painting tutorials, courses, tips & techniques

acrylic painting courses
acrylic painting courses
acrylic painting courses
acrylic painting courses
acrylic painting courses
acrylic painting courses
Slide 1 learn to paint
will kemp art school
Learn to Paint
Slide 1 learn to paint
will kemp art school
Classical techniques
Slide 1 learn to paint
will kemp art school
Simple approach
Slide 1 learn to paint
will kemp art school
Online courses
Slide 1 learn to paint
will kemp art school
Acrylics & Oil
Slide 1 learn to paint
will kemp art school
Easy to follow
previous arrow
next arrow

Where to Find Epic Copyright-Free Reference Images for Your Paintings (7 top sites)

artist-reference-images-copyright-free

Disclaimer: I’m an artist, not a copyright attorney; everything here is shared for general educational purposes only.

Morning class, I get lots of emails from students who want to pick up a paintbrush but find the first stumbling block is what to paint! It’s easy to find yourself at a loss when looking for a good reference image for the simple reason of copyright.

Most published photos in books, magazines, and online are copyrighted. That means you typically need permission from the photographer or rights holder to use them as a reference for your paintings, especially if you intend to sell or publicly display the artwork.

However, if you’re simply using them for practice at home and not sharing the work commercially, or if they are being used for educational purposes, it’s usually okay. You can also look for images that are under Creative Commons. This is where an image can be used, and if displayed or sold, the original creator must be credited.

The best free reference images for artists are your own.

You can tweak, light, and design them to be unique. But when you’re starting out and want to practice different subjects, high-quality, royalty-free images can be super helpful.

When it comes to finding the perfect reference image for your artwork, not all sources are created equal. Knowing where to look and understanding the rules around usage can save you from the gut-wrenching moment of realising your beautifully finished piece is based on an image you didn’t have the right to use.

So I’ve put this article together to give you confidence in finding great resources, knowing your work is legally protected and ethically sourced.

There are three main categories of reference images that artists commonly use:

Museum and Library Archives

Museums and libraries hold vast collections of historical artworks, drawings, etchings, artefacts, and patterns. Many of these works are old enough to be in the public domain, meaning you can use them, even commercially, without restriction. This makes them super helpful for finding inspiration and creating master copies of artworks.

Free Photography Sites (Unsplash, Pexels, etc.)

These platforms offer high-quality images taken by living photographers. You’re free to reference these photos for your artwork and sell your painting or drawing based on them. However, you can’t just sell the original photo as is. Some of these sites have usage requirements like Creative Commons licensing or simple attribution to the photographer, so it’s important to double-check the terms before using them.

Artist-Curated Collections

These are specially curated for painters and illustrators. Unlike typical photography, these images often focus on strong light, simple shapes, and clear values making them perfect for translating into paint. Some of these collections come with zero copyright restrictions, while others may require simple attribution. They are designed with artists in mind, making it easier to spot key elements like shadows, contrasts, and composition that work well in a painting.

What Are Royalty-Free Reference Images?

royalties-description-wikepedia

A royalty is a recurring payment made for the use of someone else’s asset, like a song, book, or artwork.

For example, if a radio station plays your song, you receive a royalty each time it’s played. If a publisher sells your book, you earn a percentage of each sale.

“A royalty payment is a payment made by one party to another that owns a particular asset, for the right to ongoing use of that asset.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royalty_payment – Wikepidia

‘Royalty-free’ works differently. It isn’t always free, you pay once to use the image or asset, with no additional fees each time you use it.

For free reference images, we don’t necessarily want a ‘royalty-free image, we want a ‘free-free’ image!

Continue ReadingWhere to Find Epic Copyright-Free Reference Images for Your Paintings (7 top sites)

12 Best Art Podcasts for Beginners: Learn to Paint, Get Inspired & Create More Art!

The sound of silence

If you’re accustomed to painting with music or in silence, you’re not alone. Many artists find comfort in familiar sounds—or the absence of them as they create. But have you ever considered inviting a new kind of companion into your studio?

Why Listen to Art Podcasts as a Beginner (or Experienced Artist)?

As a beginner, it’s easy to assume you need to spend every moment learning a technique. But the truth is, the biggest hurdle for most new artists isn’t a lack of skill. It’s feeling motivated and confident that you’re on the right path.

That’s where podcasts shine.

They offer you the chance to hear from working artists, tutors, and creatives who have all been where you are now.

Listening to their stories, challenges, and painting methods can shift your mindset from “Am I doing this right?” to “I’m not alone, and I can keep going.

Continue Reading12 Best Art Podcasts for Beginners: Learn to Paint, Get Inspired & Create More Art!

What if confidence, not skill, is the key to your painting progress? 

What if confidence, not skill, is the key to your painting progress?

Most beginners struggle with acrylics because they’ve never been shown a simple, structured approach with progressive techniques.

My YouTube channel has helped over 300,000 artists get started, with more than 25 million views.

My speciality?

Helping students who believe they “can’t even draw a stick man” finish paintings they’re genuinely proud of.

The Secret: Progress Is a State of Confidence, Not Skill

If progress comes from building confidence rather than technical skill alone, how would that change your approach to learning?

I came across this idea recently when reading “Suddenly Talented’ by Sean D’Souza, and it struck a chord.

“When we talk about talent, we rush madly towards skill.Yet, there is no skill without confidence. Confidence makes the reluctant student realise that they’re not so bad after all.”
Sean D’Souza – Suddenly Talented

I’ve found many beginners try to learn painting or drawing by osmosis, by watching an experienced artist work.

But this approach falls flat.

Continue ReadingWhat if confidence, not skill, is the key to your painting progress? 

How to Paint an Impressionistic Still Life: A Step-by-Step Guide

Morning class,

Before starting a larger painting, I almost always create a “postcard” colour study.

This small-scale version helps determine if the concept will work at a larger size and provides a roadmap for the painting process.

These simple studies allow you to plan composition, colour balance, and value structure before committing to your final piece. Solving problems at this manageable scale gives you confidence and clarity before investing time.

Think of this as a visual test lab for experimentation and discovery. Although painting the same subject twice may feel like a waste of time, the insights from a quick study help avoid frustrations that can emerge later on.

Continue ReadingHow to Paint an Impressionistic Still Life: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Paint a Cornish Lane in Oils

Morning class,

This week, I’ve been painting a small postcard study of a street scene in Mousehole on the Cornish Coast. It was a really grey day, full of a mizzle sky and lots of rain reflected on the road.

I liked how this view had dashes of yellow from the double yellow lines that had faded out. These matched the same colours as the hedge on the right-hand side.

There is some warmer orange yellow in the roof, and in the very far distance, just above the chimney, you can see the little cottages that go around the harbour. (You can see a sketch of the harbour towards the end of this article)

 

Downloadable Reference Image for the Painting:

mousehole lane cornwall

If you click here is a 20 x 20cm larger scale version

Materials you will need:

  • 4 x 4-inch or 6 x 6-inch square canvas board or canvas (It would also work on a larger scale)
  • Palette Knife for mixing Oils Paints
  • Pencil or Acrylic marker to draw out
  • Hog hair round brush for blocking-in
  • Small Round brush

Oil Paint Colours

This was the palette I used on for the painting, I wanted some low chroma colours. (You can learn about Chroma here)

Continue ReadingHow to Paint a Cornish Lane in Oils

The 35 Mile Pencil Problem

learning how to draw

I read an article that said a pencil can write 35 miles.

35 miles! I’m sure that can’t be true. 

But the idea got me thinking about how keen we are to judge our drawing efforts before we’ve had time to develop our skills.

Many people give up on drawing after just a few attempts, declaring, “I can’t draw” or “I have no natural talent.” way too early on in the actual drawing practice.

That’s like judging your fitness level after a week of walking around the block, so it’d be easy to do a couple of drawings that don’t quite work out.

Drawing, like any skill, takes time and practice to develop.

A method that can help is to look at a non-emotional record of progress. It can help you keep calm and not critically self-assess your work until you’ve done a much larger body of work.

In the beginner’s drawing course, I recommend hiding your first attempts in an envelope to look back on in the future. 

When progress in developing any skill is incremental, it can be helpful to have clear times to have a check-in on how things are going and to look back and see what has improved.

35 miles is a lot of shading; that’s 1,000s of contours and a bucket load of erasers!

My proposal in the last post was to try a personal New Year creative experiment.

Just one format, one medium, one subject.

I’ve been focusing on portrait structure, and anatomy with pencil on paper.

Morning Sketches from Jan 2025

Morning Sketches from Jan 2025

Morning Sketches from Jan 2025

There’s a whole story and a whole journey that would have come out of one pencil.

Not only do I remember the sketches that went well, but lots of smudging, erasing and relooking. I also remember how the sun was streaming in through the studio window when I sat down to do the third sketch and the croissant I was going to buy after my practice.

If you’re drawing with pen and ink, put a little pot on the side for empty ink cartridges. 

Keep a bin for used-up paint tubes – not to judge the work but to celebrate a dedication to practice. I think it’s a nice idea just to think in terms of evidence; every artist’s journey is made up of these small records.

Ready to start your own artistic journey? My Absolute Beginners Drawing Course is designed specifically for people who think they “can’t draw.” Through proven techniques, you’ll discover that anyone can learn to draw – including you.

You can learn more about the course here:  Absolute Beginners Drawing Course

Continue ReadingThe 35 Mile Pencil Problem

How to actually achieve your painting goals in 2025

The Importance of Choosing

True freedom lies in consciously choosing what matters most and letting go of the rest. For overthinkers, this can feel impossible.

The Reality Check

Eight days into the new year, my paints and sketchpad are still on the shelf.

Things have been “busy.”

You know how it goes: catching up on YouTube videos, checking my macros, meeting friends. But in the back of my mind, I’ve been thinking about what I want to make next… a lot.

Some would call it overthinking.

The list of things I want to do grows endless: Sargent-inspired portraits, still life studies with just a biro, square landscape paintings of Cornwall, epic wide-angle views of Scotland, and a new watercolour course.

I procrastinate, and before I’ve even begun, I have lost some momentum in executing these ‘amazing’ ideas.

Understanding Resistance

In Steven Pressfield’s “The War of Art,” he talks about ‘resistance’ – that mysterious force that stops us from doing what we should be doing. Every creative experiences it. As Pressfield writes:

“Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember our rule of thumb: The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it. Resistance is experienced as fear; the degree of fear equates to the strength of Resistance.” – Steven Pressfield, the War of Art

Understanding that happiness, contentment, and calm come from overcoming resistance helps you take steps to work through it.

The Overthinking Trap

I tend to get stuck in the weeds – I analyse framing options before drawing the first line, think about international shipping fees before getting my first order, and research every camera and printer option on the market before deciding which painting to turn into a print.

These tendencies can be fantastic for idea generation or interdisciplinary thinking, but what they’re not so good at is a focus.

The (self-inflicted) pressure to ‘specialize’ can mean it’s easier not to paint anything for fear of painting the wrong thing.

A Solution: Pick One

Here’s my proposal for a personal New Year creative experiment, and I invite you to try it yourself:

Pick one.

Just one format, one medium, one subject.

The key is knowing that you’re not abandoning all other ideas – they’re just waiting their turn. This might feel a little uncomfortable as your ego jumps in to say, ‘You could do more’.

When you’re painting, the goal is an appreciation for those fleeting moments of pure creation.

Sometimes, the bravest thing we can do is to simply begin.

If you’re looking for a course that has one image, one path, you might enjoy the following single project courses:

Modern Still Life
Cornish Seascape
How to Paint a Monet Landscape

Continue ReadingHow to actually achieve your painting goals in 2025

How to Paint Looser: Mastering Brushwork Techniques for Impressionist Art

One of the most common messages I receive, is from beginners, asking if they ‘need to loosen up.’

Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t.

Painting in a loose, impressionistic style has the allure of freedom and artistic and personal expression. But when you’re thinking about your drawing, composition, and colour mixing, achieving fluid and expressive brushwork feels elusive.

So, what can you do to practice? How can you keep a balance between realism and looseness?

The key to looser brushwork lies in mastering the subtleties of your tools and learning how to let go of unnecessary precision.

The 1 Reason Most People Fail at Brushwork

Continue ReadingHow to Paint Looser: Mastering Brushwork Techniques for Impressionist Art

How to Price Your Art: A Beginner’s Guide to Selling Your First Painting

how to price your art in gallery frame

There is nothing more daunting to a beginner artist than the question, “How much do you charge?”

Putting a price on your artwork can make your stomach drop, trigger imposter syndrome, and cause you to get flustered.

The idea of selling your work can sometimes lead to giving your paintings away for free, convincing yourself that the ‘exposure’ will bring future commissions.

With this in mind, I wanted to share my experiences with the emotions that can hold you back, the factors that influence the value of your art, and how to develop a pricing strategy. Hopefully, this will give you the clarity and confidence you need so you’ll be prepared the next time someone asks about your prices!

Continue ReadingHow to Price Your Art: A Beginner’s Guide to Selling Your First Painting

How to Make a Better Stay-Wet Palette

acrylic stay-wet palette

Morning Class,

This week, I came across an interesting article on ‘Just Paint’ (Golden Paints Blog), which I thought I’d share with you.

It looks at the common problem of acrylic paints becoming over-diluted when stored in a stay-wet palette and tests the Masterson’s Sta-wet Palette, it’s absorbent sponge, with Golden Wetting Agent.

(The Wetting Agent was previously called ‘Acrylic Flow Release’)

I find using a stay-wet palette really helpful when my acrylics dry too quickly in the studio.

I’ll often premix colours on a tear-off palette and transfer the paint piles into a stay-wet palette. It acts as a loading bay where I can keep my acrylic mixes workable for a few days.

Continue ReadingHow to Make a Better Stay-Wet Palette

NEW Acrylic Peony Course is Live!

Morning Class,

I’ve just finished making my NEW acrylic still life painting course, whoo hoo!

This time, the subject is a single-stem peony inspired by its layers of ruffled petals and delicate colour palette. I’m running a launch-week offer!

You might feel intimidated by the complexity of painting peonies, struggle with basic drawing techniques, lack confidence in your colour-mixing skills, or are unsure of how to start.

Don’t worry; I’ve got you covered!

This is a self-paced, downloadable video course. I’m excited to guide you through creating the delicate details of a peony in an impressionist style.

I demonstrate this with acrylics, but you can easily follow along with water-mixable oils or traditional oils.

  • Simple drawing
  • Clear instructions
  • A limited colour palette – 5 main colours
  • Reference Images with Drawing Guide
  • Materials List
  • Lifetime Access
  • One-time payment

Click here for details on How to Paint a Peony 

Have a fantastic week,

Cheers,
Will

Continue ReadingNEW Acrylic Peony Course is Live!

How to Paint a Realistic Landscape (With Only 4 Colours)

Morning Class,

Last week, we explored Carlson’s theory on angles, and I received an interesting comment from a reader asking how complicated it would be to apply the principles to colour.

“I especially love black and white painting.  I’m looking forward to trying this.  How does it work then with colour?  Seems it could get quite complicated.” – Laura

Well, it’s simpler than you might think!

I thought it would be handy to demonstrate painting trees using just four colour mixes. I’m using water-mixable oils, but you can follow along with acrylics or traditional oils too.

Continue ReadingHow to Paint a Realistic Landscape (With Only 4 Colours)