Looking for some basic painting techniques for beginners? Go through the article to know the fundamental steps of painting and create your own masterpiece.
Painting gives people the opportunity to express their creativity. It helps to relieve stress, and also improves one’s communication skills. It can be a great hobby to boost your confidence and make your mind more engaged. If you are interested in painting, the first step for you to take is to find out the reason that is getting you interested in it.
It will help to determine the subject that needs to be focused, and how to proceed. Everyone has different skills, tendencies, and interests that determine their learning path. Find out yours, and then go through the following steps.
Pick the Medium
First, you need to decide the medium you want to focus on, even if it’s for the short term. The major mediums are acrylics, oils, and watercolors. There are some other options to choose from like water-mixed oil and gouache. You can find more alternatives at craft-art.com. But starting with the above-mentioned three mediums might be a better choice for beginners.
Acrylics
Acrylics do not require any other elements and are easy to use. It may be the perfect choice to work on a limited budget, or do not like the complication of oil and watercolor painting. Choosing this media will help you to avoid the use of harsh chemicals involved with oil painting. Besides it provides you with easy cleanup.
While painting, remember the paint dries fast. So, you will have limited time to work on your canvas. Also, make sure you know which colors turn dark as they dry, so that you can apply them in the proper quantity.
Oils
Oil paints are versatile. You can change the consistency and the drying time of your painting dramatically by using additional oil and paint thinners. If you are concerned about harsh solvents like turpentine, you can check out odorless solvents for your oil painting.
When you are not sure where to start, jumping straight into oils can be a better option. You also can start with acrylic, and then change to oils to understand what medium suits you better.
Watercolors
Watercolors can bring about stunningly elegant paintings. They can be a fantastic complement to oil or acrylic painting. But they can be a difficult option to start if you are not patient with the uncontrolled nature of water. It will be better if you practice with acrylics before venturing into watercolor.
Get the Supplies
Next, stock up on art supplies. You need to get the supplies depending on the medium you choose. The must-required items to have are:
- An easel that holds your artwork;
- Palette knives;
- Paper (for watercolor painters) or Canvas (for acrylic or oil painters);
- Paints;
- A palette to mix the colors;
- Solvent (if oil painting);
- Brushes that suits the medium you have chosen; and
- Paper towels to wipe your brush between strokes.
You can find them all in a local art store. Start with a beginner package and upgrade your supplies later when you get used to your artwork better. If you are an absolute beginner, keep it simple. First, get acquainted with painting and then buy quality items if needed.
A limited palette of primary colors like red, blue, and yellow will be a great choice to get started. Cadmium red, raw amber, cadmium yellow, ultramarine blue, and titanium white can be a good starter palette.
Get Familiar with the Fundamentals
You need to know what you are doing before putting your time into something. If you do not understand the fundamentals, you can not improve even if you have been practicing for years. The must-know fundamentals of art are color, composition, value, brushwork, edges, and technique.
- Color: The three elements that make up color are hue, saturation, and value. Hue indicates the location of a color on the color wheel. Saturation refers to how vibrant, rich, or intense a color is. The value refers to the darkness or lightness of the color.
- Value: Though it is an element of color, it is usually considered as a separate fundamental because of its importance in painting. You need to paint with accurate values to have more leeway with the usage of color, brushwork, and detail.
- Composition: Two questions are important to create a great composition: 1) What do you want to say through your painting? And 2) How are you going to say it? If you can answer these questions, you are ready to paint something with a perfect composition.
- Edges and Brushwork: Edge separates two shapes. It can be either l hard or soft. The brushwork is the physical mark that is left by the brush or your finger, palette knife, or anything else that you used to paint with.
- Technique: It defines how well you can perform certain strokes while painting. You can develop good techniques with time. Just make sure you don’t pick up any bad habits such as: holding your brush in the wrong way or making wrong strokes.
Decide What to Paint First
Selecting a subject to paint can be challenging when you are picking up your brush. The painting needs to be inspiring. You should feel the urge to paint it. Determine why and what you are going to paint, and whether you are capable of painting it. See if the required supplies are available before painting. Think about the arrangement of lines, shapes, forms, and colors then get started with your project.
Create Your First Painting
Your first painting needs to be simple. Start casually and then try to capture the initial impression of the subject. Add more detail and refine the painting when you are finished with sorting out the shapes and colors.
Once you have completed your artwork, be proud as you have started with a good throw. But, remember to review what went wrong, and what went right to improve in the future. You might not get your masterpiece the first time you draw because everyone is an amateur at the beginning,
You will get better with practice and reviewing your painting again and again. With the right passion, you will be able to create your masterpiece eventually.