Here is a quick lesson on your first oil painting. You don’t even need to take a class. Let’s get started and I assume you have the basic tools such as stretched canvas, oil paints, some brushes, a rag or two, paint thinnner.
My suggestion would be a still life. Arrange a simple still life of a vase and fruit and insure you have at least three forms. Now try to approximate the colors of each form. You do not need to be accurate, just get close. Draw with graphite on the canvas the shapes as you see them and make the forms as large as possible. Fill the canvas. Now mix the colors on your palette with your brush and paint the forms. IT is not necessary to be accurate in the painting. THis is what I call a two stage painting.
Paint one form and then another and then another until all forms are painted. It is not even necessary to paint within your drawing. The idea is to establish areas of color. At this first stage try to brush out the forms so the paint is fairly flat without ridges…smoother the better for this kind of two stage painting.
Do you have all the forms roughly painted out – each a distinct color? It is perfectly fine if they overlap, if they are not within your drawing and even if the applied colors are correct. Let this dry. After one or two days put it out in the sun to more thoroughly dry. Let it dry for at least a week.
Bring it back in and now we begin with the second part. Take some 100 grit sandpaper and sand the whole painting lightly. Knock down any rough ridges caused by the paint. Dust it off. Now you are looking at blocks and areas of color. Start with one form and see if you can get the color more accurate to the still life that is set up. See if you can paint the shape more carefully. Pay attention now to where the light is hitting the form. Paint this one side lighter and the side away from the light source, darker. Do this with every form. Take your time. The beauty of still life is that it does not move so work more carefully with the second phase. Paint every form complete to the best of your ability.
Now paint the background. Paint what the still life is sitting on. Have fun. The colors or shapes do not need to be accurate. Paint what you see. This is a wonderful way to paint your first oil painting. Painting in two stages like this
is a good way to begin.