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Looking back, there were many times when I was stumped by a painting. At this point we either throw the offending image into the bin, vowing to never paint again……or start looking for solutions somewhere else.

Not all of us have a skilled artisan at our fingertips who is willing to step up and guide us though our paintings.

Luckily painting tutorials take lots of different forms, and there are thousands of them available. All have their pros and cons.

Obviously there is your local library. This is free and may be wonderful, or it may be full of tragic dog-eared articles from the 1920's which are not relevant to your arts practice today.

Doing a workshop can be a great idea. Having some idea of the tutor's approach (if you can) is worth doing. Some teachers out there are, how shall I say this......... mind bendingly boring, or indescribably pretentious (wow, Mark, beat around the bush why don't you). Some are also very stingy with their information. Often, though, it can be money well spent.

A magazine subscription is not a bad idea. There are many magazines dedicated to solving problems, but you may have to wait until your problem arises before you get the gold.

Purchasing a DVD is a great idea. Choose your subject and/or problem area, and hopefully the tutor will solve your problems. There are many sources of information. With DVDs there is no real way to tell what you are getting, 'til you have paid your money. Word of mouth helps. Or find a sample or trailer - youtube can be a great resource for this. Mine are great! - just ask me.

This leads us to another great option - the Internet. You can find almost anything out here these days (including what Aunty Nancy did at her last work party). Just be careful what you search for (I accidentally discovered that whale tails are not necessarily exclusively about large sea mammals).

Searching specifically for the solution to your problem can very often yield a result, and forums can be useful in this regard. With forums you have the advantage of being able to ask your specific question and very often people will come back with (a variety of) answers.

Fundamentally, as painters who work with realism as a base, there are two major skill sets:

Firstly, your physical skills, including:

√ Mixing colour
√ Dexterity with a brush
√ Range of brush applications
√ Understanding colour theory
√ Understanding perspective
√ Understanding composition

and so many more…..

The second most important thing is your perception or observation skills. This involves discovering all of the information that you need to create a convincing piece of artwork, for example:

√ How does the light hit a tree?
√ What gives that cloud depth in the sky?
√ What makes water look like water?
√ How are things affected by light?
√ What is the negative space doing?

and so much more…..

Usually when one of these areas is out of balance, our paintings don't work. If, for example, you can see the information you need, but you can't get your brush to do what you need it to - this is the area in which you need some help mastering the skills. Drag out a blank canvas, and train your brush. Practise makes perfect.

If, for example, you feel comfortable with your brushwork, but don't seem to be able to make the work convincing; there is probably some information missing. You need to learn to look more closely at your subject, to discover the subtlety & nuances that make or breaks it. Go into the world and look around. Dissect it. Layer, upon layer. Make notes and observe.

A good painting tutorial will address both those areas.

It's important to note that you are not on your own. Someone out there somewhere has struggled with the same thing you are struggling with, and been victorious! Take advantage of this website's painting tutorials - hopefully there is some real gold in here for many of you.

Have fun, as always, chuck some paint around!

Please note, we are slowly adding your free acrylic painting tutorials as we are able to. (Mark types with one finger, so it can be a slow process!).

Hover over the image below and if it is "clickable", the tutorial exists! Yay! The ones that aren't yet "clickable" are still in the process of being created. You can hover anyway to find out what they will be about, when they have been created.

We currently have the How to Paint Water tutorial, Skyscapes, How to Paint a Mural, How to Paint Trees, Gradation, Landscape Painting, How to Paint Waves, Rock Painting, Shadow Painting, How To Paint Clouds and Free Painting Lessons (how to paint a beach landscape from start to finish) available, with more in the writing and/or creation stages coming soon!

Thanks very much for your patience! Check in regularly, or contact us for information on our newest painting tutorials.

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How To Paint Water, Demystifying The Process.
Have you always wanted to learn how to paint water realistically? My unique process teaches you how to paint water, and see water, in a whole new way.

Free Painting Lessons - Paint a Beautiful Beach Landscape
Ever wanted to paint a beautiful, light filled beach landscape? Our free painting lessons will show you exactly how.

How To Paint Trees. Observation and Technique - The Key To Great Trees.
How to paint trees. Train your eyes to find the patterns. Then, train your brush to make the patterns, and watch your trees come to life.

Bring Your Skyscapes to Life!
We'll investigate four basic concepts and skills to inject more light and life into your skyscapes.

Painting a Gradation of Colour - Master This Fundamental Skill
The basis of most successful paintings is gradation. Learn how to paint a gradation smoothly & efficiently.

Learn How to Paint a Mural! Mark Style.
A simple formula for learning how to paint a mural.

Landscape Painting. A Simple Process To Help Get You Started.
Discover how landscape painting can be loads of fun, AND good for your soul.

Painting Waves. Find The Information You Need To Paint Convincing, Compelling Waves.
When you discover the nuances, painting waves with life and movement is exciting, easier and so much fun.

Learn How To Paint Clouds. Diminish The Daunts.
Discover a simple and powerful strategy to uncomplicate the process of learning how to paint clouds.

Rock Painting. Learn How To Create Realistic Rocks In Your Paintings.
Underwater or out of the water, understand simple patterns and processes behind painting realistic rocks.

Shadow Painting. Bring Your Shadows To Life!
Discover the amazing array of colours within shadow paintings, and the tricks to using them to create amazing paintings.

Sunset Painting. A Simple Strategy To Uncover The Nuance Behind The Romance.
Uncover the transitions from luminous blues through to glorious golds. Learn which colours to add to your sunset painting. Discover where to put them to make your canvas sing.

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