This is a run of multiple prints where the artist controls the quantity printed. It’s common to see signed limited edition prints.
The Biggest Mistake Beginner Oil Painters Make and How to Avoid It
When I first started oil painting, I vividly remember the excitement of picking up my first bit of paint on the brush. There’s a certain magical quality to the medium that instantly captivates you and pushes us to explore its possibilities. However, as with any new endeavor, it’s natural to stumble a bit along the way. Today, I want to share with you the one mistake that I believe many beginner oil painters make and offer some advice on how to avoid it.
The Mistake: Rushing Into Complex Subjects
Ah, the allure of grand landscapes, intricate still life and portraits! As beginners, we often dream of creating masterpieces right from the start, mesmerized by the work of accomplished artists. However, diving headfirst into complex subjects without building a solid foundation can quickly lead to frustration and even disappointment.
When we tackle intricate compositions without the necessary skills and understanding of oil painting techniques, it becomes a recipe for disaster. The complexity overwhelms us as we struggle to capture the essence of the subject accurately. But fear not, fellow artists, for there is a way to navigate around this obstacle.
My Advice: Start with Simplicity
Embracing simplicity is the key to honing your skills and building a strong artistic foundation. Instead of attempting to create a masterpiece right out the gate, focus on developing your technical abilities through simpler subjects. Start with objects or scenes that possess fewer elements and use a good brush that sits in between a detail and large area brush like this one here . Allow yourself to understand and grasp the fundamentals of oil painting before you dive in head first. Here are a few tips to dip your toes in first:
Choose Simple Subjects: Begin by selecting subjects with uncomplicated shapes, such as a single fruit, a small flower, or a straightforward landscape. By doing this, you can concentrate on understanding color mixing, brushwork, and the handling of different textures. Focusing on your relationship with the colors you use I think is the first thing any beginner oil painter should do. Get good with understanding how your colors interact with each other, and everything else becomes easier from there. It’s helpful to experiment with a couple different mediums as well when starting out. I wrote a blog post on oil mediums here .
Study Light and Shadow: Mastering the way light and shadow play off each other is crucial for any type of painting. Use simple subjects with strong lighting to study how light interacts with surfaces and how shadows are cast. This will lay a strong foundation for more complex compositions in the future.
Experiment with Limited Color Palettes: Once you are comfortable with your colors, try limiting them. Limiting your color palette can help you focus on value rather than getting overwhelmed by a wide range of choices. Gradually introduce more colors as you gain confidence with mixing. I also like using a neutral gray glass palette like this one here to help with my perception of the colors I’m using.
Practice Basic Techniques: Patience is paramount in oil painting. Dedicate time to mastering the fundamentals like underpainting, glazing, and blending. These techniques will serve as building blocks for more complex works. I think starting out by using a color like burnt sienna to paint a monotone underpainting is a great way for beginners to learn composition, value, and contrasts.
Seek Guidance and Feedback: Don’t hesitate to join local art communities or online forums where you can connect with fellow artists. Share your work and ask for constructive feedback. Engaging with others will provide valuable insights, encouragement, and inspiration along your artistic journey. My patreon has a great discord community that is getting started.
I think it’s essential to approach oil painting with patience and humility. By starting with simple subjects, we can gradually build our skills and gain the confidence to go after more complex compositions over time. So enjoy the process, embrace the mistakes, and allow yourself the freedom to grow. Now, pick up your brushes, choose a simple subject, and let the magic of oil painting unfold one stroke at a time.
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I’m Chuck Black, landscape and wildlife artist based in Southwest Montana.
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The History of Oil Paint: From Crushed Berries to Modern Paint Tubes
Understanding Impressionism in Landscape Painting: A Complete Guide
The Impact of Light in Landscape Painting: More Than Meets the Eye
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Chuck Black
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B
Bacchanal
Painters who specialized in peasant scenes in 17th century art. Name comes from Pieter van Laer (1592-1642), a Dutch artist nicknamed “Il Bamboccio” or the Big Baby.
Banketjea
Still life paintings featuring food. The term originates from the Dutch for “little banquet.”
Baroque
A style of exaggerated motion designed to produce drama. Can be applied across several mediums, not least paintings. Began around 1600 in Italy. Baroque painters include Diego Velázquez, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Rubens, Anthony van Dyck and Johannes Vermeer.
A German school (1919-1933) of design famous for its modernist architecture. Founded by Walter Gropius.
Belle Époque
French for “beautiful era”, which was 1890 until 1914. Think of Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s poster for the Moulin Rouge.
Biscuit
Unglazed white porcelain.
A private prayer book outlining the hours of prayer for the owner. Often illuminated.
Bookplate
A pasted-in sign of a book’s ownership, often created by an artist for a particular collector. Bookplates from the 19th century can be elaborate.
Burin
A metal tool for engraving.
Bust
A portrait sculpture showing the sitter’s head and shoulders only.
Byzantine
Art from the eastern Roman Empire around Constantinople, beginning in the 4th century AD.
C
Calligraphy
The art of handwriting.
Camera obscura
Photography technique where a darkened box with a convex lens or aperture projects the image of an external object onto a screen inside.
Canon
A number of artworks that represent an entire field of art.
Canvas
The fabric used for painting, usually linen or cotton, stretched across a frame.
Usually a painting or drawing where the subject’s characteristics are exaggerated for a comic effect. Often used in jest or satire. Ralph Steadman and Gerald Scarfe are modern examples.
Carpet page
In manuscript illumination, a page completely filled with decorative design.
A comprehensive list of an artist’s work.
Ceramics
Fired clay such as pottery and porcelain.
Charcoal
A material used for drawings.
Cire perdue
A ‘lost wax’ casting process used in bronze sculpture where the wax melts away.
Codex
A manuscript in book form created using parchment.
Collage
Art created by assembling a variety of forms such as paper and photography.
Color field painting
A style of abstract painting characterized by large fields of solid color. Mark Rothko, Frank Stella and Helen Frankenthaler were all color field artists.
Commission
To request a work of art to be produced.
Composition
The overall effect of a piece of art.
Conceptual Art
A complete departure from traditional art where the artist’s idea overrides aesthetic values.
Constructivism
An avant-garde movement that began in Russia and believed art could be constructed.
Contemporary Art
A loose term for art created since 1970.
An early 20th century art movement featuring sharp, angular imagery even where such angles are impossible like the human body. The pioneers were Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso.
Curator
The person who organizes an exhibition and, most importantly, selects the art.
Dada
A European avant-garde movement in the early 20th century where artists rebelled against the status quo (World War I at the time) with illogical art that sometimes served as a protest tool as well.
A photographic method where an image on a silver-plated sheet of copper is treated with iodine.
Decorative art
Art forms like ceramics, tapestries and stained glass that are primarily ornamental or decorative.
Diptych
Pair of decorated panels, often hinged together, and used for devotional purposes in the Middle Ages.
Drawing
The creation of art with pencil, charcoal, pen, or ink, on paper or card.
Jackson Pollock’s abstract method of dripping, throwing or pouring paint onto a canvas.
Drypoint
A copper engraving technique.
E
Emboss
When a surface is molded, stamped or carved to produce a design in relief.
Enamelling
A metalwork process where a substance is fused to metal at high temperature.
Enfant terribles
A term often used in art to describe a young but brilliant artist who shocks with unconventional behavior. Tracey Emin, Damian Hirst and Jean-Michel Basquiat have all been enfant terribles.
Engraving
The incision of lines into wood, metal or another hard surface.
Etching
A print process where the design is drawn on a metal plate through a layer of acid-resistant wax.
Expressionism
A 20th century modernist movement where the imagery was distorted to evoke a certain mood. The likes of The Scream by Edvard Munch inspired these artists, which included Wassily Kandinsky and Willem de Kooning.
