• Save your unused oil paints as you continue your painting.Palette with oil paints image by petercoupe from Fotolia.com
  
  With oil painting, you can take a few globs of color and let it transform into a scene on canvas. Use oil paints to create landscapes, portraits or abstract designs. Anyone can learn how to paint with oils, even if they are learning on their own instead of in a class. All you need is a canvas, brushes and some oil paints to create your own masterpiece.
  
  

Choosing Brushes

• Natural fiber brushes are required for oil painting.paint brush #5 image by Adam Borkowski from Fotolia.com
  
  Beginning artists only need a few brushes to start painting with oil paints. Two or three different sizes of flat-bristled brushes and a few mop-headed round brushes will work the best. Avoid purchasing paintbrushes made of synthetic fibers. These are best used for watercolor and acrylic paints. Instead, stick with paintbrushes made of natural fibers, suggests the Empty Easel website.
  
  

Choosing and Mixing Colors

• Strt with the primary oil paint colors and mix your favorite shade.oil paint 01 image by Undy from Fotolia.com
  
  Although oil paint comes in many different colors, most colors are achievable by mixing a few key shades. As you get started, pick up the main primary colors of red, blue and yellow, plus tubes of white and black paint. These simple colors are essential. If you want to paint a bunch of purple grapes, just mix a bit of blue into red oil paint until you get your desired shade. Add to your collection of colors if you want specific shades that you can't seem to achieve by mixing these colors.
  
  

Applying Paint to Canvas

• Thin strokes work best for beginners.brush stroke image by Sirena Designs from Fotolia.com
  
  To start painting, dip your brush into a color and apply it to the canvas. The amount of paint you add to your brush will affect the end result of your painting. Until you get better skilled at oil painting, use a small amount of paint with every stroke. When you switch colors, swish out your brush in a cup of turpentine or paint thinner and wipe it off on a piece of newspaper. If you're using water-soluble oil paints, wash out the brush in a cup of water instead.
  
  

Creating Your Composition

• If you have a specific design in mind, draw out the simple composition on the canvas with a pencil before you start painting. This will give you a good guide for where each element of your composition should go. As you paint, mix colors together on the canvas to blend them. If you want to add a color on top of another but don't want it to bleed or blend, wait for the first color to dry. If you're a beginner, use a picture as a reference for your first paintings. Keep the picture next to you as you paint and refer to it as you add paint to canvas.
  
  

Saving Oil Paint

• Make sure the caps are closed tightly on your paint tubes to avoid dry-out.palette image by styf from Fotolia.com
  
  Most paintings aren't completed in a single day. If you're going to work on this painting over the course of days or weeks, save your mixed paint colors. Leaving them out in open air will cause them to dry and become useless. Cover your paint-covered palette with aluminum foil, making sure that the foil isn't pressed against the unused paint. Store the palette in the refrigerator and take it out when you are ready to continue painting.