The Beginner’s Guide to Oil Painting: Simple Still Life Projects to Help You Master the Basics - Softcover

Stephens, Craig

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1645674940 ISBN 13: 9781645674948

Publisher: Page Street Publishing, 2022

Synopsis

The Easy Way to Get Started with Oil Painting

Craig Stephens has a simple motto for painting: With a brush, some paints and a willingness to learn, anyone can do it. With that mindset, Craig takes his most essential lessons, boils them down to their basics and teaches you everything you need to know to start oil painting, without any fuss or highbrow. Thanks to his experience teaching painting to high school students for over two decades, Craig is an expert at helping those with no experience pick up a brush and make beautiful art they are proud of. With his direction, you’ll create dynamic, vivid paintings and learn to capture your world in ways you never thought possible.

Each project in this book is designed to highlight the important elements of using oil paints, helping you to practice new skills and get comfortable with the medium. And thanks to Craig’s helpful step-by-step directions that pair a picture with each stroke, you’ll get great results. Hone your color-mixing eye as you blend the vibrant greens and subtle yellows in the Freshly Cut Avocado piece. Practice painting unique textures, like the small craters in the Simplified Strawberry or the glossy skin on the Smooth and Shiny Plum. Learn all the ways to capture natural light, like transparency in a glass of Refreshing Lemon Water or dazzling reflections on a Chrome Coffee Creamer. Oil painting is a timeless art form, and with Craig as your teacher, you’ll create 22 beautiful pieces for your walls and learn all the foundational skills you need to enjoy this hobby for years to come.

About this title

About the Author

Craig Stephens is a professional painter. He taught art at the high school level for over two decades and now teaches painting courses online. His works can be seen in the Sparrow Gallery in Sacramento, California, and online at his website, craigstephensart.com. Craig and his family live in Auburn, California.

From the Back Cover

Learn the foundations of oil painting with this collection of beginner-friendly projects. Craig Stephens makes it easy for anyone who has never picked up a paintbrush to get comfortable with oil painting by breaking down concepts like color theory, value and capturing light in easy to understand ways, accompanied by helpful visual guides. Readers then practice what they?ve learned in trendy still life projects that highlight and implement these core techniques. You?ll paint cute, contemporary subjects like Avocados, Strawberries, Milk and Cookies, Converse High-top Sneakers, Chrome Coffee Creamers and more, while still capturing the impressionistic style oil paints are known for. Readers will love the textured, museum-quality look of their creations that can?t be captured by watercolor, gouache or acrylic paints. Each project is laid out with helpful step-by-step photos and detailed instructions, making it easy to follow along from mixing your palette to adding the finishing touches. Craig uses 4-5 colors max in each painting and no more than two types of brushes, keeping the costs of supplies low. Projects start out simple then slowly implement new textures and lighting as you move through the book, helping readers gradually hone their skills. With this one-of-a-kind book you?ll gain total confidence in your oil painting, pick up a relaxing new hobby and create 25 stunning pieces of art to hang on your walls! This book will have 25 projects and 25 photos plus step-by-steps.

Edition details

• Publisher: Page Street Publishing
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1645674940
• ISBN 13: 9781645674948
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176