Acrylic Paint Help
Hi, I just joined this community(disrupting the 888 members unfortunately which also happens to be my angel number lol). I was wondering if anyone had any tips for working for acrylic paint? I just bought some and I don't know how to use it, like what paper and stuff like that.
@syrupyPancake5775 well you can say your angel number guided you to this community*-* and maybe you helped move the number forward to someone else's angel number^^
I usually use acrylic with cotton canvas, works well :) Haven't tried on paper yet. What do you usually paint with ?
@BlueDarkAurora
Thanks for answering, I don't really paint with anything, this is my first time!
@syrupyPancake5775 cool :) hope you enjoy the process and learn new stuff.
@syrupyPancake5775 You could paint on any paper as long as it's thick enough and preferably taped down to an easel using painter's tape- bristol board paper is my go to, but acrylic pads are another good option. You can paint in mixed media sketchbooks and in watercolor sketchbooks too, if you are working smaller. As you are playing with your paint, try to figure out which brushes you like the best- are you someone who reaches for square or round tip more often? Try mixing your paint to make different colors- it might be useful to make your own color wheel to practice understanding color theory and teach yourself the basics of what color mixes well with what and how to make colors duller or more vibrant (like mixing complementary colors gives you a dull color you can use in shadows but having unmixed complementary colors side by side will give you vibrant color schemes). Play around with how you can layer paint on top of paint to create a 3D look or how you can create a textured look with a drier brush. I could just go on and on lol. Acrylic is definitely fun. I wish you the best!
@determinedSea4370 I forgot to mention- gesso is your friend! You'll get better results if you use gesso to prime your surfaces before you paint. You can gesso your own stretched canvases, store-bought canvases, paper. Also know that once you become more comfortable with using acrylics that there is a world of acrylic mediums to explore. One last thing- if you find that keeping your acrylics from drying out is hard, try spraying your palette of paint with water and covering it with plastic or foil to trap the moisture. Another option is to use Golden acrylics- these are a little pricier, but they don't dry as quickly. There's still so much I could tell you about acrylics, but I need to shut up and go to bed lol.
@determinedSea4370 Love the tips you have shared. I also use mediums that one tiny drop mixed with the paint can change the drying time so that it can be worked longer, especially in the summer when things dry out faster.
I find cotton is too expensive for acrylic paints unless I am painting a masterpiece for someone else. So a good mix with a nice fine texture works for me. Stretched canvas is lovely to work with but also I have had good results with just MDF board Gessoed first like you say and that coat allowed to dry overnight and then paint away the next day :)
@syrupyPancake5775 How are you getting on? Can you share a painting or two here?
@MistyMagic Since I started teaching art this school year I haven't done any art for myself lol but if I muster the energy I'd love to paint something and post it here!