This page is intended for complete beginners. Perhaps the best way to learn about oil painting is to seek out local art teachers, art societies and art college courses. Many artists supplement their income by teaching in small groups - so become a pupil!
Where to buy painting materials
Painting materials can be bought at art supply shops, thought the number of these seems to be diminishing against the online onslaught. I started using the Internet to procure art materials simply because most of the local art shops in East Yorkshire closed down in the early 2000s. It became difficult to procure exactly what I needed.
Amazon is good for art supplies, and fierce competition between sellers drives prices down. In the United Kingdom other good suppliers are Jacksons, Cass Art, SAA and there are many more.
I often prefer to buy art materials direct from the companies that make them, which rewards those companies for developing good products. It also cuts out the middle man.
Surfaces
Primed paper
Paper primed with acrylic primer is suitable for practising oil painting and can be bought in pads of 10, 20 or more sheets. It is not in my opinion suitable for serious work, but it is an inexpensive way to start, and to explore the properties of oil paints. Have some fun and doodle.
With primed paper you can paint onto the paper while it is still in its pad, maybe flat on a table without an easel.
Canvas board
A good surface for beginners is canvas board, which comprises of canvas tightly stretched around board. This can be had cheaply from art shops - if you are lucky enough to have one nearby - or the Internet.
Canvas on wooden stretchers
For several centuries professional paintings have tended to be painted on stretched canvas. This made them more portable than the murals or wooden panels which preceded in medieval times.
Wooden panels
Wooden panels were much used in medieval times, but some artists still use these. Oak seems to be popular. I would rule out this surface for beginners because the wood needs to be carefully selected so it will not warp, then primed so that the oil paint does not sink into it and damage both the painting and the wood.
Supports
Easel
If you use an easel to begin with you need to decide if you want a table-top easel, a heavier studio easel or a lighter outdoor easel. The latter are more economical. Table-top easels offer convenience and take up less space in a cramped room.
If you know people in the local art community, someone might have an easel they no longer use.
Make sure the easel is sturdy especially if you intend to paint with large canvases. I have seen easels on sale on eBay which looked very flimsy so be careful what you buy online.
If after your initial learning period you decide that you like painting, you will find that a well-made sturdy wooden easel is a lifetime investment.
Table
If initially you do not want to invest in an easel, you might find that you can use a flat table to paint on. This is not ideal but is how many school children learn the basics of art.
Brushes
Oil painting brushes
There are two sorts of brushes nowadays: those made with natural fibres and those with synthetic fibres.
Of all of the types of painting, oil painting takes the toughest toll on brushes. Cleaning with solvents does no favours to natural or especially synthetic brushes. Special soaps and cleaning oils can be used to more gently clean the delicate bristles. Another problem is that primed canvas is surprisingly rough and will wear out brushes more quickly than paper.
Avoid the very cheapest brushes available in thrift shops or online. These brushes will not be able to form or hold a point and you will not get good results from them.
As a beginner my advice is to get some bristle brushes. These can range from size 0 (small) up to much larger sizes such as size 10. Introductory sets can be had from the best known manufacturers, and there are often bargain sets on Amazon and other online art markets.
Natural fibres
All 'natural fibre' brushes are made from animal hair: mink, squirrel, weasel, goat, hog and others. Some are humanely farmed. Some are not.
Natural fibre brushes hold more oil paint than synthetic ones, and if well cared for keep their shape and a good point for longer. A good point is necessary for precise painting of details and lines.
Sable
Expensive and delicate, these brushes give the best results for oil and watercolour painting. Cleaning them, even carefully, soon breaks the filaments. I only use them for the late finer stages of a painting, and in small sizes.
Be aware that cheap no-questions-asked sable brushes can come from animals cruelly and unsustainably trapped in the wild.
Hog
Hog's hair brushes are made from pig's hair and are tougher than sable. They hold their shape well and can take repeated cleaning with solvents and other cleaners. For my larger oil painting brushes I use hogs exclusively.
There are many brands of hog brushes in many shapes and sizes. I find filbert to be the most useful and versatile.
As a beginner my advice is to get some bristle brushes. These can range from size 0 (small) up to much larger sizes such as size 10. Introductory sets can be had from the best known manufacturers, and there are often bargain sets on Amazon and other online art markets.
A few good brands are:
- Winsor and Newton Winton Hog Brushes - these can be had at good prices online - shop around
- Rowney Georgian Brushes - again shop around online for these
- There may be trusted brands in your country - I cannot vouch for these but they might be good
Synthetic fibres
Synthetic brushes are cheaper than natural ones and perform well when used with watercolour or acrylic paints. However synthetic brushes do not tend to cope well with the rigours of oil painting, because you will need to clean them with solvents, which cause the bristles to splay. As far as I can see there is no way around this. Even synthetic brushes 'designed' for oil painting have this problem.
I found myself throwing away a lot of synthetic brushes, which is why I do not buy expensive ones. Now I only use them for my occasional acrylic paintings.
Nylon and polyester
Most synthetic brushes are made of some form of nylon or polyester. Some manufacturers claim that their 'specially engineered' nylon can hold more paint, but I have found that all nylon brushes curl and lose their shape after they have been cleaned repeatedly with solvents.
Taklon
A modern super-fibre which naturally tapers to a fine point and makes better brushes for acrylic and watercolour paints, but not necessarily for oil paints.
I found that with oil paints Taklon still splays and loses its point just like nylon brushes.
Oil paints
Various brands of oil paints
Oil paints come in two quality types.
Student quality which tends to use cheaper pigments mixed together to produce a colour or hue. These paints tend to have weaker colours and are more prone to fading over time in the light.
Artist quality which tends to use higher quality pure single pigments. These paints tend to be more resistant to fading and the colours look stronger. Although more expensive these paints are less expensive than they seem, as less paint is required due to its pigment strength.
What colours do we need to begin painting? Every artist has his or her own palette of colours. I prefer the split primary system which broadly works as follows: 2 reds, 2 blues and 2 yellows, then white and some handy colours for mixing - green, earth yellow and black.
We will cover the primary colours and colour theory soon but basically there are four colours from which it is theoretically possible to mix all other colours: red, blue, yellow and white. In practice pigments are not quite the same as perfect primary colours so we have 2 reds, 2 blues and 2 yellows to make our life easier.
Orange for example can be mixed from red and yellow. Purple from red and blue. Green from yellow and blue. These mixed colours are called secondary colours as they are mixed from primary colours.
So here is my favourite palette:
- Cadmium Red or Bright Red
- Permanent Rose or Magenta
- Ultramarine Blue or Phthalo Blue
- Cerulean Blue
- Cadmium Lemon
- Cadmium Yellow Deep
- Ivory Black
- Yellow Ochre
- Phthalo Green or Viridian or Emerald Green
- Dioxazine purple
- Titanium White
There is an argument that beginners should just start with three primary colours (red, blue, yellow) and white.
Student quality oil paints
There are many brands of student oil paints. Especially since the Chinese got into the paint manufacturing business. Often a full set of paints from China can be had for the price of one tube from a really good European or American brand such as Old Holland or Williamsburg. The lower quality student paints listed below are perfectly good for learning and can be bought online from the major ecommerce retailers or in budget stack-them-high art stores.
I would be wary of very cheap unbranded paints from Asia which are likely made from very poor quality pigments which will soon fade, especially yellows which are very prone to fading. As a general rule any decent paint brand will state on the tube what is the chemical substance used for the pigment and how lightfast and transparent the pigment is.
I have found the following student brands to be reliable and good value for money:
Artist quality oil paints
There are many brands of professional or 'artist' quality oil paints which have strong but expensive single pigments, few fillers and are made to a higher standard. You do not need paints of this quality to begin with.
Here are a few which I can recommend:
- Michael Hardin - British made and very good
- Schmincke Mussini - German made with an unusual formulation based on damar resin
- Rowney Artists' Oils - British made
- Old Holland - very good. Where do you think they might be made?
- Winsor and Newton Artists' Oils
There are many other brands of professional oil paints so consider giving them a try.
Mediums
Oil paints need a medium to thin the paint and make it flow.
Linseed oil
Linseed oil should not be used on its own, or at least that is modern wisdom. Some of the Old Masters used linseed oil and nothing else. The problem with linseed oil is that it yellows, so is nowadays not recommended to be used as a medium on its own. It is still an essential ingredient of most mixed mediums.
There are several types of linseed oil which are used in painting:
- Refined linseed oil. The most common type of linseed oil. Just mix it with turpentine and damar resin to make a good medium
- Linseed drying oil. This dries faster and allows the painter to work more quickly.
- Can be difficult to handle and is not recommended for beginners.
- Cold pressed linseed oil. This is the highest purity and will discolour the least over time.
Safflower oil
This oil tends to be used for whites and dries slowly, and improves flow of the paint. You will probably not need it as a beginner.
Poppy oil
Poppy oil yellows less and dries slower than linseed oil. Again you will not need it as a beginner.
Prepared mediums
Beginners are probably better off with a prepared medium. Most art manufacturers which make paints also make a medium designed to be used with their paints.
If you want to make your own medium a good recipe used by many professional artists is as follows:
1/3 linseed refined oil mixed with 1/3 turpentine and 1/3 damar varnish. Quite a few prepared mediums actually use this recipe.
Be aware that the solvents which are mixed with oil - turpentine and white spirit - can cause lung damage in enclosed spaces. Turpentine especially is also pungent and the smell can linger in a room. Alkyd, low-odour and solvent-free mediums are becoming more popular.
Popular prepared mediums which can be bought ready to use are:
Winsor and Newton Liquin and Alkyds
This bestselling alkyd medium is quite fast drying and thins paint well. There is a finer version available for detail work. Alkyd resin dries in the same way as oil paint but faster. It also smells much less than mediums which contain turpentine.
Most art companies make an Alkyd medium. These contain no oil but dry fast and mix well with oil paints.
Mixed Oil Medium
All paint manufacturers make a medium, generally comprised of linseed oil and turpentine or white spirits. Some use low-odour petroleum distillates. These can be found online and are often good value for money.
Zest-It Painting Medium
This painting medium substitutes turpentine or white spirit with a citrus solvent which is non-flammable and nowhere near as dangerous as the aforementioned solvents.