This tranquil scene captures the essence of winter. The snow-laden branches and hedging contrast beautifully against the dark moody sky. I can imagine walking down this lane, hearing the wonderful crunch underfoot, and breathing crisp cold air, while wrapped up in warm thermals of course!
In this...

This beautiful Poppy scene is a really colourful and detailed summer scene, however it isn’t as complicated as it looks!
In this lesson, we use many previously learned techniques and skills to achieve as much realism and detail as possible. Unusually for me, this scene has a busy sky and landsc...

This scene offers some great challenges and opportunities to incorporate techniques previously learnt in my lessons.
I particularly love the amount of depth in this scene and the subtle and muted tones, the detailed frosty grass, and bright reeds in this image beautifully contrast with the distan...

This new beginner lesson is something a little bit different! Although the style and technique differ from my other lessons, we're still striving to include photorealism, especially when the image is seen from a distance. A number of artists I admire in the UK have been painting similar landscap...

This scene may seem complicated with lots of detail especially in the foreground, however, this painting retains it’s realism but without all the intricate detailing. Making it ideal for beginners and setting a solid foundation for intermediate tutorials.
This lesson can be completed in just a f...

I was drawn to this scene after having many requests to include puddles in my lesson library. Despite the sun shining in this scene the sky retains a post-rain moodiness, with tyre tracks in the mud and fine grass details offering some interesting features. I thoroughly enjoyed this lesson, and a...

There are certain scenes which really stand out to me. The colours and the lighting in this scene are beautiful, the stark contrast of the storm clouds opening up to allow the sun to shine through, casting a bright, sunny foreground against a dark, moody sky is spectacular.
Despite it’s simplic...

This particular scene is vintage MJS from around 2008-2016 when I painted many Scottish scenes as the demand was outstanding. The breathtaking view of the Scottish hills and valleys in this landscape is so awe-inspiring, I had to include it in this lesson of the Rocky trail.
I have spent numerou...

This lesson features simple, subtle color tones. I will teach you how to get the soft lighting levels right, which can be a good challenge.
Difficulty: Beginner
Panel Size: 8 x 6 inches
Brushes used in this lesson: Michael James Smith Professional Brush Set
Painting surface used in this lesson: A...

Develop your skills in this beginner lesson. This beautiful landscape has many elements which will offer a challenge and enable you to practice skills already learnt in previous lessons. You will achieve a certain level of realism in this painting but don't be put off, this is a lesson appropria...

This is a very interesting lesson, with lots of elements to provide you with the opportunity to practice and develop the skills you’ve learnt so far. It may look complex however as a beginner lesson the details have been simplified to ensure it’s manageable for everyone, using basic techniques.
...

I was drawn to the beautiful, warm and subtle colours in this scene. It isn't oversaturated; the colours seen mainly in the sky and water make up the majority of the palette.
This lesson focuses on perfecting the colours seen in the reference image. The goal is to improve your understanding an...

This scene is fascinating; what I love about it is the contrast between light and dark, as well as the blend of warm and cool colours.
This lesson offers a variety of creative challenges to develop and improve your abilities and techniques. I will show you the methods I use to achieve fine detail...

There are several fascinating elements in this lesson that will test your skills and offer a challenge. This scene reminds me of many woodland walks I've taken, I can imagine the smell of damp wood and the crunch of leaves underfoot.
I love the colours in this lesson, the cool blues in the dista...

I was really looking forward to doing this lesson, it’s a scene that I’ve been considering for some time now. Painting structures is something I really enjoy, especially when it’s an element within a strong organic landscape. I particularly like the contrast of the dark building against the lig...

Try this lesson if you want to improve your Oil painting skills and learn how to paint photorealistic water.
Many artists find it difficult to achieve a realistic look when painting ripples on water. I will teach you the techniques I use to paint these fine intricate details, so you won’t feel f...

Many artists find it difficult to achieve a realistic look when painting clusters of fine entwining twigs! I will teach you the techniques I use to paint those pesky fine intricate details, that can cause so much frustration when painting landscapes. In this 10 part in-depth tutorial I will tea...

This painting is a nice challenge but it's not as difficult as it looks. Accuracy with your brush strokes and achieving correct perspective is very important. I use a straight edge throughout this painting to steady my hand and perfect the straight lines needed. There's a lot of instruction on cr...

There is something so magical about days like this, freshly fallen snow and a bright blue sky, perfect for an early morning walk. With only the sound of my boots crunching in the snow, and everything smelling so fresh and clean.
I really like painting winter scenes, the contrast of the dark trees...

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It's surprisingly difficult to find a night landscape photo that has enough light and detail to make a good painting but this scene has been on my short list for some time. I was taken out of my comfort zone with this painting, especially while revisiting some techn...

I love history and I love the vast array of historic houses that are open to the public here in the UK. That said, I don't actually know what house this is or it's location but this reference photo jumped out at me as soon as I saw it. I can just imagine Pride and Prejudice's Mr Darcy walking han...

There are some interesting parts to this scene which are fun to paint, when you know what you’re doing! The two things I’m asked most often are, “how can I paint realistic water” and “how do I paint realistic shadows”. As you can see, shadows feature heavily in this painting and in this lesson yo...

As a small boy I used to watch clouds like this float gently by for hours. I'd imagine that there were magical cities hidden within the shadows! As an adult I still like to watch these huge rolling clouds. There's something fascinating about them that I just cant put my finger on. When painting c...

"Would you show me how to paint a waterfall?" is a question I get asked on a weekly basis and I've been on the lookout for a suitable scene for the best part of three years. I've photographed waterfalls during that time but nothing has inspired me. I've searched through the internet too but almos...