummer

Watercolor a Rufous on a thorn branch.

WC Butterfly

You can paint a realistic butterfly.

Mix Skin Colors

Paint this child with only 3 colors.

Mixed Media

Acrylic + watercolor is fun painting.

It's my pleasure sharing my knowledge and techniques with you. Start painting and keep painting. The more we paint, the faster we learn, and the better we get.

Painting Art Is Awesome!