Acrylic paint is a versatile material. It’s easy to make at home, and it’s inexpensive. You can buy large quantities of acrylic paint for much less than you would pay if you purchased each colour individually. And when you make your acrylic paint, the colours are brighter because they haven’t been mixed with any fillers or extenders that are often added in commercial paints.
How to Use Acrylic Paint: Materials, Methods and More
Acrylic paint is a versatile and vibrant medium with which you can create paintings of any style. But before you can create beautiful paintings, you’ll have to learn how to use acrylic paint. Read on to learn how to use different acrylic paint materials, methods and more.
If you’ve never used acrylic paint before, it might seem like an intimidating medium to master. But as you’ll see in this post, it’s anything but — in fact, it’s one of the more accessible methods of painting for beginners. Supplies are minimal and the method is quite easy when you break it down.
Let’s explore the wonderful world of acrylic painting so you can get started creating your own art.
Assemble your materials:
What do you need to get started with acrylic paint? Actually, not a whole lot. Here are some of the things you’ll need.
Paint
Acrylic paint comes in a dizzying array of colors and textures. Which kind is right for you? In general, you’ll find two different types of acrylic paint:
- Fluid, which is thinner and will drip out of the tube
- Heavy body or high viscosity, which is more like the texture and thickness of soft of butter.
One is not better than the other; it simply depends on what type of look you are going for. If you ultimately want to move on to thick, Van Gogh-style creations, go with the heavy body style. If you want to create fluid, dreamy landscapes, try out the fluid kind.
In terms of colors, for a beginner, it’s good to start out basic with tubes of red, blue, yellow, black, and white paint. Between these colors, you can mix any color, from skin tones to nature scenes.
Not only is choosing minimal colors the most cost-effective way to get started with acrylic paint, but it will help you learn how to mix colors so that you can attain your desired hue and can understand the role that each color plays in mixtures.
Brushes
You’ll need some brushes appropriate for acrylic paint before you get started. Acrylic brushes are typically longer and sturdier than watercolor brushes, and needfully so, as they are often pressed harder into the work surface while painting.
To get started, stay fairly minimal: one large and one small round brush, and maybe one large and one small flat brush, should be a perfect starting point.
A palette
You need a surface to mix different colors of paint. Paper is too absorbent, and your paint will stick to it. You want a non-stick surface. You can use palette paper, a professional palette, or even a porcelain plate.
A palette knife
A palette knife is an inexpensive and invaluable tool for working with acrylic paint. It will help you mix paint colors in the most efficient way. You can use the knife not only for mixing colors but to apply paint to a surface, too — this lends particularly painterly effect to your pieces.
You can, technically, mix colors with your brush. But you may find that paint gets embedded in the brush and ultimately gets wasted and not mixed properly. Plus, the vigorous mixing motion can damage the bristles, so it’s not suggested that you use a brush to mix colors as a rule.
A work surface
What type of surface would you like to paint on? If you’d like to ultimately paint on canvas, canvas paper is a great beginning medium that is inexpensive and has a texture similar to stretched canvas. Board, wood, and bristol board are all great choices, too.
Depending on your work surface, you might find it easier to set up your surface on an easel. An easel is not appropriate for paper or more flexible work surfaces, though.
Water
Have a cup of water at the ready for cleaning your brush and watering down the paint if needed. If you’re using a drinking cup, designate this as a paint-only cup from now on.
Scrap paper
Scrap paper is fantastic to have on hand to wipe away excess paint from your brush or test out paint quality. It can be as simple as a sheet of blank printer paper.
Assemble your work station:
By having your work station set up properly, you’ll make the painting process far easier.
Set up your palette
Once you have your supplies ready, you can set up your palette. Regardless of what you want to paint, it can be helpful to have a dab of each primary color plus black and white.
Space each color so that there is plenty of “white space” around it, so that you have room to mix and that the paint can spread without getting crowded.
Treat your surface
If you’re painting on canvas, you’ll want to treat your surface before you get started. A coat of gesso will dry quickly and will keep your painting archival. Not all surfaces require treating. Check the manufacturer’s suggestions on whichever work surface you’ve chosen.
Mix colors
Can You Make Acrylic Paint at Home?
Yes, you can make acrylic paint at home. It’s a straightforward project that kids can do with help from adults.
All you need is to get ready with the essential art supplies which are the three parts water, one part white glue, and a stirring implement. Stir the ingredients together until the glue is dissolved and you have a bright, colourful paint ready to use!
Tips on How to Make Acrylic Paint at Home
People often ask about the proper ratios of water-to-glue for making homemade acrylic paint.
Generally, the water should be added slowly while stirring until you reach a consistency like heavy cream, thinner than pancake batter but thicker than milk.
In general, it is best to use non-toxic white glue. In the US, most people prefer Elmer’s Glue-All or Tacky Glue. If you want your paint to dry quickly, use Tacky Glue because it is made with additives that dry more rapidly than other glues. The soak time for Tacky Glue is only one minute, while some other glues need to soak for three minutes.
What’s in Commercial Acrylic Paint
Most commercial paints are water, acrylic polymer emulsions (the suspending medium), and additives like fillers, extenders, thickeners, and preservatives.
Fillers are materials added to paint to increase its bulk but not its weight. You can make a comparable version of a filler-containing paint by adding a powdered substance like talc, calcium carbonate, or chalk to your homemade paint .
Extenders are materials included in paint to increase pigment volume without affecting the colour.
Thickeners are usually made with more opaque paints or improve their flow and levelling characteristics.
Preservatives are generally added to paint to prevent it from deteriorating.
