Thursday, February 18, 2010

How do I paint with acrylics? Do i use a brush, sponge?....?

I paint with watercolors A LOT. But, now i am trying to paint more modern/not child like pictures. However, I'm not exactly sure how to use the acrylics.How do I paint with acrylics? Do i use a brush, sponge?....?
Well, the first thing to think about is why you think watercolors are childlike. Chances are you think about the crappy brushes they give little kids and the cheap colors you paint smiley face suns with in kindergarten. But there is a lot more to watercolors. If you like the medium, you should buy a few nice brushes and a good paint set and try a more refined approach. You can really do a lot with some practice and a good set.





With acrylics, you paint pretty much the same. The idea with watercolor is that you water things down to dilute the color. Painting with water colors is more a subtractive process. You lay down the color, and then you wash out desired areas by applying more water and blotting with paper towels.





To dilute an acrylic pigment, you have to mix it with titanium white. Again, you just need to get a good set of brushes and some decent paint to work with. You can paint on anything with acrylics, but remember to prime it first (something you don't have to worry about with watercolors on paper). Buy some gesso to paint on wood, canvas, or any fabric you'd like to paint on. You can even paint on slick surfaces if you sand them and then prime them with gesso.





Get a pallette to mix your colors on. Buy black and white pigment to mix highlights and shadows. Use water to thin the paint and make it spread easier, but not as much as watercolors. Yellow is a funny pigment. Every other acrylic color goes on opaque, but yellow is very transparent. If there is something you want to paint yellow on top, you will have to paint the area white before yellow.





Technique will develop with practice. If you're really struggling, enroll in a local arts class or just watch a Bob Ross video!How do I paint with acrylics? Do i use a brush, sponge?....?
you can use either.. that's all i paint with. make sure not to get the paint on clothes because it wont come out. after you are done with the brushes make sure you wash them very well with hot maybe even soapy water or they will harden and you wont be able to use them.
they are sooo fun. I am more of a collage painter i use tons of mediums. but i use just regular horse hair brushes. they seem to be the best.
With Cameo Fabric paints you can use brushes sponges, rags or with the ball point tip in the bottle. Other answers for this paint can be found at www.Raescountrycorner.com The people there are very friendly.
do what ever you want. experiment with different supplies. most people use brushes and some artist will tell you that using sponges is like selling out but i think thats really stupid. art is about being creative.

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