Free Art Lessons -- Free online art demonstrations in a variety of media.

Elements and Principles of Art -- The basics of art that every artist needs to understand in order to create a successful work of art.

The Paint Basket -- Go to the "For Artists" section and checkout the many goodies there. Our favorite is the Reference Photos collection. Instant inspiration: landscapes, cottages, boats, animals, flowers, and more!

Human Figure Proportions & Portrait Painting -- Don Jusko gives guidelines for the face and figure. He also references Elizabeth Vigee-LeBrun's thoughtful advice for painting portraits.

Tutorial on Composition -- We love this tutorial by Peter Saw. It teaches the fundamental aspects of composition in a fun, interactive way.

Arty Articles by Nita Leland -- A multitude of great articles on color, paint, technique, marketing, setting up an artist's studio, and more.

16 Lessons in Color Theory -- Learn all about primary and secondary colors, triads, and the fundamentals of color mixing. Learn how to use color to show perspective and how to create the color effects caused by both artificial and natural light.

John Hagan's Art Lessons -- Includes excellent tips for painting aerial perspective, light and shade, and portraits. Though he works mostly in oils, his tips are applicable to all painting mediums.

Landscape and Marine Paintings (Watercolour & Oil) -- Alistair Butt gives demonstrations for several of his paintings. Visit his blog (http://landscapeandmarinepaintingblog.blogspot.com/) for even more demos of watercolor and oils, tips and techniques used, subject finding trips, etc.

Color & Landscape Painting -- Carol Santora provides a good overview, but no pictures.

Making Waves -- Don Jusko gives guidelines for sketching and painting ocean waves.

Painting Tips -- William Scott Jennings helps beginning and intermediate artists by sharing his insights on: the stages of painting, how to decide how much foreground detail is needed, and painting on location.

The Power of Placement -- Donald Clegg discusses good composition and dynamic placement, demonstrating how to provide unity and guide the viewer's eye throughout the painting or toward the point of the interest.

Romantic & Real -- Donald Clegg teaches how important the backdrop or background is in your paintings, and how it can act as a complement or contrast to your still life subjects.

Essential Painting How To's -- About.com provides step-by-step information and essential techniques for beginner painters.

Art Studio Chalkboard -- Color theory, materials, and techniques as well as How to Stretch a Canvas, Ground Preparations, Painting Tools, Impasto & Glaze, Oil Painting Modifiers and Varnishes, Characteristics of Common Pigments, Oil Painting, Acrylic Painting, and Egg Tempera.

Painting -- A collection of brief painting tutorials covering everything from tools used to create texture to color theory.

Painting Q & A -- Testing colors, lighting considerations, materials, techniques, and more.

Color Theory -- Questions and answers about color and color mixing.

Before You Buy Painting Supplies -- About.com gives an overview of things you should know and consider before you buy painting supplies.

Brush Glossary -- Daniel Smith explains the various brush shapes and hairs/bristles available.

Brush Care -- Daniel Smith explains how to care for your brushes - a must read!

Stretching Unprimed Linen -- In addition to explaining how to stretch linen, this article by Daniel Smith covers the differences between cotton and linen, addressing the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Stretching Cotton Canvas -- Another Daniel Smith article.

Wood Art Panels -- Paul Solomon discusses the different types of wood used to make art panels, such as hardboard, MDF, plywood, etc, and the relative pluses and minuses of each type. He also explains how wood deteriorates, and how artists can take steps to prevent it. Moreover he provides important information about the adhesion of paint layers and explains why some types of primers are better than others.

My Canvas-Masonite Panel Support -- Susan Savad describes how to cut and prepare masonite panels for acrylic paintings.

Make Your Own Two-Sided Masonite Panels -- Durable, warp-free supports for artists who prefer painting on a rigid surface.

Preparing the Painting Surface -- David N. Kitler describes how he prepares birch plywood or masonite to creat a surface ready to paint.

Recipes from Sinopia -- Make your own paints, mediums, grounds, gessoes, and more.

Basic Guide to Artists' Pigments -- Daniel Smith explains how pigments are classified, their various characteristics, and why you need to know about them.

Maintaining A Healthy, Safe Studio -- Daniel Smith, manufacturer and supplier of fine artists' materials, addresses this very important topic.

Using Art Materials Safely -- Daniel Smith provides advice specific to each medium.

Deterioration of Artists' Papers: Causes and Prevention -- A very informative article for artists and collectors alike. Provided by Daniel Smith, manufacturer and supplier of fine artists' materials.

Paper and pH -- Daniel Smith explains the terms often used to describe a paper's acidity.

Useful Paper Terms -- Daniel Smith explains the terms used to describe paper and its various characteristics.
 
 
 
WATERCOLOR & GOUACHE DEMONSTRATIONS & TECHNIQUES:
 
Watercolor Painting Videos -- Debi Watson's blog provides instructional videos as well as many helpful tips for artists.

Watercolor Painting Techniques -- Bob Davies provides a series of articles to help you better understand the variety of brushes, paints, mediums, and papers that are available and gives helpful tutorials for painting clouds and trees.

Lessons in Watercolor -- Mary Ann Boysen offers free online lessons, beginning with advice about various watercolor papers, brushes, and paints - then continuing on with techniques for painting tricky subjects like glass, crystal, and lace.

Bruce MacEvoy's Watercolor Guide -- A wonderful resource that provides lots of information about watercolor papers, brushes, paints, color theory, palettes, techniques, and more.

Watercolour Equipment, Tips & Tutorials -- Peter Saw starts with an overview of artists' materials used in watercolor painting, providing some suggestions along the way. Then he provides brief lessons in painting trees, rocks, and clouds as well as some in-depth articles about composition and color mixing.

Painting with watercolor on Yupo paper -- Step-by-step instructions for creating an abstract painting with Dr. Ph. Martin's Hydrus Fine Art Watercolors on Yupo brand synthetic paper.

Watercolor Terms -- Carol Santora provides a good overview of terms used in watercolor painting.

Stretching Watercolor Paper -- This article by Daniel Smith explains how to stretch watercolor paper with tape or tacks.

Oriental Brush Care -- A great article by Daniel Smith on how to care for these unique brushes.

Experiment with Color Mixtures -- Sally Drew teaches you how to mix watercolors and become familiar with new colors in your palette. An excellent way to learn about color mixing!

Sue Dickinson's Painting Tips & Demonstrations -- Sue's watercolor tips are wonderful. If you are a beginner, do not miss her invaluable advice for buying watercolor materials!

John Lovett's Painting Lessons -- Beautifully illustrated step-by-step instructions, techniques, and advice for watercolorists.

Pushing Watercolor to the Limit -- James D. Brantley's watercolor portrait of a "Southern Gentleman" is watercolor and portraiture at its best!

Watercolor & Watermedia Tips & Demos -- A wealth of information by Ellen Fountain, N.W.S.

Abstract Watercolor With a Twist -- In this demo Charissa Thomas uses a plastic wrap technique along with opaque watercolors and gel pens to create exciting textures and abstract shapes.

Watercolor Demo -- Cyrille Jubert shows step by step how he creates a painting of british staghounds.

Watercolor Painting with Saltwater -- A new watercolor technique by Howard Relles.

Watercolor: Values and Hues -- A demonstration by Mary Spires of "Pink Azaleas".

How I Paint Mountains -- An excellent step-by step demonstration by watercolorist John Ebner.

Floral Demo -- Watercolor demonstration by Liz Fluehr.

Watercolor Hints and Tips -- George Simmons generously shares his advice for working with watercolors.

Step-by Step Watercolor Lessons -- Online watercolor demonstrations by George Simmons. Includes subjects such as a flower, an old barn, and a lighthouse.

How To Create Light with Layers -- Watercolor demonstration by Carole Katchen.

The Difference between "Mixing" and "Visual" Complements -- Watercolor demonstration by Hilary Page.

How to Paint "Backward" -- Watercolor demonstration by Ken Hosmer.

WoW! How? -- World of Watercolor presents artists' favorite tips and techniques for painting in watercolor and acrylic.

Aquanet's FAQ for Beginners -- Discussion topics include equipment, paper, brushes, watercolour paints, basic palette and colour theory, drawing, and basic painting techniques.

Floating Watercolors into Clear Water -- Barbara Nechis explains her technique for intermingling watercolors and creating, abstract organic forms.

Watercolor Lesson: "Homestead" -- William Powell gives a step-by-step demonstration in watercolor painting.

Watercolor Demos -- Margaret Crowley-Kiggins provides demonstrations of watercolor portraits and landscapes.

Watercolor Tips and Demonstrations -- Joy Skinner provides a step by step tutorial for painting Irises in watercolor, titled "Hiding in the Undergrowth", and shares links to other online watercolor tutorials.

WatercolorPainting.com -- Greg Conley's website is a great resource that includes free watercolor tutorials, step-by-step paintings, a helpful glossary, informative articles about selecting art materials, and a brief history of watercolor.

Susie's Watercolor Tips -- Susie Short offers ideas for fun watercolor projects and tips for painting specific subjects, including demos for painting water drops, flowers, beaches, and trees.

Varnishing Watercolors -- Artist Arleta Pech goes through the steps involved in varnishing a watercolor painting.
 
 
 
OIL DEMONSTRATIONS & TECHNIQUES:
 
Bill Martin's Guide to Oil Painting -- Oil painting lessons adapted from classes taught by Bill Martin at The University of California, Berkeley, The San Francisco Art Institute, San Jose State University and others. It is thorough in its scope and you can get your own painting questions answered.

Oil Painting -- Bob Davies provides a series of articles to help you better understand the variety of paints, oil painting mediums, varnishes and canvases that are available for oil painting.

"Oil Painting for Beginners" -- Download this ebook by Andrew Whyte to learn everything you need to start oil painting, including: types of oil paints, canvas types, pigments for landscapes, paint colors/colours, thick on thin paint application, fat on lean application rules, brushes and clean up, how to varnish a painting, and safety tips for your health.

Oil Painting Demonstration by Scott Burdick -- Scott demonstrates how he creates a portrait of a beautiful young girl, providing thoughtful commentary as he progresses through each step of the painting.

Demos by Jason Morgan -- These demonstrations are very thorough and provide painting instruction from start to finish.

Painting a Small Oil Landscape Outdoors (video) -- Watch as Michael Chesley Johnson paints a lovely winter scene en plein air.

Brushes for Oil Painting -- Jason Morgan discusses different types of oil painting brushes, which brush to use for which job, and how to clean them.

Resins and Varnishes: Definitions, Descriptions, and Recipes -- Artist Ron Sanders provides an excellent article with very thorough explanations.

Drying Oils and Mediums -- If you have ever wondered how to safeguard your paintings from yellowing or cracking, you will want to read this very informative article from Ron Sanders.

Oil Painting Tips -- Carol Santora covers everything: how to set up your palette, choose and mix colors, correct mistakes, and care for your art materials.

Oil Painting Tutorials - Wildlife -- Martin Ridley provides online lessons for learning how to paint wildlife in oils.

Painting Rocks Under Water -- William Powell demonstrates glazing techniques using transparent oil colors.

All About Painting Materials and Techniques -- Norihiro Matsukawa has created a great resource for learning about animal skin glue, drying oils, dammar varnish, resins, balsam, and more.

Working with Solvents -- Daniel Smith gives tips for using solvents and describes the characteristics of those most commonly used.
 
 
 
ACRYLIC DEMONSTRATIONS & TECHNIQUES:
 
Acrylic Painting -- Bob Davies provides a series of articles to help you better understand the variety of paints, brushes, surfaces and additives that are available for acrylic painting.

Tips & Techniques: Acrylics -- Douglas Purdon, a member of the Society of Canadian Artists, gives tips and answers questions about acrylics.

Acrylic Demonstration by Charles Harrington, AWS

A Direct Approach to Acrylic Painting -- Acrylic demonstration by Greg Biolchini.

Acrylic Lesson: "Majestic Sunset" -- William F. Powell gives a step-by-step demonstration in acrylic painting.

Plein Air Painting -- Artist and teacher L. Diane Johnson describes the steps involved in her acrylic painting "From My Window".

Painting Demonstration in Watermedia -- Mary Weinstein Backer combines watercolors and acrylics, using watercolor as an "under-painting".
 
 
 
OTHER:
 
Digital Collage Painting -- Step-by-step instructions for transferring a digital image onto paper and incorporating the image into a painting.

Murals, Trompe L'Oeil and Faux Painted by Art Effects -- Great faux painting techniques and tips for trompe l'oeil effects. The "Step by Steps and How To's" section leads you to techniques for creating faux stones, leather, marble, and more.

Egg Tempera -- Lots of helpful information and links from The Society of Tempera Painters.

The Basics of Encaustic Painting -- Daniel Smith describes the encaustic painting process as well as the materials, tools and equipment used in its application.

Making Egg Tempera -- Daniel Smith explains how to make egg tempera and gives recommmendations regarding its application.

The Art and Nature of Fresco -- Sr. Lucia Wiley provides information on fresco techniques and mural painting.

Fresco Workshop -- Fresco masters direct students as they create a fresco panel in Detroit.

Paint by Number Fun -- SegPlay is a fun, free, and challenging interactive artistic experience which allows you to color in detailed patterns of photographs and well known art images, without lifting a paint brush or crayon. It's the largest collection of Paint by Number patterns on the Internet!
 
 
 
MATTING & FRAMING:
 
Framing Tips -- Pictures Plus provides an overview of glazing, matting, and mounting choices for your artwork.

The Benefits of Archival Matting and Framing -- Step-by-Step instructions and thoughtful advice from Sharon Yamanaka.

Matting Your Art Work -- Daniel Smith's do-it-yourself tips for using Japanese paper hinges or paper corners; no instructions for cutting or choosing mats.
 
 
 
ART SUPPLIES:
 
Dick Blick Art Materials -- A huge selection of art supplies for artists working in any medium, including a wide variety of papers, canvas, hardboard panels, palettes, brushes, gessos & priming materials, mediums and varnishes, and several of the best paints available. They also have larger items such as drafting tables and easels. Free shipping on orders over $250!

MisterArt.com -- An expansive line of quality art supply products from all the leading manufacturers. Products range from paints, brushes, and canvas to easels, drafting boards, portfolios, and framing supplies.