Get excited, fellow painters, because we’re about to take a crash course through one of the most important topics to learn in the painting world: the 7 elements of art.

Now, this is a full, free (!) painting workshop/class that you can take right here, right now. A full 3-page workbook is also included, and it’s printable!

This workshop is similar to those we’ve done in the past, such as our free Color Theory Workshop and the free Paint Blending Workshop. And, just like in those classes, we’re going to take things step by step, and we’re going to make everything super easy for even absolute beginners to understand.

Get ready to start painting!

The Free Paint Blending Workshop

Watch the video above and follow along with the printable workbook below. The workbook is a printable PDF document that can be printed with any home or office printer. Note: if you can’t print the workbook, that’s okay—we go over ways to “make your own” workbook in the video, too.

This workshop is going to take you through each of the 7 elements of art, which include line, shape, form, space, color, value, and texture. Quick, simple exercises are included to help you learn and implement each element with your paints, so you’re going to find this workshop really useful.

Now, if you want to go even deeper into the 7 elements of art, you can also check out this premium workshop class, which goes over every element in detail, teaches you more about how to implement the elements in everyday art, and gives you a larger workbook to practice with–check it out below!

Materials Needed for the Workshop

You actually don’t need any materials at all to watch the workshop–you can totally just sit back, take notes, and learn a whole heck of a lot! But, if you’d like to practice all of the painting exercises with us, make sure you have…

• Acrylic (or craft!) paints in:
  • White
  • Red
  • Blue
  • Yellow
• One small to medium paintbrush
• A mixing palette (or something like a paper plate to mix paint easily on)
• A paint mixing tool (such as a spatula, craft/popsicle sticks, or even a butter knife)
• A water cup (for brush cleaning)

The type, variation, and brands of paint you use do not matter!

And remember: this is a practice workshop, so you don’t need any “fancy” or “professional” painting materials to get started. Dollar-store materials, as always, work totally fine.

Elements of Art Q&A

Now, let’s answer some questions you might have about the elements of art, what they are, or general questions about the workshop.

What kind of paper should I print my free workbook on?

The type of paper you use to print your workbook pages on, if you can print them, doesn’t really matter. Anything from simple, 20 lb copy paper to high-grade canvas paper or watercolor paper will work. Just use whatever you have on hand, because this is simply a workshop for you to practice painting.

How can I get the free workbook if I don’t have a printer?

If you don’t have the ability to print your workbook, don’t worry!

You can still follow along with the full workshop—just sketch out the “practice areas” that we have on the workbook pages. You can take a look at the pages below to get an idea of what you’ll need to sketch.

There are also a lot of blank spaces in the workbook for you to take notes, and you can always take notes on a separate piece of notebook paper if you can’t print the workbook.

What actually are the “elements of art” and why should we learn them?

The 7 elements of art are line, shape, form, space, color, value, and texture. All of these “elements” are like the building blocks of every painting we each make, whether we realize we’re using them or not.

By understanding what the elements of art are, you can kind of give your paintings an “upgrade”. You can better pay attention to how you make your forms look more realistic, or you can implement different types of texture. It all can add up to give your paintings a higher attention to detail!

Are there other painting basics I should learn to improve my technique?

There’s more to making a great painting than just focusing on the blending and values in the painting. You can help yourself out even more by learning things like color theory and brushstroke techniques, too.

To learn even more about painting basics, check out this complete “Basics Painting Course” for beginners!

Even More Free Painting Classes

Practice is key to honing your painting skills. That’s why we offer plenty more painting workshops and classes, so you can always have something to work on. You can even learn how to make certain professional-grade paintings, such as paintings of roses, butterflies, and more!

All of the free painting classes are part of our online learning platform for artists, called Canvas Academy. Canvas Academy is your guide to becoming the best artist you can be, giving you free resources, access to premium painting courses, and more—with new content added every month.

Check out all of the Canvas Academy classes and courses, any time, any where!

Now, let’s paint!

–Kari