Part I: Oil Painting for the Baby Beginner

Week One: Materials & Color Mixing
We start at the very beginning—your paints, your tools, and how to actually use them. You’ll mix your first colors, make a color wheel that actually makes sense, and tackle the “Colors I Don’t Hate” exercise. We’ll peek at masterpieces for color inspiration, do a baby-sized color study, and learn not one—but four—ways to clean your brushes without wrecking them. Bonus: how to keep your palette from becoming a crime scene.

Week Two: Understanding Value
This week is all about light and shadow—value, the unsung hero of painting. You’ll make a 5-step value scale, paint a sphere that actually looks round, and learn the magical power of squinting. We’ll study Monet, Sargent, Van Gogh, and Matisse, and you’ll even make your own black from primary colors. Tints and shades worksheets included. Extra credit: paint a fruit and feel fancy.

Week Three: Your First Still Life
Ready to paint a thing? We'll walk through a three-step process to build a painting from the ground up. Learn how to plan with thumbnails, block in values, and refine your work. We’ll cover simple composition tips, warm and cool color theory, and how to actually finish a painting—signature and all. Inspiration provided by a charming gallery of lemon paintings.

Week Four: Simple Flower Study
This week we paint fresh blooms using alla prima (all at once!) style. You'll see step-by-step demos, learn to block in big shapes, and try a palette knife for bold texture. We’ll cover how to paint tricky things like glass and how to set up a still life you’ll want to paint. Plus, my favorite Instagram floral painters to follow when you need a creative nudge.

Part II: Chaos to Beauty

Week One: Drawing for Painters
We loosen up with sensory and blind contour drawing (yes, you'll feel ridiculous, and yes, it's worth it). You’ll draw ellipses and spheres, study classic examples, and sketch your very own teacup. We’ll dive into basic perspective—not scary, just super useful. Bonus: paint a tiny still life using all of these elements.

Week Two: Explorations in Color
Get bold with color! You’ll experiment with muting, darkening, and lightening without relying on black or white. We’ll set up and paint a monochromatic still life, look at clever limited palettes, and break down a super doable 3-step process for any painting. You’ll also learn about my go-to medium and get inspired by a still life gallery full of color joy.

Week Three: Painting Mechanics
Now we dig into the how. You’ll explore the tradition of master copies (including Van Gogh’s!), and then make your own. We’ll do thumbnails, oil sketches, and build a painting layer by layer. We’ll also talk about how to create depth and focus. You’ll look at “Lady of Shalott” and “Roses” with fresh eyes—and paint with more intention.

Week Four: Your Alla Prima Still Life
You’ll bring it all together to create a still life from life, start to finish. We’ll cover value sketches, a full demo, and what to do when things go sideways (because they will, and that’s part of it). You’ll learn how to diagnose your painting, fix common issues, and—most importantly—build a painting practice you actually enjoy.