Acrylic Painting Supplies: What Beginners Should Buy

Posted September 16, 2021 by Betsy Craumer

When beginners start painting with acrylics, they often rush to the store and buy the wrong supplies or too many supplies. However, as with anything, simple is always best. You don’t need to buy hundreds of art supplies to start your art career. In the beginning, you just need a few simple tools to get you started.

Acrylic paint

The first thing you need will obviously be acrylic paint. There are several brands available on the market, but not all are created equal. Many beginners will buy inexpensive paint, but these have little pigment to cove the canvas. As a result, it takes multiple layers to get the color down. We recommend getting only about six colors plus white in the best quality that you can afford.

Paintbrushes

Once you’ve found your paint, it’s time to buy your paintbrushes. We recommend getting synthetic brushes over natural brushes, as they work better with acrylic paint. From there, you’ll want to get a few flat or rectangular brushes, and then a few round and pointed brushes. You can start off with mid-sized brushes (sizes 6 to 8) and then continue to branch out from there.

Canvas

Next, you need your canvas. While you can paint acrylic on various surfaces, it’s usually best to stick with canvas as a beginner. Then, once you become more confident, you can try wood, paper, and more. Just make sure your canvas is thick enough to handle acrylic paints.

Palette

A palette is where you’ll hold and mix your paints. While we usually think of palettes as circular with a small hole on the side, they actually come in many varieties. Go to the store and try a few out to see which version you prefer. You can also opt for paper plates in place of traditional palettes to reduce clean-up time.

Rags/paper towels

Painting can get messy. Be sure you have some old rags or paper towels to clean up after yourself or to blot excess water from your paintbrushes. You can also use them to wipe your brushes clean before switching colors.

Soap for paintbrushes

Once you’ve finished painting for the day, you’ll need to wash your paintbrushes. Ordinary soap can work, but you can also get paintbrush soap for a more thorough cleaning.

Varnish

Finally, there’s varnish. This adds an extra layer of protection for your recently finished painting. You can get varnish in matte, satin, or gloss depending on the look you want to achieve.

At Creative Ventures Gallery, our beginner art classes can help you decide what acrylic art supplies you need the most. Look through our classes today to get started!

5 Painting Surfaces to Try (Other Than Canvas)

Posted August 20, 2021 by Betsy Craumer

When learning to paint, you typically start on canvas or paper. But what if you wanted something out of the ordinary? As you advance your skills, you can start experimenting with differing surfaces, including wood, metal, glass, and even books. Read on to learn more:

Wood

Whether it’s an old dresser or part of a building, wood can be a fun surface to paint on. There are so many things you can do with wood, and so many opportunities to show off your artistic skills. Some artists are even painting on tree trunks to create a 3D illusion. Just keep in mind that if you’re painting on wood, you’ll need to sand and seal it before starting.

Books

Do you have any old books that you never read? Then consider reusing them for your next artistic project! You can paint the inside pages or the cover to add a new look to your old book. Just make sure you use hardcover books to prevent any warping.

Fabric

When painting on fabric, you have many options available to you. You can paint on wearable fabrics such as t-shirts, or you can opt for flags, banners, and even silk. You’ll want to use a special fabric paint and then set the paint by heating the opposite side with an iron. Some fabric can be washed after being painted, but you’ll want to do some extra research before throwing it in the washing machine.

Metal

Certain metals can also be painted on, but the most commonly used is copper. Painting on copper has been done for hundreds of years using oil paint (acrylics don’t adhere as well to a copper surface). You’ll need to sand the copper before painting, but priming is not always necessary. Some artists want the glow of the copper to shine through their paint.

Glass

Finally, there is glass. Traditionally, paint doesn’t adhere well to glass, but you can fix this by sandblasting your glass and using specially formulated glass paint. Just be sure to clean the glass beforehand so that there isn’t any dust, dirt, or natural oils leftover.

At Creative Ventures Gallery, we offer a variety of classes to help you improve your artistic skills. Contact us today to learn more!

How to Use the Wet-on-Wet Painting Technique

Posted July 20, 2021 by Betsy Craumer

First developed during the early 16th century and used later by the Impressionists, the wet-on-wet painting technique is being adopted by more and more artists. But what exactly is wet-on-wet? And how do you apply it to your next painting? Read on to learn more.

What is wet-on-wet?

Wet-on-wet is exactly as it sounds. It’s when a painter applies wet paint onto either a wet surface or a freshly painted surface. In other words, you practice the wet-on-wet technique when you don’t wait for your initial coat of paint to dry and instead paint onto it while it’s still wet.

Which mediums use wet-on-wet?

You can use the wet-on-wet technique on a variety of paint mediums. While it is most often used in watercolors, you can also use them in mediums such as acrylic, oil, or even gouache. However, keep in mind that how you apply the wet-on-wet technique will differ depending on your medium. You can read how best to apply this technique to the various mediums here.

Wet-on-wet best practices

Wet-on-wet isn’t too complicated to apply, but there are things to keep in mind as you do so. Since you’re applying wet paint onto wet paint, you’ll have to account for colors mixing on your canvas. This can add a vibrant and exciting element to your painting, but it can also be a headache depending on how you like to paint. To avoid your colors mixing too much, you can use a loaded brush or a palette knife. Then, drag the paint loosely over the top. You’ll also want to choose your color palette carefully, ensuring that if your colors do mix that they won’t disrupt the painting too much.

If you’d like to learn more about the wet-on-wet technique or other painting techniques, take one of our classes at Creative Ventures Gallery. Contact us today to learn more!

How to Use a Reference Photo

Posted June 23, 2021 by Betsy Craumer

Many artists draw their inspiration from the world around them. They rely on models, the great outdoors, and their own imagination. They also rely on reference photos. Reference photos are particularly helpful when you’re drawing from your imagination or don’t have any real-life references to draw from in your area. Below we explain the best practices to using a reference photo in order to create a realistic piece.

Keep the photo right next to your drawing

When drawing from a reference photo, it’s important that it’s nearby for you to quickly glance at it with each stroke of your pencil. We recommend placing the photo right next to your drawing or taping it right above your workstation. That way it’s always in your line of sight.

Modify, don’t copy

A reference photo should never be copied completely. It is there for inspiration, and simply copying a photo won’t allow you to practice your creativity. Additionally, your drawing could appear unnatural. For instance, if you’re using a reference photo to draw a waterfall, you’ll want to modify the waterfall to fit your particular scene, so it doesn’t appear out of place.

Combine references

If you’re drawing a waterfall, you don’t need to use just one reference photo for your waterfall. You can use many references to get the scene you’re looking for. Doing so can help you create an entirely unique feature that is still realistic. Study each reference closely and see what they have in common and what’s different about them.

Look online or create your own

The internet often seems like a treasure-trove of photos, but beware. Most photos found on the internet are under copyright laws. If you plan to use a photo from online, make sure it is not copyrighted. You can also try creating your own reference photos. Use props around your house or take photos of things you see as you’re going about your day to find something that’s truly unique.

Creative Ventures Gallery can help you hone your artistic skills. Contact us today to learn more about our art classes and workshops.

How to Choose the Right Art Medium for You

Posted May 19, 2021 by Betsy Craumer

An art medium refers to the different materials or tools that an artist uses to create a work of art. Watercolor, pen & ink, and clay are all different kinds of artistic mediums. It’s always great to dabble in as many art forms as possible, but some artists prefer to stick to just a few or specialize in one instead. As you start delving into the world of art, you may wonder which medium is best for you. While you are the only one who can figure this out, there are ways to help narrow your choices.

What draws you in?

Think about the types of artworks that appeal to you the most. Do they all have something in common? If you look closely, you may find that you enjoy a particular style or medium of art. For instance, a watercolor may catch your eye more so than a sculpture. If that’s the case, you’ll likely find painting a watercolor more enjoyable than crafting a sculpture.

What can you afford?

In a perfect world, you would be able to pursue any type of artform that your heart desires. But we all have real world expenses, and for some of us, that will impact what kinds of art mediums we can explore. Pen & ink, for example, will likely be less expensive than sculpture-making. However, if you’re truly passionate about one kind of art medium, you can always try and find a way to make it work.

Experiment

At the end of the day, the best way to find the right medium is to try it out first. This might take some trial and error, but it won’t be in vain. The lessons in you learn from certain artistic mediums will follow you into the ones you’re truly passionate about.

At Creative Ventures Gallery, we offer a wide variety of classes to help you find the best artistic medium for you. Look through our classes and workshops to get started!

Natural vs. Synthetic Paintbrushes

Posted April 21, 2021 by Betsy Craumer

Before you start painting your next masterpiece, you first need to make sure you have the right tools on hand. Specifically, you need to make sure you have the right paintbrushes. When choosing paintbrushes, a big factor you’ll have to consider is whether that paintbrush has natural or synthetic hairs. Here we discuss the differences between the two and which is best for your style of painting.

Natural brushes

Natural brushes, as their name suggests, are made from natural resources such as animal hair. They’re typically made of hog, sable, or badger hair, with the most popular being bristle brushes. We’ve been using natural brushes for generations, and for good reason. These types of brushes can pick up, hold, and distribute paints easily, speeding up the entire process. They’re also soft and flexible, plus there is a lesser chance of streaking than with synthetic brushes. Natural brushes are often used for oil-based painting, but some are also used for watercolor.

Synthetic brushes

Synthetic brushes are the new kids on the block. They’re man-made, typically made out of materials such as nylon, polyester, or a mixture of the two. These types of brushes are durable, maintain their shape, and apply a smooth finish. While many purists like to use natural brushes over synthetic brushes, there is really nothing wrong with a synthetic brush. They’re just as good at distributing paint as natural brushes. These types of brushes are ideal for acrylic painting, as the acrylic doesn’t damage synthetics like it does with natural brushes.

At Creative Ventures Gallery, our beginner art classes and workshops can help you find the perfect paintbrushes for your next project. Contact us today to learn more!

What Is Foreshortening?

Posted March 23, 2021 by Betsy Craumer

Whether you’re drawing or painting, there are many different types of techniques you can use in your artwork. Foreshortening is one of them. It is used in every two-dimensional art form from painting, drawing, illustration, graphics, and even representational quilting. Applied to everything drawn in perspective, foreshortening was a popular technique during the Renaissance. Learn more below.

Definition of foreshortening

Foreshortening creates the illusion of an object receding into the background. It does so by making that object appear smaller and overlapped, thus enhancing the depth of a painting. Think of the classic drawing with a single road stretching out towards the horizon. As the road moves further away, it will appear narrower than it does closer to the viewer.

The effects of foreshortening

How does foreshortening affect the objects in a painting? In one of a few ways:

Objects become smaller the further away they are from the viewer
Objects up front will be larger and overlap objects further back

How to incorporate foreshortening

Foreshortening sounds simple, but in practice in can be difficult to understand for beginners. The key is practice. Start with drawing objects from real life and comparing individual shapes to better understand how objects appear at a distance. For example, you can sketch a building from a particular angle to learn how the back edge of the building appears smaller than the front edge. You can also try figure drawing with small wooden mannequins to see how foreshortening affects the body of living beings.

At Creative Ventures Gallery, our beginner classes can help you master the technique of foreshortening. To learn more, contact us today.

4 Ways Hobbyists Can Sell Their Artwork

Posted February 22, 2021 by Betsy Craumer

You should always make art for the love of art, but getting a little extra money on the side doesn’t hurt either. While professional artists often rely on gallery representation to sell their artwork, hobbyists often need a simpler way. Thankfully, between the internet and local art shows, there are multiple ways to sell your art as a hobbyist.

Art Fairs and Art Shows

Local art fairs and art shows are always a great opportunity for hobbyists to showcase their work. Not to mention you’ll be able to spend time with other local artists and art lovers. Keep in mind, though, that these shows require a good deal of time, effort, and money. You’ll need to buy a booth, set it up, and be there all day during the show. Nevertheless, there are great rewards at the end of it.

Online

If art fairs or art shows aren’t your style, then you can always sell your art online. This is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to sell your work. You can either set up your own website, or you can turn to a site that’s dedicated to artists. Some possibilities include the following:

Etsy
FineArtAmerica
Saatchi Art
Shopify
Amazon

However, just because it’s online doesn’t mean it’s free. You’ll have to pay for your own website, and if you turn to an art site, you may have to split the profits with the company.

Retailers

Local retailers are always looking to showcase work done by local artists. While you may have to buy space or split the profits with the store, it is still an excellent way to get your art out into the world.

Social Media

Finally, there’s always social media. We don’t recommend only relying on social media, but instead using it to send potential customers to your website or a local show. Social media helps with exposure, and it can be a great way to advertise yourself to your local community. Share TikTok videos of your artistic process, or post Instagram photos of your latest work to attract future fans.

Are you looking to jumpstart your artistic career? Then take one of our classes or workshops here at Creative Ventures Gallery.

Everything You Need to Know About Edges in Art

Posted January 29, 2021 by Betsy Craumer

Edges in art mark the end of one color and the beginning of another. Sometimes the transition is sharp, like that between one object and another; other times, the transition is subtle, like the gentle gradations of an evening sky. The concept of edges is deceptively simple, as many beginner painters struggle to capture a perfect edge. However, by better understanding the concept itself, you can learn how to paint the right edges for your painting.

The Different Types of Edges

What usually throws beginners off is that they’re using an inappropriate edge for the object or color they’re trying to depict. When we think of edges, we often imagine something sharp and distinct, like the edge of a countertop. In reality, there are three main types of edges you can use in your art:

Hard Edge: A sharp, crisp line between two shapes or objects (e.g., the line between an apple and a table)
Soft Edge: A more gentle and smooth transition between two shapes or objects (e.g., the transition between the top of a table and the corner of a table)
Lost Edge: A barely distinguishable and extremely subtle transition (e.g., the transition between the light part of the table and the shaded part)

What Forms an Edge

You create an edge any time there is a change in your painting. This can include a change from one object to another, one color to another, or one plane to another. Simply put, any kind of transition involves an edge, whether it be hard, soft, or lost.

Factors That Influence Edges

What might make a hard edge hard, or a soft edge soft? Typically it’s the actual object you’re trying to paint. However, environmental factors also influence your edges. These four factors can change the type of edge you use in your painting:

Light: Harsh light will make an edge harder, while weak light will make it softer
Movement: When something is moving, edges will appear blurred or softer
Atmosphere: A sunny day will make edges harder, while a hazy day will make them softer
Focus: Objects that are farther away are out of focus. As such, their edges will be soft

At Creative Ventures Gallery, our art classes and workshops can teach you the fundamentals of edges. To learn more, contact us today.

What is the Mother Color Technique?

Posted January 4, 2021 by Betsy Craumer

Almost every painter wants to achieve color harmony. There are many ways to do this, but one of the most popular is the mother color technique. But what is this technique, and how can you use it? Read on to learn more:

Defining the Mother Color Technique

The mother color technique is a method that relies on using one color—a mother color—that is incorporated into every other color in a painting. For instance, if you’re painting a snowy landscape, your mother color would be white, and you would mix that white into all of your other colors. This technique can be used with nearly any kind of painting, from watercolor to plein air.

How to choose your mother color

Since your mother color will be incorporated into all of the colors in your painting, choosing the right one is important. In theory, you can choose any color you wish, but it’s often best to choose your focal point color. With the snowy landscape example above, the focal point of the painting would be the snow. As such, the white from the snow was mixed in with all of the other colors.

Only mix a small amount

If you want to try your hand at the mother color technique, be careful not to use too much of your mother color. You need to achieve color harmony while also having enough contrast between each color in your painting. In that respect, mix only a small amount of your mother color with each paint color. You can always add more later.

At Creative Ventures Gallery, we cover many artistic techniques. Check out one of our many classes or workshops to get started on your artistic journey.