It will cover general information on different types of painting such as landscape, portrait, and still life, to learning the elements of putting a painting together and how to do this.

It will cover the basic art materials you will need and give you insider tips on what works best in terms of supplies. It will teach you different painting techniques or ways to apply the paint for interesting effects.

I would like to share a few thoughts on my beliefs about creating art.

I believe there is no "one way" to create art. When you create it; it is YOUR way. I don't want to tell you to paint like me, I want to help you to find YOUR WAY to paint.

Learning to be an artist takes a life-time. You never stop learning to get better and the more you do your art; the better it will get. You will see the improvements as time goes by. Just keep some of your older works and look at them again and you will see the obvious improvements and growth you have achieved.

I believe art should have an underlying purpose - not just be a visual candy. Some examples of these are causing an emotional reaction from the viewer. Another under-lying purpose could be giving someone a deja-vu experience. The art should do one of two things either touch the heart or the head. You should get excited about it and feel like you have really accomplished your purpose. "If you are not going to get a thrill, how can you give someone else one? You must feel the beauty of the thing before you start." by Charles Hawthorne

When you lose track of time working on your art you are actually experiencing the "creative" process. I believe you will actually go into a different state of consciousness thereby forgetting about time and the real world. I do this and have heard that many artist have this experience. It has to do with the "right brain" and how you go with your art experience. "Art comes into being in that abstract interval between a thought and reality, and no one - not even the artist who created it - can re-measure the influences that caused it." by Edgar Payne

It will take time and patience to work your art and at times you may be annoyed or frustrated in the early stages of a painting. Try not to get discouraged as you WILL improve and get better. It will take time. Give yourself a break and don't expect a masterpiece right away. At this time (as always), look at subject as ONLY masses of VALUE, COLOR, EDGES in the proper place in the painting (COMPOSITION) and the appropriate paint quality for this stage of the painting. Learning to paint is a skill that you have to practice in order to get better. Sort of like riding a bicycle. When you first tried to ride a bike you probably fell off a few times but after you kept trying you eventually got the hang of it.

I believe that if you really want to learn to paint; you will and with your efforts you will gain skills and knowledge along the way. Becoming a artist takes motivation and desire to learn and get better at your art. You need to continually practice your art and learn by taking course work and reading about art. I hope my website can give you more knowledge and skills in becoming a better artist.

"A student first paints everything, then paints like the teacher, and finally like themselves." - E. John Robinson

When I paint I don't just paint what I see; I try to interpret what I see as artistically as possible. Here are some of the magical things I can do when I paint; I can make the colors as bright or as dull as I want; I can interpret the tones in sharp contrast or very vaguely, and I can enlarge or reduce the shapes I see. I don't want my painting to look like a photograph - if I did I would simply take a picture with a camera. I want it to look like a painting. I can use the camera to give me a reference of the scene I am painting. When I paint I want to see the brush strokes - this is exciting for an artist!

You will learn the what, where, when, how and why of oil painting. For some interesting information on the history of Oil Painting go to Art History As you begin to paint; keep in mind that every-time you do a new painting you will learn and get better! Be sure and bookmark this page to check back on updates and new projects being done. Thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoy oil painting for beginners!

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