Acrylic painting techniques

Many people experiment painting in order to find a fun hobby. Oil painting tends to be messy and takes a while to see the results, so many get put off straight away. For immediate results, it’s a good idea to try acrylic painting. Below are some suggestions for acrylic painting:

Requiring only soap and water to clean up, acrylic paints tend to not make a mess. They also dry a lot faster and are easier to use.

Painting Techniques

An entire painting can be achieved a lot quicker with acrylic paints, due to its tendency to dry faster. On the other hand, if you do actually need it to stay wet slightly longer, this can also be achieved. When purchasing, acrylic paint will come in bottles that are quite thin paint. There is also a choice of thicker paint that comes in tubes.

To achieve an oil-painting look, acrylic paint will allow you to gain a watercolour style whilst adding mediums like floaters. This is an alternative to spending money on expensive oil paints. 

In order to create an oil painting with oil colours, you could be waiting up to 6 months for it to completely dry itself out and will have to spend extra money on paint thinner to remove the paint from the brushes.

It is advised to put a small amount of acrylic paint on the brush at a time, this is because they dry a lot quicker. You should always close the paint container when you are not using it as well. This prevents your paint from drying out. However, you can use a plastic storage container for storing your paint.

If you find your paints drying out when you are working, a palette could be a good thing to start using. This will lengthen the time that the paint is in a condition that is still workable.

Painting Surfaces

There isn’t one specific surface that acrylic paint must be used on. They are versatile. Whether it’s a canvas or wood that you would like to paint on, even a slate or saw blades, acrylic paint will always work. They can also be used on fabric when mixed with a fabric medium.

If you are about to paint on wood with acrylic paint, it’s a good idea to prime it first. There primers can be bought from a high street arts and crafts shop.

If you choose to paint on porous surfaces like wood, prime it first. Every art supply store carries a variety of primers from which you can choose. While you can use acrylic paints on an un-primed canvas, they do come pre-primed and in my experience, this is preferred.

Many people find acrylic paints dry a lot quicker, but storing in a pot is a simple solution. Don’t let this put you off. Acrylic paintings can be stunning.