You can also not only paint on your kitchenware but purchase float or window glass for your painting experiments. It is cheap, smooth, and clear surface, but, as you can guess, fragile.
Acrylic Paint on Paper: EASY Tips, Ideas and 5 Videos!
Creating Acrylic Paintings is super fun and forgiving because Acrylic Paints have a longer dry time, can easily be layered and come in so many colors! For beginners, using Acrylic Paint on Paper is a great way to build their skill and explore techniques.
Hello friends! Today I am flipping through my dot journal with you and showing you how I use acrylic paint on paper to create quick florals.
Can you use acrylic paint on sketchbook paper?
A sketchbook with a slightly thicker paper will work great. If your paper is too thin, your acrylic paint on paper will warp the as the paint dries. I pull out my sketchbook whenever my painting skills feel rusty or I just need a creative break. Spending some time playing with paint colors and filling a sketchbook with easy flower paintings always lifts my mood.
Check out my hashtag #mysketchbook06 for more easy flower paintings.
For all these below examples, I used the same exact acrylic paint on paper technique, just different colors, and compositions. My sketchbook is a Toned Tan one and to maintain a nice border around my page I’m using masking tape.
How to paint with acrylics on paper VIDEO
In the below video, I am using acrylic paint on paper and this is actually a dot journal! The paint I’ve used dries hard and dry to the touch and the pages don’t stick to each other once dried. Click the video box below and enjoy the video! https://www.instagram.com/tv/BxaqlbGHCi5/
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Supplies I’ve used:
- Medium round paintbrush:I often use a no 6 round by Silver Brush or this Round 8 Winsor Cotman one.
- Mixed media sketchbook or a journal:I’m actually using an Archer Olive dot journal here today
- Acrylic craft paints: I’m using DecoArt Americana paints today. These are super affordable, comes in various beautiful colors and are so much fun to paint with!
- Optional: a black pen to add outlines in the end
Painting on Canvas, Paper, and Cardboard with Acrylic Paints
Obviously painting on canvas, paper, and cardboard with acrylic paint is easily possible.
Depending on the type of canvas or paper you are using it can be helpful to prime the drawing surface with some gesso before you actually paint on it.
Gesso will prepare the surface in such a way, that acrylic paint will stick to it better and the paint will be more vibrant than when you paint on the canvas directly.
But you can also paint it straight away without any problems.
If you are painting on cardboard, however, then you should definitely prepare the surface with some gesso if you don´t want to use a lot of layers of paint or if you want your paint to be vibrant. The cardboard will dampen the vibrancy of your acrylic paints if you don´t prepare the surface beforehand.
You don´t have to seal the paint afterward. The acrylic paint will stick very well to paper.
Painting with Acrylic Paint on Wood
Wood can easily be painted with Acrylic paint.
You can prepare the wooden surface beforehand to make the paint job a little better but you can also paint on wood directly.
The grain and nature pattern of the wood will be slightly visible after the first layer of paint, which can be an amazing effect but if you don´t want that effect, then you can simply paint over the first layer and after the third layer you won’t see anything from the grain underneath anymore.
Alternatively, you can also prepare the wood by lightly sanding the surface or by preparing the surface with some very liquid gesso. Then the first layer will most of the time be more than enough and you don´t have to worry about paint chipping off later on anymore.
If the painted wood is supposed to be outside or in a sunny spot, then I would recommend sealing it with some clear varnish to protect it from the elements. Otherwise, the color will be washed off fairly quickly.
If the painted wood is indoors, however, then you don´t need to seal it after painting it.
Painting Fabric with Acrylic Paint
Fabric can be painted with acrylic paint but the paint won´t stick to the fabric for long.
Acrylic paint is fairly flexible but not flexible enough for most fabrics. If you simply want to paint on a piece of fabric, that is fix then you can use acrylic paint without any issues.
But if you want to paint a t-shirt for example, then acrylic paint won´t be a good choice. The paint will crack after a while and you won’t be able to wash your t-shirt without washing away part of the paint. So for painting clothes, I would recommend textile paints.
Acrylic paint on Stone
Acrylics work on stone and rocks too. You may need to find smooth rocks to make sure the surface is good enough for painting. Depending on the size of the chosen rock, e.i. if you paint on small rocks, you may need round brushes for detail work.
Basically, you find a rock, clean it (without soap or solvents!), let it dry, apply gesso, and paint on it. If you paint with kids or just having fun, you can skip gesso.
Acrylic painting on stone needs to be sealed, e.i. with a spray sealer.
I have a full how-to guide about the best acrylic paints for rocks and painting them, check it – Best Paint for Rocks & Pens for Rock Painting!
Here is an example of how you can paint your rocks, thanks to Cindy Tomas for these amazing designs!
Can you use acrylic paint on skin?
Technically, only non-toxic acrylics can be used on the skin. Nowadays all acrylic brands produce non-toxic paint, but still, it contains a lot of chemicals and you will never know what effect it can cause.
Definitely never use it on sensitive skin!
In fact, acrylic paint will quickly peel off your skin when it dries.
Do not use acrylics paint on your skin or your children’s skin. Instead, purchase a paint kit where it is mentioned “face paint” or “body painting”.
In my article about the safety of acrylics for the face and body, I described 6 types of paint that you CAN use on skin instead of acrylic and also gave a DIY tip to turn acrylics into face paint. Enjoy!
No matter what painting surfaces for acrylics you will choose, except for your skin, remember protection – how well you protect your painting affect how long it will last.
The traditional way to seal and protect an acrylic painting is to apply an isolation coat, and then varnish or protective finish. I know, it may sound difficult, but here are 2 practical how-to guides: one about isolation coat, and one about varnishing.
Painting Surfaces for Acrylics FAQ
What is the best surface to paint acrylics on?
The pre-primed and pre-stretched canvases are the most universal and easy surface to paint acrylics on. They do not need any extra preparation, you can them! Canvas panels and pads are much cheaper than canvases and are also one of the best surfaces to paint on – they are lightweight, portable, easy to use, but they are often smaller than canvases and are quite hard to frame.
How do you make a surface for acrylic painting?
A surface for acrylic painting often needs preparation: it is also called priming. The most popular primer is gesso – some canvases in art stores are already pre-primed so you don’t have to do any extra work! The surface should be clean, dry, and primed – this way the paint will stick (adhere) and your painting will last a long time!
How do you paint smooth surfaces with acrylics?
Some painting surfaces for acrylics need to be sanded, like wood, to become smooth and nice to paint on. Use regular 220-grit sandpaper to smooth the surface before painting. You also need to prime some surfaces like wood, plastic, or glass, as they tend to either soak in too much paint or not adhere well.
Masha Eretnova is a certified teacher. She started painting and drawing 20+ years ago and now is an international abstract artist and educator passionate about acrylic painting, gouache and crafts.
