Painting With Acrylic Paints Master Class

One: Set Up Your Painting Station

Find a tranquil space in your home or even outdoors, then set up your easel and supplies. Place your canvas on the easel, place a rag or paper towel near the palette, and put your brushes in a sturdy cup near the palette. All of these should be placed in orientation to whether you are left-handed or right-handed, says Webster. If inside, youll want to cover the floor below you with a tarp, an old rug, or garbage bags.

Acrylic Painting Tips For Beginners

Choose the Proper Brushes

While this may seem obvious, selecting the right tools can greatly affect the quality of your painting. For acrylic painting, youll want access to a variety of brushes from small to large to use with varying techniques. For applying thick layers of paint, make sure to have a stiff-bristled brush, and for the watercolor effects like washing, use a soft-bristled brush. A Filbert paint brush makes a dependable, versatile option that offers a straight or round shape depending on your needs.

Master Your Mixing

For seasoned painters, mixing might seem rather straightforward, but there are ways to get creative with mixing techniques that can greatly improve your work. First, make sure you know and understand the color wheel so you can mix with precision and confidence. As seen in the diagram below, there are various groups of colors. Analogous colors are groups of three colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. They usually match well and share a common color. Monochromatic color schemes are derived from a single base hue. Triadic color schemes use colors that are evenly spaced around the color wheel. Complementary colors are opposite each other on the color wheel and are usually highly contrasted, creating a vibrant look.

For best results, blend colors using a palette knife, plastic knife, or an extra brush if you have one handy. Additionally, it can be beneficial to create a family of mixed hues to lend diversity to your painting.

The Acrylic Painting Academy By Matthew Fussell

This online acrylic painting course by Matthew is great for people that are just starting out. No prior experience is required, so all that you will need to prepare is your own motivation to learn.

The aim of the course is to lift you up from the beginner level to being able to produce professional acrylic paintings. Although the course mainly revolved around the videos, it also comes with some Ebooks for easy reference.

Every module builds upon the previous one and deals with topics such as art supplies, stretching canvas, mixing of paints, color theory, painting with a knife, etc. By simply following every step of the demonstration, you will be able to learn more than a year of pure trial and error.

Course Includes: 4 h of video, 33 supplemental resources, certificate of completion

Level: Beginner

Also Check: How To Paint Over Dark Walls

Shot Of Art Exclusive Masterclass

$88$65

Bucket Listers is excited to partner with Shot of Art to offer you exclusive ticket pricing:$65 per person Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays until February 24thTimes vary, please check our calendar28 W. 36th Street, 10th floor, New York, New York 10018About the event:Fluid art – Fantastic patterns obtained using acrylic paints, silicone, and gas burner will not leave you indifferent. This painting technique allows a person without experience to create abstract paintings that can be proudly hung in their interior or given to friends. This experience lasts 1 hour.The art room experience is a great chance to use your imagination and use the opportunity to draw on doors, walls, ceilings, chairs, etc in a great atmosphere! This experience lasts 20 minutes.This special package for Bucket Listers includes clothes protection, varnishing , choice of paints, and canvas 12×16.Please note: It takes about 4 days to dry the painting and you will have to come to pick up your artwork. Shot of art store clients artwork just for 2 weeks so please come to pick it up in this time period All ages. Children allowed.All sales are final. No refunds or exchanges

Can Be Painted On Any Surface

Another reason that makes this paint stand out is its flexibility. You can apply acrylic paint to different types of surfaces. The only exception is applying acrylic on materials that are glossy or oily. However, it would work well for wood, clothes, and even paper. Some stores even sell specially made acrylic papers designed to hold acrylic paint. You can as well use this paint on watercolor paper. The benefit of acrylic is that it has more flexibility when you consider applying paint over surfaces.

Also Check: Jackson Pollock Made Paintings By

How To Paint On Canvas With Acrylics Step By Step

Generally, canvas refers to a heavy-woven fabric and one made for marquee tents or used on sails. However, for an artist, the canvas is usually stretched on a wooden frame. It may be purchased in the art supplies store, online, or you could craft one yourself. It is a fantastic surface for acrylic paint and other paint media. Many artists prefer to use canvas because it is sturdy, feels light, and is very affordable. It is also durable when you treat your canvas with gesso.

If you are new to painting on canvas, we will show you how to do it conveniently on a canvas surface. This acrylic painting for beginners on canvas step-by-step guide will make painting easy for you.

How Does This Work

This 3 Day Bootcamp Masterclass is 100% free and hosted by professional artist Jed Dorsey and taught by Dianna Shyne.

The Masterclass will take place inside of a private Facebook group. The Facebook group will only be available for the duration of the Masterclass, after that it’ll be gone! While the Masterclass is only 3 days, we’ll have other things happening inside the group in between classes so the group will be open for about 10 days total.

When you sign up for the Masterclass, you’ll get instant access to the Color Mastery Bootcamp private Facebook community. You can interact with other artists from all over the world there!

Starting on Monday, March 21st at 11 AM PST / 2pm EST, there will be 3 Masterclass sessions taught live by Dianna Shyne & Jed Dorsey.

Each session will include wonderful encouragement and practical instruction from two of the top acrylic artists in the USA!

During each class, we’ll be randomly giving away a prize including a wonderful plein air easel, an iPad, and a $500 Amazon Gift Card.

Replays will be available until March 30th, but we encourage you to attend live if you can!

Don’t Miss: How To Get Paint Off Of Brick

Choose The Right Paint Brushes

Like we mentioned earlier, there are a variety of brushes, and each of them serves different purposes. Some brushes are good for creating certain strikes, while others have their uses. Acrylic paint brushes usually come with longer handles and stiff bristles compared to watercolor brushes. This makes them a better choice for working on canvas. You need to learn about each type of brush and how to apply them before you begin painting.

Acrylics For Beginners: A Winter Scene By Doris Charest

Even if you know how to paint a regular landscape, you will need a few extra techniques to really bring your winter scenes to life. In this online lesson, Doris will show you how to paint a snowy landscape by using a step-by-step process that you can easily follow. If you are painting along you can probably finish this lesson in under an hour.

Course includes: 28 min of video

Level: beginner

Read Also: How To Fix Paint Chips On Car

Why Is This Masterclass Free

“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” – Pablo Picasso

Reason 1: Back in 2016, when Jed became a full-time artist, he had a difficult time finding great instruction in acrylics that would help him move forward. His experience showed there was a lack of professionals who worked in the medium, and he began to dream of an “acrylic revolution” where the medium became dominant in art, despite its critics. Out of that vision came Acrylic University – a place that could help people from all over the world discover the joys of painting with acrylic paints. This masterclass is just part of how we are trying to help artists flourish.

Reason 2: The Color Mastery Bootcamp is how we show people what Acrylic University is about – who we are, what we do, what we love, etc. We will open enrollment at the end of the Masterclass and welcome anyone who decides they would like to take the next step in their art journey with us, however, there is no obligation to do so.

Materials Needed & The Best Acrylic Paint Brands

The bare-bones essentials for acrylic painting include a palette, a palette knife for blending, brushes that are marked as approved for acrylic paint, a canvas , a rag or paper towels, and then soap and water for cleanup. An easel will also come in handy.

Like anything, youll find there are variations in the quality of materials available to you. As a beginner, Webster recommends sticking with lower-cost or student grade materials versus professional grade, noting that you can even ask for an art store clerk to point you in the right direction.

Both grades are good, she says, but student grade will be less expensive and great for practicing or exploring new subjects and colors as a beginner. As you begin to feel more confident in your acrylic painting skill set, you can upgrade to higher quality products.

Recommended Reading: Oil Paintings On Canvas For Sale

This Post Has 16 Comments

What Are Acrylic Paints

Before we dive into how to paint with acrylics, its important to first discuss what acrylic paint is and how it differs from other media.

Acrylic paints are basically pigments suspended in a water-soluble acrylic polymer media that becomes water-resistant when dry, says Gary Griffin, an artist based in Houston, Texas. The advantages of working with acrylics versus other media types is that they are fast-drying, easy to clean up, have low odor, and are heavily pigmented, meaning the colors can be very bold and vibrant.

Compared to oil paints, which can take a full day or longer to completely dry, acrylic paints dry within minutes. Unlike oils, you can continue to paint over the dried areas and not see any mistakes, hence its a very appealing medium for beginners, notes Camilla Webster, a painter whose work is featured in museums and exhibits across the world.

Some other important factors to know about acrylic paints: they typically dry a darker hue than the pigment they exhibit when wet, they do not spread , they dry very quickly , theyre water-soluble when wet, and they are water-resistant when dry which means that once dry, they cannot be altered.

The beauty of working with acrylics is that they are relatively inexpensive and easy to work with but can provide really amazing results in the hands of a creative artist.

Gary Griffin

Acrylic painting from artist Camilla Webster. See details for the piece

Recommended Reading: How To Take Paint Off Wood

Setup Your Painting Supplies

You need a comfortable position to work if you dont want any mistakes. Most artists have a tabletop easel where they can place their canvas at a slight angle to work. However, it all depends on you if you prefer to work on a flat surface instead. You also need to get your other art supplies close by where you can reach them easily. Make sure you have your workspace set up with all your supplies, including your acrylic paint brushes, palette, palette knives, water, and any other material you will need. Acrylic painting usually requires fast-paced work because it is fast drying, and it is good to have everything close for a more comfortable experience.

Allow Your Canvas Dry

Since acrylic paint is fast drying, it usually wont need a lot of time to dry. Also, the drying time will depend on the medium you mix with the acrylic, which usually slows the drying process. After you are done with painting, make sure you keep your canvas in a safe spot to dry. Even if it is a small canvas, the slightest touch can tamper with your finished work if the paint is still wet. The best place to keep your finished work is on a non-stick surface to protect your paintwork.

You May Like: Does Home Depot Carry Benjamin Moore Paint

What We Want To Do At This Stage:

Our main goal right now is to establish the main value and color scheme of the portrait, simultaneously. We want to lock-in the contrast between the lights and dark values, paying attention to their specific edges, boundaries, and shapes. If you did the sketch according to Lesson #2, then you will know almost exactly where to place your initial glazes, because your sketch tells you where to put it.

We also want to observe the major differences in color within the reference photo, simplify it to warm and cool tones and use our inital glazes to plot that out. Then, future layers will be added on top of them, getting more and more complex as we go along.

But the initial glaze will serve us well.

Its like how a major highway was often once a foot trail, then a cowpath, then a dirt road, then a paved road, and finally a highway. Its a lot easier to upgrade a road, than to try to build a new one. Youd have to bulldoze trees, cut through rocks, level the land, and even remove homes if necessary.

In the same way, with the glazing technique, we are getting the compounded effect of each previous layer adding richness and depth to the ones that come after them. Thats why you want to start off right.

Again, as Ive said in the last lesson: begin the painting lightly. Much lighter than you think. And certainly more than youre used to painting, if youve painted for a while. If you just barely see a difference in this first layer, youre doing it exactly right!

Even More Of What Youll Get In Paint Brilliant Acrylics

• A toxin-free studio – no cadmiums, no cobalts

• Six full-length lessons in heavy body acrylics

• The benefits of acrylics with the blending power of oils

• All lessons to download and keep

• Nancy’s secret sauce medium

• How to extend acrylics without stickiness

• How to create breathtaking florals

• How to paint impressionistically in acrylics

• Cleanup thats a breeze

• An easy to navigate class website

• A teacher who loves her students!

This is your moment

When the colors of nature

Speak to your heart

Welcome to your new studio,

Don’t Miss: Who Sells Benjamin Moore Paints

Basic Skills Of Acrylic Painting For Beginners

Now that all your materials are ready for work, you can create beautiful crafts with your acrylic paint. However, we will take you through the acrylic painting basics. It would help if you learned the different techniques for beginners in acrylic painting. This way, you can easily create a variety of styles when working with your paint. These skills are easy to learn, and once you master them, painting wont be difficult.

Best + Free Acrylic Painting Courses

50+ Experts have compiled this list of Best Six Acrylic Painting Courses, Classes, Tutorials, Training and Certifications program available online for 2022. In this list, we have added paid and free resources to encourage you to learn Acrylic Painting. Have a look at our Best Oil Painting Courses.

You May Like: Paint Colors For Exterior House

Master Class Comes With Our Risk

How our “Risk-Free Painting Guarantee” works. Within 30 days:

• Paint “The Birch Tree”
• Get Feedback from our Mentors
• If you decide not to continue:
• Return the art supplies

We will refund your payment with no questions asked.

• FREE Paint and Medium Starter Kit

• FREE Brushes and Palette Knife

• FREE Practice Canvas Pad

• FREE Drawing Templates, Guidelines For Each Painting

• Personal Feedback From Trained Artists