INTRODUCTION

This Painting Guide was created to help my painting students deal with some of the technical challenges of painting. The "guide" was compiled from years of personal experiences as an artist, as well as reading and research about various painting techniques. Just as important, techniques and ideas taught to me by teachers, colleagues, and students are woven into the information shared here.

I'm certain that other painters may have different ways of going about things and have developed their own preferences for certain materials and approaches to working with paint. The primary reason I wanted to develop this guide was to give my students an easily accessible reference to learn about materials and techniques related to painting.

The Painting Guide is intended for educational use only. Anyone reading the guide is encouraged to send any questions or additional information about painting techniques. I have made numerous links to other websites that help to support topics covered in the guide. I am deeply grateful to those who have created sites of significant educational value relevant to the study of visual art and painting. Links to these Internet websites have added more depth and substance than I could ever hope to provide on my own.

Nonetheless, there is always more to learn about painting, and this "guide", no doubt, will always be incomplete.

Debra Clem, Professor of Fine Arts      
Indiana University Southeast
dclem@ius.edu