Acrylic Painters Buyer's Guide

Putting Together an Art Kit Gift
(say that three times)

Why put together an art kit, and not just go buy one of those neatly packaged sets in the art store?

Here's your answer.  PRICE!   You can probably buy twice the supplies in any size kit for the price you'll pay for a pre-packaged set.  There's lots of packaging involved in buying a kit and they usually come with small, cheap sizes of paints and brushes.  Buy your own supplies, make it into a gift basket and stand back and prepared to be loved.  

Paint 

If you have a budding artist on your shopping list or you would like to learn to paint and don't have a clue what to buy or where, here's some great info.

Acrylic paint is a most forgiving paint in that you can give it 15-20 minutes to dry and then you can paint over it or put a wash over an area.  It also cleans up with soap and water.  No fumes!!!!!

In the beginning it is really good to limit your palette so you learn how to mix colors, that's why in my beginning painting classes, I usually only use Cadmium yellow light, Alizarin Crimson, and Ultramarine Blue.  Then I add Burnt Sienna and white.  You can make Burnt Sienna by using all 3 primary colors, but getting it consistent is a challenge.  

If I were putting together an artist kit, I'd get student grade tubes of the 5 colors I listed.  Student grade is less expensive than artist or professional grade, and for a beginner, the difference in thickness would not be an issue.

Brushes

For brushes as well as for paint, you should always get the best you can afford, without going into debt.  A good pack of brushes can be purchased for between $15-20.  Or you can create your own pack.  You need several synthetic flats, sizes 3, 7, 12, a few bristle brushes, the same size as the flats, a script liner, and maybe a 0 & 3 round brushes.  (I seldom use a round brush, but they are handy).  

Supports

Supports are just what you paint on.  A beginner could use several small stretched canvases like 8" x 10" and 11" x 14".  You can also purchase packs of canvas covered boards, masonite boards, cradled boards, and then there's paper.  I would go with a few canvases and a package of canvas paper.  It has the took like a canvas, but is actually paper.    If you're going to get paper, you will also need some painters tape to tape the paper down to another board.  It will keep it from warping.

Miscillaneous

Water basin

Paper towels

Soft Vine Charcoal

Table top easel

Boxed palette or large pack of styrofoam paper plates

Palette paper (same size as the box)

Palette box sponge

Color Wheel 

Palette knife (knives)

Use the palette box as the container for the gift.  It's a very thin box, but you could open it up, lay out the other items and then use the top as the back and use a cellophane wrap to encase it.  

Any of the components of this list would make a great gift for someone who want s to learn to paint.  You could make a super gift of some nice brushes and a wrap to store them in, a table top easel and some canvases, and the list could go on and on.   Don't get overwhelmed in the art store.  Pick a budget and do your best to stick with it.  Get good quality basic items to get your artist started and you can branch out in the future.  

 

 Click HERE to see my online beginning painting course.

 

FREE Painting?

If It's FREE

It's for Me!

I have a friend who lives by that motto.

I give away a painting every month

 to someone on my email list. 

So,

You might want to get on my email list.

 Just sayin!

On the top right side of my blog, is a blue button that says, strangely enough

"Enter to Win a FREE Painting" 

Click on the button and enter your name and email.

At the end of every month, I draw out one of those email addresses and I send them an email saying YOU WON!

Then you have 24 hours to email me back with your address so I can ship your new FREE painting to you, unless you can come in and pick it up.  

If I don't hear back from you in 24 hours,

alas, I draw out someone elses name.

This is Miss September

She is a lovely 6" x 6" palette knife and water miscible oil painting.  And she is calling your name.

So hurry on back to the top of the page and for Heaven's Sake

get signed up to win.

I give one away every month.

Spread the love around and forward this email to any of your friends you think might like to win a FREE painting.

Something else a friend may want to know about

is my new online beginning painting course.

  This course has everything in it to get a beginner painter off on the right foot from

color:wheels,charts, mixing -

brushes: what and where to buy and

 how to use -

Supports: which are nothing more than something to paint on -

Creating Form: using color -

Perspective -

Composition -

How to practice -

and then, before you know it, you'll be ready for the two paintings I have step by step instructions for in the course.

I have included:

• PDF's
• Power Points
• Videos 
• Shopping lists 
• Cheat sheets

 It's all in one place and ready for you or a friend or family member to learn how to paint.

So don't be afraid to forward this to anyone you think might be interested. 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

 

Click Here for FREE painting lesson.

About Acrylic Paints

This is where my art journey began.

And I paint in acrylic paint,

so I wanted to share with you some info on

acrylic paints.

Here is a handout I made to explain the different types of acrylic paint.

What Is The Difference in Acrylic Paints?

1.   Heavy Body Acrylics are typically found in Artist and Studio Grade paints, and they are the best choice for heavier paint application.  Heavy Body refers to the thickness of the paint.  Heavy body paints will leave brush or palette knife strokes.  They come in tubes or jars.

2.   Student Acrylics are similar to professional artist acrylics, but they have lower pigment concentrations, less expensive formulas, and a smaller range of colors. Colors are designed to be mixed, although color strength is lower.

3.   Fluid Acrylics, or soft body acrylics, are not as thick as heavy body acrylics, but they generally have the same heavy pigmentation of the heavy body acrylics. They are available in either Artist quality or Craft quality.  They are good for watercolor techniques, airbrush application, or when smooth coverage is important.   Fluid acrylics can be made thicker or thinner by mixing them with any type of acrylic mediums.

4.   Open Acrylics remain wet on the palette for longer periods of time.  Color mixes are usable longer, resulting in less waste. Their longer working time makes them an excellent choice for many techniques, including plein air painting and portraiture. They may be used with natural fiber brushes, and also work well with more traditional painting techniques.

5.   Acrylic Paint Markers can be used on hard, non-porous materials such as glass, plastic, and metal. Use them on any surface that is not oily, greasy, or waxy. They are more opaque than ordinary ink and dye based markers. Light colors can cover dark surfaces.

I'm going to pull back the curtain 

and teach beginning painters how to get started,

what supplies they need,

what to buy and where,

how to understand color,

how to hold a brush,

how to create form,

how to create perspective,

why some compositions work and others don't

how to practice

and then finally,

teach you how to paint not 1 but 2 paintings

using step by step instructions.

This online course really will teach a beginning painter

how to get started on the right foot.

All in one place, for one low price.

 

Getting From Point A to Somewhere Else

Or As Stephen Covey Would Say,

Begin With The End in Mind

I was asked recently to host a birthday party in River Run Gallery for a young girl and they wanted to paint bunnies.

Then I received a text with the photo of the particular bunny they wanted to paint.

You've seen those phone pics right.

About 1 square inch.

So where do I start?

This is where I started.

On my 18" x 24" sketch pad.

Yes, I took the 1 square inch pic and turned into a larger than life size drawing.

I knew that would be too much for this party, 

so,

I thought this would be a doable painting for my young friends.

   And I was so RIGHT!

Look at all those happy faces and bunnies!

I love it when a plan comes together! 

I've heard from lots of people that they wished they lived closer so they could take advantage of the painting classes in River Run Gallery.

Now neither you nor I have to move.

I have created an online course for beginning painters that I think you're going to love.

You can scope it out at

https://www.paintingwithacrylics101.com 

You've been warned! 

Art Buddies

What Generation Gap?

When I first started teaching art about 4 years ago,

my very first student was Alex.

Some of you may remember her.

This was when I taught art lessons in my home.

We became very good friends,

even though there is little bit of a difference in our ages. 

Well today was a really fun day in River Run Gallery

because Alex came in to get caught up on a drawing lesson

so she can join the beginning drawing class in the Gallery on Tuesday.

Alex started the sixth grade this year,

and wants to really learn how to draw.

She missed the first lesson, 

but I really wanted her to learn this,

so she came in today and I got her caught up

and she is ready for her closeup.

Now I'm turning her over to our excellent teacher

Jeremy Cobb.

Be Gentle!

She's a special lady!

 

Giving Birth

Announcing

https://www.paintingwithacrylics101.com

(wow!  It fit on one line). 

I know!

 It's the cutest online course 

you've ever seen. 

This course has been months

 in the creation phase,

has already had tons of videos of it taken,

was born with 11 modules

and 3 bonuses

and much thanks goes to midwife Meredith Adler.

She coached me all the way!

I was pretty terrified once I had it all complete

to finally go LIVE!

I sat there for over 1/2 an hour trying to decide was I going to click the go live button.

Finally - 

After much pacing,

chewing on my lip

and ripping off all my nails,

I hit the button.

And there it was,

all ready for the people outside of my head

to see and judge.

It must be real,

because now it has its own facebook page.

  Hit that like and share button.

 Thanks to all for every suggestion I've received along the way.

Even the creation of the facebook page came as a sugguestion.

Please feel free to share this with 

as many people as you choose. 

 

 

Big ANNOUNCEMENT

ANNOUNCING . . .

I am busily creating an online painting course

for beginning acrylic painters.

I hope to have it up and ready by August 1st.

Painting With Acrylics 101.com

will teach you:

How to mix and use color

What brushes to buy and how to use them

What paints to purchase

How to lay out your palette

Composition

Perspective

and lots of other goodies,

and will include step by step instructions 

for these two paintings.

  OK, these two roosters count as one painting,

but you can paint it anyway you want.

I have taught this in my gallery before,

and I chose it for this online course because of the barnwood

in the background, the straw, and of course the rooster.

There's lots to learn in this one, but it's not so difficult a beginner can't have success.

This is the second painting and I've never taught it before and it won't be taught anywhere else but this course.

This will be somewhat challenging, 

but is definitely doable.

You have the benefit in an online course to stop as often as you need to and watch a video again and again.  

I also will have lots of cheat sheets and check lists as well as a shopping list of supplies and places to get things online or brick and mortar stores.

The price for this course is practically insane at $129

and will only be that low the first 60 days it is available.

After that a considerable price increase is planned.

Hopefully, you're signed up to receive my blog

as that is the first place I announce anything.  

Look for the official launch sometime around the first of August.

I'm having a ball creating it

and it is one of the most challenging things I've ever done. 

But, it's coming along and so far,

I'm pretty proud of it.

If you've always wanted to learn how to paint,

this course is for you,

or it may be just the thing for someone you know.

Please feel free to share this information.

And for Heaven's Sake,

Get signed up to receive my blog in your inbox.