Today’s question comes from Don, and he asks:
“I am looking for a tutorial DVD to assist me in a move from watercolour to oil. What I am looking for is a beginners guide which not only illustrates oil techniques but also explains what materials – canvas/paper, mediums, brushes etc – are suitable. My search to date for a suitable DVD has been unsuccessful.”
Do you have any information that might help Don?
Don: William Powell has published about 6 excellent,affordable DVDs on oil painting. He covers brushes, colors, and techniques. He leads you through the process step by step. I have purchased them and they are excellent. His web site is http://www.paintinglesson.com. His e-mail is powellstudio@dslextreme.com
good luck
Rico
I’ve always been a fan of Alwyn Crawshaw, the British painter/teacher. He has a DVD titled Oils for the Beginner.
An excellent book for the oil painting beginner is Marylin Scott’s “The Oil Painter’s Bible” which has all the necessary info for a beginner.
Hi Don,
the best site I have found for learning to oil paint is
http://www.darrellcrow.com
He mails you one free dvd and if you like how he teaches you can order the other lessons. he is a wonderful teacher and explains everything , and I mean everything from beginning to end.
Happy painting.
Hi Don – I am an art tutor and produce DVD workshop videos each year. As Acrylics are very close to Oil techniques this workshop would get you started on the right track – what materials to buy – what brushes paints and tools required – what canvas and paper etc. And as these are local NZ products this would best suit you. You could contact me on tvm@slingshot.co.nz or through this web site. NOTE: I have produced seven one day workshop sessions covering all manner of techniques. Love to hear from you. Happy painting: Ronald hubbard
Although I’m all in favour of DVDs, I still think it’s quite a good idea to invest in one or two of the thousands of excellent books on all painting topics. I won’t specify, but any online bookshop (e.g. Amazon) will respond to appropriate keywords by suggesting the right books for you. If you need information about materials, there are specialist books on that topic, too. In my experience, the materials an artist uses on a DVD are usually mentioned, so you could just write down whatever the artist says and go on from there. And the authors of any books will be thankful that they are being appreciated if you support them by buying. If you are strapped for cash, make books rather than DVDs a priority. Most DVDs lose their charm quite quickly and you will want to move on, anyway. You might also ask yourself what people did in the “old days” before DVDs, CDs and even internet. Happy painting……..
Here’s another idea that won’t cost you a penny. Check out http://www.youtube.com. There you can search for painting lessons, painting demos or painting. Look for demos by Wilson Bickford.
Also, Jerry’s Artarama has videos on their site….
http://www.jerrysartarama.com/Jerrys-Videos/Free-Art-Lessons-Index.htm
Good luck.
Good Morning Don,
I have recently returned to oil painting. In the past month I did a lengthy Internet search for step-by-step oil painting DVD’s. I did not find much in the way of video samples by which to evaluate the DVD’s. Many of the artists did wonderful work, but I was unable to determine if I would be comfortable with their teaching style and methodology. So far I have not purchased any DVD tutorials.
As a result of my Internet search, I would like to add the following to the excellent suggestions already submitted by others.
1. Check with your public library for painting DVD’s.
2. Check out the FREE Tom Brown step-by-step “Irvine Artscapes” videos produced by the City of Irvine, California. The videos can viewed at, and downloaded from, http://www.cityofirvine.org/depts/citymanager/pio/ictv/irvine_artscapes.asp. Mr. Brown’s instruction in these videos is straightforward and easy to understand. The tools (e.g., palette, easel) he recommends are inexpensive to acquire and very suitable for the beginner.
I have taken some of Mr. Brown’s plein air classes and learned a lot! He did recommend using water mixable (miscible) oil paint. I determined that water mixable oil paint was not for me. Another instructor introduced me to M. Graham oil paints; I have found them to be easy to use and saturated with color; they are terrific!
You may also want to visit Mr. Brown’s website at http://tombrownstudio.com/.
3. Take a look at David R. Darrow’s streaming videos, both live and archived, at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/dave-the-painting-guy. He is both informative and entertaining. His main website is http://darrowart.com/.
4. I have just begun reading “Fill Your Oil Paintings with Light & Color” by Kevin MacPherson. It is a non-intimidating, well-illustrated, easy read by a brilliant artist. I look forward to reading his more recent publication, “Landscape Painting Inside and Out.”
5. If you can, take live lessons.
Enjoy!
Hi Don,
If you want to become the best artist, of course you have to learn from the best.You can find tons of information on the internet so your research wouldn’t be that difficult.