We hope these tips and tricks have made you excited to try acrylic painting! The more you paint, the more you’ll learn, and the better you’ll get. We can’t wait to see what you create!
A Beginners Guide to Acrylic Painting with Princeton Brushes
Have you been wanting to try acrylic painting? Starting with a new medium can be scary, so we created some tips and tricks that will make it a breeze! Acrylic paints are an affordable, versatile, and forgiving medium. When painting with acrylic, there are a few common mistakes that you might run into. Fortunately, they’re easy to avoid if you know what to look out for. Let’s get painting!
Tips for Starting with Acrylic Paint
Here are some basic tips to get you started with acrylic painting:
- Acrylic paints are water-soluble – This makes them easy to clean, use, and dilute! Use one container of water for diluting paint and another for rinsing your brushes.
- Be careful not to overdilute your paint – Although you can add water to acrylic paint to dilute it, it should never be more than 30% water to 70% acrylic paint. If you overdilute it, you can compromise the integrity of the binder and it won’t apply well.
- Use thinned paint for underpainting – Adding an underpainting with thinned acrylic paint can enhance your painting’s colors and add light, value, and contrast to your finished piece.
- You only need a few colors to start – If you’re not ready to go all in and buy a huge set of paints, you can start with the basics: cadmium yellow, crimson, phthalo green, phthalo blue, titanium white, and burnt umber.
- Mist your palette with water – Keep your paints wet by misting it with a little water after you’ve applied it to your palette.
- Practice blending colors first – Blending acrylic paint can be tricky at first! We recommend practicing on some scratch paper to learn how quickly they dry. Practice makes perfect!
- Don’t wait too long to blend – Acrylic paint dries quickly which is a huge benefit, however, it makes blending difficult. The best way to blend between colors is to work quickly and use a wet-into-wet technique. Plan accordingly and use a mop brush like the one from our Velvetouch Series.
- Some acrylics darken when they dry – We like to swatch out our colors before even beginning to paint. This way you will know what they will look like and not be surprised by the dried colors.
- Always mix your colors on the palette instead of the canvas – If you need to mix colors, it’s best to do it on a palette. This way you can experiment with color combinations without muddying your colors on the canvas or using a shade you don’t want!
- Don’t be afraid to use bright colors– Acrylic painting is meant to be fun and bold! Use colors that are out of your comfort zone. Your piece will be more dynamic.
- Don’t skimp on your paint – With acrylic less is not more. You want to use large amounts and apply them thickly.
- Use cold and warm shades for contrast – If you put reds, yellows, and oranges next to blues, purples, and greens you’ll make your paintings visually interesting and more realistic looking.
- Acrylic paint cannot be reactivated – Unlike watercolor and gouache, once acrylic paints dry they are permanent and cannot be reactivated with water.
- Paint over your mistakes – With acrylic painting, you can paint over mistakes once your piece is dry. Just paint over any unwanted colors or stray brush strokes. This is why it’s such a forgiving medium!
Basic Supplies for Painting with Acrylics
Choosing new supplies can be daunting! So here are some of our favorites to get you started.
- System3 Acrylic Paint – These are flexible and quick-drying. They have a medium body viscosity and are great for painting on many indoor and outdoor surfaces.
- System3 Heavy-Bodied Acrylics – They are the thickest type of acrylic paint which makes them great for retaining the texture of your brush strokes. If you want to try doing a thick impasto technique this paint is for you! You can a palette knife or our Catalyst Tools to apply the paint and add fun textures to your pieces.
- System3 Fluid Acrylics – These have a low viscosity and are great for paint pouring, blending, and painting fine details. The application of fluid acrylic is extremely smooth.
- System3 Acrylic Ink – Acrylic Ink is great for creating watercolor-like effects or poured artwork. You can also put them into refillable markers to use as pen and ink. They work great on canvases or paper.
Acrylic paints are great for use on many surfaces from paper to wood, fabric, and walls, but we love using Strathmore Canvas Panels or 400 Series Acrylic Pads.
Mastering the Art of Color Blending in Acrylic Painting
Have you ever found yourself lost in the awe-inspiring transitions of sky colors during sunrise or sunset? The way that colors dance across the horizon is a true masterpiece of nature. Now, imagine capturing that same effect on your canvas through the magic of acrylic color blending.
Welcome to a creative journey with Pinot’s Palette Short North! Acrylic painting offers a world of vibrant colors and endless creative possibilities. Among the artist’s toolbox, one technique stands out: the delicate art of blending colors. Regardless of whether you are a beginner or an experienced artist, mastering color blending can take your artwork to the next level. In this blog, we’ll break down the mechanics behind our favorite acrylic color blending methods. We will demystify the artistic process and equip you with the knowledge you need to recreate nature’s wonders on your canvas. So gather your favorite brushes, prepare your color palette and let’s dive into the art of blending colors with acrylic paints.
Understanding the Magic of Color Blending:
Color blending is gently transitioning one color into another, creating a seamless effect on your canvas. Acrylic paints with their fluid nature and rapid drying time, provide the perfect medium for blending colors. Let’s explore some of our favorite techniques that will help you blend colors like a pro.
Before we get started…remember to sip on your favorite beverage, put on your creative hat and prepare to be amazed at the wonders you are about to create. Let’s blend!
1. Gradual Overlapping: Imagine starting with two colors side by side – next to each other but not overlapping- on the canvas. Swiftness is your ally as both colors must stay wet before the next step. With a damp, mostly clean brush gently blend the colors together where they meet on the canvas. Ditch short, choppy strokes in favor of long sweeping motions that glide across the canvas. This technique is your gateway to creating smooth gradients and seamless transitions.
2. Wet-on-Wet Technique: Start with a base layer of one color. Gently clean your brush, allowing traces of the original color to remain. Place the second color right on top of small section of the first color. Now for the FUN. let your brush dance back and forth. If the canvas calls for it, introduce a hint of water to your brush -it’ll help you merge the colors together. Use long, graceful brushstrokes across the joined colors and into a clean section of the first color.
3. Double Load: Get ready for a burst of creativity and color! The double load technique involves loading your brush with two different colors side by side at the same time, then letting the colors blend together as you move the brush across the canvas. This works best when you are looking for loose, two-toned blends for things like for wood grains and blue-green waters.
In the world of color blending, your canvas is an open playground. Mastering these techniques unleashes a world of creative possibilities. As always, practice makes perfect, so don’t hesitate to experiment and find the blending methods that resonate with YOUR distinctive artistic style.
At Pinot’s Palette Short North we are passionate about helping guests of ALL skill levels discover the joys of painting. Join us for a paint and sip event where you can explore color blending and other techniques in a relaxed and enjoyable environment. Until then, happy blending!
