Easy Painting Styles for Beginners to Try

Painting is considered to be one of the most difficult forms of art for those who are not artistically inclined with creativity. However, painting can be fun and easy, if you take time to practice and learn the fundamental concepts of the field. Learning this type of art is an ongoing process where you never stop learning. Each mistake you make is a pathway to new knowledge, techniques, styles, etc.

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Art, especially painting, is progressive. From the cave paintings to the styles of the Renaissance, Impressionism, Post-impressionism, and beyond, we humans never fail to develop. Many aspiring artists think that painting is a tumultuous task, but it wouldn’t be so if they start from the beginning and the basic ones. It doesn’t have to be complicated, you just have to try the ones that are enjoyable and inspiring for you. For today, we will be looking at some of the easy painting styles for beginners to try.


Different Painting Styles That You Can Try

    1.  Simple Acrylic Painting:

Many professional painters recommend acrylic paint as a medium to use if you’re a beginner because it’s the easiest and most flexible medium available. Unlike oils, watercolor, and gouache, using acrylic paint is less difficult because it’s more forgiving in the sense that it’s water-soluble, easy to blend, versatile, and quick-drying. Though the last advantage may be quite a disadvantage to some, it is good because it prevents drying and there’s less waiting time. There are also techniques that you may find handy and beginner-friendly when using this medium in your paintings to give textural effects and dimensions such as dry brushing, glazing, stippling, splattering, and sponging.


A sketch pad with paint brushes on a wooden table
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    2.  Abstract painting:

There is a growing expression that is often told to beginners whenever they run out of painting ideas: when in doubt, paint in abstract. Abstract art is non-objective and it does not represent our objective reality, so you are in control of the creative process using your intuition and nothing else. This is one of the easy painting styles for beginners to try as it is a great exercise for beginners because it frees people of the judgment they are afraid of. Abstractionism is a subjective art form that has a deep meaning which varies from the maker and the viewer. Thus, no matter how messy the process may be, it’s all about having fun when painting abstract art and it requires no skill.

An orange, yellow, and white abstract painting


    3.  Palette knife painting: 

Many people think that palette knives are just mere tools to mix their paint to create another pigment but this tool is more than that. Using palette knives instead of a brush is not only beginner-friendly but also interesting as it creates textures and effects that are not achievable by using a brush only. So, if you want to create an impasto-like or painterly style painting just by using acrylics instead of oils, opt for a palette knife that will allow you to create three-dimensional landscapes, portraits, nature paintings, and many more. Truly, these tools are so versatile and useful.

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    4.  Pointillism:

A painting style that originated in the late 19th century, pointillism is a relatively simple art that creates a massive impact on a wall when you display such a painting. George Seurat, the man who made this technique famous, is most notable for his painting called ‘A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte’ using this technique. This painting style uses small dots in close distance to each other to convey a larger scaled-image of any subject; may it be florals, nature scenery, a portrait, or any other type of representational art. With this style, you can use cotton swabs, small paintbrushes, or even markers and pens to create a painting using this technique.

A hand drawn illustration of a dolphin


    5.  Minimalist painting:

Simplicity is classic. Many people like the idea of minimalist art due to its sophistication as it does not require too much of your time and skills. Minimalism requires little to no skills at all, as long as you know how to imply the principles of design to achieve balance. Few tools, few pigments, and few elements for the painting: the perfect recipe for beginners who are daunted by the idea of filling a blank canvas!

A finished painted canvas being held up by a person

Key Insights

Painting is never easy, but that doesn’t mean that you should stop trying. The only way to ease the difficulty of this art form is by constantly practicing with patience over time, just like any other art form. In due time, you will be a master of this field if you continue to practice and improve your skills, so never get intimidated to try new techniques and styles. We hope that this list of easy painting styles for beginners gives you inspiration and motivation to start a new art project. Let us know which among these styles you enjoy the most!

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