Acrylic Painting Links

When you first start to paint with acrylic paints, you will see there are many things you have to do before and after you work on your paintings. Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Start out with only three colors (a red, a blue, and a yellow) plus black and white. If you have too many colors you will get confused quickly and your colors will get muddy and lacking in vibrancy. After you have completed over 100 sketches and you feel comfortable using this limited palette, you can upgrade to a warm and cool red, a warm and cool blue, and a warm and cool yellow.
• Put as much paint on your palette as you think you will need to complete the painting, so that you do not have to stop and refill your palette while you are concentrating on your artwork.
• Limit yourself to a few brushes - use one medium size brush for each of your colors (red, blue, and yellow), a large brush for painting the imprimatura (base color), and a rigger brush for doing the final small details.
• If you have paint leftover on your palette at the end of the painting session, you can put the whole palette underwater, or cover the paint and palette with plastic film and put it in the freezer. Either of these methods will keep your paints fresh until the next time you use them.