Things to do · Arts and crafts
Learn to paint in oils
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
Oil paint dries slowly, so you can build up a picture gradually and change your mind as you go, and the colours blend easily into one another. A term of weekly classes covers colour, layering and composition, and some adult education centres supply the basic materials.
Gentle£100 to £500 / $130 to $650A few weeksIndoorsAlone or with othersUK and US
What it's really like
The Tate's definition is a good place to start: oil paint is pigment suspended in a drying oil, usually linseed, and it dries slowly. That slow drying lets a painter build a picture gradually and change it, and the paint mixes easily for subtle shifts of colour. Thinning with a solvent such as turpentine speeds drying; thick, oily layers take longer.
The practical cost is time. Haywood Community College runs a separate oil class because, it says, typical painting classes do not always allow enough time for working in oil and cleaning up. Its supply list runs to a basic set of tubes, canvas boards, linseed oil, palette paper, brushes and odourless paint thinner.
Some centres take the shopping out of it. Lewisham's course fee includes a small charge for basic materials, which are provided each week, and it asks students not to buy anything before the first session unless the tutor says so.
What beginners pay
| Where | Course | Cost (as last listed) |
|---|---|---|
| Lewisham Adult Learning, London | Oil painting with confidence: ten two-hour weekly sessions; basic materials provided; no experience needed | £170, or £100 reduced and concession |
| Haywood Community College, North Carolina | Oil Painting for Beginners: five Saturday mornings; students buy their own supplies | $149 tuition, materials extra |
| University of Utah Continuing Education | Six three-hour evening sessions on colour, composition and value, ending with a project of your choice | $299, including a $10 shared supplies fee |
City Lit in London also lists a three-session Oil painting techniques and mediums course among its beginners' painting classes, at £229, or £183 senior and £149 concession.
How to start
- Find a beginners' oil painting class at an adult education centre, a community college or a university continuing education programme.
- Ask whether materials are provided in the fee and wait for the tutor's advice before buying paints, brushes or boards.
- Wear old clothes and allow time at the end of each session for cleaning brushes: oil takes longer to clear up than water-based paint.
Where to go
- Lewisham Adult Learning: Oil painting with confidence (London) UK
- City Lit: beginners' painting courses, including oils (London) UK
- University of Utah Continuing Education: Oil Painting, An Extended Introduction US
- Haywood Community College: Oil Painting for Beginners (North Carolina) US
We opened these links on 8 November 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Courses and classes have start dates and can fill up, so the plan begins with finding and booking one. Kit comes after the first session, once you know what you need.
Questions people ask
Do I need any experience to take an oil painting class?
No. Lewisham's course says no prior knowledge or experience is required, and the University of Utah's class is open to beginners and people wanting a refresher.
What do I need for an oil painting class?
It depends on the course. Haywood Community College's list includes a basic set of tubes, canvas boards, linseed oil, palette paper, brushes and odourless thinner; Lewisham provides basic materials each week.
How long does oil paint take to dry?
It is slow-drying by nature, according to the Tate. Thinning with a solvent speeds drying, while thick, oily layers take longer.
Should a beginner start with oils or acrylics?
You do not have to choose at once. Haywood's oil course also allows acrylic, and Morley College in London has run a beginners' course covering both acrylic and oil.
Where this comes from: Lewisham Adult Learning, Oil painting with confidence (APP0124GR); City Lit, Beginners painting courses; Haywood Community College, Oil Painting for Beginners; University of Utah Continuing Education, Oil Painting: An Extended Introduction; Morley College London, Painting Essentials: Acrylic and Oil Techniques; Tate, Art term, Oil paint. Opened 8 November 2026.
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