Course Outline Week 1 — Understanding Materials: The Tools of Oil Painting •The basics of oil paints: composition, characteristics, and selecting your palette •Brushes, palettes, solvents, and varnishes — what they do and when to use them •Preparing surfaces and understanding mediums •Practice: Creating an underpainting and simple exercises to master brushwork Week 2 — Color Theory & Light: Building Depth & Volume •Exploring warm and cool tones, contrasts, and harmonies •Light and shadow: how to create volume and spatial depth •Understanding how light interacts with color in oil painting •Practice: Simple still life focusing on light, shadow, and tonal balance Week 3 — Classical Techniques: Academic Oil Painting •Working with shapes and tonal blocks without preliminary sketches •Mastering color mixing using Burnt Umber as a base •Building tonal balance through layers and controlled blending •Practice: Monochromatic still life using classical techniques Week 4 — Alla Prima: Expressive One-Session Painting •The spontaneity of alla prima painting •Capturing light, color, and emotion in a single session •Maintaining brushstroke freshness and energy •Practice: Vibrant landscape painted in one sitting Week 5 — Tonal Studies: Painting with a Single Color •Exploring tonal range and depth without relying on color •Understanding reflections, highlights, and tonal breakdown •Practice: Monochrome still life with geometric forms, focusing on light and shadow Week 6 — Texture & Detailing: Creating Realistic Surfaces •Techniques for painting textures: fabric, glass, metal, and natural surfaces •Combining smooth blends with bold, textural details •Practice: Still life with complex textures and layered surfaces Week 7 — The Final Project: Planning & Sketching •Developing a final composition through preliminary tonal and color sketches •Creating an underpainting and building the first layers •Understanding the logic behind color layering and visual storytelling •Practice: Beginning the final project with structured guidance Week 8 — Final Project Completion: Bringing It All Together •Completing the final painting, applying all learned techniques •Adding highlights, shadows, and textures for depth and realism •Final critique and personalized feedback for future development By the end of this course, you will: •Build a solid foundation in classical and contemporary oil painting techniques •Understand color theory, tonal balance, and how to create light and depth •Confidently experiment with textures, glazing, and alla prima methods •Complete a final project that showcases your skills and artistic growth Whether you dream of painting detailed still lifes, vibrant landscapes, or expressive abstracts, this course will give you the tools to master oil painting and develop your own creative voice.