How To Paint With Acrylics On Canvas For Beginners

by

If you are just venturing into the world of painting, you might be considering trying your hand at acrylics. Acrylics are ideal for beginners due to their versatility and ease of use. In this blog post, we aim to guide beginners through the process of painting with acrylics on canvas.

Materials You Need

Before we delve into the painting process, let’s first look at what you’ll need:

  • Acrylic paints: Start with basic colors and as you gain experience, you can expand your palette.
  • Brushes: A selection of brushes of different sizes is useful. Brushes designed for acrylics are perfect.
  • Canvas: You can purchase pre-stretched canvases or stretch your own.
  • Palette: This is where you will mix your paints. Plastic or glass palettes are easy to clean.
  • Water container: To clean your brushes.
  • Palette Knife: Useful for mixing paints and creating texture.

Steps to Painting with Acrylics

1. Prepare Your Canvas

Before you start painting, it’s essential to prime your canvas. This process is known as ‘gessoing’.

Apply a layer of gesso (a white paint mixture) to provide a barrier between the canvas and the paint. This prevents the paint from soaking into the canvas. You can buy pre-gessoed canvases to skip this step.

2. Sketch Your Design

Start by sketching your design lightly with a pencil. This helps to create the backbone of your painting.

3. Apply Your Paint

Start painting by applying your acrylics from the background to the foreground. This technique allows for easy layering and correction of errors. Remember to clean your brush in the water container when changing colors to prevent unwanted blending.

4. Let it Dry

One of the advantages of acrylics is their quick-drying time. Allow your painting to dry before adding any final touches or additional layers.

Pro Tips

  • Don’t be afraid to experiment with colors and textures. Acrylics are very forgiving and flexible.
  • Remember, painting is a journey. Don’t be discouraged if your initial attempts don’t turn out as expected. Keep practicing and enjoying the process!

We hope that these tips and insights will help ease your foray into the vibrant world of acrylic painting. So grab your materials and start creating!