Oil Painting Mastery - Video Courses

 What you will get out of these courses

With these video courses, I have done everything I can with words and video to help you become a better painter. I have tried to keep these courses informal, as if you had just dropped by my studio to chat about painting.

Only with effort will you get the most out of these videos. There are no shortcuts, there never have been and there never will be. However, I can make things easier for you which is more help than I had when I started out. If you follow my teaching you will advance with your painting rapidly.

In each video I give you the type of thinking that precedes the decisions I make while creating a painting, going through each aspect of the painting process step-by-step. I use a lot of different techniques and I will give you insight into many of them. You will get a thorough idea of how my paintings are created from the initial board prep to the finishing touches.

My hope is that the information in these courses will help you to think for yourself and evolve your own methods. Only by being true to yourself will you become a masterful painter.

The first video in our Oil Painting Mastery series is Limited Palette Magic! This video course breaks down oil color into its most basic components and shows you how to create, mix and match all of the colors essential to making a beautiful painting.

While outlining and simplifying color mixing, I also guide you through the entire painting process. Every aspect of oil painting is touched upon from what to leave in and take away from the reference image, to different ways of handling a brush and what sorts of brushes to use for different aspects of the painting. There is also a good sprinkling of general insights into oil painting as well.

One good insight can entirely change your approach to painting and all of these courses have quite a lot to offer in this regard

The second video lesson in the Oil Painting Mastery Series is Extended Palette Magic! This course grew out of the oil painting set that I am recommending students use for the initial Limited Palette Magic! painting courses. While Limited Palette Magic! uses only five colors the extended course adds several more excellent pigments and addresses in great detail why the addition of these pigments to a limited palette is helpful and valuable.

I discuss color, how it applies to oil painting and give you examples of how I have made these different pigments work for me. This course also illuminates many additional aspects of oil painting including composition, working with different value structures and utilizing the paintbrush to yield various different effects. Also featured are many additional insights into my painting process and philosophy of oil painting.

The third video course is Tonal Landscape Magic! Whereas in the other two video courses we are using a limited palette, this course features my full studio pallet. We create a painting together on a burnt sienna toned board with a real emphasis on creating Tonal harmony. I break down all of the colors on my pallet extensively and my reasons for using them.

The other focus of this video course is on creating paintings using an emotive approach. I instruct you on how best to imbue your paintings with a maximum feeling quotient. Getting feeling into a picture is absolutely critical for any successful painter. It is the emotion in our paintings that stimulates a response in the viewer. As with the other videos, I impart lots of additional information designed to aid and inspire your own painting.

How to study these video courses

To get the maximum benefit of these video courses you should follow along and create your own version of each painting. Corresponding reference images are provided in different sizes and proportions as well as a comprehensive supply list for each video course. In addition to making your own version of the video course paintings, I recommend making an additional painting using the same pallet and a similar reference image of your own. This is definitely the best way to cement the teaching presented to you in these videos.

You should have a regular work routine, making paintings daily. Having a regular place and time to work will also simplify your learning. Create working conditions that stimulate a regular and consistent painting practice and you will advance more rapidly than you ever could've imagined.

You are free to send me images (via email) any paintings that you create related to these video courses or inspired by them. I will criticize your work and when doing so I will point out both the good and bad parts of your painting and tell you why I feel this way. Also, I will make specific suggestions where you can improve your painting. It is my sincere desire to see your work in the most prestigious galleries and museums and also my fond hope that these video courses will aid you in that pursuit.

Take good care and stay out of trouble,

M Francis McCarthy