Absolute Beginners Oil Painting Course

When you’re first starting with traditional oils, there’s a lot to take in. So to avoid overwhelm, in this course, I want to address some of the most common questions to help aspiring oil painters understand the theory and practice of painting in this medium.

Each of the 5 painting studies builds on the last and teaches a different approach, from direct painting to an indirect classical method. By focusing on still life subjects, you’ll gain confidence with setups that you can easily find at home to continue your studies.

I trained in classical oil painting in Florence, Italy, and have over 15 years of online teaching experience and more than 300,000 YouTube followers. My focus is always on practical methods that give repeatable results.

Designed with the home studio oil painter in mind

If you work from a small room at home, the idea of Traditional Oil paints and the use of strong-smelling solvents and mediums is a real consideration.

But you do not have to use solvents! You can paint with oils straight from the tube and add nothing to them.

Mediums and solvents like turpentine or odourless mineral spirits are optional; they simply change how the paint behaves. So you could dilute with a natural oil, like walnut oil, or with a solvent-free gel.

Think of them as ways to tweak consistency rather than requirements; it’s about balancing paint handling, drying times, sensitivity and where you are painting.

In the course, I demonstrate using a low-odour solvent and work in a well-ventilated space. Throughout the course, I’ve tried to cover less toxic alternatives. Here’s an Oil Painting Safety Guide to a safe working studio.

Over 5+ hours of tuition

This is a simple, easy-to-follow downloadable video course with over 5 hours of tuition where you will discover the essentials of how to create an oil painting using both a direct impressionist Alla-prima method and an in-direct classical approach, both aimed at the absolute beginner.

It has been designed as a step-by-step, rounded learning experience that brings together all my knowledge as a student, painter, and teacher.

What’s in the Course?

•  5 x traditional oil painting demonstrations, taking you step-by-step from preparation and mixing and matching colours through to the final brush strokes. ✅
• 16 downloadable video lessons, split into separate chapters that follow on sequentially.✅
• Over 5 hours of detailed video instruction so that you can follow along at your own pace.✅
• Downloadable reference JPEG images, line drawings, and a full materials list.✅
• Lifetime access, downloadable on separate devices.✅

You receive more than five hours of video lessons, reference images, my drawings, colour swatches, and lifetime access with a one-time payment.

Learn at your own pace and complete your first oil paintings with a clear and structured approach.