Hobbies & Games

Art Projects and Tutorials

Try something new by tackling the art projects, or expand your artistic skills and generally brush up your knowledge of painting techniques through the tutorials and demos.

2013 Monthly Painting Projects
More Painting Projects
"In the Style of..." Painting Projects
Photo Painting Challenges
Daily Art Ideas
Color Theory Tutorials
Composition for Paintings
Abstract Art Tutorials
Still Life Tutorials

Landscape Painting Tutorials
Figure & Portrait Tutorials
Perspective Tutorials
Painting Animals Tutorials
Video Painting Demos
Paint Like the Old and Modern Masters
Step-by-Step Painting Demos
Painting for Halloween

2013 Monthly Painting Projects

Each month a new painting project is set with the intention of encouraging you to explore new subjects and/or techniques, to challenge yourself in a new way, and to kickstart your creativity. The details of each month's project will be available on the first of that month. The overall list shows the themes.

More Painting Projects

The projects listed here are still open for submissions, and were the featured projects in previous years. Note: I may not give feedback on submissions if I'm pushed for time when your submission arrives. Priority is given to the current project. Be sure to read a project's instructions!

"In the Style of..." Painting Projects

Photo © Marion Boddy-Evans. Licensed to About.com, Inc.

Each of these painting projects take a famous artist or a famous painting as the starting point. The aim is to learn more about the artist and their style by emulating them. What you discover is often not what you think you might!

Photo Painting Challenges

These challenges are to create a painting using the reference photo provided as the subject for a painting in whatever style you choose. Find inspiration by browsing through the submissions to see what other people have painted from the same photo.

Daily Art Ideas

Painting every day gets you into a creative habit and routine. It takes persistence and stickability, as well as lots of ideas for paintings, which you'll find here.

Color Theory Tutorials

Knowledge of color theory and color mixing is one of the most important aspects of painting. Don't let the word 'theory' intimidate you, it's not about memorizing facts, but rather about practical experimentation. Color is, after all, a fundamental aspect of painting.

Composition for Paintings

Composition is about how elements are arranged or organized in a painting. There are certain rules, or fundamentals, every painter ought to be familiar with -- even if you're intend on breaking the rules.

Abstract Art Tutorials

In the century or so since abstract art first hit the Western art world, we've learned to take much of it for granted though it's still probably the most misunderstood form of painting. Learn more about what exactly is meant by abstract art, and how to approach the creation of this style of painting.

Still Life Tutorials

A still life is one of the most exciting art subjects as you've got so much control over what you include, how you arrange the elements, and how you light it.

Landscape Painting Tutorials

A spectacular landscape makes my fingers itch to paint it. Find out more about how to approach a landscape painting, including deciding what to include or leave out.

Figure & Portrait Tutorials

The human figure is a very appealing subject for artists, but presents an array of challenges, not least getting the proportions right so the result looks like a human and not an alien.

Perspective Tutorials

Perspective is the system or technique used by artists to create a three-dimensional illusion of what we see on a two-dimensional surface, that is a canvas or a piece of paper.

Painting Animals Tutorials

The beauty of animals can make for gorgeous paintings, but there are various unique challenges, not least of which is painting fur and feathers!

Video Painting Demos

Watch artists at work in this collection of short video painting demos, which includes technique demonstrations and start-to-finished paintings.

Paint Like the Old and Modern Masters

Studying and copies the work of famous painters and the Old Masters 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 and making a copy of a painting helps improve your own work.

Step-by-Step Painting Demos

Follow the development of paintings from start to finish in this collection of step-by-step painting demonstrations and tutorials.

Painting for Halloween

Halloween is a great excuse for getting out your black paint and expressing the darker side of your personality. Just remember not to use art paints to paint your skin!

Painting