The Top Ten Things You Should Know About Acrylic Painting

You should know these top ten things about painting with acrylic paints. Knowing them will save you time, money and even your sanity.

1. Buy good quality brushes. You may find yourself struggling with cheap brushes. Quality brushes also hold up better when stored for periods of time in water.

2. Remember that acrylic paints dry very quickly. In my opinion this is an advantage to the art making process but a disadvantage if your tubes of paint start to dry out. Always replace the tops on the tubes of paint. You should also keep a mister handy to keep your paint in the palette moist.

3. Acrylic paint is water based, which means that the brushes can be cleaned using water and soap. Regular soap can be used but I recommend purchasing soap made specifically for brush cleaning. You should get into the habit of cleaning your brushes between projects. Don't let them soak in water for days at a time.

4. Do not let the paint dry on the brush. I have rescued a brush or two after this has happened, but it was not easy. Get in the habit of rinsing brushes as you paint then store them in a shallow tray of water on the side to avoid damaging bristles.

5. Buy a plastic palette keeper. A palette keeper keeps the paints damp and stops them from drying out. It is kind of like Tupperware for your paint. When you are done painting for a session, simply mist everything and replace the top. When working on small projects I have also used paper plates for the paint, and stored them in large zip lock bags.

6. Get into the habit of placing the color in the same position on the palette every time you paint. After awhile, you will develop instinctive habits of where your colors are.

7. Do not use acrylic paints over oil paints. You have heard the term oil and water don't mix. Well, water based acrylics don't adhere to oil based paints. The acrylic paint will not stick to the oil based surface.

8. One of the things I love about acrylics is that they are versatile. Using thin coats of acrylic paint give a watercolor look to a painting. Simply add water to acrylic paint and you have watercolor paints.

9. Applying acrylic paints thickly will give the painting a surface texture as in an oil painting look. Applying paint thickly in the foreground of a painting for texture gives depth to the finished painting.

10. You can purchase a variety of acrylic mediums to gain different effects. A glaze medium helps to produce a watercolor effect. Gel mediums and texture. Paste mediums add extra body to the paint and make your painting come to life.

Author: Julie Shoemaker

About the author:
Julie Shoemaker is an avid painter and hobbyist who regularly gives paintings as gifts to family and friends. To read more articles like the one here, and to see more free art tips, tricks and techniques and free step by step lessons Learn Painting Techniques or visit http://www.IamPainting.org

Article source: Free Painting Articles.