7 Painting Books for Free! [PDF]

Explore the colorful world of painting with our collection of free painting books in PDF format.

Painting is an artistic expression that allows the transmission of emotions, ideas, and visions through color and form.

These books cover a wide range of techniques and styles, from classical art to contemporary trends, ideal for artists of all levels.

With guides on watercolor, oil, acrylic, and more, each artist will find something that resonates with their creative pursuit.

Free and registration-free downloads promote self-learning and facilitate the exploration of new forms of artistic expression.

Download your painting books in PDF now and start exploring the infinite spectrum of possibilities that painting offers.

Painting Books

#1 Painting in the Dutch Golden Age

Extension: PDF | 165 pages

Painting in the Dutch Golden Age, is a book that explores various genres and themes, including still lifes, portraits, landscapes and genre painting. Information is provided on the artistic achievements of the Dutch Golden Age and its cultural importance.

#2 Learn and Master Painting

Extension: PDF | 96 pages

Learn and Master Painting, is a resource that offers practical, step-by-step lessons on various aspects of painting. Covers topics such as preparation, composition, brushstroke techniques, color and perspective. It also provides tips for painting believable objects and creating atmospheres.

#3 A Text-book of the History of Painting

Extension: PDF | 387 pages

A Text-book of the History of Painting, is a college book providing a concise history of painting. It covers various periods and styles of painting, including Egyptian, Greek, Italian Renaissance, French, Spanish, Flemish, Dutch, German, British, and American painting.

#4 Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice

Extension: PDF | 241 pages

Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice, is a compilation of preprints from an international symposium held in 1995. It covers various aspects of historical painting techniques, materials, and studio practices, providing insights from different disciplines such as science, conservation, and art history.

#5 Step by Step a Pastel Portrait

Extension: PDF | 70 pages

Step by Step a Pastel Portrait, is a tutorial guide on how to create pastel portraits. Provides step-by-step instructions, tools, and techniques for painting portraits using pastels. It emphasizes the importance of choosing one's own reference photograph and offers advice for color selection and preparation.

#6 Pictorial Composition – Modeling, Perception & Creation

Extension: PDF | 371 pages

Pictorial Composition - Modeling, Perception & Creation, it discusses the development of a paradigm where artworks represent a higher-dimensional representation, capturing intrinsic compositional regularities. The research combines artistic practice, machine learning, and perceptual validation to make regularities explicit and build quantitative me...

#7 Contemporary landscape painting

Extension: PDF | 224 pages

Contemporary landscape painting, is a thesis exploring the concept of contemporary landscape painting and its redefinition in the art world. It examines various theoretical and artistic models associated with landscape painting and discusses the use of space-time, montage, and mapping in contemporary landscapes also includes case studies of establi...

Painting Guides

#1 Canvas Painting

Extension: PDF | 33 pages

Canvas Painting, is a comprehensive guide for beginners in the art of canvas painting. It covers various topics such as understanding paints, choosing brushes, color theory, setting up a studio, and more. provides valuable insights and tips for aspiring artists to enhance their skills and explore their creativity through painting on canvas.

#2 Glossary of Art terms & Definitions

Extension: PDF | 25 pages

Glossary of Art Terms and Definitions, is a glossary that covers topics such as painting techniques, materials, visual effects, composition concepts, and much more. It allows you to understand and use specific terminology from the field of painting.

#3 Enkaustic painting with hot wax

Extension: PDF | 12 pages

Enkaustic painting with hot wax, is a guide that provides information about the encaustic painting technique using hot wax. It covers the advantages of encaustic paintings, the materials and tools required, different painting techniques, historical background, and the use of encaustic paints.

#4 Important Art Movements To Remember

Extension: PDF | 32 pages

Important Art Movements To Remember, is a document that provides a historical overview of various art movements, including 20th-century movements like Der Blaue Reiter, Fauvism, Cubism, Dadaism, Surrealism, and Pop Art, as well as Italian Renaissance Art. It highlights key artists and their notable works within each movement, giving readers a glimp...

#5 A beginner’s guide to painting

Extension: PDF | 29 pages

A beginner’s guide to painting, is a guide that addresses the importance of reflecting on personal reasons for taking up painting as an activity, warning about possible frustrations and encouraging not to give up too soon.

#6 Tempera Painting and Its Varieties

Extension: PDF | 24 pages

Tempera painting and its varieties, is a book that provides a brief history, definition and characteristics of tempera painting. Explore the techniques, tools and application of tempera, particularly egg tempera, delving into a specific painting technique and its variations.

#7 Basic Encaustic Manual

Extension: PDF | 16 pages

Basic Encaustic Manual, is a brief guide that introduces the basics of working with encaustic paint, a durable artist's paint composed of beeswax, damar resin, and pigment. The manual covers topics such as set-up suggestions, equipment and tools, encaustic paint and medium, application techniques, layering and fusing, and reworking the surface.

#8 Glossary of Art Terms

Extension: PDF | 12 pages

Glossary of Art Terms, is a glossary that provides definitions and explanations of various terms related to art. The glossary covers important concepts in areas such as aesthetics, composition, color, balance, and more. It also offers fundamental vocabulary and key concepts to understand and discuss different aspects of this art form.

Oil Painting Guides

#1 The Oil Painting Guide

Extension: PDF | 17 pages

The Oil Painting Guide, is a complete guide to learning traditional oil painting techniques. Covering topics such as materials, techniques, and the process of oil painting, it also provides valuable ideas and knowledge for both beginning and experienced artists.

#2 Painting A Face in Oils

Extension: PDF | 12 pages

Painting A Face in Oils, is a tutorial guide on painting a face in oils, specifically targeted towards beginners in the world of oil painting. It covers topics such as tools and paints, zenithal lighting, painting eyes, and step-by-step instructions for painting a face using acrylic basecoat and oil paints.

#3 How to paint with oil

Extension: PDF | 32 pages

How to Paint with Oil, is a document that provides basic instructions and techniques for anyone interested in painting with oil. It emphasizes that anyone can learn to paint with oil and offers guidance on mixing colors, finding a personal style, and using of the borrowing technique. encourages self-learning and provides a starting point for people...

Watercolour Books and Guides

#1 Secret Brush Skills for Watercolor Painters

Extension: PDF | 58 pages

Secret Brush Skills for Watercolor Painters, is a resource that focuses on improving brush skills in watercolor painting. It provides detailed instructions and practical exercises to develop specific techniques, such as creating bands of color, varying the thickness of strokes, using wrist movements, and applying freer, more expressive brush stroke...

#2 Glossary of Watercolor Painting Terms

Extension: PDF | 4 pages

Glossary of Watercolor Painting Terms, is a guide to a wide range of topics, such as atmospheric perspective, composition, complementary colors, brushes, watercolor paper, among others, helps you understand and effectively use key terms and concepts in painting with watercolor.

#3 Introduction to Watercolor: Textures and Whites

Extension: PDF | 6 pages

Introduction to Watercolor: Textures and Whites, is a brief introduction to watercolor painting techniques, focusing on creating textures and using whites effectively. It discusses various methods such as simulated textures, additives like salt and alcohol, and different tools for creating texture effects. provides practical exercises and examples ...

#4 Painting In Watercolours With David Coupe

Extension: PDF | 89 pages

Painting In Watercolours With David Coupe, is a beginner's guide to watercolour painting. It covers topics such as artist materials, colour mixing, tone control, perspective, the key measure, and composition. The author emphasizes the importance of practice and observation in mastering watercolour painting techniques.

Acrylic Painting Presentation

#1 A Beginner’s Guide to Acrylics

Extension: PDF | 50 pages

A Beginner's Guide to Acrylics, covers several important aspects for beginners, such as choosing materials, mixing colors, brush handling technique, and using palette knives. Step-by-step tutorials, both in the form of videos and written lessons, are also provided to help readers understand and practice the concepts taught.

#2 Acrylic Painting, Tools, Tips and Techniques

Extension: PDF | 16 pages

Acrylic Painting, Tools, Tips and Techniques, is a comprehensive guide to acrylic painting, covering everything from the basics to useful tools, techniques and tips. Detailed information is provided on the history of acrylic, the composition of acrylic paint, brush care, and a variety of techniques applicable to this particular technique.

#3 Acrylic Painting

Extension: PDF | 57 pages

Acrylic Painting, is a design course that explores the history, techniques and artists associated with acrylic painting. It covers the introduction of acrylic colors as a medium of artistic expression and highlights its advantages and impact on modern art and provides information on famous artists who experimented with acrylic paints in the 20th ce...

Here ends our selection of free Painting books in PDF format. We hope you liked it and already have your next book!

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