Painting Resources

Learn more about how to paint with my articles, organized by category or topic.

Essential Painting Know-How
If you've just started painting, or wish to refresh your knowledge on some essential technique, take a look at this collection of helpful tips and fundamental techniques for all mediums. (If you're looking for help with a particular medium such as acrylics, oils, or pastels, you'll find more links in those subject lists.)

Painting with Acrylics
Acrylics aren't simply paints for artists allergic to the solvents used in oil painting. Acrylics have their own characteristics and unique possibilities. Here you'll find helpful tips, essential techniques, and step-by-step demonstrations on using acrylic paints for artists of all levels.

Oil Painting
Oils have been a favourite of painters since their introduction during the Renaissance. Here you'll find helpful tips, essential techniques, and step-by-step demonstrations on using oil paints.

Watercolour Painting
Watercolor can be a tricky medium to master. Here are helpful tips, essential techniques, and step-by-step demonstrations on using watercolors.

Painting with Pastels
Pastels are a unique painting medium in that they cannot be mixed on a palette like paints, but are mixed on the paper by overlaying or blending. Here you'll find helpful tips, essential techniques, and step-by-step demonstrations on pastel painting.

Other Painting Media
Links for a range of other painting mediums, including encaustic painting, glass painting, egg tempera, computer art, airbrushing, gourd art, mixed media, and printing.

Stencils and Stencilling
A growing collection of free stencils such as flowers, animals, and trees, plus features on how to stencil and stencil effects.

Decorative Painting and Murals
Whether you're wanting to add a simple stencil to a wall or paint a trompe l'oeil to creative an illusion of depth and space, here you'll find helpful tips, essential techniques, and step-by-step demonstrations on decorative.

Fabric Painting and Batik
Whether you've just started fabric painting or are into more advanced techniques such as screen painting or batik, take a look at this collection of tips, techniques, and useful information.

Face and Body Painting
Whether you're painting children's faces at a party or someone's whole body, here you'll find information on the techniques involved, materials used, and step-by-step instructions.

Figure Painting, Anatomy, & Portraiture
Painting the human figure is a very rewarding challenge. Here you'll find helpful tips, essential techniques, anatomy for artists, and step-by-step demonstrations on figure painting and portraiture.

Painting Dogs, Cats, and Other Animals
A collection of articles on painting dogs and cats, other animals and wildlife, plus helpful hints on painting fur.

Abstract Art
An introduction to abstract art – what it is, how it developed, and how to create it.

Painting Landscapes
Articles and tips to help you with your landscape paintings, from deciding which direction the light should come from, to painting trees and clouds.

Composition and Perspective in Paintings
A range of articles on all apsects of composition, including setting out the elements in a painting, choosing a light source, and deciding what to include or exclude.

Colour Theory
Don't let the word 'theory' intimidate you. An understanding of the basics of color theory is essential for every artist and can increase the possibilities for your work. Colors are, after all, one of the basic tools of painting.

Reference Photographs for Painters
A collection of photographs and illustrations for you to refer to when you're painting, from trees for landscapes to hands for figure painting. Also photographs to inspire you and make you think about composition. Remember that most of these are copyrighted images and should be used for reference only.

Creativity and Inspiration for Painters
Every artist has days when they feel uninspired and uncreative. Here's help on getting over creative burnout and getting your enthusiasm and creativity back.

Painting Quizzes
Have fun with this assortment of painting-related quizzes, from one that tests your knowledge of basic colour theory, to one of the life of Van Gogh.

Book and Product Reviews for Painters
Reviews of how-to painting books, art history books, and biographies of artists, with basic need-to-know information and a personal assessment of their quality and suitability. Plus other reviews.

Tips for Buying and Using Art Supplies
Helpful tips on buying art materials and getting the most from them, such as how to select an easel and fix a broken pastel.

Art Material Suppliers or Manufacturers
You don't have to travel to shop at the world's great art supply stores as they all offer online shopping. Particularly useful if your local art store doesn't offer a very large range of materials. Individual manufacturers don't all have online shopping, but provide more information on their products than art stores.

Career Development, Funding & Societies
In order to be a successful painter you need to work at it, as you would for any other career. Here you'll find information on painting competitions and exhibitions, career development, organizations which offer funding, and the various art organizations you can join.

Famous Painters and Contemporary Artists
Studying the work of famous painters and contemporary artists is both inspiring and instructional. Looking at a painting you wish you'd painted will motivate you to try something similar, while studying the way an artist worked helps improve your own painting.

Quotes from Artists
Like most creative people, artists have something to say about everything and don't tend to hold back from speaking their minds. Read what famous artists have had to say on various subjects.

History of Painting
Having some knowledge of the history of painting, the different schools of art, and painting styles enables you to get more from the paintings hanging in art galleries, appreciate how painting has evolved through the centuries, and expand the creative choices for your next painting.

Art Galleries and Museums
Many museums and art galleries have put photos of their paintings and other items in their collections on their websites. While it can't beat seeing the originals, it's the next-best-thing.

Before You Buy Art Supplies
Art materials can be quite expensive and art supply stores can be very tempting places, so here are some essential points to consider when buying painting supplies.

Top Picks for Painters
Personal recommendations from your Painting Guide, based on a knowledge of the topic and/or hands-on experience of the item.

Chinese Brush Painting
The key to successful brush painting is to combine a knowledge of the techniques with practice. Here you'll find tips and techniques, as well as examples of work by contemporary artists and some history of brush painting.

Computer Art
The developments in computer technology and software have created a category of art with creative possibilities that painters only 50 years ago could not have imagined. Here you'll find helpful tips, essential techniques, and step-by-step demonstrations for digital art.

Egg Tempera Painting
Tempera is the second oldest painting medium, dating back to the early Egyptians. While the advent of oil paints during the Renaissance made it technologically obsolete, tempera enjoyed renewed popularity as a medium in the late 18th century and is still popular today.

Glass Painting
A collection of tips, techniques, and ideas for decorative painting on glass, plus projects and information on suppliers.

Gourd Art
Information on all aspects of gourd art, from how to grow your own gourds and drying them to painting.

Mixed Media
Mixed media artworks combine various painting and drawing techniques and mediums. It allows for great creativity and experimentation as you can use unlikely materials to express yourself. It's essential to have some knowledge of how to put a mixed media painting together so it doesn't fall apart later.

Printing
Whether you're into simple printing, such as block mono prints, or advanced printing techniques, take a look at this collection of tips, techniques, and useful information for printers.

Jackson Pollock
The American artist Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) is regarded as the leader of Abstract Expressionism due to his action or drip painting. Here's a collection of links about his life and art.

Copyright for Artists
Answers to your questions on copyright, including an Artist's Copyright FAQ and links to various copyright associations around the world.

Right Brain Left Brain Links
A collection of articles and links on the concept of right brain and left brain thinking and how it's relevant to artists. /