Everybody has a favourite artwork. Mine is Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night; the blue tones are stunning! When you ask someone what they wish they were good at, most people say either painting or an instrument. There are many reasons why people refuse to pick up painting as a hobby.
The reasons why include:
a) They think the equipment and supplies will be too expensive!
b) Only professionals should use this stuff.
c) Where would I put the finished work? I can’t sell it, and I don’t have enough room!
Today I’m going to give you a beginners guide into painting. What equipment you need, where to buy it and options for storage. Be prepared to head to your nearest art store after reading!
Which painting medium?
When it comes to painting, there are a bunch of mediums out there! From Oil sticks to paint markers. However, I’m just going to tell you about the basic four types.
Acrylic
Acrylic paint is a medium that can be used on multiple surfaces and has a fuller body than other paints.
It is fast drying and can be difficult to blend because of said quick drying time, which can be difficult for people just starting their painting journey.
To slow this down, you can add a slow drying medium that extends the drying time and makes it easier to blend. Or, you can add water, although this lowers the opacity of the paint and breaks down the pigments and makes it runnier.
Where can it be used?
Because it is heavier and more bodied, can be used on multiple surfaces. Below are just a few you can use:
- Wood panels
- Canvas and Canvas Board
- Multimedia Sketchbook
- Glass
It is a suitable medium as you can mess with the dry times more, and it’s multifaceted.
Equipment needed:
- Brushes
- Acrylic paint
- Water
- Maybe a medium
- Palette
- Paper towels
- Surface to paint on
Watercolour
It is one of the most popular painting mediums because it doesn’t require any other equipment than brushes, water, paper and paint. It is activated with water.
The more water you add, the more transparent and light the colour becomes.
The paint can be used in various ways, but the most popular and most accessible to understand is light washes of colour. However, many people do use it for realistic portraits!
Where can you use it?
The medium can be used on watercolour paper or a mixed media sketchbook. You want to use Watercolour paper as it is thicker and can absorb the water added to the paint without tearing, unlike standard paper. However, it can still buckle my suggestion is to tape it down to a surface using artists tape or paper clips.
The watercolour paper also comes in two presses. Hot and cold. One has grooves in, and the other is smoother than velvet. It’s down to your taste as to which one is better.
Additional tips
Another tip is that when painting with the medium, use the paper as your highlights as there is no white watercolour paint, and they cannot be added back in!
I also recommend using a hairdryer during the process as if water is down in one place on the paper, and you paint next to it. The colour will seep into it. You can use the hairdryer or a paper towel to dry the surface and stop this from happening.
Equipment needed:
- Watercolour paint
- Palette
- Brushes
- Water
- Paper towels
- Hairdryer
- Multimedia sketchbook paper
Gouache
Gouache is a hybrid between Watercolour and Acrylic. You activate it with water, which controls the consistency. It has an opaque finish and can be used on multiple surfaces.
There are two types of Gouache.
Acryla: This means once it's dried to the surface, it cannot be reactivated with water and moved around.
Watercolour: Once it's dried to the surface it's painted on, it can be reactivated with water and mess with the layer above it.
Gouache is also brilliant as when it's on a palette, and it's dried. You don’t have to clean it off. You can keep it on there and reactivate it with water when you paint later. It’s less wasteful than the other mediums and doesn’t require extra equipment like other paint does!
Artists usually lay it out in flat colours on surfaces as Gouache paint is primarily used in graphic design. However, it is straightforward to blend!
Where can it be used?
As stated, Gouache can be used on multiple surfaces such as:
- Canvas
- Multimedia sketchbook
- Wood panels
- Glass
- Fabric
- Cardboard
Equipment
- Gouache Paint
- Surface to paint on
- Palette
- Brushes
- Paper towels
Oil paint
Oil paint is made out of Oil and is the most expensive type of paint out of the four. Because it is made out of Oil, it can take an age to dry (sometimes months or years.) However, you can use mediums to slow or extend the drying time.
Because of how long it takes to dry, it can be effortless to blend.
To thin the paint out, you will need Linseed oil or an oil medium, so it goes smoothly over the canvas
you will need to use turpentine or mineral spirit to clean the brushes off
WARNING: You will need to call a waste management service to eliminate the mineral spirits and stuff like that because it is toxic. Also, paint in a well-ventilated area away from animals and kids. It smells horrible and again TOXIC!
Where can I paint with it?
Oil paint can only be used on canvas and is too heavy for sketchbook paper or other surfaces.
Equipment needed:
- Oil paint
- Turpentine or Mineral Spirits
- Brushes
- Linseed oil or Oil medium
- Canvas
- Palette
- Palette knife- to help with mixing
I usually recommend Oil painting after you’ve grown accustomed to the other mediums because of the amount of equipment you need.
Where can I buy it all?
You can buy all the painting equipment at a local craft store or from somewhere like Poundland pretty quickly. It’s less expensive, especially if you are just starting.
If you are worried about storage because canvases can be enormous. Buying a multimedia sketchbook is recommended because you can keep all the artwork in one place, and it can handle lots of mediums, so you don’t have to purchase multiple things for your painting’s!
Why do people start painting?
People pick up painting as a hobby because it’s therapeutic and can release emotions you didn’t know you were feeling. Sometimes they paint because they enjoy the process of colour matching and sometimes it's because they also draw and want to expand their skills!
I hope this has narrowed down what supplies you want to use and get started with your painting journey. I hope you find it relaxing and enjoyable.
If you missed my article on the art channel that is making it more accessible you can read/view it here:
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