Looking for the best Oil Painting books? Browse our list to find excellent book recommendations on the subject.
1. The Oil Painting Course You’ve Always Wanted: Guided Lessons for Beginners and Experienced Artists (2006)
In The Oil Painting Course You’ve Always Wanted author Kathleen Staiger presents crystal clear, step-by-step lessons that build to reinforce learning. Brush control, creating the illusion of three dimensions, foolproof color mixing, still-life painting, landscapes, and portraits–every topic is covered in clear text, diagrams, illustrations, exercises, and demonstrations. Staiger has taught oil painting for more than thirty-five years; many of her students are now exhibiting and selling their paintings. Everyone from beginning hobby painters, to art students, to BFA graduates has questions about oil painting. Here at…
2. Daily Painting: Paint Small and Often To Become a More Creative, Productive, and Successful Artist (2014)
Have you landed in a frustrating rut? Are you having trouble selling paintings in galleries, getting bogged down by projects you can’t seem to finish or abandon, or finding excuses to avoid working in the studio? Author Carol Marine knows exactly how you feel—she herself suffered from painter’s block, until she discovered “daily painting.” The idea is simple: do art (usually small) often (how often is up to you), and if you’d like, post and sell it online. Soon you’ll find that your block dissolves and you’re painting…
3. Encyclopedia of Oil Painting Techniques, The: A Unique Visual Directory Of Oil Painting Techniques, With Guidance On How To Use Them (2018)
Ideal for artists of all skill levels, this A-Z reference covers a multitude of topics concerning oil painting. The book is divided into two sections: the first provides step-by-step demonstrations that guide artists through a variety of techniques, from basic color mixing through to creating special effects such as peinture a l’essence and sgraffito. The second part focuses on themes, illustrating how individual artists tackle a number of common subjects, including landscapes, buildings, portraits, still life, skies and water.This resource provides a wealth of stimulating ideas to help artists–both amateurs and veterans–develop their…
4. Beautiful Portrait Painting in Oils: Keys to Mastering Diverse Skin Tones and More (2017)
Mona Lisa. Girl with a Pearl Earring. Madame X. The infinite variety and beauty of humankind–like the mysteries behind sparkling eyes, a sly smile or an averted gaze–has captivated artists since the beginning of time. This expanded edition of Chris Saper's best-selling guide, Classic Portrait Painting in Oils, reveals keys for mastering how to paint beautiful portraits in oil to create soulful works of art. Through easy-to-follow lessons and expert oil painting tips and techniques, you'll find secrets for working from life, using reference photos and more to create rich, realistic portraits imbued…
5. Fill Your Oil Paintings with Light & Color (2000)
These pages practically glow with Kevin Macpherson’s rich and powerful paintings! He shares his techniques for quickly capturing the mood of a scene in bold, direct brushstrokes, with step-by-step instructions that make it easy—simply a matter of painting the colors you see. Follow his lead and you too, can create landscapes and still lives in a vibrant, impressionistic style….
6. Painting Clouds and Skies in Oils (2018)
Learn to capture the beauty and drama of the sky. A good sky is the essence of successful landscape and seascape paintings. This practical book covers everything you will need to know to paint a sky that captures the mood and atmosphere of a scene. With more than 200 paintings, it explains techniques and demonstrates the painting process, including step-by-step instruction on painting in oils with the alla prima technique. There is advice on using alternative colors and creative interpretations, and ideas to inspire and develop skills and a personal style….
7. Oil Painting For The Absolute Beginner: A Clear & Easy Guide to Successful Oil Painting (Art for the Absolute Beginner) (2010)
Oil painting doesn’t have to be rocket science, although some books on the subject make it seem that way. Filled with encouraging, easy-to-follow instruction, Oil Painting for the Absolute Beginner is a no-fear, no-experience-required guide to enjoyable painting and happy results. Focusing on the needs of the first-time painter, this book covers everything from selecting brushes and setting up your palette to key principles of color and composition, presented in a way that moves you confidently from first strokes to finished paintings. You’ll learn tricks for keeping the greens in your…
8. The Art of Plein Air Painting: An Essential Guide to Materials, Concepts, and Techniques for Painting Outdoors (2017)
Plein air painting, the art of painting outdoors, offers possibilities artists can’t find inside the studio. When painters set up easels outside, they put themselves in direct contact with nature. Responsiveness to the landscape’s changing light, forms, and colors yields work that’s lively and spontaneous. However, plein air painting also poses a set of challenges not encountered in the studio. There are matters of choosing a location, rationing the number of supplies to bring, working within a time limit, adjusting to sudden changes in…
9. The Complete Oil Painter: The Essential Reference for Beginners to Professionals (2004)
Oils are perhaps the most versatile of all paint mediums. Yet for many artists oil painting is either shrouded in mystique or considered very difficult. Filled with clear, step-by-step instructions and surefire strategies, The Complete Oil Painter is an essential, one-stop guide to becoming an expert in every aspect of this medium. Artists will discover everything they need to know about materials (pigments, supports, canvases); tools and equipment (palettes, brushes); paint application (wet-into-wet, alla-prima, glazing, impasto); form and color (light and dark, expression, color mixing); exploring themes…
10. Painting Landscapes in Oils (2012)
Landscape painting attracts countless artists, as its diversity—enhanced by the weather, special lighting conditions, and seasonal change—offers the painter an infinite variety of subject matter. Oils are an extremely versatile and immediate medium, enabling artists to express themselves in a variety of creative ways. They are relatively easy to use, suitable for both the beginner and the more experienced painter. This guide includes 11 step-by-step demonstrations and discusses the entire painting process, from materials, inspiration, and…
11. Flower Painting in Oil (2016)
Charles Reid says you don’t have to be a botanist to paint flowers beautifully. Rather than produce anatomical paintings, it’s far more important to capture the quality, the feeling, and the spirit of the flowers. In this book, Reid turns his skillful eye and clear, helpful teaching methods to painting flowers in oil paints. Beginning with a detailed discussion of materials and palettes, you will go on to learn a bit about flowers and flower parts in general, as well as brush techniques like drybrushing, scumbling, and pointillism. Then, with plenty of examples and guided assignments, you will…
Best Oil Painting Books You Should Enjoy
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Genesis and download some oil painting books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
Foundations of Classical Oil Painting: How to Paint Realistic People, Landscapes and Still Life
Author(s): Lea Colie Wight
Publisher: North Light Books, Year: 2018, Size: 72 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 2326032
Art Studio: Dogs: More Than 50 Projects and Techniques for Drawing, Painting, and Creating 25+ Breeds in Oil, Acrylic, Pencil, and More!
Author(s): Walter Foster Creative Team
Publisher: Walter Foster Publishing, Year: 2017, Size: 31 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 2328388
Art Studio: Flowers: More Than 50 Projects and Techniques for Drawing, Painting, and Creating Your Favorite Flowers and Botanicals in Oil, Acrylic, Pencil, and More!
Author(s): Walter Foster Creative Team
Publisher: Walter Foster Publishing, Year: 2017, Size: 32 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 2328390
Oil & Acrylic Workshop: Classic and Contemporary Techniques for Painting Expressive Works of Art
Author(s): Walter Foster Creative Team
Publisher: Walter Foster Publishing, Year: 2017, Size: 30 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 2328687
Beautiful Portrait Painting in Oils: Keys to Mastering Diverse Skin Tones and More
Author(s): Chris Saper
Publisher: North Light Books, Year: 2017, Size: 92 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 2329238
Painting Clouds and Skies in Oils
Author(s): Mo Teeuw
Publisher: The Crowood Press, Year: 2017, Size: 116 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 2329285
Oil Painting Essentials: Mastering Portraits, Figures, Still Life, Landscapes, and Interiors
Author(s): Gregg Kreutz
Publisher: Watson-Guptill Publications, Year: 2016, Size: 145 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 2328460
Painting the nude in oils
Author(s): Adele Wagstaff
Publisher: The Crowood Press, Year: 2015, Size: 8 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 1360951
Please note that this booklist is not final. Some books are absolutely best-sellers according to Chicago Tribune, others are drafted by unknown writers. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant books you could recommend? Leave a comment if you have any feedback on the list.