Category - Guides

Here are some guides to help you make decisions when you are first starting out with your painting career.

learn how to paint

The Top 3 Reasons Why The Way You Learn How To Paint Means Your Paintings Are Not Getting Any Better

pochade boxes for plein air painting

A 2025 Guide To The Best Pochade Boxes For Plein Air Painting

plein air painting

Plein Air Painting for Beginners

structured online painting classes

Oil Painting Classes: 3 Pitfalls To Avoid When Choosing Oil Painting Classes

best online painting classes

Best Online Painting Classes for 2025: 9 Key Factors To Consider

Using kitchen roll for cleaning oil paint brushes

How To Clean Oil Painting Brushes

Lerici Harbor, by Barry John Raybould, 40cm x 40cm, Oil on Canvas, 2019

Oil Painting For Beginners: 5 Expert Recommendations

The New Mengu Village by Barry John Raybould

The Secret To Painting Clouds In Oils – Observation and Perspective

Esedra Giulio, Borghese Gardens, Rome, by Barry John Raybould, 9in x 12in, Oil on Linen, 2015

How To Paint What You See: Simplifying Complex Forms

Simulation of Detail

Using Simulation of Detail to Keep Your Viewers’ Interest

two-value mass notan painting

Two Value Notan Paintings

Pianello-Poppies Oil on Linen by Barry John Raybould

The Secrets The Old Masters Used to Create a Masterpiece

Pacific Grove Pools

How to Convey Emotion in Art

color spot exaggeration

How to Keep Your Viewers Interest Using Exaggerated Color Spots

Landscape oil painting: Via Licciana Porto, by Barry John Raybould

Use Color Pairs To Capture Light and Shade With Two Strokes Of A Brush

A Day at Carmel Beach by Barry John Raybould

Using Focal Areas to Make a Good Painting Composition

how to mix gray paint

Color Harmony Examples – Making Beautiful Grays

shape variety

Make Your Designs More Interesting Using Shape Variety

Surrey Farm in Winter, by Barry John Raybould, Oil on Board, 2017

Cropping In Art: Two Techniques To Achieve Better Compositions

Sichuan Liujiang, by Barry John Raybould, 80cm x 60cm, Oil on Linen

How To Create The Illusion Of Texture In Your Paintings

The 2025 Buyers Guide to The Best Plein Air Easels for Plein Air Painters

plein air painting techniques

Plein Air Painting: 16 Tips For Success

Two Value Notan Paintings

Notan: The Top 10 Tips For Creating Powerful Notans

Joaquin Sorolla

A Guide to Representational Art And How You Can Create Your Own Masterpieces

Cat. No. 1364 Appenine Evening From Baccana Village - 30cm x 40cm - Oil on Canvas

Atmospheric Perspective – The 3 Essentials For Creating A Convincing Feeling of Depth And Mood In Your Landscape Paintings

art composition

Creating A Focal Point In Your Painting: 5 Techniques To Keep Your Viewer Interested

Gluhi Do Valley, Montenegro, by Barry John Raybould, 30cm x 40cm, Oil on Canvas, 2021. An example of painting landscapes in oils.

Painting Landscapes: 10 Little Known Tips

Painting Landscapes In Oils

Painting Landscapes In Oils

Marrakesh Medina, by Barry John Raybould, 22cm x 30cm, Oil on Linen, , 2020

The Best Nine Oil Paints for Beginners

colored blocks high saturation primary colors

A Guide To Block Studies

water soluble oil paints

A Guide To How To Choose Oil Colors: The 10 Most Useful Palettes

Author of online painting classes, Barry John Raybould

A Guide to Painting Competitions

oil painting colors

A Guide To The 15 Pigment GOSP Oil Painting Colors

water soluble oil paints

A Guide To Choosing Painting Media: Oils, Acrylics, Or Watercolor?

Visual Music and Poetry Model

A Guide To Critiquing Art: My Visual Music & Poetry® Model

Virtual Art Academy®, Visual Music & Poetry℠, Ladder Of Learning℠, Spiral Of Learning℠, Structured Learning Experiences℠, Skill Building Blocks℠, and A University Experience℠ are service marks of Barry John Raybould. ©2021 Barry John Raybould