Get stuck into oils by exploring some of these unique oil painting subjects! Sometimes fighting art block isn’t easy… we get it! That’s why we reached out to some talented artists and scoured our blogs to find inspiring ideas so you can get painting sooner.
Seafood artwork
Have a favourite food? Love feasting your eyes on a buffet spread? Why not paint delectable artwork featuring a food that tantalizes the eyes! The vibrant colours found in prawns (or shrimps if you’re from overseas) make a great subject to explore rich oil paint pigments. Make a pattern with repetitive placement like this inspiring artist or get into the nitty gritty details with a still life.
How to paint a duck
DIY a picturesque wall art by following along with our mandarin duck lesson. We’ll walk you through the whole thing, from colour mixing to fine details. Master painting reflective water and get the most out of our oil and acrylic paints – yes, we used both!
Scenery artwork
Create a landscape with a twist by adding satisfying texture. Check out the dimensional colours, layering, and 3D strokes above – the paint pops off the canvas! Use palette knives, texture tools, or even household utensils to apply your paint and shape the linework.
Red apple still life
Fruits are great subjects for still life because they come in bright colours and fun shapes and sizes. This artist has ramped up the realism by adding dynamic highlights and tonal values to emphasise the round forms. What fruit would you pick to paint?
How to paint clouds
Learn to paint a realistic cloud landscape by following along with our free tutorial. Oil paints are great for this kind of piece due to their slow drying time and amazing blending qualities. This will help you build depth to make those clouds look extra fluffy.
Painting everyday objects
Take inspiration from the world around you and turn the ordinary into a work of art. In this painting, the intricate details, varying tones, and rounded shape of a simple green bowl become the building blocks for striking artwork. The artist captures realism while also making the scene more dramatic by using bold contrast and shadows.
Painting figs
Ever wanted to eat a painting? Same! Take a new approach to painting fruits by getting up close and personal – go so far as to fill your canvas with them! This artist has used texture and colour layering to make these figs a feast for the eyes but you can try this subject framing with all kinds of styles and techniques.
Make a diptych
Why make one painting when you can make two? A diptych is when you paint a subject that stretches over two panels, canvases, paper sheets, etc. You then display the finished paintings side by side to complete the full picture. Have a go at making your own diptych for striking wall art, great for filling big blank walls around the house!
If any of these ideas inspired you to pick up some oil paints and get creating, #montmarteart or tag us @montmarteart on Instagram or Facebook. We’d love to see what you come up with! You may need some canvases, palette knives, oil brushes, and oil mediums to kick-start your artwork.
If you want to see more art, browse our Inspo collection. You can sign-up to Creative Connection by popping in your email down below to get stacks of free art projects sent straight to you. We’re here to keep you inspired!
