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In the beginning there is an important decision: Do I want to paint with watercolor paint or oil paint, with acrylic paint, gouache or tempera paint? And what's the difference?
If you've never held a brush in your hand - except at school - you betterdon't start with oil paint. The paints are relatively expensive and unhealthy. Together with the solvents required to work with them, they smell so bad that oil paints should generally only be used in very well-ventilated large areas or outdoors.
All other paints mentioned above can be diluted with water. Tempera and gouache colours can be applied opaquely, but with watercolor the painting ground always shines through. In watercolor painting, white areas should be left out. This is quite a complicated matter, especially for beginners.
We personally recommend acrylic paint for beginners. Acrylic paint is very easyin use and can be applied in many ways. You can layer the paint as you would with oil paint, or you can glaze it as you would with a watercolor.
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The possibilities that acrylic paint offers are almost limitless.
AlthoughAlthough we own just about everything an artist could wish for, from a small watercolor paint box to an oil painting set, we still prefer to work with acrylic paint. The short drying times are often an advantage. In addition, older layers of paint cannot be removed by water and can therefore be repainted over and over again.
Cheap vs. artist quality
You can paint acrylic paint roughly or create detailed images with it. Everything is possible. In practice, it is important, even as a beginner, to pay attention to optimal quality when choosing colours. Acrylic paint is available in inexpensive study quality and in artist quality. The more expensive painter's acrylic paints have a high pigment content and are characterized by more brilliant colours and excellent hiding power. Anyone who cuts back on this point will probably be disappointed. In addition, with cheap acrylic paint you will use significantly more paint.
Choosing the right brushes
Once youOnce you have cleared up the subject of paint for yourself, you still need a few good brushes. Many brushes are made from animal hair. From cow's ear hair to pig's hair to squirrel tail.
Tip: When Paint by Numbers, only synthetic hair is used.
Three hairs are not casually removed from the animals. The material for the brushes comes from fur farms or slaughterhouses, even if it is "only" as residual material or slaughter by-product.
However, the production of synthetic fibers has made enormous progress in recent years (fortunately). For startersfive to ten flat and round brushes in different sizes are sufficient.
To enjoy your brushes for a long time, you must take good care of them! After painting, all brushes should be cleaned and put back into shape. They should hang to dry and NEVER stand in the pot with the hairs pointing downwards.
The optimal painting surface
Once you know what you want to paint, the only question is how you want to paint. Painting cardboard, canvases and wooden planks are all available.
Other accessories for painting
Besides paint, brushes and a suitable surface, all you really need is a glass of water and a cloth to wash and dry the brushes, as well as an old plate, an old cutting board or a mixing palette to mix the colours.
Make sure you wear old clothes or a smock when you paint. Acrylic paint cannot be removed from fabric once it has dried.
If you like painting, you can buy an easel. For smaller works a small table easel is sufficient, for example an academy easel is suitable for large canvases.
Tips for beginners
Being heresome extra tips for beginners:
- Experiment with techniques: Try different techniques such as wet-on-wet, dry brush and splashing to see what effects you can achieve.
- Use mediums: Acrylic paint can be mixed with different mediums to add texture, shine or transparency to your work. Experiment with gel mediums, glosses and structure pastes.
- Work in layers: Acrylic paint dries quickly, making it easy to work in layers. Start with an underlayer and build up your painting with several layers of paintdepth and detail.
- Keep your workspace clean: An organized workspace can help you work more efficiently and prevent you from mixing up colours.
- Keep practicing: As with any skill, with painting practice makes perfect. Keep experimenting and practicing to improve your technique.
With these tips you are well prepared to get started with acrylic paint. Have fun painting!
