Showing posts with label beginner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beginner. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Monday, September 21, 2009
How to Paint a Simple Sky Video
Here is a video clip that shows how to paint a simple sky
This simple sky is an excellent starting point for a range of pictures.
There is a good rule - if you have a complicated foreground be sure to keep the sky simple. When you want to paint a 'busy' sky keep the foreground plainer for a pleasing result.
Snow Scene Using 3 Colours - 2 CD set
This video clip is the start of the video I sell showing how to paint a Snow Scene Using 3 Colours. It is an interesting project and using a limited palette is a useful technique.
If you would like to see further details on this item please go to the Learn and Do website
and click on the Acrylic Painting Course link and then the order page. The details of the Snow Scene set are further down that page.
Why do I not just put in a link directly to this page?
If I am having any problems with the website, supplies, my holiday :-) or illness then the home page is changed to the 'this website is being updated page'. This means that if there is any reason why I cannot give you the best service, you will know when you get to the home page.
This doesn't happen very often but I want to ensure that if you trust me enough to try my products that I'll give you the good service you deserve.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Painting Tips for Painting Effective Forest Areas
Here's a couple of handy tips for painting forest and woodland areas. Like so many tips once you think about it, and consider the reasoning, it is obvious. I always find that when I understand the reasoning behind a tip or technique it is a lot easier to remember it too.
Forest Lighting
When painting a woodland or forest area the darker shades are towards the centre of the wooded area. Therefore the lighter shades are on the outside trees, which are away from the centre of the forest. This is the obvious part!
When painting a forest scene if you just concentrate on the main source of light (probably the sun) you will usually have a lot of shadow areas all to the same side of the trees. However once you remember that the trees to the outside are lighter it will remind you to paint any trees further into the wooded area in darker tones. It will be murky in there.
Scrape out the Tree Trunks
Once you've painted in the trees, and the paint is still wet, you can scrape off some of the paint to indicate tree trunks or branches. A cocktail stick can be handy and a good size for this.
It usually is more effective if you only scrape a few trunks or branches. Too many trunks can add too much detail into an area in the distance. Remember there is less detail as you get further into the distance, when things are farther away you cannot see so much detail. So just doing a few scraped trunks and branches will be more effective.
Scraping away the paint will leave a light area; this is particularly good for silver birch tree trunks. You can always paint in some lighter trunks later if you want to as well.
I have heard…
I read that one artist uses a pencil sharpener to sharpen the end of his paint brushes. He uses this sharp end to scrape out the trunk shapes. I can see that it could be convenient but I think I'd end up poking myself in the face. (Ouch!)
Tree Shadows
If you have shadows from the trees that fall onto grassy areas at the edge of the woodland be sure to paint the shadows to show the angles of the ground.
If the land is sloping away from the tree then paint the tree shadow on an angle to show how the ground is dropping away. This is a great way to add interest to your picture as well.
Forest Lighting
When painting a woodland or forest area the darker shades are towards the centre of the wooded area. Therefore the lighter shades are on the outside trees, which are away from the centre of the forest. This is the obvious part!
When painting a forest scene if you just concentrate on the main source of light (probably the sun) you will usually have a lot of shadow areas all to the same side of the trees. However once you remember that the trees to the outside are lighter it will remind you to paint any trees further into the wooded area in darker tones. It will be murky in there.
Scrape out the Tree Trunks
Once you've painted in the trees, and the paint is still wet, you can scrape off some of the paint to indicate tree trunks or branches. A cocktail stick can be handy and a good size for this.
It usually is more effective if you only scrape a few trunks or branches. Too many trunks can add too much detail into an area in the distance. Remember there is less detail as you get further into the distance, when things are farther away you cannot see so much detail. So just doing a few scraped trunks and branches will be more effective.
Scraping away the paint will leave a light area; this is particularly good for silver birch tree trunks. You can always paint in some lighter trunks later if you want to as well.
I have heard…
I read that one artist uses a pencil sharpener to sharpen the end of his paint brushes. He uses this sharp end to scrape out the trunk shapes. I can see that it could be convenient but I think I'd end up poking myself in the face. (Ouch!)
Tree Shadows
If you have shadows from the trees that fall onto grassy areas at the edge of the woodland be sure to paint the shadows to show the angles of the ground.
If the land is sloping away from the tree then paint the tree shadow on an angle to show how the ground is dropping away. This is a great way to add interest to your picture as well.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Painting Tip for Checking the Colour of the Paint
This post contains a handy tip about testing paint, to check the colour, before applying it to your picture. I have to admit that I don't always do this, but if you can get into the habit of checking the colour first it can prevent some ugly mistakes.
I recommend testing colours on a spare piece of paper before applying it to your painting. This can save you both time and stress. Mainly because acrylic paint can dry almost immediately, so often you cannot just wipe it off. Here's a tip that you might want to try.
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Painting Tip especially for Square Paintings
This is a handy tip for pictures painted on paper. Often you'll be painting a picture that will not fill the size of paper you are using. A good example would be a square picture on a rectangular piece of paper.
Mark off the painting area
It can be useful to draw in a light line to mark the edge of the picture.
When you do this you can use the spare section to test colours on. You'll be trimming the paper once the picture is complete anyway, so you can use this part as a colour testing section.
One of the main benefits of this tip is that the tested colour is very close to the painting and it is easier to see how it will look. Also, as it is on exactly the same painting surface there is be no variation.
Mainly for paper surfaces
Obviously this tip will be best for paper surfaces that are easy to trim. It wouldn't be suitable for stretched canvases. But you could probably use it on a canvas panel if you were going to trim it anyway.
However it's usually easier to trim a canvas panel before starting to paint. When you trim a canvas panel before it is painted you don't need to worry about marking the painted surface.
Try to get into the habit of testing the paint colour, it can save a lot of time and make your painting more enjoyable!
I recommend testing colours on a spare piece of paper before applying it to your painting. This can save you both time and stress. Mainly because acrylic paint can dry almost immediately, so often you cannot just wipe it off. Here's a tip that you might want to try.
*****
Painting Tip especially for Square Paintings
This is a handy tip for pictures painted on paper. Often you'll be painting a picture that will not fill the size of paper you are using. A good example would be a square picture on a rectangular piece of paper.
Mark off the painting area
It can be useful to draw in a light line to mark the edge of the picture.
When you do this you can use the spare section to test colours on. You'll be trimming the paper once the picture is complete anyway, so you can use this part as a colour testing section.
One of the main benefits of this tip is that the tested colour is very close to the painting and it is easier to see how it will look. Also, as it is on exactly the same painting surface there is be no variation.
Mainly for paper surfaces
Obviously this tip will be best for paper surfaces that are easy to trim. It wouldn't be suitable for stretched canvases. But you could probably use it on a canvas panel if you were going to trim it anyway.
However it's usually easier to trim a canvas panel before starting to paint. When you trim a canvas panel before it is painted you don't need to worry about marking the painted surface.
Try to get into the habit of testing the paint colour, it can save a lot of time and make your painting more enjoyable!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Acrylic Painting Technique - Use a Credit Card
A new way to use your credit card – when you’re painting
Do you remember in the Karate Kid movie the part about Polish On and Polish Off to build up his muscles? Well this technique it a Paint On and Paint Off one.
Trying different painting methods to achieve a good effect is one of the most interesting aspects of painting. So here is another one for you to try.
Paint on
Remember you don't always need to apply paint with an artists brush. There are other options like using a palette knife or even your fingers.
An alternative method for highlights
Try this on a test piece first. You simply apply the paint thickly and then remove some of the paint for the highlighted area. One of the best things to use to remove the paint is a credit card. This is quite a common watercolour technique but it works just as well with acrylics.
Paint Off Example
You can paint some stones in a fairly flat way, they don't need to look particularly three dimensional, and then use a credit card to scrape off the paint for the lighter or highlight area. Some of the paint will be left on the painting surface giving a paler section.
I think that the final result works very well, especially for rocks. It can also be very effective for the texture on tree trunks.
As acrylics dry quickly you need to be speedy! If you want to have a bit more time to work the paint you can add some gel retarder to the paint to slow down the drying time.
I've seen the scraping off of the paint done using a razor blade too, but that's a bit too sharp for me! You could try using a palette knife instead of the credit card; it will give a slightly different result.
Painting surfaces
This technique is most effective when you're painting on a paper surface, particularly a rough textured one.
However you can practice it on any painting surface you're using to see what effect it will give you. Then you can decide if you want to include the effect in your picture.
I found that it was disappointing when used on a stretched canvas unless the paint is applied really thickly.
However on a suitable painting surface it can be very effective and is another technique to add to your painting arsenal.
Do you remember in the Karate Kid movie the part about Polish On and Polish Off to build up his muscles? Well this technique it a Paint On and Paint Off one.
Trying different painting methods to achieve a good effect is one of the most interesting aspects of painting. So here is another one for you to try.
Paint on
Remember you don't always need to apply paint with an artists brush. There are other options like using a palette knife or even your fingers.
An alternative method for highlights
Try this on a test piece first. You simply apply the paint thickly and then remove some of the paint for the highlighted area. One of the best things to use to remove the paint is a credit card. This is quite a common watercolour technique but it works just as well with acrylics.
Paint Off Example
You can paint some stones in a fairly flat way, they don't need to look particularly three dimensional, and then use a credit card to scrape off the paint for the lighter or highlight area. Some of the paint will be left on the painting surface giving a paler section.
I think that the final result works very well, especially for rocks. It can also be very effective for the texture on tree trunks.
As acrylics dry quickly you need to be speedy! If you want to have a bit more time to work the paint you can add some gel retarder to the paint to slow down the drying time.
I've seen the scraping off of the paint done using a razor blade too, but that's a bit too sharp for me! You could try using a palette knife instead of the credit card; it will give a slightly different result.
Painting surfaces
This technique is most effective when you're painting on a paper surface, particularly a rough textured one.
However you can practice it on any painting surface you're using to see what effect it will give you. Then you can decide if you want to include the effect in your picture.
I found that it was disappointing when used on a stretched canvas unless the paint is applied really thickly.
However on a suitable painting surface it can be very effective and is another technique to add to your painting arsenal.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
How to Draw a basic Daffodil
I saw this really easy way to draw daffodils and wanted to share it with you.
Steps
1. Draw a circle the size you want the flower to be
2. Draw a triangle in the circle
3. Draw a second triangle as shown
4. Draw a circle in the centre
5. Draw around the points of the triangles to give the petals. Use an uneven line to draw around the circle and add a second ring for the outside edge of the trumpet.
6. Depending on the size of the daffodil you may want to add stamens. You would not see these if the daffodil was further away.
If you want to draw a daffodil that is not ‘straight on’ here’s how to do it.
Draw a Daffodil on the angle
Steps
1a. Start with an oval instead of a circle. Draw in the 2 triangles as before. Draw an oval instead of a circle in the centre.
2a. Use the top and bottom of the small centre oval and draw short straight lines to form the trumpet. The end of the trumpet is a slightly larger oval.
3a. Draw around the points of the triangles to give the petals. Use an uneven line to draw around the ‘trumpet end oval’ and add a larger second ring for the outside edge of the trumpet.
4a. Again adding stamens will depend on how far away the flower is.
Important Points and Tips
These steps are for a basic daffodil shape. Notice that all the petals of one of the triangles are to the front of all the petals on the other triangle. In other words every second petal is to the front and drawn to the base of the trumpet part.
Daffodils come in a wide variety.
Things you can change for different looks are –
* The shape of the petals
* The width of the petals
* The diameter of the trumpet
* The length of the trumpet
* The colour of the flowers. Daffodils can be white, shades of yellow, orange and combinations of these colours. Have a look at some gardening books or catalogues for ideas.
In my garden
I have some small yellow alpine daffodils open in the garden just now; they have very narrow petals with a round end. There is hardly any overlap of the petals. The trumpet is narrow but quite long.
On the other hand I have some taller daffodils that have short wide petals and a very short wide trumpet. There is a great variety in both shape and size. This makes them easier to draw.
If you wanted to add leaves to your drawing just add some straight narrow leaves with rounded ends.
Top Tip
For a more natural look - angle the flower so that it is ‘looking’ to the ground slightly. The weight of the trumpet usually causes a lot of the flowers to be on this angle.
Try drawing a bunch of daffodils and see how easy this is to do.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Colour Tips and Techniques - Pale Red??
Paler Shades and Highlights.
What about Red?
There are a couple of ways to get a paler colour when you are painting. These pale colours are normally for the highlighted areas or areas where the light is hitting the object you are painting.
1. You can paint a thin layer of paint and let the white of the painting surface show through. This works well as long as you are painting on a pale surface. Generally speaking you will be. ;-)
2. You can add white to the colour to make a pale version of it, called a tint. This works well except when you try to do it with red. Adding white to red will give you pink, which is probably not what you wanted!
Highlights when using Red
When you are painting on a non-white surface you can paint the area of the highlight white, let it dry and then over paint with a thin layer of red to get the same effect as in Point 1 above. (This will work with other colours too.)
If you are trying to add a highlight, for example, to an area that you have already painted then let the paint dry before adding a thin layer of white to the area for the highlight. Use quite a watery mix if you want some of the red to show through. White is an opaque colour in acrylics and the area can look a bit chalky if the white is applied too thickly.
Or....
An alternative method is to apply further layers of red to the darker areas of the object. When you add extra layers of paint the colour looks richer and deeper. These richer coloured areas will enhance the highlight effect in the area with just the one layer of paint.
Try this on a spare piece of paper; it is a very good effect. The highlight area has just the one layer of paint, and the middle and darker areas will have more layers of paint to give a richer colour.
If you go on to add shadow shades of red as well you will be able to achieve good results.
What about Red?
There are a couple of ways to get a paler colour when you are painting. These pale colours are normally for the highlighted areas or areas where the light is hitting the object you are painting.
1. You can paint a thin layer of paint and let the white of the painting surface show through. This works well as long as you are painting on a pale surface. Generally speaking you will be. ;-)
2. You can add white to the colour to make a pale version of it, called a tint. This works well except when you try to do it with red. Adding white to red will give you pink, which is probably not what you wanted!
Highlights when using Red
When you are painting on a non-white surface you can paint the area of the highlight white, let it dry and then over paint with a thin layer of red to get the same effect as in Point 1 above. (This will work with other colours too.)
If you are trying to add a highlight, for example, to an area that you have already painted then let the paint dry before adding a thin layer of white to the area for the highlight. Use quite a watery mix if you want some of the red to show through. White is an opaque colour in acrylics and the area can look a bit chalky if the white is applied too thickly.
Or....
An alternative method is to apply further layers of red to the darker areas of the object. When you add extra layers of paint the colour looks richer and deeper. These richer coloured areas will enhance the highlight effect in the area with just the one layer of paint.
Try this on a spare piece of paper; it is a very good effect. The highlight area has just the one layer of paint, and the middle and darker areas will have more layers of paint to give a richer colour.
If you go on to add shadow shades of red as well you will be able to achieve good results.
Shadow colours for Red
The shadow shade for red will depend on what you are painting. It could be a purple made by adding some blue. However if you wanted a more neutral look try adding a little of the complimentary colour (for red that would be green) to dull the colour down. We looked at this use of complimentary colours in a previous posting.
Maybe try using several techniques?
Of course you could use a mix of these different options too. Maybe a thin layer of white for the highlight, plus some extra layers of red to the middle tone areas and then some darker shadow tones. It will really depend on your subject and the effect you are trying to paint.
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Ready to Learn to Paint?
Beginners Acrylic Painting Report and Video File on CD
The Acrylic Painting Tips and Techniques for the Beginner Report tells you
* What equipment to buy
* How to set up your painting supplies
* And there a couple of easy projects to start you off
And there is more
As well as the Acrylic Painting Tips and Techniques for the Beginner Report there is Acrylic Painting Equipment and Techniques computer video file that runs for about 19 minutes. It shows how to set up your palette, how to load artist brushes and a bit of colour mixing too.
Both these items are sent to you on a CD so there are no downloading worries.
Visit the link below to find out more. (This will only be available for a couple of months.)
http://www.geocities.com/cathcald
Monday, January 28, 2008
A Different Way to Paint Trees, Ideal for Beginners too!
I was watching a TV programme where the man was painting trees, or tree shapes to be more accurate. It was a technique that I hadn’t seen before so I thought you would find it interesting too.
He started by painting in the trunks and some branches then added the leaves using a piece of towel. Just a normal fabric towel, the kind you dry your hands on. He bunched it up in his hand and used a smooth section, not a crumpled part.
As you can imagine by dipping the surface of the towel into the paint and then just touching it onto the painting surface gives a random texture. The result was very effective too.
The key point is to keep within a tree shape with the towel texture. You can add some detail with a brush to tidy it up if necessary.
Be sure to try it on a spare piece of paper with an old bit of towel or an old face cloth to see if you like the look before you add it into your painting!
Making Green for the Trees
We discussed this before but it seems relevant to revisit this handy colour mixing tip here.
If you have mixed up a blue and yellow to make a green, or used a premixed colour, you can often find that it is too bright. Try adding a little red to the green to make it more subdued.
Why this works
When you mix two complimentary colours together you get a neutral colour. A complimentary colour is the colour on the opposite side of the colour wheel, to your original one. An example would be yellow and purple.
So by adding just a touch of red to your too bright green you are making it more of a neutral colour and therefore less bright.
This type of colour mixing information can be found in the Colour Mixing Tips and Thoughts Special Report at the Learn and Do website. At present it is a bonus with The Acrylic Painting Course. :-)
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New Beginners Acrylic Painting Report and Video File on CD
I have a new item on CD that is suitable for anyone ready to learn how to paint.
(If you already have The Acrylic Painting Course this is NOT for you.
You will have all this information in the course.)
The Acrylic Painting Tips and Techniques for the Beginner Report tells you what equipment to buy, how to set up your painting supplies and there a couple of easy projects to start you off.
And there's more…
As well as the Acrylic Painting Tips and Techniques for the Beginner Report there is Acrylic Painting Equipment and Techniques computer video file that runs for about 19 minutes. It shows how to set up your palette, how to load artist brushes and a bit of colour mixing too.
Both these items are sent to you on a CD so there are no downloading worries.
This information will be available for the next month or two before I remove it.
Visit the link below to find out more.
http://www.geocities.com/cathcald
He started by painting in the trunks and some branches then added the leaves using a piece of towel. Just a normal fabric towel, the kind you dry your hands on. He bunched it up in his hand and used a smooth section, not a crumpled part.
As you can imagine by dipping the surface of the towel into the paint and then just touching it onto the painting surface gives a random texture. The result was very effective too.
The key point is to keep within a tree shape with the towel texture. You can add some detail with a brush to tidy it up if necessary.
Be sure to try it on a spare piece of paper with an old bit of towel or an old face cloth to see if you like the look before you add it into your painting!
Making Green for the Trees
We discussed this before but it seems relevant to revisit this handy colour mixing tip here.
If you have mixed up a blue and yellow to make a green, or used a premixed colour, you can often find that it is too bright. Try adding a little red to the green to make it more subdued.
Why this works
When you mix two complimentary colours together you get a neutral colour. A complimentary colour is the colour on the opposite side of the colour wheel, to your original one. An example would be yellow and purple.
So by adding just a touch of red to your too bright green you are making it more of a neutral colour and therefore less bright.
This type of colour mixing information can be found in the Colour Mixing Tips and Thoughts Special Report at the Learn and Do website. At present it is a bonus with The Acrylic Painting Course. :-)
**********
New Beginners Acrylic Painting Report and Video File on CD
I have a new item on CD that is suitable for anyone ready to learn how to paint.
(If you already have The Acrylic Painting Course this is NOT for you.
You will have all this information in the course.)
The Acrylic Painting Tips and Techniques for the Beginner Report tells you what equipment to buy, how to set up your painting supplies and there a couple of easy projects to start you off.
And there's more…
As well as the Acrylic Painting Tips and Techniques for the Beginner Report there is Acrylic Painting Equipment and Techniques computer video file that runs for about 19 minutes. It shows how to set up your palette, how to load artist brushes and a bit of colour mixing too.
Both these items are sent to you on a CD so there are no downloading worries.
This information will be available for the next month or two before I remove it.
Visit the link below to find out more.
http://www.geocities.com/cathcald
Friday, June 22, 2007
Using Texture Paste - an Acrylic Painting Technique
Use texture paste to add extra interest to your pictures.
Impasto Pictures
For impasto pictures it can be very cost effective to use texture paste rather than huge amounts of acrylic paint.
Texture paste is a white product. While you can add colour to the texture paste to colour it, a better way is to apply the white paste to the picture, let it dry and then add the colour over the dried paste. This technique uses a lot less colour too.
You would need to use a lot of paint to achieve a dark colour of texture paste!
Not Just Impasto Pictures
However, you can use texture paste in ‘normal’ paintings as well. I like to use it for things in the foreground and help to give more depth to the picture.
In the photos you can see where texture paste has been used in quite a subtle technique. I could have used straight paint for a similar result, but I find that using a palette knife and taking the paste from its jar–like container a lot easier. I think it gives a better result as well.
In this example I used the paste to add texture to different sections of the front edge of the stone pillar. This particular picture is painted using the acrylics in a watercolour style, but because I’m using acrylics it is possible to add this extra quality to the picture.
(This painting is “The Old Man of Hoy in the Sea Mist”. This stone stack is found in the Orkney Islands at the far north of the UK.)
Other Ideas
You could use this technique for bushes in the front of your landscape pictures. It is handy for stony foregrounds too.
Top Tip - When you paint over the dried paste add darker colours to the hollows to give added depth. A good effect for the minimum effort ;-)
This is a great technique for adding interest to your pictures.
For impasto pictures it can be very cost effective to use texture paste rather than huge amounts of acrylic paint.
Texture paste is a white product. While you can add colour to the texture paste to colour it, a better way is to apply the white paste to the picture, let it dry and then add the colour over the dried paste. This technique uses a lot less colour too.
You would need to use a lot of paint to achieve a dark colour of texture paste!
Not Just Impasto Pictures
However, you can use texture paste in ‘normal’ paintings as well. I like to use it for things in the foreground and help to give more depth to the picture.
In the photos you can see where texture paste has been used in quite a subtle technique. I could have used straight paint for a similar result, but I find that using a palette knife and taking the paste from its jar–like container a lot easier. I think it gives a better result as well.
In this example I used the paste to add texture to different sections of the front edge of the stone pillar. This particular picture is painted using the acrylics in a watercolour style, but because I’m using acrylics it is possible to add this extra quality to the picture.
(This painting is “The Old Man of Hoy in the Sea Mist”. This stone stack is found in the Orkney Islands at the far north of the UK.)
Other Ideas
You could use this technique for bushes in the front of your landscape pictures. It is handy for stony foregrounds too.
Top Tip - When you paint over the dried paste add darker colours to the hollows to give added depth. A good effect for the minimum effort ;-)
This is a great technique for adding interest to your pictures.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Top Tips for Painting with Acrylic Paints – Number 9
Using thick paint
Try applying acrylic paint thickly to get an effect similar to oil painting. Applying acrylic paints thickly will give a textural oil paint look.
Use it for foreground definition
The closer a part is to the foreground of the picture the more detail you can see. So put more detail in the sections in the foreground of your painting to help this illusion.
One way to do this is to use the paint thickly in the foreground of a picture for texture and increase the detail. The painting will look more interesting too.
Try applying acrylic paint thickly to get an effect similar to oil painting. Applying acrylic paints thickly will give a textural oil paint look.
Use it for foreground definition
The closer a part is to the foreground of the picture the more detail you can see. So put more detail in the sections in the foreground of your painting to help this illusion.
One way to do this is to use the paint thickly in the foreground of a picture for texture and increase the detail. The painting will look more interesting too.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Top Tips for Acrylic Painting – Number 8
Acrylic paints are very versatile. You can use them both in thin coats of colour or thickly depending on the result you want.
Water Colour Effects
Thin coats of acrylic paint can be used to give a watercolour look to a picture. The thin layers of paint will have the transparent quality of watercolours.
A point to remember when painting using transparent coats is the white acrylic paint is an opaque colour. To paint a pale colour do not add white to make it pale, instead add water to thin the colour and apply thin layers of paint.
On a white background the white of the painting surface will show through the colour making it appear paler.
Water Colour Effects
Thin coats of acrylic paint can be used to give a watercolour look to a picture. The thin layers of paint will have the transparent quality of watercolours.
A point to remember when painting using transparent coats is the white acrylic paint is an opaque colour. To paint a pale colour do not add white to make it pale, instead add water to thin the colour and apply thin layers of paint.
On a white background the white of the painting surface will show through the colour making it appear paler.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Top Tip for Acrylic Painting – Number 6
You can save yourself a lot of time and make painting even more enjoyable if you get into the habit of always placing your colours in the same order on your palette.
This is a simple technique and probably one of the best. When the colours are always positioned in the same area of your palette it makes setting out the paint colours a quick process.
During your painting session when you want to use a particular colour you know exactly where to find it on the palette. Otherwise you will be holding the paint brush over the palette as you search for the colour you want to use.
Painting is a calming hobby, use this tip and make your painting a pleasure.
This is a simple technique and probably one of the best. When the colours are always positioned in the same area of your palette it makes setting out the paint colours a quick process.
During your painting session when you want to use a particular colour you know exactly where to find it on the palette. Otherwise you will be holding the paint brush over the palette as you search for the colour you want to use.
Painting is a calming hobby, use this tip and make your painting a pleasure.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Top Tips for Acrylic Paints – Number 5
The fast drying of acrylic paints can mean that a lot of paint is wasted when it dries on your palette.
The way to avoid this is to use a Reservoir Palette. You can either buy or make up a reservoir palette. (Making your own palette is described in the Acrylic Painting Course.)
A reservoir palette has a damp reservoir topped with a paper palette for mixing the paints on. The reservoir keeps the paints damp and stops them from drying out during your painting session.
At the end of your painting session you cover the reservoir palette and the paints will stay wet. That means when you want to continue your painting you can still use the paints from the previous painting session that have been kept damp on the palette.
I find that the paints will keep well for a couple of weeks however I keep my palette in a cupboard in between uses. Don’t leave it out in the sunshine!
A reservoir palette is a good economy measure. Also any colours that you’ve mixed will still be useable when you go back to continue the painting.
The way to avoid this is to use a Reservoir Palette. You can either buy or make up a reservoir palette. (Making your own palette is described in the Acrylic Painting Course.)
A reservoir palette has a damp reservoir topped with a paper palette for mixing the paints on. The reservoir keeps the paints damp and stops them from drying out during your painting session.
At the end of your painting session you cover the reservoir palette and the paints will stay wet. That means when you want to continue your painting you can still use the paints from the previous painting session that have been kept damp on the palette.
I find that the paints will keep well for a couple of weeks however I keep my palette in a cupboard in between uses. Don’t leave it out in the sunshine!
A reservoir palette is a good economy measure. Also any colours that you’ve mixed will still be useable when you go back to continue the painting.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Top Tips for Acrylic Painting – Number 4
The Type of Brushes to Buy
Previous painting tips have mentioned that acrylic paints dry very quickly. If the paint dries on your brush it will ruin the brush and you’ll need to throw the brush away.
The way to avoid this problem is to keep your brushes wet during the painting session. This can be done by storing the brushes in a shallow container. An old ice cube container is ideal as it allows the brushes to be stored on their sides, which stops the brush tips from getting damaged or bent.
Fill the container with enough water to cover the brush tips. Rinse your brush and then store it in this container until you need to use it again.
Choose Nylon Brushes
Buy good quality nylon brushes. Good quality brushes give a better result and are less likely to shred.
Nylon brushes can be stored (on their sides) in water, but other types of brushes would be damaged by this treatment. In particular, sable brushes would not put up with this kind of treatment.
At the end of a painting session you can spend a bit of time and thoroughly clean the brushes before storing them. However I usually just leave them in the container of water until the next painting session, and that works too.
Previous painting tips have mentioned that acrylic paints dry very quickly. If the paint dries on your brush it will ruin the brush and you’ll need to throw the brush away.
The way to avoid this problem is to keep your brushes wet during the painting session. This can be done by storing the brushes in a shallow container. An old ice cube container is ideal as it allows the brushes to be stored on their sides, which stops the brush tips from getting damaged or bent.
Fill the container with enough water to cover the brush tips. Rinse your brush and then store it in this container until you need to use it again.
Choose Nylon Brushes
Buy good quality nylon brushes. Good quality brushes give a better result and are less likely to shred.
Nylon brushes can be stored (on their sides) in water, but other types of brushes would be damaged by this treatment. In particular, sable brushes would not put up with this kind of treatment.
At the end of a painting session you can spend a bit of time and thoroughly clean the brushes before storing them. However I usually just leave them in the container of water until the next painting session, and that works too.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Top Tips for Acrylic Painting – Number 3
Do NOT let the Paint Dry on the Brush
Acrylic paint dries very quickly and it is important not to let the paint dry on your brush.
If the acrylic paint does dry on the brush, the brush will be ruined. If this happens you will need to throw away the brush. This is really disappointing if it is a favourite artist’s brush, and can be expensive!
During a painting session rinse the brush and store the brush in a shallow tray of water, on its side to avoid damaging the tip. This way any residue of paint in the brush will be kept wet.
Give the brush, or brushes, a good clean at the end of the session.
Acrylic paint dries very quickly and it is important not to let the paint dry on your brush.
If the acrylic paint does dry on the brush, the brush will be ruined. If this happens you will need to throw away the brush. This is really disappointing if it is a favourite artist’s brush, and can be expensive!
During a painting session rinse the brush and store the brush in a shallow tray of water, on its side to avoid damaging the tip. This way any residue of paint in the brush will be kept wet.
Give the brush, or brushes, a good clean at the end of the session.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Top Tips for Acrylic Painting – Number 2
Cover surfaces and yourself!
Acrylic paints are water based, and the brushes are cleaned using water. However, once the paint is dry it forms an impermeable skin.
If some of the paint dries on your hand you will see that it looks like a thin layer of plastic.
Therefore when acrylic paints are dry they can be almost impossible to remove (depending on the surface).
If you are painting be sure to cover any important surfaces that you do not want to have marked with paint.
Acrylic paint will also stick to fabric so it is a good idea to wear painting clothes too!
Acrylic paints are water based, and the brushes are cleaned using water. However, once the paint is dry it forms an impermeable skin.
If some of the paint dries on your hand you will see that it looks like a thin layer of plastic.
Therefore when acrylic paints are dry they can be almost impossible to remove (depending on the surface).
If you are painting be sure to cover any important surfaces that you do not want to have marked with paint.
Acrylic paint will also stick to fabric so it is a good idea to wear painting clothes too!
Monday, November 06, 2006
Beginner’s Acrylic Painting - Paper Painting Surfaces
Paper Painting Surfaces – What You Need to Know
Have you ever gone in to buy some paper for painting and been overwhelmed by the choice? You would think it would be a simple thing to buy a sheet of paper, wouldn't you? Well, it can be if you know what the different choices mean and how it can affect your finished painting.
A Beginners Guide on Acrylic Painting Paper Surfaces
Manufacturers have created a whole range of paper products for the artist. So many choices that unless you know what some of the terms mean it can be very confusing.
When you want your painting to last for a long time always go for acid-free. This is the type of paper used in archives.
The next thing is the surface texture of the paper, whether you want a fine texture or rough. You may be asking “How do I know? I’m just beginning with acrylic paints and I want something to paint on!”
The texture you choose will depend on your style of painting and the kinds of paintings you like. If you like to have a lot of detail in your paintings you will need a smooth textured paper - in which case you want one that is ‘Hot Pressed’.
If you use a lot of watercolour (or watercolour style) washes then the paper you should choose will be ‘Not’. That means 'Not hot pressed'. It has a bit more texture than Hot pressed papers.
If you paint a lot of landscapes and/or like granulation (which happens when the colors separate while they dry) you will probably like using Cold pressed papers. These have the roughest texture.
Papers are sold in weights. This affects the thickness of the paper. Papers that are less than 300-lb or 640gsm (grams per square metre) will need to be stretched before painting. If you don’t stretch the paper it will buckle when wet making painting difficult and the paint will dry in the hollows giving a disappointing result.
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Painting Tip
Stretching paper needs to be done in advance and the paper allowed to dry before you use it. You will need a clean drawing board, some 1½ inch wide gum strip, and water to soak the paper in (the bath is handy for this).
Soak the paper in the water until it is saturated, this will take less than a minute. Place the paper onto the board and smooth it out from the centre to the edges.
Cut pieces of gum strip to fit the length and the width of the paper, plus a couple of inches. Dampen the gum strip and use it to stick the longer edges of the paper to the board, and then do the shorter edges. Smooth out the paper and the gum strip and leave it to dry naturally and on the horizontal. Do not place it near a heater!
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If you just want to paint without needing to prepare the paper, there are pads of ready stretched paper that save you having to do this yourself. These pads have the paper glued around the edges and you paint on the top of the pad. Once you've finished the painting and it is completely dry, a knife is inserted at one of the edges and moved around the sides to cut through the glue and free the top layer.
It is a good investment to buy good quality paper. It is much easier to use which is important when beginning with acrylic paints, and gives a better result.
Next time you need to buy paper think about how you like to paint, and it will be much easier to decide on the type of paper to buy.
Look out for other Beginners Acrylic Painting articles on buying the rest of your painting supplies – palette and brushes, and acrylic paints.
Visit my website to find out How to Acrylic Paint.
http://www.LearnAndDo.com
The Acrylic Painting Course is the step-by-step way to learn how to paint. Quick and Easy!
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Beginners Acrylic Painting - Need to Know What Paint to Buy?
This article looks at buying acrylic paints. Often you need to choose whether you want Standard or Flow Formula paints. This article discusses their properties.
Do not worry about this too much, just buy what you have available locally. There are always acrylic mediums that can be added to make the paint thinner or thicker depending on what you want.
However if you have the choice this is what it means.
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Beginners Acrylic Painting
Need to Know What Paint to Buy?
When you go in to buy acrylic paint it is easy to get confused. There is a huge range and knowing which paints to buy can be difficult.
Here are a few tips to make your choice a bit easier.
The key thing with acrylic paint is that it dries very quickly which can a blessing when you are ready to tidy away. Or a curse if you do not know how quickly it dries and it ruins your brush!
Acrylic paints generally come in tubes of either Standard Formula or Flow Formula. The Standard Formula is thicker and more suitable for oil painting techniques and using a painting knife. The thicker paint can be built up for impasto work where very thick layers of paint give a three dimensional result.
Flow Formula is a thinner paint and is more suitable for brush work and watercolor techniques. It takes a little longer to dry, than the Standard Formula.
However if you want a longer drying time you can add a retarder medium to the paint, and this slows down the drying time and allows the paint to be worked, this is handy for complicated areas.
Paint Smart!
Acrylic paints are water soluble but when it dries on your hand you will see that it looks like a thin layer of colored plastic. This means that once the paint is dry it is almost impossible to remove it from clothes or furnishings. I always paint on top of old newspaper.
Be sure to always replace the top back on the tube of paint. Otherwise the paint will dry in the tube; this is annoying and a waste of money! (If this happens you can cut off the bottom of the tube and get some paint out that way, but most of the tube will be dried out.)
Starter Packs
Acrylic paints often come in Starter Packs and these can be very good value. They are usually cheaper than buying the tubes individually.
When you are buying your first set of paints I would recommend buying a starter pack which will give you a range of colors at a good price. If you decide you would rather buy individual colors check out my other articles for tips on the best colors to buy.
Standard or Flow?
Given a choice I would buy Standard Formula ones. If you find you like to paint with a brush then you can add a little water to thin the paint for this purpose. However if you decide you like to paint in a thicker style you have the correct paint already.
But don't worry - with acrylic paints you can add a gel medium to Flow Formula to give it more body. Acrylics really are very versatile!
Do not worry about this too much, just buy what you have available locally. There are always acrylic mediums that can be added to make the paint thinner or thicker depending on what you want.
However if you have the choice this is what it means.
**********
Beginners Acrylic Painting
Need to Know What Paint to Buy?
When you go in to buy acrylic paint it is easy to get confused. There is a huge range and knowing which paints to buy can be difficult.
Here are a few tips to make your choice a bit easier.
The key thing with acrylic paint is that it dries very quickly which can a blessing when you are ready to tidy away. Or a curse if you do not know how quickly it dries and it ruins your brush!
Acrylic paints generally come in tubes of either Standard Formula or Flow Formula. The Standard Formula is thicker and more suitable for oil painting techniques and using a painting knife. The thicker paint can be built up for impasto work where very thick layers of paint give a three dimensional result.
Flow Formula is a thinner paint and is more suitable for brush work and watercolor techniques. It takes a little longer to dry, than the Standard Formula.
However if you want a longer drying time you can add a retarder medium to the paint, and this slows down the drying time and allows the paint to be worked, this is handy for complicated areas.
Paint Smart!
Acrylic paints are water soluble but when it dries on your hand you will see that it looks like a thin layer of colored plastic. This means that once the paint is dry it is almost impossible to remove it from clothes or furnishings. I always paint on top of old newspaper.
Be sure to always replace the top back on the tube of paint. Otherwise the paint will dry in the tube; this is annoying and a waste of money! (If this happens you can cut off the bottom of the tube and get some paint out that way, but most of the tube will be dried out.)
Starter Packs
Acrylic paints often come in Starter Packs and these can be very good value. They are usually cheaper than buying the tubes individually.
When you are buying your first set of paints I would recommend buying a starter pack which will give you a range of colors at a good price. If you decide you would rather buy individual colors check out my other articles for tips on the best colors to buy.
Standard or Flow?
Given a choice I would buy Standard Formula ones. If you find you like to paint with a brush then you can add a little water to thin the paint for this purpose. However if you decide you like to paint in a thicker style you have the correct paint already.
But don't worry - with acrylic paints you can add a gel medium to Flow Formula to give it more body. Acrylics really are very versatile!
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Beginners Acrylic Painting - What Palette Do I Need?
What Palette is the Best Choice?
Have you gone into a store to buy some painting equipment and found that the range is huge?
“I’m just beginning with acrylic paints and I only want to buy something to put the paint on!”
Don't despair ;-) Here's the information you need to make the whole shopping trip easier.
The key thing with acrylic paint is that it dries very quickly which can a blessing when you are ready to tidy away. Or a curse if you don't know how quickly it dries and it ruins your brush!
When the paint dries it is impossible to remove it from clothing, surfaces and brushes. So cover yourself with 'painting clothes' and be sure to clean your brushes before the paint dries on them. Once you have the right equipment this isn’t a problem.
Acrylic Paint Palette
Beginners to acrylic painting should either buy or make a reservoir palette. This is a palette with a damp reservoir with a disposable paper on top of it. You mix the colors on the paper. This means that the paint on the paper remains damp and ready to use.
A 'store-bought' reservoir palette often has a separate section for brushes. Usually the brushes will be placed on their sides with the tips of the brushes in some water to stop the paint drying on the brush. There is a cover for the palette that keeps the moisture in and makes sure that the paint doesn't dry out. It’s all laid out in a nice tidy container.
If you feel that you don’t want to spend money on something when you’re just beginning with acrylic paints there is another choice.
Make your own
You can make up your own version of this using a flat dish or tray with a low edge. Place a few layers of blotting paper or a layer of capillary matting (often used in greenhouses to keep the plants damp) in the bottom for the reservoir.
Cover this reservoir with tracing or greaseproof paper. This paper is used as your palette. This is where you will place the paints when you're using them and mix them on top of this paper too.
Keep the reservoir moist - not too wet - and the paints will not dry out. It is important that in between painting sessions you cover your palette to keep the moisture in. A large plastic bag that is big enough to hold the whole palette is ideal.
The rest of your acrylic painting equipment
The rest of your acrylic painting equipment will be discussed in other Beginners Acrylic Painting articles. Happy painting!
Thursday, September 14, 2006
I’m Ready to Paint – Where do I Start?
OK - you have paints, brushes, palette, a painting surface and some water but where do you start?
Every painter has their own process, but I like to start at the back of the picture and work forward. In other words I start by painting the background and things that are furthest away and then work forward from there.
I paint a lot of landscapes and seascapes and it makes sense to start at the farthest away area. Usually this means starting with the sky. Then the distant land areas, middle distance land, and finally the foreground area.
Painting in this order means that the areas that are closer can overlap the further away areas and this helps to ‘push them back’. This helps to give depth to the painting.
In the Acrylic Painting Course we look at all the ways to give depth to a painting, for example having the most detail in the foreground. However working ‘from the back’ is a good method that helps to achieve this too.
Or all at once?
Some painters prefer to work the entire picture at the same time. This helps them to get the balance between the different areas right as the painting progresses.
This ‘all at once’ method is used when painting the portrait in the Acrylic Painting Course. I think it is the best way of working when painting portraits, animal pictures and some still life scenes.
Learning to Paint
However when you are just learning to paint it can be a bit overwhelming to have to think about the whole of the picture. It is easier to just concentrate on the one area you are painting at the time.
Also with acrylic paints it is fairly easy to go back and add some extra color when you want to get the balance of a painting ‘just right’. In watercolors this would be more of a problem.
The best way is probably to try both methods and see which one you prefer!
Every painter has their own process, but I like to start at the back of the picture and work forward. In other words I start by painting the background and things that are furthest away and then work forward from there.
I paint a lot of landscapes and seascapes and it makes sense to start at the farthest away area. Usually this means starting with the sky. Then the distant land areas, middle distance land, and finally the foreground area.
Painting in this order means that the areas that are closer can overlap the further away areas and this helps to ‘push them back’. This helps to give depth to the painting.
In the Acrylic Painting Course we look at all the ways to give depth to a painting, for example having the most detail in the foreground. However working ‘from the back’ is a good method that helps to achieve this too.
Or all at once?
Some painters prefer to work the entire picture at the same time. This helps them to get the balance between the different areas right as the painting progresses.
This ‘all at once’ method is used when painting the portrait in the Acrylic Painting Course. I think it is the best way of working when painting portraits, animal pictures and some still life scenes.
Learning to Paint
However when you are just learning to paint it can be a bit overwhelming to have to think about the whole of the picture. It is easier to just concentrate on the one area you are painting at the time.
Also with acrylic paints it is fairly easy to go back and add some extra color when you want to get the balance of a painting ‘just right’. In watercolors this would be more of a problem.
The best way is probably to try both methods and see which one you prefer!
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