Nobody ever said that oil painting was easy. But it gets much easier and a lot more fun when you follow a step-by-step approach that starts you off on the right foot, helps you build your skills one at a time, and gives you plenty of exercises to develop your craft. That's what you'll find in Oil Painting For Dummies.

Completely free of arty jargon, this full-color guide has all the hands-on instruction you need to master the basics. You'll see how to plan a painting, build an image in layers, mix colors, and create stunning compositions. You'll also find everything you need to know about oil paints, solvents, and pigments; brushes, palettes, and painting surfaces; and how to keep costs down at the art supply store. Discover how to:

Choose the right supplies

Set up your studio and care for your equipment

Handle your materials safely

Develop your design and composition skills

Make practice sketches and studies

Use broken stroke, dry brush, glazing, scraffito and other brush strokes

Try out different compositions

Mix any color you want

Simplify tricky still-life subjects

Paint landscapes and common objects out doors

Paint portraits and the human form

Complete with handy color chart, basic materials list, and a very useful viewing square, Oil Painting For Dummies is the fun and easy way to discover your inner artist!