Art Lessons Online: Take Your Art to the Next Level.

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If you are wanting to learn art from home, taking art lessons online is a great way to go.

Here is a quick start guide about both drawing and painting.

I'll start out with painting. If you are interested in drawing, just skip further down the page.

Getting Started with Art Lessons Online:

The first thing you want to do is get your materials together.

Here is the palette I use:

This is a glass palette. I painted the underside of the palette a midtone gray. This makes the colors stand out more and helps me see values. I also always lay out the colors the same way ever time. That way, I don't have to search for them, and I can save time.

I chose those colors for a reason. They give me plenty of options for mixing the exact color that I need.

Now, as far as brushes go, just get a few basic brushes and see what you like. I talk about brushes and other materials in more detail in my article How to Oil Paint.

You can come back to read that article here in a minute. For now, let's go over the skills you need to really do great paintings.

Art Lessons Online: The Essential Skills:

There is an order in which you can study painting that makes things easier.

Here is my recommendation:

1. Learn about color theory and color mixing.
2. Learn about composition.
3. Try some master copies. Pick paintings that appeal to you.
4. Learn some specific techniques for your subject (landscape, portrait, etc.)
5. Fine tune your weak points and figure out your problem areas.

So, let's talk about each of those for a moment.

1. Learning about Color with Art Lessons Online:

Color can be divided into two parts: color theory and color mixing.

I put this first on the list because with painting, everything involves using color. So, you might as well learn at least a little bit about it before you try to tackle anything else.

Color theory is about learning how colors affect each other on a visual basis. For example, when you put blue next to orange, both colors become more vibrant. You can use this to make your paintings more dynamic and also to draw attention to one specific area.

Color mixing is about knowing how to make specific colors. You need to learn what happens when you mix certain colors together. The more combinations you know, the easier it is to mix the exact color that you need.

You can check out the Video Section for some free videos on color mixing and color theory.

Now, let's move on to composition.

2. Learn Composition with Art Lessons Online:

Why learn composition? Well, I would say that composition can make or break a painting. Here is a quick guide.

Good composition can:

• Lead the viewers eye where you want it.
• Create a center of attention (a good resting point for your eyes).
• Keep the viewer's eye from being lead off the page.
• Make the painting more interesting and dynamic.
• Entice the viewer to come back and look at the painting again.

So, as you can see, successful paintings need a good composition. A composition is basically a foundation for your painting.

I have some composition tips throughout the site. You could start with the composition video I have created for you.

Once you have studied both composition and color, you can refine your skills by doing master copies.

3: Art Lessons Online: Master Copies.

I talk about master copies quite often and for good reason. They are one of the fasted ways to get better. They free your mind from trying to make your own photograph into a painting and let you concentrate on how an artist has already done it.

Master artists have left their paintings for us to study. There is no reason why we have to reinvent the wheel and learn art on our own.

We are not meant to copy them and lose our originality. Far from it. Instead, study them and learn how they made their paintings successful. Then, take what you learn give it your own person touch and use create your own unique art.

In fact, if you study more than one artist, your style will end up different from any one of the artists that you studied. So, you really don't have to worry about becoming too similar to them.

I have an article on master copies that you can read plus there is a master copy video you can watch where I do a full master copy.

I'm sure that once you try some master copies, your work will improve immediately. Oh, and remember, don't make it tedious for yourself. You don't have to copy every exact detail. Just focus on the overall impression of the picture.

So, once you have done one or two master copies, you can move on to learning specific techniques for landscapes or portraits.

4. Art Lessons Online: Specific Techniques:

By now, you should have a good foundation and should be well on your way to improving your art. Now, let's focus on specific techniques that you can use to improve your work.

If you do landscapes, then learning how to paint clouds, trees, and other objects can help you. Learning about getting the lighting to read properly can also help. Perspective will help especially if there are any buildings in the scene.

You can check out the video section and watch the videos on choosing scenes, plus you can read the articles on painting clouds and painting trees.

Now, if you do portraits, there are some other skills that you will want to work on. Anything that helps with accuracy will help with portraits. So, you really need to study drawing since it will also improve your accuracy with a brush.

There are a couple of portrait drawing videos in the video section as well. I also have some drawing articles you can read.

Here is a breakdown of skills.

For landscapes, work on these skills:

• perspective
• color
• value
• composition
• negative space
• proportion
• angles

For portraits, work on these skills:

• proportion
• negative space
• value
• angles
• form

Of course, working on "all" skills will help with either one, but the skills listed above will give you something to concentrate on.

Now, I want to talk a little bit about drawing.

5. Art lessons Online: Drawing.

As I mentioned, drawing can help you with painting, but if you want to learn just drawing by itself, I'll give you some tips to get you started.

Here are some drawing skills you might want to study:

• line (line thickness, and line for shading).
• value
• how to handle pencils (hand positions, lead softness/hardness).

Drawing is about accuracy and shading. You shade with line, so learning cross hatching and other shading techniques is important.

I have a few articles in the drawing section that can help you get started.

I also have some drawing videos you can watch.

Here are some things that can help you.The first is getting sensitive to the pencil. Learn how much pressure you need to create a light or dark line.

Second, practice varying your line thickness to make your drawings more expressive.

Third, practice making lines close together and far apart. Shading is determined by both how dark the lines are and how close they are together.

Art Lessons Online: Summary.

In summary, if you just follow the blueprint above, you should have no problem improving your art. Just focus on one thing at a time before you move on. Don't get rushed. Aim for gradual improvement. It can be very encouraging to see your work improve over time. It will help keep you motivated.

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