What are some tips for first time painters?
I have always been interested in taking up painting as a hobby. I love art but have never attempted to paint it (or draw). I bought some canvas today along with acrylic paints, a pallet, an easel, and a variety of brushes. What are some starter tips? I have no plans to be the next Picasso but I don’t want my painting to look like my 2 year old did it. I enjoy paintings such as these ones. How hard do you think something like this would be for a virgin like myself?
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14 Answers
If you hear a voice within you say
‘you cannot paint’
Then by all means paint,
And that voice will be silenced.
-Vincent Van Gogh
If you want to paint, paint. Acrylics are great, versatile. I’m a beginner painter myself. It keeps me sane. Just enjoy what you’re doing and you can’t go wrong.
My own personal motto;
‘If you felt it, sign it.’
Meaning if I put myself into the work, it’s served its purpose, and gets to be called art.
Probably you should do some practice drawings (be aware of the contrast between high-lights & shadows). Acrylic paints is a great medium, it is much easier to control than oil paints. If something inspires you to try to paint, by all means, try to paint the thing that inspires you. I am an artist, but I always find things that I could have done better in my finished paintings. Painting is a constantly evolving learning experience & it is very satisfying.
I am not an experienced painter (I dabble, and that’s fun!), but I know a few very proficient painters personally, and I enjoy examining paintings closely to see if I can figure out ‘how did they do that?’.
(In NYC we have a lot of opportunity to see famous paintings in person.)
The example abstract paintings on your link have a look that can be harder to make with acrylics than oils. Painters I know who make that sort of painting work the oils in layers and the oil paint naturally blends over time as it sets. This gives some incredible depth and layering to the final product. Layers of acrylic do not naturally blend.
One painter I know works with all the kinds of paint and pastel she can get her hands on and has recently done some terrific work in acrylics. She manages to mimic some of that oil paint behaviour by working transparent medium into her acrylic paint on the palette before applying to canvas with the brush.
When I took up painting, I was advised to get the most expensive brushes that I could afford, and save by (at least in the beginning) using cheaper paints. You cannot paint well with bad brushes, no matter how skilled you are.
Start with acrylics. They’re versatile, easy to begin with, less mess than oil and more forgiving to a beginner than watercolour.
Here’s a good book about how to paint with acrylics Here
You always start with the five elements of shading. How do you make a lemon look round and real on a two-dimentional piece of paper? It’s surprisingly easy.
A local judge started off painting landscapes. He said they were more forgiving than portraits, because no one knew what he was painting. Then when he got skilled he tried portraits.
I stick with landscapes because I’m hopeless at drawing faces.
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@austinclarke13 Great tips! Thank you! And here is my second painting if anyone is interested in checking it out. Be gentle! It’s only the second time I have picked up a paintbrush in my life! :)
How fun! I love naked trees. It’s a great way to play with light.
More so than in drawing, the basis of a successful painting lies in the creation of illusion: the illusion of volume, the illusion of distance and space, the illusion of light, and even the illusion of color itself.”
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