These Free Art Lessons will have you painting like the PRO's!

In this section of the site, these free art lessons will concentrate on a very old technique! Read below to find out more.

Other techniques are also discussed, but you'll have to visit the navigation bar and select the area of interest.

Have you visited any metropolitan museums lately? Have you had the opportunity to view works created in the renaissance era of oil painting?

These paintings (created over 400 years ago) look so fresh, and so beautiful, you think the artist just finished the signature stroke!

Other methods can be quicker, and the skilled artist can achieve some satisfactory results. But you must ask this question. Did the artist follow good oil painting practices that take into account the chemical and physical properties of oil paint?

In my experience, no other method in how to oil paint even comes close! Both in the ease in which the method is learned and in how it is executed!

So what method am I talking about? It's called in some circles the Flemish Technique. In this section of the site we thoroughly discuss this method.

So you ask, How do I use these Free Art Lessons?

Skim through the entire process once. This gives you an idea of the depth within these free art lessons that are actually available to you. It also helps with the big picture.

Once that is done, learn how to oil paint at your own pace, absorb and explore in greater detail all that the free art lessons of each oil painting tip area has to offer. Links will take you to more detailed explanations with additional pictures throughout! I've included a table of contents box throughout this section so you can navigate easier from page to page in your quest.

Oh, before I forget, have you got a piece of art work you'd like to share? Do you have a cool story about a particular oil painting you're working on? Then click the link and share your painting with us! You may be a great artist already, or just starting out and would like to show off some of your work. Come on and join the group!

Now back to the lessons!

Click here to see what material you'll need to get started.

This will give you some idea of what you'll need. Of coarse it's not a complete listing. Just the basics.

Click here if you're gonna stretch your own canvas!

In these free art lessons, you'll learn how to put canvas onto its stretcher bars, the first part in preparing your canvas for painting. You can buy pre-made, but you can save a little money doing your own. I'll show you how!

Click here to learn how to prepare an already stretched canvas with gesso!

This is a special gesso mixture that will give you your eggshell smooth finish needed for this style of oil painting. A very important step whether you buy pre-stretched canvas, or you stretch your own. It will also need to be done on any other surface (wood panel) you decide to paint on.

The store bought canvas, and problems associated with it

While I've got your attention, let me recommend something to you. This site is ever growing, and a lot of folks will bookmark it. That's great! Right? Maybe.

When was the last time you remembered a site you had visited, opens your bookmarks or favorites, and because of all the jumble in there, you gave up looking? I know I have, so, to keep the site fresh in your mind, about once a month I put out an Electronic Magazine (e-zine).

Also, as the site grows, with more and more tips, it's sometimes hard to find the new stuff, so, if you're like me, you want the new stuff now!

Why not sign up for an email reminder with my e-zine. No, I won't spam you, or sell your email. I'll just send you a friendly email of any new articles or demonstrations that I post to the site.

This way,

After your canvas is prepared, we can begin the process.

Step 1. Transfer your drawing.

I'll show you how to transfer your drawing to the canvas. These are shortcuts! So if your can't draw, no worries! I also have sections on learning to draw, (an important and easy thing to learn). You'll need these eventually because painting is drawing with a brush!

Learn to Draw

Within these free art lessons I’ll also give you THE secret to composition that goes all the way back to ancient Greece! You’ll never have to worry about “did I place that lemon in the right spot?” ever again!

Click here to get this Ancient Secret!

Composition Made Easy!

In Step 2 you will apply your first coat of paint that is close to the middle tone of the entire painting. How do you determine the middle tone? It’s very simple….. you have to squint your eyes. click here to see the entire process!

There’s also an oil painting tip as a shortcut that is being used more and more by artists. I’ll explain it to you too! It helps you to start painting the next layer within a matter on minutes instead of 2 to 4 days!

Click on the picture to go there!

Follow these free art lessons close and you will not fail.

Go outside the path explained, and well, it might work, it might not! Just remember some of the rules about oil painting and its physical characteristics.

“Fat over Lean” is the number one thing to remember.

Don’t be like some of the modernists of the late 1800’s early 1900’s that refused to practice good judgment. Their paintings can be seen cracked and popping off the canvas or board.

Some decided to even use ordinary house paint! Their reds became browns before they died! And the poor folks that paid those crazy prices only to see their wonderful art work fade into history. Shame!

Don’t be like them. Take the high road! Produce art that will last! Generations after you will thank you!

Click through to go to the drawing and composition pages. After that, consider what you would like to paint, and select the individual sub-lessons from here. If your having trouble deciding, read up in the Artist Practices where I talk about the White Canvas.

You can view some of the whats on my easel to give you some ideas.

If you need a break from your studies, grab a cup of coffee or whatever suits your fancy to drink, sit back, relax and enjoy one of the other sections of the Free Art Lessons site.

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