Easy Acrylic Painting
Many people have the experience of coming back from a museum and suddenly realizing that they want to learn oil
painting. They see the great classics and dream about one day being able to create such a work of their own. Although this is a noble
dream, indeed, don't run out and by any oil paints just yet! Acrylic paintings are a much easier place to start. The acrylic painting method is
easier, mainly because the paints are easier to work with. They dry more quickly, are less fussy, and blend more easily. Don't get me
wrong – oil is still king, and for a master painter, oil paintings are the end all and be all, in general. Nonetheless, acrylic painting can hold
its own, and some of the most beautiful works I have ever seen were done in acrylics.
In my opinion, one of the biggest mistakes that many people make with acrylic paints is that they think that they
can learn it all on their own. While this may be true, at least to some extent, with water color painting, it's not quite so
simple with acrylics. Although you can learn acrylic painting independently, I would recommend against it. At the very least, you should invest
in a good instructional how to paint video, many of which are available on the web. Or check out Lee Hammond's wonderful Acrylic
Painting with Lee Hammond books. Of course, if you can swing it, an even better option is to sign up for personalized acrylic painting
instruction.
You see, acrylic paint techniques are much more complicated than anything you have probably already done. Not
only do you have to worry about mixing colors, but you also have to get the paint to the right consistency. Acrylic painting supplies are
expensive, so unless you wants to buy the cheap, low quality stuff, you should try to conserve them as well as you can. That is why a good art
class is generally the preferred way to go.
Once you become a bit more familiar with acrylic paints, you will realize how many things that you can do with them
that you could never do before. Acrylic painting not only allows you to give additional depth to your picture, but it opens entire new
worlds of texture. The style of strokes you use, the color composition you employ, and all the rest of it go in to making your acrylic painting
what it is.
As with anything else, in order to do this stuff right, however, you need to study. Many people don't
realize it, but a big part of any art is in the planning. By the time you get to the execution, you have already sketched out the layout for
your whole picture. In your acrylic paint class, not only will you learn how to work with brushes, but you will also learn how to visualize a
picture before starting it. For any artist, this is the most important skill.
Acrylic Painting
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