Oil Painting Lessons.
Amazing Teachers.

A great choice for aspiring artists, new to painting, oil paints are much easier to use than others, like watercolors, acrylics, and pastels. They're also quite forgiving; it's simple to correct any mistakes you make. (But remember, they're only "happy accidents," according to Bob Ross.)

For well-practiced painters, oil paint offers the most versatility, control, and color potential. You can control the texture, saturation (value), blending, flow, drying time, and viscosity. Oil paint allows you to deposit perfect brushstrokes and also empowers artists to capture the most realistic colors of any type of paint. 

The Best Way to Learn Oil Painting and What You'll Study in Lessons

It's easy to find plenty of free oil painting lessons and tutorials online, but the best way to learn oil painting is with a private teacher. In private lessons, you'll receive personalized instruction that isn't possible when viewing videos online or participating in a group class. You'll be able to work on the types of paintings that you enjoy most, while overcoming your own personal challenges. 

Plus, no two private lessons are exactly alike. Private teachers design each lesson to meet the needs of their students, taking into account preferred learning styles and preexisting knowledge. For example, oil painting lessons for adults differ from oil painting classes for children in terms of teaching method and course content. In private lessons, you'll stay motivated and interested, while you work at a pace that's comfortable for you. 

Sample Curriculum for Beginner Oil Painting

If you have little or no previous experience oil painting, then beginner lessons are for you. In beginner classes, your oil painting teacher will introduce you to the oil painting basics you need to start experimenting and making art with the medium. Your teacher might choose to cover the following topics:

• Set up your studio and gather all the supplies you need
• Learn how to care for your supplies
• Introduction to color and mixing color
• Understanding and using oil sketches
• Introduction to pain order
• Complete a small painting

Sample Curriculum for Intermediate Oil Painting

If you're already familiar with oil painting, but would like to improve your method by learning new techniques, then intermediate lessons are what you need. In intermediate classes, your oil painting tutor will introduce you to new concepts and approaches to painting, while you challenge yourself with increasingly complex and diverse subjects. Your teacher might choose to cover the following topics:

• Consider composition and negative space
• Create depth using perspective, background, middle ground, and foreground
• Learn painting techniques (scrumbling, chiaroscuro, alla prima, etc.)
• Working with and manipulating value
• Painting landscape and still life
• Using color graduation

Sample Curriculum for Advanced Oil Painting

Advanced oil painting classes are intended for well-practiced oil painters. In these lessons, artists will have the chance to work with other skilled painters to improve their compositions, techniques, and other stylistic choices. Content covered in advanced lessons greatly depends on the student's interests and goals, but your tutor might cover the following:

• Painting the human form from live subjects
• Painting from memory
• Oil glazing
• Art restoration and preservation
• Create highly realistic paintings (trompe l'oeil)
• Navigating the business of art

Find an Oil Painting Teacher Near You

If you're ready to sign up for private oil painting classes, then you'll need a teacher. Finding an oil painting tutor near you with TakeLessons is easy! A quick search will display pages of teachers who offer private lessons online and in-person. Be sure to check out several teacher profiles and reviews left by other aspiring artists, before you choose the tutor who's best for you. 

TakeLessons tutors base rates on the length and frequency of lessons, but the cost of oil painting classes varies. With so many teachers to choose from, you'll be able to find someone who fits your budget and your schedule. Plus, you'll find that investing in private lessons pays off fast, as you get comfortable with a brush, learn new techniques, and improve your skills after the very first lesson.