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So you are just about to start your journey into the wonderful world of art and are thinking about taking a painting course? Like most new skills, it can be a little confusing at first knowing exactly where and how to start, particularly if you don’t have someone to help guide you through the initial stages. This article will hopefully provide you with a few tips and ideas to get you going.

Organizing Your Painting Studio
When you first start to learn to paint, you will more than likely not have the use of a professional art studio, however you should try and create a productive environment around you where you can concentrate on the job in hand and relax! Most importantly, try and find a space in your home that is free from noise and distraction. That’s not always easy I know! At least set up your art studio where you will not be constantly disturbed.

Lighting
Where possible, find a room in your house that has some space and plenty of natural light. A Conservatory is a great place to start, or a room that has lots of windows. If you can’t find any natural sunlight, you will have to use artificial light. There are special bulbs called “Full Spectrum”, that are made to emulate natural sunlight. They do a adequate in providing the correct lighting, but nothing compares to natural sunlight.

Painting Brushes
As with paint colours, choosing your paint brush is purely a matter of personal choice. I have experimented over the years with numerous different brush types and mainly choose to use flats and filberts of various sizes. My painting brush selection mainly consists of No.2, No.5, and No.10 Filberts and No2, No5, and No10 Flats, which are all made from hog hair, which is extremly strong, flexible and great to use with oil paints.

Artist Palette
You will see every artist using one of these if you are not familiar with the term! The artists palette is basically the surface that you will use to layout and mix all your colours on. There are a variety of different palettes available. They can be made from plastic, glass or wood and come in a variety of shapes. I usually use a palette made from wood, however you will need to seal it first as the wood is porous. This is very easy to do. All you need is some linsead oil or mineral oil and then wipe the surface of your palette to coat the surface. Remove any excess oil and you’re ready to get started!

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