Acrylic Paints: A Great Medium for Beginners and Professionals

The 1950s was the decade in which acrylic paint first became available on a commercial basis. This innovative original paint and the techniques that developed from it gave rise to new forms of art being produced. This medium aided artists in producing work at a much faster rate and made artists like Andy Warhol for instance, rise to fame, with his outlandish new style known as 'pop art'. In contrast others were hesitant to utilise this new form of painting given that acrylic paints have very unique qualities that are quite different from say oil or watercolour paints.

Acrylic paints have a reduced drying time in comparison to other mediums making it popular amongst professionals and beginners alike. With mediums like oil paints, a large painting can actually take a few weeks to dry. They became popular given that you'd have a dry piece of artwork within 24 hours. For people experimenting with art this was a great quality. Acrylic paints are also resistant to water damage when they are fully dry. In the preservation of artwork this is a great quality, they don't have the tendency to fade and crack like other mediums. The only disadvantage with this really, is the fact that alterations cannot be made easily once the painting is dry.

Acrylic paints are nowadays widely available at any art suppliers that specialise in art materials. They are also very reasonably priced, and of course like anything you pay more for quality. If you are a beginner acrylic paint sets are available which cater for basic acrylic artwork and often come in a range of colours. The more professional artist will know what they want and will probably already have a brand in mind.

Another great quality is that the paint itself may be thinned by using water, in contrast to the turpentine and other toxins you may use with oil paints. This means brush cleaning is very simple and much less time consuming. This medium lends itself to many techniques, so if you are a budding artist it gives you the time to explore different techniques to find out what works well for you. Acrylic paints are great for block colour and work very well on canvas. Stencilling and simple designs are popular amongst beginners as you can often achieve successful results right away. Acrylic paints also adhere to qualities of watercolour and oil paint. They can be manipulated in similar ways so are a good starting point if you have just developed an interest in painting. They have a unique finish and if you do use them you will soon realise why they became such a popular paint. Of course, it comes down to preference in the end, so definitely experiment with the medium and find a style that suits you.

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Oil Painting for Beginners: A Comprehensive Guide

If you are thinking of starting your own canvas, then presumably you are of an artistic bent of mind, with "finer" sensibilities. It would help if you had a basic background in drawing. This is important, as drawing is the base on which most fine art functions. It helps in making the hand steady, and gives symmetry and beauty to your work of art.

The first step to beginning an oil painting is to purchase a canvas, which is available at any art supply store. Make sure the size is not too big to start with: a half metre by half metre size should be good for your first project. Of course, this is entirely your own choice. If you are confident that your first attempt will be worth framing and putting up, go for a bigger size canvas. Canvases are available as mounted on wooden frames or are available on a flat stretched board. I would advise against buying canvas material and preparing the surface yourself, as this is a time-consuming exercise.

Also on the list of must-haves is a set of oil paints (available in tubes), brushes comprising mostly flat brushes: sizes 12, 8, 6; round brushes of sizes 1, 0, 00 and 000 (single, double and triple zero sizes). You will need linseed oil as the medium for your oil painting, and turpentine to clean your brushes. Keep a handy rag by your side, to wipe excess paint and oil spillages.

Place your canvas on a easel or a flat table. Take care to have some old newspaper at hand; oil painting can be a messy affair, especially for those who are new to the field. Start your drawing on the canvas with a normal pencil. Pencil marks do not rub out easily, so make sure that your lines are more or less perfect at the start. The subject of your drawing may be something abstract, original, or of a painting that you liked and would like to possess yourself.

The first thing to do before you begin actually painting is, to spread a colour pallete before yourself. Take a bit of white, blue, and the rest of the shades from your box. This way you will be able to use colours freely. Begin by squinting at the painting you are copying from. Try blocking out the main colours that you see, and fill in those colours with a free hand. At this point, do not worry about the finer aspects of the painting. After the first layer of colour, it is acceptable to leave the painting to dry out. If you still want to go ahead, then take care and continue. Each layer that you do of the painting will enhance it. As oil painting has a greater advantage over water colours in that you may take your own time over it, and do it over a period of time, plus, you can modify any mistake easily.

A great fact about art is that one need not worry about the "results" of your artistic endeavour. Painting brings out the creative side of you, so unless you are aiming at an extremely realistic painting, like a portrait or an animal close-up, then do not worry about what the world will have to say about your work. Try out different genres: still life, abstract, flowers, landscapes, etc. Over time, you will discover your confidence level rising and your paintings getting better and better. The main thing to possess is perseverance and patience. No one is born a great master. Even the Great Masters had to struggle over long periods of time to get to where they are placed today.

As your painting progresses, you will keep noticing new details, and this will add to the depth of your work. Keep the linseed usage as low as you can: as a rule, the use of linseed oil will increase as the lines keep getting finer. Do remember to wash your brushes well after use, or else they will become brittle and unusable.

It is not impossible to become a good, self-taught artist. Do try to take out time to develop this wonderful hobby. The rewards are immeasurable, and give pleasure beyond words.

This article is an original one. The contents have been garnered from various sources, online, books and real life experiences. In case the reader wishes to add any new dimension to this, I would welcome it. http://littlemissmuffet19641964.spaces.live.com/

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Nude Sketching: A Beginner's Account

I am a beginner in nude sketching. This is my daunting account of my first experience in this endeavor.

I was late for class that day so I hurriedly climbed two flights of stairs to catch a seat in the gallery room jam-packed with wannabe artists. My mentor motioned me to the vacant seat in the front row down the gallery, so I obliged. When I reached my seat, I sat still for a while to catch my breath and prepare my drawing materials. I hardly noticed the glaring lights and the figure at the center of the gallery which appeared so negligible given the huge size of the room. I assumed the figure was the subject of the day's sketching lesson. As I raised my head to take a look at it, my jaw dropped.

Lo and behold! A live nude model was standing in all her naked glory. I thought it was a big leap from our previous "still life" session. I was quite tense so my charcoal pencils kept on dropping to the floor. My heart was thumping while trying to capture a proportional perspective of her nude figure. Since the seats were arranged in a circle, I got the rear view of her figure.

Generally speaking, I think it is easier to draw the rear view than the frontal view. The rear view has lesser details even if the quality of tone in the back muscles needs some extra work. Besides, I personally think the rear view leaves much to the aesthetic imagination, and is therefore, more interesting.

The nude model did pretty well in her stationary position, only taking a break for 10 minutes to stretch and walk around in her panties. Ah, the boys loved it while the girls were apathetic (or tried to be). The session lasted for almost an hour. At the end of the session, we gave the model a round of applause before she headed straight to the dressing room.

The next day, we had a male nude model for our subject but I think I did better in the female form. There's a great difference between drawing male and female nudes. In the female body, you draw a series of curves because the muscles are usually hidden by 80% fat. In the male body, there is a change of technique because the muscles are more defined.

I did not pursue nude sketching after these few sessions. I think it's one of the most difficult types of sketching to attempt. You can get away with drawing landscapes like trees, mountains and rivers because nobody knows how it looks in particular. But if you do a human figure incorrectly, everyone knows if there's something wrong with it, even those who know nothing about art. It's a similar case with portrait sketching which I also tried for some time using charcoal. I also discovered pastel painting which is my favorite medium because it is not so messy and wet as in watercolor or oil.

I am glad to have tried my hand at nude sketching. I know I still have a lot to improve on. The human body is an awesome art form that reflects our Creator's sublime ingenuity. Life drawing, particularly the nude form, is an artist's fitting gesture of appreciation and gratitude for this wonderful creation.

See more of Likha's works and read about them in My Fan, My Portrait Sketch and My Eyes, My Love Stories

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Watercolor Painting Techniques - For the Beginners

Watercolor painting is of great fun. Kids just love to paint applying watercolor because it provides them with the best amusement. If you are the one who is not aware of watercolor painting, you should learn the right procedure. It is not a tough task but will need lot of patience to imply the art properly. Beginners might think it to be creepy and daunting, but once you learn the procedure everything will become easy.

Before we start, you should know that three basic things are required for this form of painting. They are painting brush, color and water.

The most important thing that you should know which shape and size of the brush is required. Choosing the right brush kind of matters a lot. For bigger and full painting, thick blending brush will be the perfect choice. Shape of the brush can be round, flat or filbert. Holding the brush in the correct manner will end up in good painting.Handling the brush in the right way is necessary. If you are not able to handle the brush properly, you can't expect good painting. Do not hold the brush tightly. Clutch the brush as you handle a pen or a pencil. You can either control it easily or can pinch the brush on the paper.If you want to learn the technique properly, practicing various types of effects will help you a lot to master the art. Beginners should start with flat wash, graded wash, and glazed wash. After you become master of these techniques, apply the advanced ones like splattering and spray textures or alcohol textures. Before mastering the art, do not try to apply those advanced methods.You should be well aware of the amount of water to be mixed with the color to get the exact effect you want. Wet painting involves high use of water and on the other hand dry painting needs less use of water.To increase the durability of colors, you can make use of additives like glycerin or honey. To improve the texture of colors, solvents can also be added. If you are looking for latest water-color paints accessible in the market, opt for the fugitive and non-fugitive paint colors.

Some safety tips for the beginners:- Before you start with painting, arrange each and everything properly. Place the water bowl a bit away from the painting paper. Most importantly, before applying a new color, make sure that you have wash the brush properly.

Steve Takajo is not only a writer but is also a painter. Beginners can learn more on oil painting techniques and painting techniques for walls, by visiting his website. Please have a look!

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