Mastering Oil Painting: Learn Simple Techniques and Practical Applications for Mastering the Art of Oil Painting (Artist's Library)

Mastering Oil Painting is the perfect resource for beginning and intermediate artists to build proficiency and expertise in the art of oil painting. With its slow drying time, oil paint allows artists to layer and blend deep, rich colors that retain their vibrancy when fully dried. Mastering Oil Painting will demonstrate how to work with this classic medium that has been a favorite of professional artists for hundreds of years. This book opens by covering the basic tools and materials for getting started in oil painting, including brushes, mediums, supports, palette knives, and palettes. On the pages that follow, artists will discover valuable information for understanding basic color theory, color mixing, and working with oil mediums, as well as how to master a range of techniques, including blending, stippling, scumbling, drybrushing, sponging, painting thickly and thinly, and others. With the information offered by an accomplished, professional painter, aspiring artists will also learn how to select subject matter, set up a balanced composition, create textures, and use reference photos, all while learning how to paint a range of subjects, such as a landscape, a still life, and a floral arrangement--step by step! With easy-to-follow instruction and breathtakingly realistic artwork to inspire, the combination of tips, techniques, and engaging oil painting lessons in Mastering Oil Painting offers a comprehensive resource for artists of all skill levels desiring to put their newfound painting knowledge to practical use by painting realistic, detailed works of art in oil, from start to finish.

James Sulkowski maintains a studio in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, and is a member of the National Arts Club, The National Society of Mural Painters, and the American Artists Professional League, among others.