Beginner Oil Painting

Course Overview

This class is good for the absolute beginner but also for more experienced painters that just want to learn new things and progress further. The course is designed around the real fundamental building blocks of painting. Whether you prefer portrait, landscape or still life these few lessons will give you years of painting enjoyment.


Course Description

This is an introductory painting course designed for the absolute beginner. Students will learn to represent numerous subjects in painting with understanding and confidence. Through a series of painting exercises students will learn the fundamental elements of color, value and composition. They will also learn the unique technical characteristics of oil paint providing a solid foundation for their future artistic goals.

Course Outline

WEEK 1: Introduction to oil painting materials and make a small painting.

WEEK 2: Learning to see “Local values” and shapes using black and white.

WEEK 3: Exploring monochromatic painting still life continued.

WEEK 4: Understanding light and form on simple objects like cubes and spheres.

WEEK 5: Looking at the anatomy of light and cast shadows.

WEEK 6: Two-color palette and portraiture.

WEEK 7: Three Color palette and adding color to stills life

WEEK 8: Exploring color on objects with a three-color palette.

WEEK 9:  Learning a  six color palette finishing your painting.

Teacher Bio

Dan Pelonis holds an MFA from the New York Academy of Art and has over 12 years of teaching experience in colleges and universities in the USA, Canada and Europe. Dan is an Elizabeth Greenshields grant recipient (2010). He is also a practicing painter, and his works have been exhibited in Northern America and internationally.

Course Materials

If you already have oil paints at home bring them in!

If not, here is a list to get you started.

Paint small tubes:

Ivory black

Titanium white

Cadmium red light

Yellow Ochre

Ultramarine Blue

Lemon Yellow

Pthalo blue or Cobalt blue hue

Burnt Sienna

Other items:

A wooden palette

Small jar (babyfood jars work great!)

Paper towel or small rag or blue shop towels work great

Set of Filbert style Bristle brushes

Canvas

For the class it would be good to have three stretched canvasses minimum size is 11x14 and maximum size is 18x24