Oil Paint has been used by many of the most famous painters. It is a great medium that isnt hard to use and has many exceptional qualities. Before you begin painting, you need to make sure you have all the supplies including paint, brushes, terpentine or another oil paint solvent, canvas to paint on, and anything else you might need.

Begin by very lightly drawing out what you are going to paint. This is optional, but if you are doing a realistic intricate painting, you will probably benefit from this first task.

Make sure it is very light with pencil so that it doesnt show through the painting. You dont have to be detailed, just get the general layout. If you want, you could even do an intricate pencil drawing on another paper first to get the feel for it.

Next, you will do a light wash of the lightest colors in all the areas. Use white paint only on the white spaces. Mix a little paint with more terpentine or solvent to make it a thin wash. If you use too much paint, it will take forever to dry and youll never finish it.

Continue layering your paint with darker and darker layers. Make the paint a little bit thicker as you get darker and more intricate. One benefit of oil paint is that it doesn’t dry quickly, so you can work with it longer. This can also be hard to work with for the same reason because it’s easier to mix colors inadvertently.

Abstract painting is another popular way to paint. It may or may not require as much intricate detail and precision. It’s all in how you paint. Though I would still recommend using the initial wash technique. With abstract painting you can do whatever you want.

The intricate details of a lifelike painting should be saved until the painting is nearly completely dry. As you get better, you will become better at manipulating the wet paint into what you want. You can move on to this more advanced technique as you get better and progress.

If you really want to get good at painting you need to practice. This is the best way to get better and better. You will learn from your mistakes and develop your own style. There is no right or wrong way to do a painting.