Acrylic paint, as a new type of painting medium, has quickly gained the favor of artists since its introduction in the 1960s due to its fast drying, bright colors and strong durability. Acrylic paint not only presents diverse picture effects, but can also be used in combination with other media to create different styles of artwork. Today, we will take you to understand several acrylic painting methods suitable for beginners to help you master acrylic painting techniques and enhance your creative level.
One of the Acrylic Painting Methods: Thin Paint Method
Thin paint method is a common artwork acrylic paintings technique, especially suitable for beginners. In this technique, the paint is first dabbed on the brush and then water or acrylic-specific medium is added to make the paint thinner. In this way, you can achieve a gradient effect of color, which is especially suitable for showing shadows or glossy effects. The thin painting method can add a sense of depth to the work and is suitable for expressing those parts that require delicate transitions.
Acrylic Painting Method No. 2: Thick Paint
Thick paint is a technique that shows off the texture of the acrylic paint. This method requires you to use a larger amount of paint and apply it directly to the canvas without diluting it. This method retains the obvious brushstrokes and is able to give an oil painting-like thickness, which is suitable for expressing texture or works that require visual impact. Beginners can experience the rich layering and three-dimensional effect of acrylic paint through the thick painting method.
Acrylic Painting Method No.3: Thin Rub Method
Thin rub method is a technique that utilizes multiple layers of paint to present unique effects. After the first layer of paint dries, the artist can add a thin layer of paint on top of it, which is unevenly applied and can be used for sweeping or gently rubbing. The charm of the thin rubbing method lies in its ability to create layers and subtle color transitions that enhance the dynamics of the work, making it ideal for enhancing the vividness of the picture.
Acrylic Painting Method No. 4: Wet Painting
Wet painting is another important technique in acrylic painting, especially suitable for expressing soft color transitions. In the wet painting method, you need to apply another layer of paint before the layer of paint is completely dry. Due to the wet mixing between the pigments, soft color transitions and gradations are produced. The wet painting method allows the color layers to blend naturally and is suitable for depicting basic forms or delicate color gradations, especially for showing a watercolor-like effect.
Acrylic Painting Method No. 5: Splattering
Splattering is a creative and expressive acrylic painting technique. With this method, you can either lightly splash the paint onto the canvas or tap the brush to splatter the paint into the picture. Splattering creates a unique water flow effect, especially when the canvas is tilted, and the combination of paint and water creates an unexpected dynamic effect. This method is ideal for abstract works, or for paintings where you want to add energy and visual impact to your work.
Acrylic Painting Essential Tools: Choosing the Right Painting Material for You
Besides mastering the painting method, choosing the right painting tools is also the key to success in acrylic painting. The following are some essential acrylic painting tools for beginners:
Paper/Canvas
Acrylic canvas is usually made of cotton. There are many acrylic painting exercise books or canvases available on the market, such as Montmartre A4 size acrylic exercise canvas, which is affordable and very suitable for beginners. If you need a frame, you can choose a cost-effective frame, such as cotton canvas frame, suitable for acrylic painting.
acrylic paints
There are many brands of acrylic paints, Montmartre and Marley are common choices for beginners. In order to avoid color mixing difficulties, beginners can choose 36-color paint sets, which usually contain a palette, brushes, and glitter, and can meet basic painting needs. If you have special needs, you can choose suitable single-color paints for mixing.
Painting brushes
When beginners start acrylic painting, it is recommended to buy the brushes in the set first. Commonly used brushes include flat-peaked nylon brushes, round-peaked nylon brushes, flat-peaked round-peaked nylon brushes, etc. for different painting effects. Meanwhile, gradually add different types of brushes, such as pig hair bristle brushes and outlining brushes, as your painting skills improve.
Other painting tools
Acrylic Gloss: Used to add a glossy and protective layer to prevent the paint from fading after the painting is finished.
Acrylic Mixing Liquid: Used to dilute the paint, increase the transparency and improve the fluidity of the paint.
Acrylic color mixing paper: used to replace the palette when mixing colors, convenient and quick.
Scraper: Used to scrape off the paint to create special texture effects.
Brush Wash Bucket: Used to clean the brushes and maintain their life span.
Paper Tape: to fix the canvas to prevent it from curling while painting.
Practice themes and steps for beginners
Beginners can start practicing with simple themes and gradually transition to more complex themes:
Geometric shapes: start drawing simple geometric shapes, such as circles, squares, triangles, etc., to practice basic brush and color mixing skills.
Still life: Draw simple still life such as fruits, flowers, cups, etc., practice color and light expression.
Landscape: Try to draw simple landscapes, such as sky, trees, mountains, etc., to practice color transition and spatial expression.
Characters: Start with simple outlines and gradually add details to practice character modeling and expression.
Common Mistakes and Solutions for Beginner Acrylic Painting
Despite the relative ease of use of acrylic paints, there are still some common mistakes made by beginners that can affect the results of a painting. Below we have summarized several common mistakes and their solutions to help you paint acrylics more effectively.
Mistake: Paint dries too fast to finish coloring
Acrylic paint dries quickly as one of its characteristics, but this can sometimes cause some trouble for beginners. Many beginners find that by the time they are ready to finish a stroke, the paint has dried and they cannot apply it smoothly.
Solution:
Use an acrylic mixing liquid or acrylic delay medium to increase the drying time of the paint and make it easier to mix and adjust.
To keep the canvas moist, use a spritz bottle to lightly mist the canvas with water to help keep the paint moist.
Mistake: Over-mixing and color distortion
Some beginners tend to over-mix their paints when mixing colors, resulting in colors that are no longer vibrant or even become muddy.
Solution:
When mixing colors, try to avoid over-mixing the colors and retain the original vividness of the pigments.
Try adding small amounts of medium or water gradually to control color consistency and avoid color distortion.
Use 36-color set As a beginner’s choice, you can avoid the trouble caused by frequent color mixing.
Mistake: Too wet canvas, uneven flow of paint
When the canvas is too wet, the paint may not be applied evenly and may even flow unevenly or penetrate the back of the canvas.
Solution:
Use less water or mordant to avoid over-wetting the canvas and make sure the pigment can cover the surface evenly.
For wet painting, make sure one layer of paint is completely dry before starting the next.
Mistake: Neglecting the choice of brushes
Beginners often choose unsuitable brushes, resulting in improper handling of details in the picture. For example, using a brush that is too big to paint the details, or using a brush that is too thin to spread the color over a large area.
Solution:
Choose the right brush for your needs. Flat-peaked nylon brushes are good for laying down colors, round-peaked brushes are good for painting tree trunks or details, and pig hair brushes are good for painting grass or leaves.
It is not necessary to buy all the brushes at once. You can gradually increase the types of brushes you need during the painting process.
Mistake: Relying too much on color coverage and ignoring the layering of paint
Many beginners tend to rely on the coverage of paint during the painting process, but ignore the layering and texture effects, resulting in a lack of depth in the picture.
Solution:
Experiment with different painting methods, such as thin, thick, or thin rubbing, to add layers and texture to your painting.
Pay attention to changes in light and shadow as you paint. Try using darker colors to add shadows and brighter colors to highlight highlights.
Acrylic painting has become the first choice of many artists because of its unique drying speed and variety of expressions. By mastering the basic methods and techniques of acrylic painting and avoiding common mistakes, beginners can quickly improve their painting skills and create expressive and creative works of art. I hope this article can help you better understand acrylic painting techniques and smoothly enter this colorful painting world!
