Acrylic Painting

I used to teach Beginning Acrylic Painting at the Topeka Art Guild. It was a lot of fun.

On July 26, I taught my first Acrylic Painting Class at the Mulvane Art Museum.

Here are the materials from that class:

Cleaning Your Brushes

Hints from the Class Handout:

Colors

Mixing colors is easy with acryic paint. Be sure to mix enough the first time, if you are working on large areas.

Some teachers say “never use paint right out of the tube.” This is an opinion rather than a rule.

Most out-of-the-tube colors are brighter than needed for a photo-realistic painting. Tone a color down by mixing in a SMALL amount of the complementary color. (The color on the opposite side of the color wheel.) Red and green tone each other down. Blue and orange tone each other down. Yellow and purple tone each other down.

As it dries, acrylic paint colors get slightly darker.

more hints and resources coming soon!

Composition

The placement of the various objects or areas on the canvas is often referred to as “composition.” Composition is complex. Your teacher isn’t an expert. But for beginners:

Avoid placing an object right in the center of the page.

In a landscape, avoid placing the horizon line (or any strong line) right across the very center.

Composition is not my strong suit. I recommend Dan Scott's web site for a good starting point. He offers a free newsletter which is good. You will get some ads for "paid content" along the way, but there is a HUGE amount of high quality information in his newsletters and on his website.

https://drawpaintacademy.com/understanding-composition-for-artists/

Keeping it FUN

Few people paint masterpieces the first time around! When you look at your painting, be as kind to yourself as you would be if someone else painted it!

It is not necessary to monetize everything. If painting makes you happy, helps you feel calm, or teaches you something… that is enough.

The Art Lab is open most Saturdays, from noon to four. It is FREE! Your teacher (LuAnn) is there most Saturdays. If you want to keep on painting, come to the Art Lab often! I don’t provide large stretched canvases. Although they are inexpensive at Michaels or Hobby Lobby or some dollar stores, they are not cheap enough to supply to everyone every Saturday! I WILL always have canvas pads and a few small panels for anyone who wants to paint, and I will always have acrylic paints.

Cleanup:

Acrylic paint can be cleaned from clothing using rubbing alcohol… but it is a lot of work and if the fabric is not durable, the results won’t be good. Wear an apron and old clothes!

Don’t clean your brushes in the Art Lab sink. Let LuAnn finish cleaning them.

Don’t pour water-with-acrylic paint down the Art Lab sink.

Tutorials

Although I have a minor in Art Education and took MANY classes in college, I didn’t really paint for about FORTY years!

When I decided to start painting again, I did Cinnamon Cooney’s first Acrylic April event in 2019. I consider her to be the modern equivalent of Bob Ross! Unfortunately, Cinnamon passed away in 2024. Her family is maintaining her website, which if FULL of simple and fun tutorials.

theartsherpa.com