Acrylic Paints for Complete Beginners
Acrylic paint is one of the most versatile painting materials around, but it can also be a bit mysterious when you’re starting out. Why does it dry so quickly? Why does it sometimes look different once it’s dry? How much water should you add? Which surface should you paint on?
This three-hour workshop is an introduction to the material itself. Rather than focusing on one finished painting, you’ll spend the session getting to know how acrylic paint behaves through a series of simple exercises and experiments, but you will have a chance to put your knowledge into practice at the end with some mini landscapes to take home.
With experienced teacher and artist Rose Haddy, you will explore:
- what acrylic paint is and how it works
- the qualities that make it different from watercolour and oil paint
- its strengths and its limitations
- how it changes as it dries
- how much water to use and what difference it makes
- creating transparent and opaque layers
- building colour without everything turning muddy
- making marks and textures with a variety of brushes and simple tools
- how different surfaces affect the paint
- choosing paints, brushes and surfaces without spending a fortune
- looking after your brushes and materials
You’ll use the tips to create some mini paintings and leave with a collection of painted samples and notes that you can use as a reference at home, along with a much clearer understanding of what acrylic paint can do.
This workshop is for complete beginners, or for anyone who has tried acrylics before but never really felt they understood them. All materials are provided.