When first starting out with acrylic painting, it can seem a little overwhelming. Although there are some lucky people who are instantly good at whatever they try, it is very likely that you will have some trouble when first starting out with acrylic paints. It is important not to give up, just because you aren’t good at it right away doesn’t mean you won’t be in the future. It can be frustrating at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s very rewarding and satisfying. Here are some tips for those of you who are just beginning.
Paintbrushes
Obviously, paintbrushes are important. There are brushes made specifically for acrylic paints, and there are some that say that they can be used with any type of paint. It is best to go with the ones made for acrylic, although the others will most likely be cheaper. Since you are just beginning, don’t buy the expensive ones right away. Look for the brushes that come in a packet and look for the packets that have the biggest variety of brushes. Make sure you have small, medium, and large sizes as well as square and round brushes.
Paints
When first beginning, don’t buy top quality paints because you don’t want to spend money on something that you’re not sure you’re going to like. Although you don’t want to buy the most expensive paints, you don’t want to buy the cheapest ones either. The quality of cheap acrylic paints reflect their price. For those who are beginning, cheap paints may be more difficult to work with and produce a piece that is unsatisfactory, causing the artist to give up. Do some research first, look online for reviews of acrylic paint brands to make sure you are getting something you can work with.
Sketches
Getting the images out of your head can be tough for some artists, especially when working with a new media. To help with this, sketch what you want to paint before doing any actual painting. After some practice, most artists are able to skip this step and go straight to the painting ,but when first starting out, it is a very helpful step. A simple sketch is all that is necessary, you do not need to pencil in every little detail.
Technique
There are many different techniques that you can learn from books, but reading won’t get you very far with art. Before you even start doing any drawings, spend some time familiarizing yourself with the brushes and the paints. Get a blank piece of paper and draw some lines and some shapes, try the different angles of the brushes, mix the colors together, just take some time to figure out what works best for you. There is no one right way to paint with acrylics, you may find people who use completely different techniques, but it works for them and that’s all that matters.
Blending
When it comes to mixing acrylics, be careful! Do not put huge drops of paint and mix it with another huge drop of paint. First take a base color, usually they are the primaries, like blue, red, and yellow, and mix in only a little drop of the other paint color. If you need more, you can add more, but if you put too much, you can’t take it back. Also, be very careful with the black, it goes a long way.