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PAINTING WITH ACRYLICS: PART 1

Brenda Hoddinott

Y05 ADVANCED: CREATING IN COLOR

This is the first in a series of six lessons that takes you through the process of learning how

to paint with acrylics.

This lesson is divided into the following four sections:

Introduction

Basic Painting Supplies

Planning Your Painting

Five Simple Steps to Set up for Painting

This project is recommended for artists from age 12 to adult with good drawing skills, as wellas students of home schooling, academic, and recreational fine art educators.

8 PAGES 9 ILLUSTRATIONS

Published by Drawspace.com, Halifax, NS, Canada (June, 2009)


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Copyright to all articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within this document belong to Brenda Hoddinott and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoeverwithout the written permission of Brenda Hoddinott. E-mail [email protected] Web site http://www.drawspace.com

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Figure 501

Figure 502

INTRODUCTION

Ive painted with oils since 1988. However, Im becoming increasingly concerned about the

toxicity of the various chemicals used in their manufacture. In addition, Im not fond of the

smell of the oils and mediums, the clean-up, or the long drying times. So, Ive decided to

teach myself to paint with acrylics.

As I go through this process, I am going to share my learning with you. Having had very

little experience with using acrylics, I plan to simply have fun.

My subject for my painting is a tiny section of one of my oil paintings (Figure 501) that I

modified into an abstract using Photoshop (Figure 502).

I have no delusions that my acrylic painting will

be anything but a learning tool. Ill start a real

painting once I have conquered the basics!

As you can see in Figure 502, I drew a grid on my

reference photo in Photoshop before I printed it.

However, I gave up on using a grid a few minutes

into my preliminary drawing. I wanted to adjustmost proportions and make several changes.

Hence, freehand drawing worked perfectly!

BASIC PAINTING SUPPLIES

Just in case I dislike acrylics more than oils, I

decided to learn on a tight budget. Paints were

my biggest investment.
mailto:[email protected]://www.drawspace.com/http://www.drawspace.com/mailto:[email protected]


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Figure 503

Figure 504

When I painted in oils I used only primary colors (two different colors of yellow, blue, and

red) as well as raw umber and white. As you can tell from the painting in Figure 501, these

colors can be mixed together to create any color you can see or imagine.

White is used more than any

other color so, I bought a

big tube. The base colors(Figure 503) that I have used

for more than 20 years are:

1) White

2) Alizarin Crimson

3) Cadmium Red

4) Ultramarine Blue

5) Cerulean Blue

6) Yellow Ochre

7) Cadmium Yellow

8) Raw Umber

As you can tell by the squished tubes, the

paints are slightly used. I was well into the

painting before I thought about sharing my

learning process with you.

Acrylic paints dry very quickly, so my next

purchase was something I call a wet palette.

This big plastic thing with a cover (Figure

504) prevents my mixed paints from dryingtoo quickly.

In addition to the wet palette, I also picked up

a couple of packages of the special papers

that fit inside.

TIP! I learned a few tricks as I set up my wet palette. I first placed a sheet of the thick absorbentpaper into the tray, and used a large brush to add just enough water to make it wet. Easy! However,the top sheet of thin paper was not as cooperative! As soon as the thin paper was placed on top ofthe thick paper, it began to wr inkle. I finally discovered that by spreading more water on top of the

thin sheet, I could gently brush out all the wrinkles. Then, I simply poured out the extra water.

On to something to use for mixing the paints! Since I really do not enjoy cleaning up, I went

with disposable palette paper (Figure 505), which usually has about 40 sheets. I soon

discovered that acrylic paints have to be mixed very quickly and then added to the wet

palette. Otherwise, the paints will be dry before you get to use them.

Some artists who work in acrylics spray a small amount of water on their palette to keep

the paint wet as they mix their colors. This did not work for me the colors started running

into one another and I soon had a palette full of mud.


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Figure 504

Figure 505

Figure 506 Figure 507

However, it works for many artists, so it may work for you? Maybe I added too much

water? If youd like to try this, youll need a spray bottle filled with a little water.

Anyway, I simply decided to mix my colors

very quickly, which worked just fine for me.

Unless you plan to use your fingers for the

actual mixing (not a good idea), you maywant to buy a palette knife. Ive tried many

different types and shapes of palette knives

over the years. (The plastic ones are simply

awful.)

My favorite is made of metal with a wooden

handle and the shape is sort of an elongated

diamond (Figure 505).

I didnt want to ruin my good brushes

(Figure 506), so I went to a local dollar

store and picked up a few cheap brushes(Figure 507). These brushes came in a

package of 6 (at less than 20c each, you

dont really care if some brushes are

ruined!)

I was very surprised when I saw that they

were almost as good as student quality

brushes that cost much more (so, I bought

15 packages). Their ferrules had no seams,

the handles were very securely attached,

and the bristles did not fall out.


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Figure 508

TIP! Stay away from brushes with a seam in the ferrule. These brushes are usually too poor qualityto use for more than a few minutes. Also, they tend to shed, and sometimes the handle detachescompletely from the ferrule. Also, brushes with really soft hair are almost useless when you paintwith acrylics.

You dont need lots of expensive brushes to learn to paint. Check out lesson R02 Oil

Painting Brushes to get an idea of the different types and how they are used. Acrylicbrushes are slightly different, but the basic shapes and uses are the same. Every artist has

their favorite types of brushes; so, try out a few different brushes to find out which ones

work best for you.

The next step is to buy a canvas. The one I use in this project is 20 by 24 inches an ideal

size for loose brushwork. I suggest that you go for a stretched canvas mounted on a frame,

rather than canvas board. Most stretched canvas comes already primed and ready to use.

When I began learning to paint, I used canvas board. Most of my early paintings were awful,

anyway. However, I did a portrait of my son that somehow turned out fairly well. I regret

now that I didnt use stretched canvas. The acid in the cheap canvas board has started

disintegrating, and the painting is slowly being eaten away.

PLANNING YOUR PAINTING

When I paint in oils, I

usually cover the canvas

with a thin layer of

brownish paint.

However, this is not a

serious painting, so Ill justjump right in and plan my

painting!

You can draw anything you

want on your canvas.

However, I do caution you

against beginning a

painting without a plan.

If you are a total beginner,

you may even prefer to

draw a few random simpleshapes. Remember, your

first painting is not

intended to be a

masterpiece!

Many artists do their

underdrawings with a small

brush and diluted paint. I

prefer to use a pencil.


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I used an HB grade of mechanical pencil to do my underdrawing on the canvas. I then

sprayed it with a couple of thin coats of fixative. Finally, I painted the entire surface with a

thin layer of Gesso and water. Just in case my painting turns out reasonably well, I dont

want the graphite to eventually bleed through into the paint.

TIP! If youd like to paint along with me, feel free to use the line drawing on page 7. You can draw acorresponding grid on your canvas (as long as your canvas is the same size as mine, of course).

FIVE SIMPLE STEPS TO SET UP FOR PAINTING

In this section, I break down the information in this lesson into five simple steps.

STEP 1: Buy your supplies.

Paints Brushes for painting

Wet palette

Canvas

Disposable palette sheets Mechanical pencil and HB leads

Palette knife Gesso

Large soft brush Spray fixative

STEP 2: Plan your painting, and then draw an outline of your subject on the canvas.

Keep it simple! My subject is more complicated than it looks. However, if you wish

to draw along with me, you can use my design (on the next page); you can either

draw freehand or use a grid. If you use a grid, each square of a 24 by 20 inch

canvas needs to be 2 by 2 inches.

STEP 3: Use your large brush to gently brush away any excess graphite on the canvas.

Make sure you wash the brush with mild soap and water when you are done.

STEP 4: Spray your drawing with 2-3 thin coats of fixative.

I use Windsor & Newton Artists Fixative, transparent, for pastel, charcoal, and

pencil. Be careful not to inhale the fumes. I always use spray fixative outdoors.

STEP 5: Apply a thin coat of Gesso (mixed with water) to the entire canvas.Use your large brush. You need to paint quickly because Gesso dries quickly. Dont

use unmixed Gesso - you need to still be able to see your underdrawing clearly!

TIP! You may want to experiment on a tiny section before you add Gesso to the entire canvas. Thegoal is to cover the canvas in such a way that you can still c learly see the faint lines of yourdrawing.


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Figure 509

In lesson Y06 Painting with Acrylics Part 2: Putting Brush to Canvas, you mix your

colors and begin painting.


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Before you begin Part 2, complete each of the following lessons:

R01 Primary and Secondary Colors

R02 Oil Painting Brushes

Y04 Values in Colors

BRENDA HODDINOTT

As a self-educated teacher, visual artist, portraitist, forensic

artist (retired), and illustrator, Brenda Hoddinott utilizes

diverse art media including her favorites: graphite and paint.

Brenda is the author ofDrawing for Dummies (Wiley

Publishing, Inc., New York, NY) and The Complete Idiots

Guide to Drawing People (Winner of the Alpha-Penguin Book

of the Year Award 2004, Alpha - Pearson Education

Macmillan, Indianapolis, IN). She is currently writing two

books on classical drawing.

My philosophy on teaching art is to focus primarily on the enjoyment

aspects while gently introducing the technical and academic. Hence, in

creating a passion for the subject matter, the quest for knowledge also

becomes enjoyable.

>Brenda Hoddinott

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