For this course there are a few mini projects to get you started!

Mini-Project 1: Gather Your Gear!

Research and / or purchase oil painting materials that fit your values. Remember to start small and simple, but with good quality!

Mini-Project 2: Basic Techniques and Principles

Use your materials to experiment with the various basic techniques of oil painting.

Create "Fat Over Lean" layers
Find your "regular" stroke -- do you prefer laying down thick strokes, or do you like to keep them more minimal?
Dry-brush
Scumbling
Impasto
- With a brush
- With a palette knife
Adding a "fat" medium (like linseed oil or walnut oil)
Try "blending" vs "optical blending"

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Mini-Project 3: Color Wheel + Value Scale

Use a limited color palette to create a color wheel with value scales (lighter, darker, or both). Hopefully you are feeling more comfortable with the idea of using just 5 colors + white and can see the potential to create almost an infinite array of colors from these! You can optionally leave out the "neutral" colors that I put in my color wheel and just have enough "slices" for primary and secondary colors.

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Mini-Project 4: Swatches Chart

Use your limited color palette to create a swatches chart. I like to create swatches using a grid section and then combining the colors where they intersect on the chart. You can also add values to your swatches chart to see each mixture as a "tint (lighter) or "shade" (darker). Experiment mixing complementary colors together to get some interesting neutral colors!

Be sure to post your Mini-Projects in the Project section of this course and please ask any questions you may have!

These projects are meant to get you familiar with the feel of oil paint as well as an introduction to color mixing, which we'll be exploring in-depth in subsequent courses!

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Vanessa Michel

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