How to Start Oil Painting: A Beginner's Guide to the 10 Core Techniques

To start oil painting, you need surprisingly little: a small set of basic colors, a few brushes, a surface to paint on, a palette to mix on, and rags for cleanup. From there, the real learning is technique, not gear. Begin with the loosest, most forgiving methods, alla prima and blocking in, then add depth techniques like glazing and underpainting as your confidence grows. Work small, practice often, and let the medium teach you. None of this depends on talent or years of training.

Oil painting carries a reputation for being difficult and expensive, and both ideas keep beginners from ever picking up a brush. Neither is true. Oil paint stays wet for hours, which means it forgives you in a way faster mediums never will: you can blend, rework, scrape back, and fix as you go. The techniques below are the same ones working artists rely on, explained in plain language and ordered so a complete beginner can build them one at a time. If you are still deciding between mediums, the 5 key differences between acrylics and oil paint will help you choose with your eyes open.

What supplies do you actually need to start oil painting?

You need far less than the art store wants to sell you. A short, honest starter list is a small set of oil colors in a handful of core hues, two or three brushes in different sizes, a palette, a primed canvas or board, and rags or paper towels for cleanup. That is genuinely enough to make a real painting. A beginner-friendly starter kit bundles most of this into a single purchase, which saves you from guessing.

Resist the urge to buy more before you begin. Accumulating gear is one of the most common ways people avoid actually starting, and a crowded table of supplies does not make a better painter. If you want a fuller breakdown of what matters and what does not, read our guide to essential art supplies, then choose your first paintbrush and canvas without overthinking it. The point is to make marks, not to assemble a collection.

How do you start oil painting as a beginner?

Start by learning one technique at a time instead of trying everything in your first session. The fastest path is to begin with the loosest methods, which build confidence, then layer in the techniques that add depth and control. Block in your large shapes and values first, paint a small study alla prima in a single sitting, and only chase detail once the foundation reads clearly. Small, finished studies teach you far more than one ambitious painting you never complete.

The ten techniques below are organized roughly in that order, from the most forgiving entry points to the methods that reward a little patience. You do not need to master all of them at once. Pick one or two, paint with them until they feel familiar, and add the next when you are ready.

What are the core oil painting techniques for beginners?

The core beginner techniques are alla prima, glazing, scumbling, impasto, underpainting, wet on dry, sfumato, chiaroscuro, blocking in, and the Zorn palette approach. Each gives you a different way to handle color, texture, and value, and together they cover almost everything you will do in a painting. Here is each one explained simply, with a way to try it.

Alla prima (wet on wet)

Alla prima means painting in one sitting while the layers stay wet. This approach creates an energetic, spontaneous look that captures the immediacy of light and movement, and it is the friendliest place for a beginner to start because nothing has to be planned perfectly in advance. To try it, pick a simple subject and finish it in a single session, letting your strokes stay confident and loose.

Glazing

Glazing is the technique of placing thin, transparent layers over dry paint to build depth and luminosity. The color glows, almost like light passing through glass, and transitions become subtle and rich. Once your base painting is fully dry, switch to smaller brushes and lay thin, transparent passes over the areas you want to deepen or warm.

Scumbling

Scumbling means dragging dry, opaque paint lightly over a dry surface so the under-layer peeks through. It creates texture, atmosphere, and suggestion rather than crisp clarity, which makes it perfect for foliage, skies, and soft edges. Use a larger flat brush and a fairly dry load of paint, then drag it gently across the surface so the layer beneath still shows.

Impasto

Impasto is thick, textured paint applied with a palette knife or a stiff brush. The paint physically stands off the surface, adding real dimensionality and expressive brushwork you can see and almost feel. To experiment, pick one strong color and apply it thickly in a single area to watch how the texture instantly changes the feel of your piece. If thick paint pulls at you, the palette knife painting techniques guide goes deeper.

Underpainting

Underpainting is a monochrome or neutral base layer that sets your values, shapes, and composition early, before you commit to color. Common approaches include grisaille (grey tones), verdaccio (a green base), and a warm imprimatura wash. This foundational layer helps you hold clarity as you build color on top, and there is a closely related method worth knowing in our guide to subtractive underpainting.

Wet on dry

Wet on dry means adding fresh paint over fully dry layers for greater control. It gives you cleaner edges, sharper detail, and is ideal for finishing touches or realism. After your loose, spontaneous early sessions, switch to a fine brush and use this approach to refine the areas that need precision.

Sfumato

Sfumato is the art of soft, seamless transitions that eliminate hard edges, creating dreamy, atmospheric effects and subtle shifts of tone. It is the technique behind the misty, melting quality you see in much Renaissance painting. On a dry underlayer, use gentle strokes and thin paint to blur edges, working with a lighter touch than feels natural at first.

Chiaroscuro

Chiaroscuro uses strong contrasts between light and dark to bring dramatic form and mood to a painting. It adds a sculptural, three-dimensional effect and pulls the viewer’s eye exactly where you want it. Choose one or two strong darks and light values, then plan a composition where light hits a single area while the rest falls into shadow.

Blocking in

Blocking in means quickly establishing your large shapes, colors, and values at the very beginning, before any detail. This step organizes your composition and keeps you from getting lost in small areas too early. Set up your canvas, identify your main value and color zones, and lay them in loosely, then refine with the other techniques once the structure reads.

Zorn palette technique

The Zorn palette is a limited set of just four colors: yellow ochre, a vermilion or cadmium red, ivory black, and white. This creates natural harmony and simplicity, and it is perfect for beginners because fewer pigments mean fewer decisions to agonize over. Try a portrait or still life using only these four colors and notice how everything still reads clearly, which builds your color mixing and value skills fast. For more on how color behaves, our color theory guide is a strong next step.

How long does it take to get good at oil painting?

You will see real progress in months, not years, if you practice with intention. The painters who seem to take forever are usually the ones dabbling without aim, while the ones who improve quickly pick a specific skill, work at the edge of what they can do, and pay attention to what went wrong. Consistency matters far more than how much you spend or how naturally it comes at first.

Learning how to start oil painting becomes much easier once you understand and practice these beginner-friendly techniques. Each method gives you a new way to explore color, texture, and expression, and as you work you will find your own rhythm and a style that feels natural and alive. Wondering whether the medium itself is the hard part? Read is oil painting hard for an honest answer. When you are ready for a structured, supported way to take the first step, our free Two Week Challenge is built for exactly the beginner you are right now, and the rest of our oil painting techniques collection is here whenever you want to keep going. Pick up your brush and start.

Frequently asked questions

How do I start oil painting as a complete beginner?

Start with a small set of basic oil colors, three or four brushes, a palette, and a primed surface, then learn one technique at a time instead of buying everything at once. Begin with alla prima, painting wet into wet in a single sitting, and blocking in your large shapes first. Practice on small studies and add depth techniques like glazing once the basics feel familiar.

What supplies do you need to start oil painting?

You need a small set of oil paints in a handful of core colors, two or three brushes in different sizes, a palette to mix on, a primed canvas or board, and rags for cleanup. A beginner-friendly starter kit covers most of this in one purchase. You do not need a professional setup to begin, and buying more gear is one of the most common ways people avoid actually starting.

What is the easiest oil painting technique for beginners?

Alla prima, also called wet on wet, is the easiest place to begin. You paint in one sitting while the layers stay wet, which keeps things loose and forgiving and removes the pressure of perfect planning. Pair it with blocking in, where you establish your large shapes and values first, and you have a simple, confidence-building way to make a complete painting in a single session.

Is oil painting hard to learn?

Oil painting is more approachable than its reputation suggests. The paint stays wet for hours, which gives you time to blend, rework, and fix mistakes that would have dried in other mediums. The skills are learnable with practice, not talents you are born with. Start with one or two simple techniques, work small, and let your confidence build before you take on ambitious pieces.

What is the Zorn palette and why is it good for beginners?

The Zorn palette is a limited set of four colors: yellow ochre, a warm red such as vermilion or cadmium red, ivory black, and white. It is ideal for beginners because fewer pigments mean fewer decisions, and the colors mix into a surprisingly full and natural range. Painting a portrait or still life with only these four teaches you color mixing and value control faster than a crowded palette.