Beginners Guide to Start an Oil Painting

5 Essential Items for Getting Started with Oil Painting

If you’re new to oil painting or thinking about joining MJS TV, it can be difficult to know exactly what equipment you need to get started.

There is an enormous amount of painting equipment available, but you really don’t need to buy everything at once. A relatively simple setup will allow you to follow a large number of my tutorials, and you can gradually add more colours, brushes and equipment as your painting develops.

Alongside your paints and brushes, these are the five main things I recommend having when you begin.

A good basic starter setup

If you are starting from scratch and would like a straightforward set of materials to begin with, I recommend:

Professional Brush Set A good selection of brushes suitable for the techniques I use throughout my tutorials.

Pro Foundation Set of Oil Colours A carefully selected range of oil colours that gives you a very good foundation for colour mixing and will cover a wide variety of subjects.

Oil & Acrylic Painting Card A lightweight, versatile painting surface that I now use for a great deal of my own work.

You certainly don’t have to buy everything at once. These three products simply provide a very good foundation that you can build on as you progress.

If you become a member of MJS TV, you will also have access to our Members Perks which include 10% off eligible products we stock in our online store.

1. Painting Surface

Choosing the right surface is important, but there is no need to make it complicated.

My Oil & Acrylic Painting Card has become one of my favourite surfaces to paint on. It provides a smooth, consistent surface that works extremely well for the detailed style of painting I teach, while being much lighter and easier to store than traditional wooden panels.

The card is acid-free, non-yellowing and archival, and can be used with oils, acrylics and mixed media. It is equally useful for working in the studio or for painting outdoors.

Another advantage is that it can be easily cut down to whatever size you need.

The majority of the lessons on MJS TV are painted in formats such as 12" × 16" or square sizes including 8" × 8", 12" × 12" and 16" × 16".

You do not have to use exactly the same size as I do. You are free to work larger or smaller depending on the space you have available and what you feel comfortable painting.

If your surface is a different size from the tutorial, you can use the grid method to resize the reference image and accurately transfer the composition to your chosen painting surface.

2. Easel

A good easel makes painting considerably more comfortable, particularly when you are working for several hours at a time.

The most important thing is stability. You want an easel that holds your painting securely and does not move or wobble while you are trying to paint fine details.

I generally prefer to work with my painting positioned fairly upright. This allows me to sit or stand comfortably in front of the painting and keeps the surface at a useful viewing angle while I work.

In my own studio I use a Mabef M18 Convertible Studio Easel, which is a strong, substantial studio easel and suits the way I work.

However, you certainly do not need to purchase the same easel to follow my tutorials.

If you are just starting out, look for something that is sturdy, adjustable and capable of holding the size of painting you intend to work on. A good tabletop easel can also be perfectly adequate if you have limited room.

The important thing is that your painting is held securely and at a comfortable height.

3. Palette

You will need a flat surface on which to place and mix your oil colours.

There are many specialist artist palettes available, but this is another area where you don't need anything particularly complicated.

The main thing I look for is a surface that is smooth, reasonably neutral in colour and large enough to give me room to mix properly.

I have used many different types of palettes over the years, including glass, wood and disposable palette paper, and they can all work perfectly well.

A glass palette is particularly useful because it provides a very smooth mixing surface and can be cleaned and reused. Disposable palette pads are another convenient option, particularly when you are beginning, because the top sheet can simply be removed once you have finished painting.

Winsor & Newton also produce disposable palette pads suitable for oil and acrylic paints, which I have used many times.

Whichever type you choose, try to give yourself enough space. Having a little room between your colours makes colour mixing much easier and helps prevent everything on the palette gradually turning into the same muddy mixture.

4. Tablet or Reference Image

Almost all of my paintings begin with a photographic reference, so having a good way of viewing your reference while you paint is extremely useful.

I normally use a tablet positioned beside my painting.

The biggest advantage of using a tablet is the ability to zoom into different parts of the reference image. When I am painting a small area such as foliage, reflections, an animal's eye or fine architectural detail, I can enlarge that particular section and see much more clearly what is happening.

I also try, where possible, to display the reference at roughly the same physical size as the area I am painting. I find this helps me judge shapes, proportions and the appropriate level of detail.

You do not need to buy a tablet specifically for painting.

A laptop or desktop computer will work perfectly well, and you can also work from a good-quality printed reference image if that is what you prefer.

The most important thing is simply that you can see your reference clearly and comfortably while you paint.

If you are following one of my tutorials on MJS TV, many people find it useful to have the lesson playing on one device while displaying the reference image on another, but again this is optional rather than essential.

5. Cleaning and General Painting Supplies

There are a handful of inexpensive everyday items that make painting considerably easier, and these are worth having ready before you begin.

I always keep paper towel close to the easel. It is useful for wiping brushes, removing excess paint and controlling the amount of paint or medium on the brush.

You will also need suitable containers for cleaning your brushes and something appropriate for cleaning oil paint from them after a painting session.

A palette knife is another very useful piece of equipment. Even if you don't intend to paint with it, a palette knife makes it much easier to mix larger quantities of colour cleanly on your palette

Depending on the techniques you are using, you may also need a painting medium or other materials during particular tutorials. I explain these as they are needed, so there is no reason to purchase lots of different mediums in advance.

I also frequently use acrylic paint for the initial block-in stage of my paintings before moving on to oils. We don't currently sell acrylic paint, but I use Winsor & Newton acrylics.

Again, there is no need to build a huge collection of materials before you begin. Start with the basics and add additional equipment when you find that you actually need it.

You don't need everything at once

One of the biggest mistakes when starting oil painting is thinking you need to buy an enormous amount of equipment before you can begin.

You really don't.

A good set of brushes, a sensible range of oil colours, a suitable painting surface, somewhere comfortable to place your painting and a few basic accessories are enough to get started.

As you work through the tutorials and gain experience, you'll naturally discover which additional brushes, colours and equipment are useful for the type of painting you enjoy.

If you're joining MJS TV, I explain the materials and techniques I use throughout the lessons, so you can gradually build your painting setup as you progress rather than buying everything from the beginning.