Use Trash Bags To Protect The Floor
A cost-effective way to protect the floor or walls and other surfaces is just to cut big trash bags and fix them with duck tape. You can easily organize the workplace in a few minutes and then fold the plastic and reuse it later.
If you have tiles on the floor, it can be fine, You can clean it right after you finish painting and it will be pretty easy because acrylic paint doesnt adhere to the tile. But if you have a wooden floor and you will let the paint drip on it, you will be unable to save the floor after, because wood soaks paint.
Acrylics are quite hard to wash off from clothes and fabric, so you can protect them with trash bags even on your couch.
What Are The Benefits Of Painting Simple Painting Ideas To Kickstart Your Creativity
Acrylic Birch Tree Canvas Painting
I love how Alexis created this beautiful Birch tree acrylic painting using a Credit card. Brilliant! This technique looks easy enough for beginners. I cant wait to try this painting technique myself. Also, digging the gold foil heart detail. Gorgeous!
This is a simple and easy painting idea for beginners on canvas.Birch tree painting
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Advice For Painting On Canvas Part One
If youre new to painting on canvas and want to try your hand at acrylic paints, there are a few tips that can help you get the best results, such as keeping the fabric, texture, and priming in mind.
Each of these things will have an effect on the quality of the canvas and what kind of painting is best for the chosen canvas.
Avoid Cheap Paints And Tools
My biggest problem as a beginner was that I was trying to be frugal buying low-cost supplies. I thought, if the material is not very expensive, I would not feel bad if I made mistakes or used up pint and supports experimenting.
What I did not understand was that using low-quality supplies makes the painting process much more challenging – to the point of frustration.
I bought cheap supplies thinking of saving money, but in hindsight, I wish I had invested some extra money at the beginning.
Happy painting! 🙂
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Lay Out Your Supplies Before You Get Started
The last thing you want is to be running around trying to find a Round 6 brush or more paper towels while youre in the creative zone. Once you start painting, you want everything you need within arms reach so that you dont lose inspiration or have your paint dry too much while youre hunting for supplies.
Gather up your brushes, necessary paint colors , paint palette, a cup of water, paper towels, and anything else you think youre going to need.
Protective Finish/varnish Your Acrylic Painting
An acrylic painting needs protection for some reasons:
- it adores dust it collects tons of it
- it tends to fade or even yellow sometimes
- you cannot touch or clean acrylic paint directly
- it can last less without protective finishes
To protect acrylic paintings we should, first of all, store or showcase them in an appropriate environment.
Second, we need to apply for special protection the old way to do it is to apply a coat of varnish. It is a protective film, tricky to use, but durable. Varnish should be removed in 25-50 years and replaced by another coat of varnish.
If you decide to varnish your painting be very careful and follow these guidelines. The painting should be fully cured before varnishing and you also will need an isolation coat! The best varnishes on the markets are Golden Polymer Varnish and Liquitex Acrylic Varnish both are in the same price range, high-quality and well-known!
Another option is a protective finish like MinWax Polycrylic Protective Finish high level of protection, easy to use, no need for an isolation coat, no yellowing over time.
Full protection process in 5 steps I described here.
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How To Paint With Acrylics
The working properties of acrylic paints make them very different in use than oils or watercolours. The amount of variety in paint consistency and mediums makes them the most versatile painting media. Artists who share a studio space, or who find oil paints too harsh may prefer acrylics for their quick drying, water-based formula. Mistakes are easier to rectify, as the paint is touch dry and can be worked on top of quicker. The versatility of acrylic mediums also allows you to work with them in a similar way to oils and watercolour . Although most of your painting tool kit will remain the same there are some special considerations you will have to make if you are painting in acrylics.
Setting yourself up with some basic materials for acrylic painting can seem overwhelming, but there are only a few essentials that you will need to get started.
A good selection of colours should be first on your list. If youre a complete beginner we stock a variety of sets that contain a great selection of mixing colours. A set of brushes in a variety of shapes and sizes is a must. It will allow you more freedom over the mark making in your painting. You will also have the question of your painting surface should you choose stretched canvas, canvas boards or paper? You may find it handy to have a few cloth rags, paper towels on hand. Keep two water pots to separate your clean and dirty water.
Picking A Selection Of Colours
Once you have settled on the paint you are buying, it will be time to consider the range of colours in your palette. If you are starting out then it may be advisable to buy a set. Generally these contain a good selection of mixing colours that will be enough to get you going some even have a few accessories.
We have plenty of acrylic painting sets for beginners that include a mix of primaries, a convenient secondary or two, plus some earth shades and the usual black and white. These colour selections will allow you to explore colour mixing but also give the freedom of being able to use colour straight from the tube.
Some sets, like the Sennelier Abstract Acrylic Primary Set, do have a minimal mixing palette using only primaries plus black and white. While some artists enjoy the challenge of painting with a restricted palette, the lack of colours can be daunting for a beginner.
If you are looking to buy your own colours separately then you will have full control over the colours to choose. Usually we would recommend going with one or two variations on each primary colour, a green for convenience, a few earth tones and the usual black and white. We do have some more information on selecting your own palette of acrylic colours on our website.
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How To Paint A Large Red Poppy Flower
Learn step-by-step on how to create a large red poppy flower with acrylic paints.
The sky is the limit to what you choose to paint your poppy on. Whether it be on a blank canvas, or a stained wooden boards for a farmhouse look, or even in a art journal.
You can apply these flower painting techniques in many types of project, the sky is the limit! How To Paint a Poppy
To Start Choose A Reference
For some beginners the most difficult part is to start, it seems like we have lots of ideas, and videos on Youtube but still struggling with the choice.
The static image is better to start painting. If you will print a photo, you can choose in what size you will print it. To have a printed reference in front of you is a real-time-saver.
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Care For Your Painting Materials
Your brushes can quickly get damaged or deteriorate when you dont clean them properly. Ensure you have your brushes adequately cleaned, dried, and stored correctly after use. It is always good to have a bowl of water close by to clean the brushes after each color application. It is easy to clean off acrylic from the brush while it is still wet.
Varnishing Your Finished Painting
Adding a final coat of varnish is the perfect finishing touch for your acrylic painting. Varnish provides a durable layer that will give your painting extra protection against damage. Some acrylic painters also choose to add an isolation coat between the painting and varnish layer. This allows the varnish to be removed for cleaning without damaging the paint layer beneath. In these circumstances you would need to ensure that you are using a non-permanent, removable varnish for example, soluvar. Isolation layer or not, it is important that your painting is left to dry thoroughly before varnishing.
Acrylic paints are quick drying, but thicker applications will take longer to dry. It is usually advisable to wait between 72 hours and two weeks, depending on the thickness of application. If you are applying more than one coat they will need to dry thoroughly before subsequent coats are added.
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Benefits Of Using Acrylic Paints Part One
Wide range of color options Acrylic paints come in a wide range of colors, including bright hues and subtle shades, so you can easily find the perfect colors for your project.
Easy to use Unlike other types of paint, acrylic paint is easy to apply and does not require any special techniques or skills. This makes it ideal for beginners who want to explore their creativity without worrying about complicated painting techniques.
Tips About Acrylic Paint
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Same as for brushes and other materials dont go with the cheapest. Try to find the best price-quality option.
There are 2 grades of acrylic paint: student quality and artist quality. They differ by quality and composition. Artist grade is better, contains more pigments, and can be more expensive, but it is the real paint artist will use for painting that will last centuries.
Normally, you can tell by brand, price, and name if the paint is artist-grade. For ex., Artists paint or Studio paint.
On Amazon they sell tons of craft paints nothing wrong with it, they are extremely affordable and always come in a big paint set which comes in handy to a beginner. They are probably not good for artwork you would like to sell.
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Craft Paints Are A Great Cheap Option
Craft paints are your most affordable option, and they are suitable for a wide range of craft surfaces, including wood, plastic, and papier-mache. Another benefit to using craft paints is that they are readily available in most craft stores and some department stores.
If you hope to complete craft projects where you need paint that will work well for any number of surfaces, then craft paint is your go-to! The consistency is smooth, creamy, and easy to use.
There are, however, some downsides to craft paints, which you can expect at their price point. If you would like to explore the world of fine art painting, then we do not recommend you start with craft paints. The pigmentation of craft paints is minimal when compared to the other options available, and this can make the mixing and blending of colors a tricky task. The high level of fillers and lack of pigment can cause colors to become muddy when you mix them. If you want to create pieces of art with beautiful vibrant colors, it would be best to use a different type of acrylic paint. Especially if you are a beginner painter, you do not want to make your life harder than it needs to be by trying to learn to blend and mix with inadequate paints.
Do I Need Water To Paint With Acrylics
Acrylic paint is water-based, and its important to have plenty of water handy at all times.
- Use the water to rinse the brushes and to thin the paint. A small about of water also keeps paint from drying too fast.
- Change the water often or have two containers: a clean one for diluting paint and one for rinsing the brushes.
“Serenity”, acrylic painting by Robie Benve
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Canvas Painting For Beginners: Top Tips
Get started with our pro guide to canvas painting for beginners.
This guide to canvas painting for beginners will give you everything you need to know, from the kit you’ll need to how to prepare your surface for painting and different techniques to try. If you’ve mainly worked in your sketchbook or on paper so far, this guide will help make the move to canvas a lot less daunting.
Canvas is an archetypal artists support . It offers a wealth of advantages over paper not least that it’s much more durable, ensuring your work lasts through the years so it’s worth taking the time to get to grips with this approach.
If you need more advice on painting, see our posts on art techniques, and if you need to stock up on supplies, see our pick of the best canvases for oils, the best oil paints and the best paintbrushes for oils. Meanwhile, read on for our complete guide to canvas painting for beginners. You can use the quick links on the right to skip to specific sections.
Get Creative With Solvents And Mediums
Canvas is extremely durable, which means you can use a wide variety of mediums and solvents to have fun with the look of your artwork.
When it comes to acrylic paint, youre likely going to use water as your solvent. You can apply different mediums to make your painting look glossy, matte, transparent, 3D, and more. These tools give you the freedom to experiment and see what you come up with.
Check out our beginner-friendly guide to getting started with acrylic paints to bring your painting to life.
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Our Best Value Recommendation: Liquitex Basics
Although the price of this paint set is a little high, it offers good value for money because it contains 48 different color pigmentations. The wide range of colors makes them a fantastic option for beginner artists who may not know which colors to purchase first. Liquitex is the most well-known manufacturer of acrylic paints, having invented them in 1955.
- Kit includes forty eight 22 milliliter tubes
- Basics use the same high-quality pigments and rigorous manufacturing process as our professional range
- Comes in a range of opacities
- Some paints can dry quickly
Clean Brushes Right After Your Painting Session
Related post:How to Clean Acrylic Paint Brushes
Pretty obvious but still very true. If you forget to clean brushes right after youve done painting, you will lose a lot of brushes and their quality will degrade.
Use 2 jars with water during painting to keep brushes clean and a special towel to dry them quickly. I use an old piece of towel.
How to clean brushes after acrylic painting:
Never leave your brushes in water for a long time.
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Which Canvas Should I Buy
For centuries, oil painting was done on specially prepared wooden panels. These gave a great rigid surface to paint on but environmental factors could cause cracking and warping and they were heavy to transport. As a result, lightweight stretched canvas became the popular choice for painters.
Walk into any art shop today, and the most common canvases available are made from cotton pre-primed with acrylic gesso, with linen canvas primed with oil primer at the more expensive end of the pre-made market. If you feel like splashing out, larger art shops will often offer a bespoke canvas-making service. That will give you a quality pre-made canvas that will stand the test of time, but expect to pay a considerable price for it.
When choosing a canvas, remember you get what you pay for. Linen offers a superior support to paint on due to its greater strength and finer surface when compared to cotton. Given the choice, we’d always plump for fine Belgium linen primed with an oil primer to give a lovely smooth and non-porous surface. However, if you’re just getting started with canvas painting, it might make sense to pick up a cheaper cotton canvas to experiment on first. You can always improve a cheap pre-made cotton canvas by re-priming it with an oil primer.