5 MISTAKES to AVOID as an Oil Painting Beginner

5 MISTAKES to AVOID if you want to Start Oil Painting.

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About me (bio) :

I am an artist living and working in France. I learned the techniques of the Atelier of the Nineteenth century and now I try to share some of my knowledge with the rest of the world, because I think that beauty still has an important role to play in artistic creation. I do mostly drawing and oil painting, and my goal is always to provide techniques and explanations that can be useful to anyone, from beginners to more advanced artists.

The material I use most of the time (not necessarily in this video) :

Drawing
Equipement
✓ Kneaded eraser
✓ Plumb line
✓ Small mirror
✓ An old synthetic brush
✓ Masking tape
✓ Cutter
✓ Sandpaper or sanding block
✓ Mahlstick or Hand rest (DIY)
✓ Level ruler
Graphite
✓ Pencils 2H, HB and 2B
Charcoal
✓ If available: Nitram charcoals (H, HB and B)
!!! Or, if not::
✓ Square Venetian charcoals Lefranc and Bourgeois
✓ Natural charcoal box (check that the heart of the stick is not spongy and hollow)
Black and white chalk
✓ Sketch pencil Conté white
✓ Square Conté noir : HB and 2B
✓ Chalk or pencil holder
✓ Pencil sketch Conté Pierre noire : H and HB
Sanguine
✓ Sketch pencil Conté : Blood and blood Medici
✓ Crayon Polychromos Faber-Castel : sanguine
✓ Sketch pencil Conté white
Oil painting
Palette
(Extra-fine paint, recommended brands according to availability: Lefranc Bourgeois, Winsor and Newton, Royal Talens Rembrandt, Sennelier)
✓ Titanium white PW6
✓ Yellow ochre PY42
✓ Burnt Sienna PR101 or PBr7
✓ Venetian red or English red PR101
✓ Permanent Alizarin crimson (Attention: do not use the traditional pigment, which is not very light-fast) PV19 or PR177
✓ Cobalt teal blue PG50
✓ French ultramarine blue PB29
✓ Raw umber PBr7
✓ Burnt umber PBr7
✓ Ivory Black PBk9
Brushes
✓ About ten filbert hog bristle brushes sizes n° 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12
✓ Some flat brushes
✓ Round sable brush or round Kolinsky sable n°10 (from the size of the nail (about one inch) or synthetic imitation
Medium
✓ Linseed stand oil
✓ Odourless mineral spirits
✓ Safflower oil
Surface
✓ Linen canvas, fine grain universal coating
✓ Canson oil-acrylic oil paper Figueras
Others
✓ Palette
✓ Foam and spalter brushes
✓ Palette knife in the shape of a water drop
✓ A few small pots, containers, jars...
✓ Paper towels

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Thanks for watching !

[veronicamieres]

the internet is amazing, all these resources for free! thank you so much for sharing with the world :)

[crieverytim]

1. Neglect the Values
2. Avoid Trying to Find the Right Color - try to put it in its context (try, compare, adjust). Start w the darkest parts of the painting
3. Avoid mixing the colors on the canvas - work as much as possible on the pallet.
4. Not stepping back enough to assess and look
5. Not enough or Too much paint

[josephtermeer]

After painting a few years, I've made every mistake here, lol. This was a wonderful tutorial, bravo! I really hope a new artist will discipline themselves to following this tutorial. Many canvasses will be saved.

[ShanesUnicorn]

You had me at get coffee 😯 im listening

[spoononacouch]

This video was a real eye opener. I was like “oh I already keep values as a priority” on tip 1 but when I continued I realized Ive been doing every thing wrong and this video helped a lot! I was so frustrated with painting and I almost never get inspired but I think this video kind of gave me an inspiration to paint more.. Thanks!

[tedburke]

Absolutely correct, I've been painting for years and I discovered all this the hard way

[marcblur]

Very good advice on all points. If you're a painter, beginner or advanced, reading the comments, do an experiment where he talks about getting all the right values in a simple still life with a grisaille underpainting, and then use colors over it that you know are wrong but still the right value. You'll be surprised how well it pulls together when you step back, even though the colors are abstracted. Starting your work with the darkest values, as he says, is also good advice because dark values are scary and we doubt ourselves. Learn to trust what you see in values and not what you "know" and the rest of the painting falls into place.

[dante]

I would say one of the best things you can do to a painting your struggling with. Is first ask another artist to give feedback... And if you still want more... Give up on the painting. Take a break for like a week. When you come back you will find you have a different mindset, different inspirations, and fresh eyes. It can make a world of differance to your work and help you see your own mistakes and help you learn.

[WendyDaCanuck]

I knew about a lot of those but the one for checking values using the reflection in your black phone screen was a new one and I really liked that idea. Thank you for sharing!

[mikegurney]

The beauty of your program videos and your YouTube videos is that one, you keep the subject matter simplified, two, you impart your experience and knowledge into the videos, three, your dedication of improvement on each video is so self evident. Well done my friend, keep up the great work.

[karimnoffal]

I've learnt so much from your videos, they are helping me become a better artist! Thank you so much for sharing this knowledge with us, you're awesome!

[NotaFullDeck]

As a long time photographer I find taking a a photo of it really helps. I love looking at it in black and white because it is easier for me draw what. I know where shadow and light are to create depth. I love black pastel and charcoal for that reason. I am about to try oil paint for the first time.Love your videos!

[dorotheapotterteipel]

Learning about oil, after decades of gouache, pen & ink, is daunting. This is so good I'm going to look for it again.

[jgw]

A very good tutorial. I only wish that you had given examples for No 2: "Try, Compare, Adjust". I think a beginner might be a bit flummoxed without some demonstration.

[nattyrudd]

These are literally my favorite videos ever, they're so chill and helpful and they give me hope when I'm stuck and feel like I'm not improving 😂 thank you for making these!!

[jinxmas]

I am always amazed about how much painting and hair styling have in common. From color value, to stepping away from the piece and looking at a distance.

[YeeWhoEnterHere]

I can't believe I haven't thought about using a dropper for the solvent, thanks for that.

[sarahdoit]

He is great for beginner like me in oil painting. The 5 mistakes he listed here completely were what I went through the last 3 months. I also made a major mistake of using wrong surface.. I am following him from now on!!!!

[robertdrake]

Thank you for your videos. I really get a lot out of them. In the current video, I really appreciate point number 4 - stepping back from the painting. Often when I paint, I am so close to the painting and focused on one detail I forget the entire painting. Focusing on a detail is important but it must be tempered. One way I have found to be useful to balance is to take a cell phone photograph. It is like using the reverse mirror (tailored for the modern age). At a stopping point, I take a photo of the work with my cell phone. Granted, modern cell phone cameras enhance the colors way more than looking at it with the naked eye. Never the less, this lets me see my work in a different contextual setting. Often I find that the obsessing over the most minute details, while important, can stop. I have done enough. Learning when to stop is crucial. It is so very hard for artists.

[garypeerless]

I find it very useful to work with a mirror behind me which quickly enables me to view it from a distance . Thank you for sharing your knowledge 👍 keep up the good work