Your search to get better at oil painting can get ridiculous at times, can’t it?
How do I begin? How to oil paint ? Am I doing it correctly?
Oh, those questions I’m sure you have asked yourself in the past or are still asking yourself today. I’m Ethan Semmel and I started out painting like those painters you see on public television.
The people who paint a landscape in 27 minutes or so.
The problem was, when I went to the museums, I saw the greatest painters in history. Renoir, Rembrandt, Titian, Raphael, Monet.
How did they paint the fantastic pictures they did?
Their paintings made mine look, frankly, silly. I could only paint a landscape. And, my landscapes looked like the cheesy kind selling for $17 in a shopping mall, not like their fantastic paintings.
I was frustrated. "How do I get the answers to my questions? How can I learn to paint the way I really want to?"
You can go through the years of frustration at art schools, like I did, to search for the answers. But, you’ll never get them there.
This is why I created this web page. I knew other people like yourself were sick and tired of that frustration that came with doing something you love.
I paint because I love it, not because I want to be frustrated.
I always knew there was a much better way for others to learn to oil paint. People like yourself who are genuinely interested in learning oilpainting techniques or improving need to get the help you want and need.
And believe it or not, there is much better help available for you to learn right in your home rather than in some crowded class that might cost $2000 and may meet at times that are inconvenient for you.
I decided to turn my years of experiences with the frustration of learning to oil paint into something positive that will benefit beginning and intermediate oil painters like you.
When you don’t get the results you want, many times you blame this on your lack of talent, but guess what?…
If You Get The Proper, Direct, instruction which is Easy To Understand…You Paint Better, Period
The Things Beginning and Intermediate Painters Never Hear
You can keep watching painters on tv who only paint landscapes, or flowers. Of course if you were satisfied with that, you probably wouldn’t still be reading.You can buy many of the books out there.
Many books out there are not written by the artist. They have co-writers or editors who know nothing about painting. But they do know about writing.
They do know how to turn simple and direct talk into confusing babble that sounds impressive and fills many pages with information that could have been direct and simple.
Oil painting instruction doesn’t have to sound "mystical".
You can enroll in some expensive art school. The one I studied in, in New York City charges almost $6000 for one class for a year. But, when you do this, something happens that you never thought would...
The Problem With Oil Painting Classes
Many times the oil painting course instructors would arrive 15-30 minutes late to class and they would do the usual "thing" of going around the room and telling students, while looking at their painting…"This is too dark", "This should be longer", etc…
Being the teachers assistant gave me a wonderful insight. I heard all of the students complaints.
- "I’m not learning."
- "How do you get this effect?"
- "Why don’t they tell me exactly what I should do first?"
- "What medium should I use?"
- "What brush do you think I should use?
I was confused myself.
I made it my job to get the answers to my questions on my own.
The thing they don’t tell you about art lessons: The teacher will come in to class twice a week and spend around 5-10 minutes each class with you. Many will paint right on your painting and will not give you information of much use.
How To Truly Learn The Secrets Of Painting Techniques
So, what is the best way to learn?What works?
Oil painting involves a process that must be understood to be able to paint better. The process itself is not complicated. The problem is you probably have never been shown the real secrets of oilpainting techniques.
At least not in a step by step way that is easy to understand.
Following the process and using the techniques are easy. You simply follow step by step information. A system, a procedure, and watch how you will paint better than you ever have.
And, I mean the same secrets used by the greatest painters in history. They simply adjusted the techniques to fit their own personality and you will do the same.
When that happens, you will enjoy all the benefits of being a well respected painter.
- The compliments
- the pride of hanging your paintings on walls for all to see
- selling your work
- having people asking for your paintings
- Winning awards in shows
- The pure joy of creating something beautiful
From Start To Finish Without Frustration
Just how do you really learn the techniques of oil painting? What would you need to know to be able to paint wonderful pictures from start to finish without frustration?To really discover these secrets, you need someone who has the information to give it to you. And this is where I come in so...let me share with you what you really need learn so you can be painting the way you really dream about...
New Materials and Thinking Like An Oil Painter
The first and most important thing is that you need to learn the language of oil paint. I will explain..You see, the material of oil paint has has certain physical characteristics...
It is a wet paste, it is applied with brushes, even just the fact that the paint is applied to a canvas, (instead of rubbing like you do with a pencil) at all is different than what you have been used to for your whole life.
In other words, it is not drawing.
Ok, now as far as thinking like an oil painter, this gets really interesting...
An oil painter must see the world differently than most people and this is the first thing that you must learn.
One of the biggest problems people have is that they see a subject like a vase of flowers, or a person...meaning they see the end product...and then they want to take those flowers or that person and just plop them on canvas.
They don't know how to go about building the picture. The steps to get to the end product.
Which brings us to...
You Must Change Your Thinking
You see, you must change your thinking. And it starts with the most basic of concepts.You only have oil paint and you must represent your subject (flowers, a person, a landscape, or whatever it is) in paint.
The things you want to paint are real, but all you have is paint.
Knowing how to do this is the process of translating what you see into paint.
I'll let you in on a little secrets they will never tell you in an oil painting class..
Discover how to do this, and you are halfway there. When you know this, you can paint anything at all.
Not just landscapes or people, but anything at all. It’s the biggest secret there is.
I will show you how to do this with the information here.
The Process Step By Step
Next you must learn the process of oil painting. From beginning to end.- Imagine knowing what to do in a step by step manner.
- Never again saying to yourself "what do I do now?"
- Never becoming lost or confused again while painting your paintings.
I think you would agree that a surgeon knows the procedure to perform an operation. A carpenter knows the procedure for building a cabinet.
Well, you need to know a procedure for making a painting of whatever you it is that you want to paint.
When you begin your painting, which of these steps should you do?
Do you draw on the canvas or panel right away?
Do you draw on paper first?
Do you draw with pencil on the canvas or panel?
The answer is you can do any of these things, However, you should be able to choose the method that best suits you.
Of course the very beginning is just one step. Then you will need to know the other steps in the process that you. This involves things like…
- underpainting
- painting over dried paint - how to layer your paint
- glazing and veiling
- how to handle edges
- Checking your composition
- Translating nature into a simple tone value system
- and more.
You have learned how to think like an oil painter.
You have learned how to translate what you see into the language of paint.
And now, you will have learned the techniques to use so you can use your materials and put it all together in a wonderful oil painting.
Will it benefit you to use a monochrome underpainting? If it will, you use one. If it won’t, you don’t use one. How to layer your paint, When and how to glaze. You can only do this when you know all the secrets of oil painting techniques.
Now to get this information, you may think you can enroll in a painting class, and hope the instructor will teach you all of this vital information.
I have been through many art teachers myself, and I must say, I was not taught this vital information in a painting class. I learned all of this information on my own from more than 15 years research in museums and trial and error.
And, I want to make my research, knowledge and expertise available to you, but first let me just let you know why you should listen to me...
