Online Courses & Academies 12
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Coursera — Art courses
coursera.org
University and museum courses, including MoMA's studio and art history offerings.
- Domestika domestika.org Affordable project-based courses including oil, gouache and watercolor from international artists.
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Florence Academy of Art
florenceacademyofart.com
Renowned classical-realist academy; offers online programs and workshops.
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New Masters Academy
nma.art
Large subscription library of figure, portrait and landscape painting courses taught by working masters.
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Proko
proko.com
Structured courses in drawing, anatomy and figure painting — strong foundations for painters.
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Schoolism
schoolism.com
Courses from top illustrators on light, color, composition and painting fundamentals.
- Skillshare — Painting skillshare.com Short video classes on technique, color and sketchbook practice.
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Streamline Art Video
streamlineartvideo.com
Full-length painting demonstrations by leading representational painters.
- Udemy — Painting udemy.com Hundreds of inexpensive self-paced painting courses across every medium.
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Virtual Art Academy
virtualartacademy.com
Comprehensive curriculum on painting concepts, with a strong color and landscape focus.
- Watts Atelier Online wattsatelieronline.com Classical atelier curriculum online — drawing, painting and the head.
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Will Kemp Art School
willkempartschool.com
Clear, methodical oil and acrylic lessons with an emphasis on color mixing.
Free Lessons & Tutorials 13
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Art Prof
artprof.org
Free, high-quality art education from a former RISD professor — painting, drawing, critiques.
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Art21
art21.org
Documentary films on contemporary artists and their working methods.
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Artists Network
artistsnetwork.com
Articles, demos and magazine content from Artists Magazine and Pastel Journal.
- Bob Ross (official) bobross.com The Joy of Painting episodes and wet-on-wet landscape instruction.
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Ctrl+Paint
ctrlpaint.com
Free video library on value, color, form and composition — fundamentals that apply to any medium.
- Draw Mix Paint (Mark Carder) drawmixpaint.com Free step-by-step oil painting videos centered on accurate color matching.
- Empty Easel emptyeasel.com Articles and tutorials on painting techniques and the business of art.
- Gurney Journey gurneyjourney.blogspot.com James Gurney's daily blog on painting from life, color and light.
- Khan Academy — Art History khanacademy.org Free video lessons on artworks and movements from antiquity to today.
- Lines and Colors linesandcolors.com Long-running blog profiling painters past and present, with technique notes.
- Muddy Colors muddycolors.com Group blog of professional painters sharing process, materials and insight.
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Painting Perceptions
paintingperceptions.com
Painter interviews and essays on perceptual painting from life.
- Smarthistory smarthistory.org Free, scholar-written essays and videos on thousands of artworks.
Museums & Art History 23
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Art Institute of Chicago
artic.edu
Open-access collection with strong Impressionist and Post-Impressionist holdings.
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Barnes Foundation
barnesfoundation.org
Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse collection with adult classes on looking at art.
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Courtauld Gallery
courtauld.ac.uk
Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces and art history learning.
- Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco famsf.org The de Young and Legion of Honor, with collections and talks.
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Google Arts & Culture
artsandculture.google.com
Zoomable, ultra-high-resolution paintings from museums worldwide.
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Honolulu Museum of Art
honolulumuseum.org
Hawai'i's art museum, with collections, classes and an art school.
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Louvre
louvre.fr
Collection database and resources for the world's most visited museum.
- Museo del Prado museodelprado.es Velázquez, Goya, Titian and more, with deep zoom images.
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Musée Bonnard
museebonnard.fr
Museum in Le Cannet devoted to Pierre Bonnard's life and work.
- Musée d'Orsay musee-orsay.fr Home of the Impressionists, Post-Impressionists and the Nabis.
- National Gallery of Art nga.gov Open-access images of thousands of works and extensive learning resources.
- National Gallery, London nationalgallery.org.uk Masterpieces of European painting with detailed paintings guide and videos.
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Rijksmuseum — Rijksstudio
rijksmuseum.nl
Download and study Dutch Golden Age paintings in high resolution.
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Tate — Art Terms
tate.org.uk
Glossary explaining movements, techniques and materials.
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The Art Story
theartstory.org
Readable guides to artists and movements, including the Nabis and Intimism.
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The J. Paul Getty Museum
getty.edu
Open-content images and educational materials on European painting.
- The Met — Heilbrunn Timeline metmuseum.org Essays and chronologies of art history organized by period and region.
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The Phillips Collection
phillipscollection.org
Washington museum with a celebrated Bonnard holding and intimate galleries.
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Uffizi Galleries
uffizi.it
Italian Renaissance painting with online collection and stories.
- Van Gogh Letters vangoghletters.org Annotated edition of Van Gogh's letters — his thoughts on color and practice.
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Van Gogh Museum
vangoghmuseum.nl
Van Gogh's paintings, materials research and technique studies.
- Web Gallery of Art wga.hu Searchable database of European painting and sculpture through the 19th century.
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WikiArt
wikiart.org
Visual encyclopedia of painting organized by artist, style and genre.
Materials, Color & Technique 18
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Ampersand Art Supply
ampersandart.com
Panel maker with guides on rigid supports, grounds and preparation.
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ColourLex
colourlex.com
Pigment encyclopedia linked to their use in famous paintings.
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Gamblin Artists Colors
gamblincolors.com
Oil paint maker with excellent guides on mediums, varnishes and studio safety.
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Getty Conservation Institute
getty.edu
Research and publications on paint, varnish and preserving artworks.
- Handprint (Bruce MacEvoy) handprint.com Exhaustive reference on color theory, pigments and watercolor.
- Hue Value Chroma (David Briggs) huevaluechroma.com Rigorous, painter-focused explanation of color perception and mixing.
- Jackson's Art Blog jacksonsart.com Material comparisons, artist interviews and technique articles.
- Just Paint (Golden Artist Colors) justpaint.org In-depth technical articles on paint chemistry, mediums and conservation.
- Kremer Pigmente kremerpigments.com Historic and modern pigments with technical data and recipes.
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Michael Harding
michaelharding.co.uk
Handmade oil colors with pigment information and technique notes.
- MITRA (Univ. of Delaware) mitra.artcons.udel.edu Conservators answer artists' questions on materials and permanence.
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Munsell Color
munsell.com
The color system behind value and chroma studies, with learning articles.
- Natural Pigments naturalpigments.com Traditional materials and articles on historical oil painting methods.
- Pigments Through the Ages webexhibits.org History and science of individual pigments, era by era.
- Rosemary & Co Brushes rosemaryandco.com Handmade brushes with guidance on brush shapes and care.
- Schmincke schmincke.de German color maker with technical information on oils, gouache and pastels.
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Sightsize.com (Darren Rousar)
sightsize.com
The sight-size method of accurate observational drawing and painting.
- Winsor & Newton winsornewton.com Color charts and guides for oil, watercolor and mediums.
Ateliers & Schools 11
- Art Students League of New York artstudentsleague.org Historic open-enrollment school with online and in-person painting classes.
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Academy of Realist Art
academyofrealistart.com
Classical-realist curriculum in drawing and painting.
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Ani Art Academies
aniartacademies.org
Anthony Waichulis's academies teaching rigorous realist skills.
- Art Renewal Center artrenewal.org Database of realist ateliers and an enormous image archive.
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Gage Academy of Art
gageacademy.org
Seattle atelier and community school offering painting classes and workshops.
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Grand Central Atelier
grandcentralatelier.org
Classical training in drawing and painting with workshops and online courses.
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Mendocino Art Center
mendocinoartcenter.org
Northern California art center with painting workshops on the coast.
- New York Academy of Art nyaa.edu Graduate school of figurative art with public continuing-education courses.
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Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
pafa.org
America's first art school and museum, with continuing-education classes.
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Scottsdale Artists' School
scottsdaleartschool.org
Workshops with leading representational painters.
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Studio Incamminati
studioincamminati.org
Contemporary realist school emphasizing color and light.
Plein Air & Landscape 5
- California Art Club californiaartclub.org Representational art society rooted in California Impressionism.
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Laguna Plein Air Painters Association
lpapa.org
Historic California plein air society with paint-outs and events.
- Mitchell Albala mitchellalbala.com Landscape painting author and teacher — blog on simplification and color.
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Outdoor Painter (PleinAir Magazine)
outdoorpainter.com
News, demos and articles for plein air painters.
- Plein Air Painters of America papa-art.org Society of landscape painters working outdoors from life.
Watercolor & Pastel 6
- Clairefontaine (Pastelmat) clairefontaine.com Maker of Pastelmat paper, with product and technique information.
- Daniel Smith danielsmith.com Watercolor maker with pigment information and technique articles.
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Jane Blundell
janeblundellart.com
Detailed watercolor pigment swatches and palette guides.
- Liron Yanconsky lironyanconsky.com Watercolor lessons and courses for loose, confident painting.
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Sennelier
sennelier.fr
Historic Paris color maker of oil pastels, soft pastels and watercolor.
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Unison Colour
unisoncolour.com
Handmade soft pastels with color guidance and artist content.
Societies, Magazines & Community 10
- American Watercolor Society americanwatercolorsociety.org Historic society with exhibitions and watercolor education.
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Artists & Illustrators
artistsandillustrators.co.uk
UK magazine with technique features and painter profiles.
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Fine Art Connoisseur
fineartconnoisseur.com
Magazine on contemporary realism and historical painting.
- Oil Painters of America oilpaintersofamerica.com National society promoting representational oil painting.
- Painters Online (The Artist) painters-online.co.uk Tutorials and articles from The Artist and Leisure Painter magazines.
- Pastel Society of America pastelsocietyofamerica.org The oldest US pastel society, with exhibitions and classes.
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Portrait Society of America
portraitsociety.org
Education and conferences for figurative and portrait painters.
- r/oilpainting reddit.com Active forum for oil painters to share work and ask questions.
- r/Watercolor reddit.com Large community for watercolorists of every level.
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WetCanvas
wetcanvas.com
Long-running online community of painters sharing work and advice.
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