Scraping: Apply dots of paint onto the canvas. Using a flat object like a credit card, scrape the paint in different motions, from up to down, left and right, you decide.
Adult Beginner Painting: Acrylic Methods
If you’ve tried Paint by Numbers and finished the artwork with a lot of acrylic paints to spare, don’t throw them away! Instead, use them to practice your painting skills, or even better, make another artwork. In this article, we will show you different acrylic painting techniques that you can try and apply in your later artworks.
Usually, after finishing a Paint by Numbers artwork, you’d be left with a surprisingly large amount of paint, usually about 50% of paint inside per pot that you can use for another artwork. You can also use it to practice different techniques to improve your brushwork and painting style.
Acrylic paint is the most recommended medium for aspiring artists who want to learn how to paint. It’s easy to work with, it’s affordable, and it has good coverage. The colors are vibrant, with creamy and smooth texture, usually giving you an opaque finish. Moreover, you can achieve different textures and finishes with the help of tips and tricks. The only con with this medium is that unlike oils, it’s faster to dry, hence making it difficult to blend. Despite its fast-drying characteristic, there are available supplies that can make acrylic paint slower to dry than it usually does, such as paint retarders.
Practicing Your Brushwork: Different Acrylic Painting Techniques to Try
One thing you should know about acrylic paints is that they’re a very flexible medium compared to others like watercolor and oil paint. Acrylic paint can somewhat act like both: if mixed with gels or oils, acrylics can turn into oil paints, hence making them thicker and slower to dry. Since acrylic paint is also water-soluble, this can create watercolor-like consistency and effects.
Moreover, the brush of your choice can greatly affect the finished look of your painting so you need to learn the basic uses of basic brushes (which will be discussed in a future article).
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Dry brush: Use a good amount of paint and apply it on your dry canvas for textured and visible strokes .
Scraping: Apply dots of paint onto the canvas. Using a flat object like a credit card, scrape the paint in different motions, from up to down, left and right, you decide.
More Acrylic Painting Tips:
Priming Your Canvas: Is it Necessary?
Priming is a very important process in painting whether you use acrylic paint or oil paint. When you prime your canvas, it will be smoother and less absorbent, hence making it easier for you to apply your paint. However, you CAN skip this process, as long as you use a pre-primed stretched canvas, then you’re good to go. If your canvas is not pre-primed, then you HAVE to undergo this process.
Misting
Since Acrylic paints are very fast to dry, misting water to your palette is a great solution to avoid them from drying while it’s still on the palette. Use an old spray bottle and fill it with water. Spray water to the pigments in the palette when needed.
Sealing/glossing: Is it important?
Once you finish your artwork and it’s completely dry, then it has to undergo the last, yet very important process: sealing. This is an important process in order for your painting to last longer. The seal will protect your canvas from yellowing and dust.
11 Useful Tips for Beginner of Painting by Numbers
Paint by numbers has been a popular hobby since the 1950’s, when they were launched. When you have got the kits, you are excited to start but some may asked what is the best way to start in order to get the best result? Here’s a few tips and tricks to get your started on your very own ‘Paint by Numbers’ project.
1. Descending Order
One of the key steps to getting a smudge-proof painting with great speed, you need to paint in a decreasing pattern, that is to say you need to first take care of the larger areas before slowly painting down towards tinier ones.
2. Darkest to Lightest
The second most important step is to always paint in the darker tones of the painting before filling in with lighter ones. Utilize your ‘Paint by Numbers’ kit and observe the dark to light color sequence in the reference piece. Once you got that down, you’ll be able to better understand as well as manipulate the composition of colors in your project piece.
3. Correct Number = Correct Color
This might seem like an obvious tip but nonetheless, people still tend to overlook this step and end up confusing themselves while painting. One way to systematically finish your ‘Paint by Numbers’ project is to avoid switching and paint all the areas that uses the color you already have on-hand all in one go. Subsequently, you can clean out your brush while your painting dries before moving onto the next color/number variation with ease.
4. Cover the Numbers Indicators
When you paint over the number indicators, you can achieve a cleaner and neater look for your painting. After you’re done with the initial coloring, let your canvas dry thoroughly before applying a second coat of colors to cover the first layer as well as the numbering,
5. Avoid Smudging
One of the most effective ways to avoid smudges on your ‘Painting by Numbers’ piece is to apply the top-down strategy. What you should do to prevent your hands from unknowingly dragging wet paint from one area to the other is to color from the topmost area of your canvas before moving down towards the lower ones. With this tip in mind, chances of you accidentally ruining your work would be next to none.
6. Close Your Paint Cup
Always, always remember to close the paint cup once you’re done with one color. If you leave your paint exposed, they will dry out quickly and become essentially useless. If you do worry, another way to help you prevent dryness from seeping into your paint is to cover them with a slight coat of clear acrylic sealer which helps build a barrier against the exposed environment without ruining the paint altogether.
7. Care for Your Brushes
Never skip from one color to the other without first cleaning your brushes thoroughly. In order to achieve a vibrant and crisp ‘Paint by Numbers’ painting, you must clean out your tools thoroughly in between colors so that you may give your canvas a fresh texture to work with as well as applying the paint smoothly without being tainted by another color.
8. Amount of Paint Used
Another key step to achieving a perfect ‘Paint by Numbers’ piece is to make sure you paint accordingly. What is implies is that the paint you use to color in the numbered areas should be adequate enough without crossing the lines drawn. Avoid over-coloring but make sure the intended area is covered well too.
9. Take Your Time
Patience is key and no time is ever wasted when you do a ‘Paint by Numbers’ project. Always remember to let your canvas naturally and thoroughly dry when switching between colors or areas. Take you time when coloring as well and never rush when painting your piece if you want your end result to appear clean and overall, perfect.
10. Choice of a Workplace
Unbeknownst to most, the environment you work in while painting does bring some effect to your end piece. You should choose a quaint, calm and bright space when you sit down for your ‘Paint by Numbers’ painting session. When you do so, you get to achieve better concentration as well as better understanding of the theme of your painting.
11. Have Fun with Yourself
These tips, tricks, rules or whatever it is you want to call them are merely guides for you to start off with your own ‘Paint by Numbers’ project and in no way should they limit your very own creativity as well as individualized ideas. Your canvas is wholly yours to paint and play with because at the end of the day, your satisfaction is what matters most. And with our ‘Paint by Numbers’ kit, you can unwind, fun, learn, and teach it your way!
Start Your First Painting Project with Paint by Number Kits
First of all, select a simple paint by number kits and when you are getting comfortable with these, you can go on to order some more challenging paint by number kits.
Following this Paint by Numbers Tips and Tricks you should soon be on your way of making an awesome art work. Whether you are a beginner or already have some experience in the world of art, i am sure you love painting as do we.
