Methods of Oil Painting - The Most Common Approaches

There is an infinity of possible approaches to oil painting, with each artist tackling the medium in a slightly different way.  However, there are some well-known approaches that, for the sake of practicality, I have placed into three general categories or methods.

Please use the menu or click below to see details on each of the three methods:

alla prima oil painting

layered oil painting

impasto oil painting

Alla Prima Oil Painting - The Wet-in-Wet Approach

What is Alla Prima?

'Alla Prima' is an Italian term meaning 'at once'.  It is a technique whereby the entire painting is completed without waiting for any layers of paint to dry, usually in a few hours.

It is also known as 'wet-in-wet' technique as often wet paint is applied on top of paint that is still wet.  

Working in this way, without waiting for any layers to dry, is quite different from the more traditional approach of gradually building and perfecting a painting in layers, and the result tends to be a little looser and less refined.  However, alla prima can have a richness and energy of paint and brush strokes that is difficult to achieve any other way.

This method takes less patience than layering and means that the satisfaction of a completed oil painting can be attained much more quickly.  

Alla Prima / Wet-in-wet Lessons

During these lessons you will learn how to make alla prima oil paintings from start to finish and become familiar with the different stages they can go through.      

Courses in Which Alla Prima is Taught

Oil Painting for Beginners Course

General Course in Oil Painting

Layered Oil Painting - Building a Painting to a Fine Finish

The Value of Learning Layered Oil Painting

Knowing how to progress through a painting from the initial idea through to the finishing touches is a common area of frustration for people.  Being familiar with the various layers and stages that a painting can go through is essential to successful oil painting.

With traditional technique one would build an oil painting in layers.

Lessons on Layered Oil Painting

In these lessons you will learn how to approach each layer from the foundations to the finished painting.  You will also learn how to mix and use the correct proportion of linseed oil and turpentine for each layer (fat-over-lean) as well as more delicate brush techniques.

Any subject can be painted in layers, therefore the lessons can be oriented around any chosen subject, whether it be portraiture, still life, landscapes or figures.

This technique is more time consuming than alla prima and therefore more lesson time and practice at home will be needed.

Courses in Which Layered Oil Painting is Taught

General Course in Oil Painting

View layered oil paintings completed by students >

Impasto Oil Painting - Creating Texture With Full-Bodied Oil Paint

What is Impasto Technique?

The word 'impasto' comes from Italian meaning 'to make into a paste'.  It is a technique in which the paint is applied thickly, using either a brush or painting knife.  This can be built in layers or in one layer as an alla prima painting.  The result of working this way tends to be less realistic, placing more emphasis on the strokes and textures created by brush and knife within the paint as well as an enjoyment of the physical quality of the paint itself.

The most notable examples of this technique are the oil paintings of Van Gogh.

Impasto Lessons

You will learn how to make impasto oil paintings from start to finish and become familiar with the different stages they can go through.  You will also learn how to use impasto medium and manipulate full-bodied oil paint with both brushes and painting knives to create texture and movement in your paintings.

Courses in Which Impasto Technique is Taught

General Course in Oil Painting

View impasto oil paintings completed by students >