If you’re just starting out with oil paints or want to expand your skills, these five key techniques are a great place to begin. Learning them will help you handle oil paint better and create lively, expressive art with real depth. Here’s a look at each technique, what it involves, and why it’s useful for beginners.
Let’s be honest: for many artists, the “skin tone” section of a painting is where the confidence fades. We’ve all been there—trying to mix a perfect complexion only to end up with something that looks like muddy grey or neon orange. You reach for that one “flesh tint” tube, and it just never looks quite right on the canvas.
Capturing the nuance of human skin—the warmth, the cool shadows, and the subtle shifts in translucency—is one of the most rewarding challenges in figurative art. The good news? You don’t need a degree in color theory to get it right. You just need a better system. I’ve put together a compact, punchy mini-course designed to strip away the guesswork and give you the exact recipes you need to mix lifelike skin tones with ease.  Every artist knows that the creative journey is about more than just brushes, paints, or clay. It’s about inspiration, discovery, connection, and sharing ideas. That’s exactly why I’m excited to announce the launch of Create Art Magazine, a brand-new digital publication designed to showcase creativity and bring artists together in a vibrant, supportive space.
The very first issue will launch on 1 September 2025, and I’d love for you to be part of it. Best of all, subscriptions are completely free. When you sign up, you’ll receive a beautiful flipbook edition of the magazine delivered straight to your inbox, with new editions arriving every two months.  If you’ve been looking for a lightweight, no-fuss easel for plein air painting—or simply something that doesn’t take over your studio space—the KraftGeek Inspire Tripod Easel may be exactly what you need.
I recently got my hands on this compact tripod easel and gave it a full test—from unboxing to setting up outdoors in my backyard for a quick impressionist painting demo. In this post, I’ll share my experience and why I think this easel is a solid option for both beginners and pros. 
I'm working on a new book. It's about daily reflections, helping creatives and artists generate ideas and explore more creative activities each day and getting the best out of each day. I'll be sharing a few videos over the coming weeks or months, featuring some of the ideas I'm working on. One of the ideas, starting from the beginning, is to explore the concept of gentle consistency. See how this idea can help you reach new creative goals.
 The most important color on your palette is probably white. Most artists use titanium white for its strong opacity, value for money and lightfastness. Do we take titanium white for granted? Yes, we do. This is a problem because poor titanium white quality will frustrate your painting efforts. You need a steadfast brand that gets the job done. This article discusses three excellent and affordable brands that will be excellent for beginners.
 Imagine it: a mild-mannered 19th-century artist strolls into a field, sets up a makeshift easel, pulls out tubes of paint (a newfangled invention!), and starts furiously dabbing at a canvas under the open sky. Birds chirp. Farmers stare. Someone clutches their pearls. Painting outdoors? Absurd. Revolutionary. Downright risky!
Yet, this single act—dragging the studio outdoors—was about to change the course of art history. 
Do you feel like the real painting tips you need as a beginner artist are always hidden? That was me once upon a time. Struggling to find my way with fine art painting. That is until I worked with a real teacher who gave me real information. I soaked it up like a sponge! Today I paint and teach full time and love it. That is why I share everything I know with artists all over the world. Let's start the year with five big issues, plus many other tips thrown in too.
Last year, I found myself at a crossroads, grappling with the effects of the past few challenging years. I realized then that our creative spirits were yearning for renewal and clarity. This year feels different, like a breath of fresh air, inviting us to slow down and truly see the world around us. Let me share how this 'creative awakening' has transformed my approach to art and life, and how it can do the same for you.
As an artist, I've often felt the gripping weight of a creative block. It creeps up on you as you stare at a blank canvas, brushes untouched, paints collecting dust. I remember one particular evening, filled with thoughts of self-doubt, as I opened up my sketchbook, only to stare at the pages in frustration. But I discovered a ritual that sparked the flames of inspiration once again. Let me share a few tips to get through these blues and the potent strategies that can help you too.
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AuthorMalcolm Dewey: Artist. Country: South Africa 
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