Jimmie, I too am new at using oil paint. I'm a student at The Atelier in Minneapolis and thought I'd pass on a few things I've picked up there. I know by your drawing skills that you'll be a great painter, you just have to get used to using it.
I suggest getting a cast of a head and painting it in black and white. By the time you finish you'll be experienced enough with handling paint that going into color will seem like a breeze. For me beginning black and white was agonizing, I would just stand in front of the canvas and groan. But when I finished and went into color it was a breeze in comparison - no groaning! My cast was a bust of Marie Antoinette (I think) so I had the advantage of killing two birds with one stone - learning technique and doing a portrait at the same time.
I haven't graduated to a real portrait yet, that won't come until spring most likely, but I'm working on my second still life and they've come a lot easier than I expected. Plus a cast doesn't move, doesn't need breaks, won't fall asleep, and can be used over and over in different positions, even in a still life. Also it doesn't charge by the hour, you only have to pay for it once!
Hang in there and keep going at it, I know you can do it!
Debra
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