Free Art Science Classes

If you’ve never learned how to play music, sitting with a group of musicians using technical terms to describe their work can be a whirlwind of confusing, beautiful language. A similar situation can occur when speaking with artists who paint with oils: suddenly you’re in a conversation where they’re debating the finer points of pigments, discussing the benefits of canvas versus linen, or sharing recipes for homemade gesso, brush recommendations, and a technique called “wet-on-wet.” The abundance of language that goes along with oil painting may feel overwhelming at first, but if you take the time to familiarize yourself with its terms and best practices, you’ll be on your way to using with the centuries-old medium with ease.

In this article about easy hacks for alcohol drops acrylic painting, you will learn to create a unique background. This painting technique will help you enhance your painting’s freshness with patterns from alcohol drops. It is a great way to allow your background to complement the design you are about to create.

I love acrylic mediums because they make acrylic paints so versatile! In this article I'll introduce you to acrylic paint mediums - liquids or gels that you mix into the paint - and explain how they can help you create different effects and finishes by making the paint thicker, thinner, glossy, matte, textured, slow-drying and more. 

Acrylic mediums are another reason why I prefer acrylics over oils. There are mediums for oil paints, but they're generally smelly, toxic, and you have to be careful about how you use them or you risk the paint cracking. There are no such worries with acrylic mediums because they are made with the same emulsion base as acrylic paint, so they dry at the same rate. But you do need to be a bit careful with additives.

Painters most commonly use canvas for their work, even though there are many surfaces available to paint on. Choosing the type of canvas for your work is almost as important as the work itself. Canvases come in different materials, weights, and textures, and each has its own characteristics. Some are more durable than others, some are more or less textured, and pricing varies from very cheap to very expensive.

So how does an artist select the type of canvas he or she wants to paint on? It starts with learning about canvases and ends with a decision about what is best for each individual work.

Filbert brushes are somewhere between a round and flat brush. The curved tip allows for soft brushwork and blending. Bright brushes are brushes with shorter bristles. They are useful for short, controlled strokes.

There are general guidelines to cleaning brushes but also some particulars regarding the specific medium you are using.

It's so easy to become overwhelmed at the sheer number of options available for paint brushes. Just walking down the paint brush aisle at the art store can be a bit intimidating.  These days, many manufacturers have started labeling the sections of the display to make it a little easier to choose.  But with so many choices, how do you know that you are purchasing the right brush, for the right application, to use with the right media?

Hopefully, we can clear a few things up here.  You'll find that, like with many things associated with art, it's not an exact science.

Paint brushes differ according to several characteristics.  These include...

• Hair or bristle type
• Shape of the bristles
• Width or thickness of the bristles
• Length of the handle

You pull a clean, fresh paintbrush out of the pile, and a smile stretches instantly across your face. There is simply no better feeling!

Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could keep your brushes in this good of shape for as long as possible? It may not come as a surprise, but all it takes is some regular care and maintenance. 

But, while dirty brushes are the bane of every painter’s existence, they happen. Whether they are accidentally forgotten about after a long day in the studio or merely on their last leg, seasoned artists and brush makers have a few tricks up their sleeves for bringing your brushes back to life.

So, think twice before you pop that trashcan lid, and consider these tips for caring for and salvaging your favorite brushes.

Is your plastic patio furniture or decor looking a little faded? Instead of tossing it out, consider giving it a coat of paint to give it a makeover. Plastic is more challenging than wood when it comes to getting paint to stick. While you can't guarantee a permanent lifetime finish on any material, you can increase the chances of your painted plastic lasting with the proper preparation and materials.

One of the great things about acrylic paints is that they are versatile. You can use them on lots of different surfaces. But they work better on some surfaces than others. With acrylic paint it’s not so much can the paint be used on a surface, it’s more will it stay on that surface for the use that you want it for. Is it safe to use it in that way?

There are 10 types of easels that artists use, each with a slightly different purpose. Each type of easel has its own characteristics and uses, which makes each type specially suited to specific types of art making processes.

So, you’ve found the perfect reference photo and can’t wait to get started on your painting. But how do you transfer a reference photo to a canvas so you can paint your masterpiece? There are several methods to do this depending upon what you have available and how much time you have. Here are a few that I have used. There is some debate among artists about methods of transferring your reference photo. Some say a true artist should’t use any method other than drawing. Some even frown on the use of reference photos. Personally, I believe there is a whole lot more to painting than just drawing your reference so it really doesn’t matter. Modern equipment and techniques have made it much faster to get your idea on canvas, but a good painting also involves understanding colors, tones, shadows and highlights as well as a whole host of other things.