Practical Painting Techniques: Blending, Layering, Impasto, and Glazing

Practical painting involves a small set of techniques applied with intention rather than collected for their own sake. Blending, layering, impasto, and glazing each support specific effects and types of subject. This course walks through those techniques in a structured way you can apply to your own paintings. You will work through written exercises that mirror how a thoughtful painter would plan and execute studies in each technique. The emphasis is on developing judgment about when to use each approach. What you'll learn: - Apply wet-on-wet blending techniques appropriate to oil and acrylic mediums - Build paintings with translucent glazing layers that produce depth and luminosity - Use impasto and heavy paint application for texture, energy, and surface interest - Develop layering approaches that build complex effects through patient sessions - Apply value and color decisions consistently across the painting surface - Manage common challenges including dirty colors, lost values, and surface inconsistencies The course progresses from blending through glazing, impasto, layering, consistent decisions, and common challenges. A capstone written exercise asks you to plan a complete painting that uses each technique with clear intention. This course is designed for beginners with some painting exposure and intermediate painters who want a structured way to think about technique. No specific medium is required and the course speaks across oil and acrylic. The course treats painting technique as a craft you can develop through structured practice and reflection.