Painting Oscar - Free Lesson

Meet the artist behind the course and hear how I changed careers to follow a path in oil painting and pet portraits.

See what you'll learn, how the lessons are organized, and why even beginners are finding confidence and inspiration.

Learn how expressive realism guides my work and explore the influence of Sargent, Sorolla, and Zorn.

See the paints I use and understand how pigment quality and color influence the results in pet portraiture.

Learn how I use oil painting medium to manage paint flow, improve brush response, and control drying times.

Get to know my brushes, how their shape and material affect each stroke, and why they’re ideal for expressive detail.

Learn how I prepare the canvas surface to support confident brushwork and consistent paint application.

Learn how to choose the best photo to paint from, focusing on pose, light, and that tiny sparkle in the eyes.

Discover how simplifying values into just three zones, light, midtone, and dark, can help you build stronger form.

Discover how soft and hard edges shape depth and focus, and why I rely on subtle transitions.

Start with a toned canvas to create harmony, soften the whites, and guide the values from the very first stroke.

See how I transfer the sketch to the canvas—my go-to method for perfect proportions without freehand drawing.

Understand how a simple sphere helps you master fur texture, light, and brush direction with ease.

Bring life to your portrait by capturing depth, light, and emotion in the eyes—stroke by stroke.

Learn to paint realistic dog noses by focusing on texture, subtle shifts in value, and soft transitions.

See how to simplify complex areas like the mouth while preserving the structure, color, and softness of each plane.

Capture the smooth transitions of color and value that give the tongue its soft, rounded appearance.

Work with broad shapes, subtle transitions, and overlapping areas to build the form and depth of the head