Landscape Oil Painting

Learn the critical foundations of painting a landscape so you can interpret your favorite panoramas onto canvas.

The course begins with the basics of landscape composition, including using the double primary palette, creating a strong underpainting from earth tones, and how to effectively layer paint onto the canvas. You'll strengthen your ability to see and mix the predominant colors of your landscape with blues and greens and practice skies, clouds, and foliage to build your painting week by week.

You’ll also dive into painting water, mastering how to add color, create movement, and mix shadows in complementary colors and shades of gray (without using black).

The goal of the course is to inspire you to explore the exterior spaces around you—including landscapes, seascapes, and even cityscapes—and understand how to translate them on canvas through a strong understanding of composition, color theory, and color mixing.

What you will learn:

✔ Create the underpainting of a landscape composition
✔ Paint variations of skies, clouds, trees, and other foliage
✔ Observe the color of water and how to create movement with it on canvas
✔ Add shadows to your painting by using the complementary color palette
✔ Complete your landscape painting, with the foreground, shadows, and finishing touches

Join us for oil painting online!

Next Session

Jan. 12 - Feb. 8, 2026

Teen and adult sections

VIEW ALL DATES

Tuition

$299

Rates increases Jan. 1

Ages

Teens: Grades 6-12

Adult Learners: 18+

Expert guidance
Receive direct, personalized feedback from a professional artist.

Learn on your own schedule
Explore meaningful instruction in about five hours a week, over four weeks.

Collaborate
Work with your instructor and peers through messaging or optional real-time weekly classes.

Real growth
Develop artistic skills and projects that are important to you in 30 days.

Computer or mobile device with Internet and camera. Internet speed must be at least 1.5Mbps download and 800Kbps upload. For students using a mobile device, download the Canvas mobile app and select “Interlochen Online” as your school.
Oil Paint, 37 ml tubes:
- Titanium White
- Cadmium Yellow Hue
- Lemon Yellow
- Cadmium Red Hue
- Alizarin Crimson
- Ultramarine Blue
- Cerulean Blue Hue
- Raw Umber
- Burnt Umber
- Yellow Ochre
- Burnt Sienna
- Dioxazine Purple
- Magenta
Other supplies:
- Burnt Sienna acrylic paint, 4 oz tube
- Palette knife
- Palette paper
- Linseed oil
- 6 brushes: a selection of flat, round, and filbert in small and medium sizes
- 4 canvases, 9”x 12”
- Paper towels
- Dawn dish soap
- Black extra fine Sharpie marker

No, course sections are designed for their respective age groups, either for adults (students 18 and older) or young people (students under 18).

Yes, there are eight sessions of courses per year. View the academic calendar for more session dates.

Interlochen Online certificate This is one of three courses needed to complete the Oil Painting Studies certificate program.

Our online arts certificate programs are perfect for...

✔ Adults looking to boost their creative résumé and LinkedIn profile

✔ Teens who want to earn high school credit for their passion

Upon completion of the program, you will receive a physical certificate and a shareable digital certificate. Certificates for students under 18 are accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS); high school-age students will also receive an official transcript to share with their current school for consideration for high school credit.