Acrylic paints are often considered the paint media for beginners and, however thanks to recent improvements even professional painters are happy to use acrylic paint. The affordable cost and easy use of acrylic paint will definitely please the beginner most of all. Even though acrylic paints tend to be a little more expensive than oils, the savings come from the lack of painting accessories involved. Also, acrylics tend to dry quickly and become very durable and insoluble to water. The quick drying time is an added benefit for many artists because mistakes can easily be re-painted and building up layers of color with transparent layers is easy and faster than oils.
The beginner can follow either of two recommended approaches in selecting a palette to work with; the first suggestion is to purchase a minimal, twelve to fifteen, amount of colors and mix colors as needed. Hopefully this will help the artist a solid mixture of colors in his or her work. Or the beginner can grab as many colors as desired and experiment with them. There are many unique colors in the acrylic palette and lots of cool things happen when they’re mixed with one another. In either case the biggest constraint will be the artist’s budget. Personally I enjoy the second option better than the first provided that the artist, especially the beginner, limits the colors of the first few paintings to one or two. That way the artist will develop a feel for the colors within the newly acquired palette. Human beings tend to learn better when they play, and following the advice of a stogy, old text-book line-for-line can really kill the mood when painting.
Some one might encourage you to purchase a real expensive palette knife, but honestly, do you really need to spend the extra money on something that mixes paint when you can get the same results from one that costs less than a dollar or even a plastic knife? Painting knives are also something that doesn’t require an expensive version to get good results, buy the cheap version and save a few dollars.
Brushes are a vital part of painting, but are often overly fretted over. Synthetic brushes made for specifically for acrylic paints are available and they tend to be quite durable. There are also many different styles of brush to choose from, but as you start to paint you will find that most brushes have one specific use in mind, especially the smaller ones, and they may not apply to what you’re doing. Go for the bigger and medium sized brushes and save a few pennies. The shape of the brush has a big impact on its use. Choose at least a few varieties of shapes to make life a little easier.
Acrylic palettes should be made of plastic. There are many expensive variations of palettes to choose from, but keep in mind that anything plastic will do. May favorite palette to work with is the flat side of a broken, plastic cutting board. Be sure to remember the quick drying time of acrylic paint so that you don’t waste paint and you’ll be fine.
Any surface will work with acrylic paint as long as it is oil and grease free. Generally most canvases are primed for acrylic, but make sure that it is, a canvas primed for oil paint will not work with acrylic paint. In addition you may need something to hold water, jars usually but old plastic containers work well too. A soft drawing pencil is recommended if you want to sketch your work on the canvas first. After all the materials are in hand you should be ready to start painting. Good Luck!
