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Hello fellow artist. Welcome to wonderful world of Acrylic Painting!
Since you are new to Acrylic Painting, you will certainly benefit from the tips I will be sharing with you in the following article.
One of the more important points a new acrylic painter should be aware of is the quick drying time of acrylic paints. Since acrylic paints do dry so quickly, it's important to only squeeze out enough paint for that particular session, otherwise you will be wasting a lot of paint.
To keep your acrylic paint moist, you will need to have a special palette that will keep your paint workable during your painting session. There is a really awesome palette on the market that was made just for this purpose called the Masterson Sta-Wet Handy Palette. This palette is a good buy and will keep your paint in a good working condition for a longer period of time while you paint.
If you do not want to purchase a palette, another solution is to buy a handful of small 35mm film canisters and store your paints inside the canisters. The caps on these canisters will screw on pretty tight and keep most of the air out.
Some artists also keep a spray bottle handy and spray a light mist of water over the paint while they are painting.
Another issue you may be faced with is deciding what type of acrylic paint you should purchase.
My advice is to choose a good quality student grade acrylic paint in the beginning. There is no need to go out and buy the most expensive acrylic paint right away, as you are just beginning and experimenting. A wonderful paint for beginners is Liquitex Basics Acrylics Colors. These are high quality, affordable paints. These are also great for experienced acrylic painters who may be on a tight budget. I know of a lot of artists both beginners and experienced who love working with these acrylics.
Make sure you take good care of your acrylic paint. When you close your paint tubes, make sure you clean the cap and the threads of the tube thoroughly. If you leave any paint on the cap or on the threads, it will dry and form a strong bond. It will be quite difficult to pry the cap off. Make sure the cap is also sealed tight, otherwise some of the paint in the beginning of the tube will dry also, making it very hard to squeeze out the fresh paint underneath.
To improve the flow of your acrylic paint try adding a special medium to the paint, instead of using water alone. If you only use water as a medium to improve flow, you will find that it diminishes the brilliance of your colors. Purchase a medium like Liquitex Acrylic Flow Aid, which works very well for improving the flow of your acrylic paint.
To care for your brushes, make sure you store them properly after washing. There is quite a bit of controversy over the best way to clean and store your brushes. I have found that when I hang my brushes with the tips pointing down, gravity does most of the work by pulling the water from the brush. Water can really damage your brushes if it builds up on the ferrule, so it's important to dry your brushes well.
Go out and buy some wooden clothespins. Clip the pins to the end of the brush and then hang them off the side of a table or desk. Lay a towel under the brushes to catch the dripping water.
The next best thing to hanging your brushes is to lay them flat.
NEVER let your brushes soak in any type of liquids.
When choosing a palette for your acrylic paints, make sure it is a non-porous surface. If the palette is too porous it will absorb the water from the acrylic paint.
NEVER mix acrylic paint with oil paint or paint acrylics on top of oil paint.
I hope these tips have helped. Remember to never give up and happy painting!
For more great acrylic painting tips & techniques, head over to http://www.creativespotlite.com/acrylic-painting.htm. Another site you may find of interest is http://www.Artsymmetry.com where you will find more art articles.
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