6 Things You Need To Know About...
Painting
1. Picking Your Paint
The first step on starting your hobby or even career involving painting is to, pick what type of paint you use. Shocking right? Well, you have many different options to choose from and each of those options comes with a set of both pros and cons. Water color and Acrylic, dry faster than oil and pastel, but they can be difficult to blend for the same reasons, if doing a larger piece. If you have just started painting with no background besides finger painting, than I would start with Acrylic as it just takes water to clean up and moves better than water color or the other two options (Art-Is-Fun)
2. Proper Canvas For The Proper Paint
Now that you have your paint, you'll need something to paint on. Canvas will effect how your end piece will end up looking, as weird as it may sound. Its more of a preference than anything, but it is recommended to use the proper canvas for a certain kind of paint.Going Acrylic, Oil, or Pastel? I would recommend something that has a little more grip and isn't as smooth, such as an actual canvas, canvas paper, or canvas board. If you're going Water color, then something smoother that isn't as flimsy is recommended or else the different paints might warp your painting in an undesirable way.
3. Brush Selection
Always use the brush meant for the paint you are planning to use and always have a different array of choice between size, softness, hardness, or even thickness. Using a hard and bristled brush such as those used for Pastel or Acrylic for watercolor might create affects like streaking that can really tick you off if you have a specific idea. Remember to use the right sized brushes for different tasks, smaller for detail and bigger for filing in a larger area.
4. Sketch First, Paint Later
Never just jump straight into a painting and think it's going to come out a masterpiece with no imperfections because chances are It wont come out perfect. Before you even think about painting, you need to sketch out your design on or in a sketch book, not a canvas because you might want to change a few things down the road. After you're certain that it's what you want, use a charcoal pencil and lay it out on a canvas. It'll save you a world of trouble later.
5. Take Your Time or You Might Set It On Fire
It's important that you go slow and take your time planning out and eventually painting piece. If you rush it you'll get frustrated and might never finish it. Pay attention to detail and carefully plan out where you're going to paint and when you're going to paint it. Its a lot of work, but in the end it'll be worth it.
6. Also Remember...
Make sure all your brushes are thoroughly cleaned before and after each time you paint or else you might get unwanted colors on your painting. It's better to pre mix colors you know you're going to need before you actually paint as it takes more time during painting and you'll better know what colors are going where. It's also better to paint when you're not frustrated or jittery when you continue a painting as you might end doing something you regret.
Works Cited
"Background Painting, First or Last? [Archive] - WetCanvas." Background Painting, First or Last? [Archive] - WetCanvas. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 May 2016.
Collins, Peter. "Lance Armstrong: A Career in 39 Quotes | Cyclingnews.com." Cyclingnews.com. N.p., 26 Oct. 2010. Web. 03 May 2016.
McArdle, Thaneeya. "Learn How to Draw and How to Paint the Fun Way." Art Is Fun. Thaneeya McArdle, 2008. Web. 05 May 2016.
Weizel, Richard. "A Dangerous Sport?" The New York Times. The New York Times, 26 May 2001. Web. 03 May 2016.
"WetCanvas: Online Living for Artists." WetCanvas: Online Living for Artists. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2016.