Oil painting projects

About this course

The course explores oil painting through projects on mood and atmosphere, portraiture, and nature-based landscape. Learners will investigate limited palettes, colour blending, drawing and collage for composition, and observational, photographic or painterly sources. Practical exercises focus on pressure-sensitive techniques including wet-in-wet, scumbling, scraping-out and lifting off. Teaching combines tutor demonstrations, paint-handling exercises, individual guidance, group discussion and artist slide shows. Research and methods from contemporary and traditional artists will inform a final painting developed from the preceding projects.

What you'll learn

• Apply a wider range of oil paint-handling techniques with greater sensitivity to pressure
• Use limited palettes and colour blending to develop mood, atmosphere and surface
• Employ drawing and collage as aids to painting composition
• Develop painting ideas from themes, artist references and observational or photographic sources

Is this course right for you?

This improver-level course is intended for learners who have completed a beginner oil painting course or equivalent and have some drawing experience. Participants will work on individual paintings while taking part in demonstrations, one-to-one guidance and group discussion.

• Previous beginner-level oil painting study or equivalent is expected
• Some drawing experience is expected
• Learners should be able to follow written and verbal instructions

Before you go

• Bring two clean glass jars with lids and clean rags or J-cloths for tonking.
• Basic oil painting materials, media and cartridge paper for priming are provided.
• Paper is prepared for the first session; for later sessions, learners need to prime paper in advance or obtain ready-primed paper or canvas.
• A canvas may be brought for the final project, with the tutor advising on size.