Knowledge base

Can I sell the paintings I've completed? Shutterstock Licence Codes

Can I sell the paintings I’ve completed? You are free to sell any paintings you’ve completed, that use my own images. Those being: Beachy head, Lake District, Blakes wood, Cloudy Sky, Puddle, How t...

Frequently asked questions | Tutorials

How can I learn to paint like Michael James Smith? Michael shares a wealth of knowledge in step-by-step tutorials, covering many different subjects and demonstrating his technique from start to fin...

Safety of oil paints and mediums!

How safe are oil paints?  I get many questions asking me about the safety of painting with oils, some say they don’t use oil because they believe the fumes to be too strong, or they believe oil pai...

Caring For Your Brushes

Tips for looking after your brushes. Because I use Winsor & Newton Alkyd fast drying paints, Liquin and white spirit, I usually clean any brush that I am not currently painting with.  All of th...

Painting Frost & Snow In Oil

I really like painting winter scenes, I find the contrast between the delicate twigs and the smooth pillow like snow on the ground striking. Leaves dusted with frost, glistening in the winter sunsh...

How to use the sketching diagram

*Watch my YouTube Video 'How to sketch out your subject prior to painting'  At the bottom of this article.   I always use the grid method for my sketches before I start painting as it helps to ensu...

How to create the perfect V when painting foliage, using the fan brush

Creating the perfect V shape when painting foliage on trees can be a little tricky, have you ever felt frustrated or struggled to get the right technique when trying to achieve this look or wondere...

Painting realistic water

Water can be a difficult element to paint, finding the right technique to create true translucency, mirror like reflections and crystalline clarity can be tricky! Have you ever wondered how I achie...

Frequently asked questions | Technique

How much time do you allow to pass between your blocking in layer and the following layers? The time required between the block-in layer and the oil detail layers to complete a painting depends on ...

Frequently Asked Questions | General

Where did you learn how to paint? I am mostly self-taught but I have also learned a lot from my father, who is also an oil painter. I have been developing my own oil painting technique for over 25-...