Hello:

My name is Ethan Semmel, I am a painter like you. I wish to help you improve your oil painting.

I would like you to give me the chance to show you how you can improve.

No matter if you like to paint landscapes, still life's, or people, the knowledge you can learn here will help you to improve your oil painting techniques .

It's a much different approach that you may be used to, one that works.

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These images are here to show you the range of my subject matter as well as some close-ups of detail work.

Let's take a closer look.

You will note that I paint in many styles. A smoother style is shown in the painting of the horse on the left, and a more impressionistic style is shown on the image on the right.

This is because I understand my materials, and techniques. I know how to pick and choose what materials will give me the effects I am after.

There is no guessing or confusion!

The above image shows a sample of detail work around the eyes and eyebrows. You can also see a sample of glazing for the red color of the cheeks.

To be able to paint details, you must understand what they truly are!

When and how was they eye painted? If you have unanswered questions like this, it only leads to frustration.

A Painting showing the outside of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. Composition is important for a painting such as this. How to arrange a picture like the one above, with so many figures in it?

There are techniques to getting a good composition.

From portraits to still lifes to landscapes, if you learn the principles of painting, you can paint any subject matter you desire!

You see that I like to paint in many styles. I also like to paint different subject matter. You do not learn to paint faces, or flowers, or hands. You learn to paint...Period!

You see, I know the full alphabet and I am able to use this alphabet to spell the words that I want to.

If you only know one letter of the alphabet, you can't possibly spell any words, much less the words you want to.

This "alphabet" is available for you to learn here.

What are my qualifications for teaching you?

Besides teaching private art lessons, I have won many prizes and scholarships including

I do not tell you this to brag, but only to show you that I know my stuff. I also enjoy teaching very much

What is the best and quickest way to improve?

It is to learn from someone who is experienced and knows how to communicate the truly important points that you need to improve your oil paintings. This is where I come in.

As young as 20 years old I was assigned the duty of being the teacher's assistant in art school. The teachers would refer other students to me for technical questions because of my knowledge and my ability to communicate the important points to the other students.

Some of these students asked me to teach them privately because the were truly learning from things I was teaching them.

I do not seek out teaching positions. Frankly, I don't have the time. I do enjoy teaching though and when I have the extra time I do fill in as a substitute instructor. In Pace University in New York City for example.

But, when I do teach, it does give me such a wonderful feeling to see the students "get it" when I point out certain key things to them!

I remember the frustration of my own student days and how wrong I knew it was to teach the way most art lessons are taught.

I always knew when I would teach, I would never teach students that way. I would only teach them things that would truly help them. I enjoyed teaching classes and watching the students learn and become excited about the information I was giving them.

Now I would like to give that information to you.

Now with internet, I have a chance to help and teach as many people as possible.

Please be one of them.

Sincerely,

Ethan Semmel