How Beginners Can Use paintingdemos.com to Start Painting

Updated

paintingdemos.com is a free, browse-only art tutorial blog (ARTiful: painting demos) that publishes step-by-step painting and mixed-media projects. It suits absolute beginners who want to learn by copying a finished project rather than reading theory, and it works best if you pick one short project, gather the listed materials, and follow the steps in order. There is no structured course path or skill-level filter, so you choose your own starting point from the post list.

What the site actually offers

The homepage is a running feed of individual tutorials and project posts, not a curriculum. From the page evidence, the content clusters into a few recurring types:

  • Step-by-step painting tutorials — e.g. "Charcoal portrait on paper step by step," "Negative painting technique for a flower still life," "Watercolor cityscape tutorial: How to paint a rainy cityscape."
  • Technique explainers — e.g. "Dry brushing for mixed media portraits," "How to use oil pastels," "6 masking fluid tips," "Ink Resist Technique, a video tutorial."
  • Quick make-and-keep projects — e.g. "How to make mini 6 pages books from one sheet of paper," "Classy handprinted Christmas cards in black and gold," "Watercolor postcards with Spirograph visual texture."
  • Fundamentals — e.g. "Portrait drawing: Basic proportions of the face," "Life drawing techniques and methods, a quick overview."

Mediums covered include watercolor, acrylics, acrylic inks, oil pastels, charcoal, mixed media, collage, lino printing, and gelli printing. A cart link exists on the site, but the page evidence does not state what is sold or at what price, so treat the tutorials themselves as the free entry point and check the cart page separately if you want to know what's purchasable.

A beginner path through the site

Because there's no "start here" button, use this sequence instead:

  1. Start with a low-stakes project, not a portrait. Pick something like the mini book from one sheet of paper, a watercolor postcard, or a handprinted card. These have few materials and a finishable result, which is what keeps beginners going.
  2. Then add one technique post. Choose a single technique — masking fluid, dry brushing, negative painting — and read it before your next project so you're learning one skill at a time.
  3. Move to a full step-by-step tutorial in the medium you already own. If you have watercolors, the rainy cityscape or poppy/rose tutorial; if you have charcoal, the beehive portrait.
  4. Use the fundamentals posts as reference, not as lessons. "Basic proportions of the face" is something you consult while drawing, not something you read once.

How to follow a tutorial so it actually works

Each post is written as a project walkthrough. To get the intended result:

  • Read the whole post before touching materials. The step order matters most in layered techniques (negative painting, ink resist, acrylic skins), where doing steps out of order ruins the effect.
  • Match the medium, not the brand. The posts name mediums (watercolor, acrylic ink, oil pastel) rather than requiring specific products, so substitute what you have.
  • Expect the first attempt to look different. These are demonstrations by one artist; your paper, pigment strength, and drying time will differ.
  • Verify by comparing at each stage, not only at the end. If your wash is too dark at step 3, the later steps won't fix it.

Choosing what to try based on your situation

Your situation Best starting content on the site
No materials yet, want to test interest Mini book from one sheet of paper; watercolor postcards
Own watercolors only Rainy cityscape; poppies and roses; negative painting flower still life
Own acrylics or acrylic inks Acrylic inks and mixed media on canvas; painting on stone paper
Want drawing practice, not painting Charcoal portrait step by step; cross hatching portraits; face proportions
Want a seasonal/gift project Handprinted Christmas cards; zentangle and mandala Christmas cards
Interested in printmaking Lino printing with alternative carving materials; gelli printing with oil pastel resist

Common sticking points

  • No skill-level labels. You have to judge difficulty yourself — a post with many numbered stages and layered mediums is harder than a card or postcard project.
  • No single index page. Tutorials are mixed into the feed, so use the post titles to scan for your medium or project type rather than expecting categories.
  • Video vs. text. Most posts are written steps; a few, like the ink resist technique, are video tutorials. If you learn better by watching, look for the ones labeled as video.
  • Materials lists vary by post. Check the specific tutorial's supplies before starting rather than assuming a standard kit.

The practical rule: pick one finishable project this week, follow it start to finish, then pick the next one from a technique you were weakest at. That progression — project, technique, project — is what the site's format supports best.