Oil Painting Links

You can spend a lot of time and money buying the wrong art instruction books that do not help you, or send you in the wrong direction. Here are some excellent printed and online books on the principles and techniques of oil painting. Many have wonderful illustrations, step-by-step instructions, and a wealth of tips for both the beginner and more experienced oil painting artists.

• Oil Painting for Beginners by Barry John Raybould. This series of online books contains all the basic information a beginner or intermediate painter needs to get started as an oil painter. It gives tips on which supplies and equipment to buy, how to set up your studio, how to prepare your equipment, as well as the key concepts, principles and techniques you need to know before you paint your first oil painting. Lots of step-by-step instructions for improving your painting skills.
• A Complete Program on Oil Painting for Serious Artists by Barry John Raybould. This is a complete two to three year program of art instruction for intermediate and advanced artists, all the way from the foundation knowledge in each topic to the more advanced information that you would normally only get in a master class with an experienced artist.
• Fill Your Oil Paintings With Light & Color by Kevin Macpherson. This books covers everything from buying the materials to step-by-step demonstrations.
• Oil Painting: The Workshop Experience by Ted Goerschner. Artists are intrigued by all that a workshop offers–one-on-one attention, a focused course of study and a knowledgeable instructor. This book offers a practical and stimulating alternative to the expense and inconvenience of conventional painting workshops
• Painting Oils by Lois Demore.
• Capturing Light in Oils by Paul Strisik.
• Problem Solving for Oil Painters by Gregg Kreutz
• A Proven Strategy for Creating Great Art by Dan McCaw.
• 60 Minutes to Better Painting by Craig Nelson. Concentrating on quick studies allows painters to get to the essence of painting. This proven method focuses on the gist of the subject and the ability to make fast decisions, rather than the minute details that seem to mire some artists and prevent them from improving.

If you have chosen to use regular oil paints (that is, not the water-soluble type), the next step is to decide whether to buy student or artist grade paints. Here are the differences:

• artist grade oil paints have much higher levels of pigmentation that student grade oil paints, so they go further which makes them more economical in the long run
• since student grade oil paints have less pigmentation, they are less expensive than artist grade oil paints
• you have a greater range of colors to choose from with artist grade oil paints
• student grade oil paints are generally hues (or imitation) colors to reduce toxicity and/or cost
• student grade oil paints do not mix as well as artist grade oil paints