When you are done painting, clean the brushes with soap and water right away, making sure to get back to the base of the bristles; rinse and dry them well, and lay them flat. Store them lying down or standing up on end with the bristles in the air. Do not dry them standing up. Place them that way only after they’re completely dry. And don’t store them bristles down, ever.
13 Simple Acrylic Painting Tips For Beginners That Will Transform Your Art
If you’re just beginning with acrylic paint in your art journal, you’re going to love these acrylic painting tips for beginners.
Some of them seem so silly and small at first, but trust me, each one of these tips can change how you see acrylic painting and can help you improve your painting skills.
That said, you’ll find tips about brushes, tools, neat techniques, etc.
Disclaimer: Some links in this post may be affiliate links. This means that if you purchase something through that link, I get a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
Acrylic painting tips for beginners
These are the tips and tricks I’ve learned by using acrylic paint in my art journals.
1. Acrylic paint vs. watercolor
We’ve done both in school, right? But we can also sometimes confuse the two when it comes to small things like what brush to use.
Acrylic paint is like plastic, so when it dries, you can work on it with layers without disrupting the layers beneath. On the other hand, watercolor is different because it’ll always react to water, so painting layers is a bit different than with acrylic paint.
It’s obvious that you must use water with watercolors, but this isn’t the case with acrylics. I mostly use them with no water at all. This creates wonderful texture and bold, saturated colors.
Another difference I usually make is the use of paintbrushes. For watercolor, I mostly use round brushes, but with acrylics, I think flat ones are better. Round brushes just can’t have control over the thickness of acrylics because they’re softer than flat brushes.
2. Clean your brushes
This is extremely important because once acrylic paint is dry on a brush, you’ll have no luck cleaning it. It ruins the bristles and I’ve been guilty of doing this a number of times. Still regret it.
So, if you’re working on a project, have a jar of water and keep your brushes in it while you work. This way, cleaning won’t take too much time away from your work and will keep the brush wet and ready to use.
However, when you finish your work, then clean the brushes properly.
Here’s how to clean them easily.
Wash them with water and soap thoroughly, all the way to the bottom of the bristles.
If acrylic paint dries on your brush, you can use acetone or other appropriate cleaning solution. But just be careful because they can be toxic if you take in a lot of fumes.
ROCK YOUR ART JOURNAL PAGES EVEN IF THE BLANK PAGE TERRIFIES YOU
Hit the orange button to join my free Art Journal Starter Course and start making art without staring at the blank page and without the fear of ruining everything. (Spoiler alert: you can’t ruin anything in art journaling).
3. Store your brushes properly
After you’ve washed your brushes, shape the bristles gently with your fingers and lay them flat on a paper towel.
Once they’re dry, you can store them bristles up.
4. Use different brush sizes and shapes
You don’t have to have every brush that’s out there. Also, there’s no need to spend a fortune on top-quality brushes, especially if you’re only a beginner.
I’ve been art journaling for years now, and I’ve never felt the need to buy expensive artist-quality brushes. My art journals are for fun and learning, I’m not going to sell my work or exhibit it.
That’s why I want you to feel free to buy brushes with this in mind.
When it comes to acrylic painting, having a few different brushes is a great way to practice acrylic painting and diversify your strokes.
For example, I have about 5 larger and 5-7 medium or smaller size brushes.
I use larger ones for bigger areas, of course, especially if I’m making an acrylic background.
Smaller brushes can help you paint details better, especially if you’re painting faces or flowers.
5. Create textures with acrylic paint
Acrylic paint is a great medium to create a texture because it’s thick, and making thicker areas and shapes will result in amazing effects once it dries.
You can use many different tools to create texture with acrylic paint. Some of them are kitchen sponges, aluminum foil, painting knives, etc.
If you want to create texture with acrylic paint, don’t add water to it. Water just thins it down and then it’s impossible to create the same texture.
6. Let it dry
I know how we, lovers of all things paint, can be impatient when we want to finish something and finally see the result.
Well, on many unlucky occasions, this impatience led to ruining the backgrounds or faces I was painting.
I just didn’t let the paint dry long enough.
Acrylic paint generally dries fast, but that doesn’t mean you can work on it a minute after you’ve put it on the paper.
The thicker your paint is, the longer it will take for it to dry. I know this is boring, but you can use that time and do useful things:
- For example, you can clean all your brushes and tools, really taking the time to clean the bristles and store the tools properly.
- Also, while waiting, you can look at the color wheel to see what your next color can be, or plan any other next step you’re going to make.
- If you’re stubbornly impatient (guilty as charged) then by all means use a hair dryer or a heat gun.
I love using my heat gun because it doesn’t blow away my stuff, which the hairdryer will do if you don’t lower the fan settings. The heat gun dries things so quickly that somehow it became a must-have among my supplies.
Finally, be careful when you’re creating texture with thick layers of paint. These things take a long time to dry, more than 20 minutes in my case.
Experiment with the brand you have and see how long it takes to dry because different brands may have different drying characteristics.
7. Mix colors
One of the most useful acrylic painting tips is to develop a habit of mixing colors instead of using them straight out of the tube.
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with using the paints as they are, especially because there are so many different tones and shades to choose from.
But when you begin mixing colors and using them this way, you learn new things every single time.
You learn what colors mix well, which ones look like crap together, and best of all, your images display a variety of colors and create more interest.
Now, imagine the possibilities.
To learn more about this, check my article on color theory for artists here.
8. Use acrylic paint on almost anything
Yes, they’re so versatile that when you realize what you can paint with them, you’ll go bananas.
Besides using them for painting on paper or canvas, you can paint with them over plastic, glass, rocks, metal, etc.
What about making your own pots for flowers, or decorating a plain plastic container or a glass jar?
Here’s what I did.
I have a stand-alone bookshelf that was entirely white, and I could remove the back of the shelves. So, I removed each of the backsides and painted them as if they were my canvas boards. I painted them with acrylic paint and they look awesome.
If you’re going to do some of these things, you’d maybe want to seal your surface with an appropriate sealer, so that chunks of paint wouldn’t fall off if you use those items all the time.
9. Protect your pages
When you work in your art journal, paint tends to go all over the place, especially on the pages underneath or in the spine. If you don’t want the paint messing with the other pages underneath, just put a sheet of paper behind the page you’re working on.
This doesn’t bother me most of the time because I see my journals as places to practice, experiment, and have fun. And most of all, make a mess. So, sometimes I protect pages like this, other times I don’t. The only thing that matters is how you see it and if you want to make less mess.
I’d usually do this if I plan on using so much acrylic paint on my background that it could easily glue two pages together at the edges, and I don’t want that.
Acrylic paint acts like adhesive, so taking two pages apart would be like tearing them after you’ve glued them together.
10. Use your fingers
Using your fingers when painting with acrylic paint is an amazing way to create interesting strokes and textures, and man, it’s fun. It’s so fun that you’ll become addicted.
And how quirky and cute are fingers covered in paint? One of the reasons I love painting so much: playing like a child. And finger painting lets you do that, especially with acrylic paint because they’re creamy and soft.
Blending acrylic paint with fingers is something you must try.
11. Thin it down with water
You can use acrylics with water to make them even lighter and softer. However, don’t use more water than the paint, use a max of 50% of water.
This is great if you want to have a more watercolor-like effect but with acrylics.
12. Be careful with pens
This is a very important acrylic painting tip because it will save your pens from retiring early in the trash bin.
Ordinary pens don’t write well on acrylic background, especially if there’s texture. You might clog the pen. Rather, try a marker or a thin, small-size brush to write with.
When I want to write or doodle on acrylic paint, I almost always use my Posca Paint markers and pens. They don’t mind that and work perfectly.
If you remember that acrylic paint is actually plastic, any marker that writes on plastic would be a good choice.
Check out which pens are good for using on acrylic paint in this article about the best pens for art journaling.
13. Be patient and consistent
Like in any learning process, figuring out acrylic paint also takes time.
But if you practice consistently, I’m sure you’ll see progress.
Take one step at a time, and be patient with yourself.
Acrylic painting tips – recap
Here are the acrylic painting tips we’ve covered today:
- Realize the difference between acrylic paint and watercolor
- Clean your brushes and tools properly
- Store your brushes properly
- Use different brush sizes and shapes for a variety of strokes
- Create texture with different tools
- Let it dry completely
- Mix colors and experiment
- Paint other things besides paper
- Protect your pages underneath
- Use your fingers to play and experiment
- Thin acrylic paint down with water
- Be careful with pens, so you don’t ruin them
- Be patient and keep practicing
ROCK YOUR ART JOURNAL PAGES EVEN IF THE BLANK PAGE TERRIFIES YOU
Hit the orange button to join my free Art Journal Starter Course and start making art without staring at the blank page and without the fear of ruining everything. (Spoiler alert: you can’t ruin anything in art journaling).
Buying Paint and Brushes
Many companies make acrylic paints in a fluid or liquid version as well as with a paste- or butter-like consistency. Artists will have a preferred brand based on aspects such as the colors available and the consistency of the paint. Check the lightfastness of the pigment by looking for the American Society for Testing and Materials rating on the tube.
You don’t need to buy a box of 64 different colors, though, as unlike the crayons you had as a kid, paints can be mixed for infinite varieties of results. You can start with 10 to 12 basic colors and mix shades from there. You could start with even fewer, really, as long as you have some primary colors, white, black, and brown.
You’ll need stiff-bristled brushes for thick acrylic paint and soft-bristled brushes for watercolor effects. You’ll be faced with an array of sizes and shapes (round, flat, and pointed), and you also get different lengths of the handle. If you’re on a tight budget, start with a small and a medium-sized filbert (a flat, pointed brush). Filberts are a good choice because if you use just the tip, you get a narrow brush mark, and if you push down, you get a broad one. A good medium-sized flat brush will also come in handy. Depending on which edge you paint with, it can give you either a broader or thinner stroke. It will give you a more distinct brushstroke than a filbert brush.
Modern synthetic brushes can be of excellent quality, so don’t restrict your selection to only those brushes made from natural hairs such as sable. Look for brushes where the hairs quickly spring back up when you bend them. With brushes, you tend to get what you pay for, so the cheaper it is, the more likely the hairs are to fall out. Variety packs will often contain a detail brush, a filbert, a medium-sized flat, and a 1-inch flat for prepping large areas.
Other supplies that can be useful include round brushes for drybrush stippling/pouncing (such as in painting fur and texture) and a stylus for placing perfect tiny round dots or transferring drawn designs to a surface with transfer or graphite paper, but you don’t necessarily need these materials at the start.
Supports: Painting Supplies
Suitable supports for acrylics include canvas, canvas boards, wood panels, and paper. Anything to which acrylic paint will stick—test if you’re not sure. If you’re buying a premade canvas or board, check that it’s been primed with something suitable for acrylics (most are).
Wooden, glass, or plastic palettes can be used for acrylics, but it can be tiresome getting all the dried paint off. Disposable palettes—pads of paper where you tear off the top sheet and throw it away—solve this problem. If you find the paint dries out too fast, try a palette designed to keep the paint wet. The paint sits on a sheet of wax paper placed on top of a damp piece of watercolor paper.
Keep Acrylics Wet
One of the pitfalls for beginning painters can be that while they are working slowly and carefully on their painting, the acrylic paint on their palette is drying. When they go to reload their brush with paint, they discover that it has become unworkable, requiring that they mix the color again, which can be challenging. To avoid this, paint the largest shapes of your composition first, and work quickly, with the largest brush you can, for as long as possible. Save the details and smaller brushes for the end. Work from the general to the specific. This will also help keep your painting from becoming too tight.
Have a plant mister on hand to spray the colors on your palette to keep them from drying out as you work. You can also spray water directly onto your canvas or paper to keep the paint workable and for different painting effects, such as drips and smears.
You can also extend their drying time by mixing the colors with the medium aptly called extender, such as Liquitex Slo-Dri Blending Medium.
