painting: where to start? (day, paint, abstract, artists)
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hello, i've recently discovered that i love to paint, turns out it's a great way to reduce anxiety! anyways i was wondering if anybody had some tips for a beginner. i went to the craft store and bought some watercolors and some acrylic paints to start out with. the problem is i have no idea what i'm doing! i called my local craft supply and they are offering a workshop for painting animals which i'm really excited about. but i would love to hear from anybody experienced who would have some tips/advice for starting out.
I'd love to offer you some assistance Shadozer but I purchased the acrylics, the canvas and the brushes a couple of years ago now and still I haven't started.
Hey, good for you, Shadozer, painting is tremendously rewarding and creative. You'll have a blast!
Two tips for starters:
1. Have fun playing with paint and brushes. Don't expect to be able to paint a finished painting right off the bat, that just sets you up for failure. Instead, make marks on watercolor paper with each brush you buy to see what it will do. And I mean lots of marks - fill several sheets. Then play with your colors. What does each color look like with a tiny bit of water added? With more water? With a lot of water? Combine two colors at a time (only two) and see how many variations you can make. Do this with every possible combination of the colors you have, even black and white. (Some blacks will make a nice range of greens when combined with certain yellows.) Experiment. Play. Enjoy! If you want to be methodical, paint samples in neat rows on the paper and label each one with the 2 colors used, and save it for future reference.
2. While you're doing that, learn to draw. There are tons of drawing books out there. I got Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards, and did every exercise in the book. It took me all one winter. But drawing is the foundation you build your painting on. If you can't make recognizable shapes, all the pretty color in the world isn't going to make them mean something. Life is always easier if you have a magic wand. In painting, your magic wand is called a pencil.
By all means take the animal painting workshop, and any others you can. They'll be fun, and it's incredibly helpful to watch how the instructor holds the brush, mixes paint, and applies it to the paper or canvas.
You're in for an exciting adventure - enjoy the ride!
I received a beginners oil painting kit for Christmas. Haven't started on it yet because of time. I suppose the watercolor tips would also apply to the oils. The one thing that stops me is "I can't draw". Years ago I tried to paint but just did landscapes. That worked out pretty good but very frustrating. I'm looking forward to trying to paint once again.
I took a couple workshops at a craft store..i believe it was a "bob ross" workshop. not actually him..but a student from his schooling. It was the best time. And yes the paintings actually looked like something..lol.
LG...gave you great advice. practice with the brushes and paints. Thats the biggest thing of all i believe. As far as drawing...you can practice, but dont let it discourage you in any way. You may find that you like doing abstract..Which is a great way to practice with colors as well.
I second the recommendation for Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. You really do need to learn to draw if you want to paint. It even helps with painting abstracts which you wouldn't expect, but it does. Most people who think they can not draw really can. They just need to learn to draw what they SEE instead of drawing symbolically which is how you learn to draw in kindergarten. This book does an amazing job of helping you learn to do this.
As for the paints in particular - me personally, I prefer oils. The new type that clean up with water instead of solvents are just fantastic. They have all the good qualities of oils without the drawbacks. I use the Windsor and Newton ones, but the Grumbacher is pretty good also. Oils have a lovely tactile quality, good ones are smooth as butter. You can thin them and paint with glazes which makes incredible skin tones that appear to glow with inner light. (Google images for Caravaggio) You can use them right out of the tube, thick and opaque. You can layer it on and scrape it off. It is a lot of fun to play with, and the color you mix is the same color you see when they dry.
In contrast, I HATE acrylics. Just hate them. They feel almost like oils, but they are not as workable and they change color when they dry. Unless you load them up with medium they dry very fast, with an unattractive matte finish. I don't recommend acrylics to beginners - the color change can be very frustrating.
I have never really fallen in love with watercolors like many people do, but my mom loves them so I am fairly well versed. You have to think Zen to watercolor well. Watercolor is all about transparency and layering and the beauty of the brushstroke. Examine Japanese ink paintings and contemplate the brushstrokes. Less is more. Buy some masking so you can protect areas that you want to be white when you are done. You should buy a high quality set of watercolors (this is true of paints in general, but especially of watercolors - the transparent application will reveal low quality pigments). Also, pick up at least a medium quality block of watercolor paper. Dampen a sheet of paper and play with the paints, see how they react. Most watercolor effects are done on damp paper. On dry paper you will get a much harder edge.
thanks for the quick responses! sounds like i will have to pick up that book (Right Side of the Brain). i did get some watercolor paper and WILL be practicing tonight......i think i'm hooked, hehe. you guys have some great tips, and i had no clue about dampening the watercolor paper. i think i got the cheapest paint though. thanks again guys and i'll keep you updated on how i'm doing. oh and any more tips are welcomed!
I received a beginners oil painting kit for Christmas. Haven't started on it yet because of time. I suppose the watercolor tips would also apply to the oils. The one thing that stops me is "I can't draw". Years ago I tried to paint but just did landscapes. That worked out pretty good but very frustrating. I'm looking forward to trying to paint once again.
No, watercolor tips do not work at all for oils. Watercolors are "negative" painting in that you cannot lighten once you start. In other words, the white of the paper is as pure a white as you're going to get. Everything after that is a just shading the undercolor. Oils on the other hand are additive and I call it "positive" painting. If you want to paint in the traditional manner with oils then you will work in the basic colors and forms. Then, once those underlayers are dry, you will shade and tint them with transparent glazes to produce a rich and very dynamic end result. This method takes several days or weeks depending on the size and number of layers required since layers of oil paints can take days to dry to the touch. The other method is called alla prima, or all at once. The Bob Ross style is alla prima. In this manner, you will want to work with the thickest paint you can find. In alla prima painting, you build in the basic shapes of your composition, covering most all of the canvas with a thin layer of very opaque color. You may thin it some with turpentine. It will usually be dry enough to begin working into in a matter of minutes or you can just use tube color if you make the layer very very thin. Then you will add color directly into the underlayers while still wet or mostly wet, building the forms of the finished piece. Which method you use really says a lot about you. I used to try to paint traditionally but my patience level just wasn't high enough and I wanted a more impressionistic look. I was building many many layers of translucent color and it made for very bright and vivid but "jangly" paintings. Now I work alla prima exclusively and I'm much happier with my work. Typically, traditional is used by realists to produce great levels of detail. Alla prima is usually used by impressionist and some abstract artists.
But remember, drawing is the foundation to painting. If you have trouble with drawing, you're liable to have trouble with painting as well. I would highly recommend drawing a LOT and taking a perspective class. I'm sure the drawing on the right side of the brain book is very good, but I view it as a more advanced book for people with some existing experience in perspetive drawing.
I'm sure the drawing on the right side of the brain book is very good, but I view it as a more advanced book for people with some existing experience in perspetive drawing.
I strongly disagree. It is a book for beginners, especially for people who think they can not draw. It would not be much help to a more advanced student.
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Yes LHG!! I'm listening! 
