The first thing I learned is I don't know how to
paint all that well with acrylics.
I also thought about when I went to school for art and
remembered the painting class I had. This is what they
taught me; these are the supplies you will need to paint,
here is the subject we want you to paint - now paint.
And that was about it.
So, I decided to get some library books and learn how
to paint in the style that I like when I look at other people's work.
This is the first book I'm learning from;
There is so much information in this book that
I decided to try a little at a time. His first suggestion is to
limit the amount of time you work on a study and think
of a painting as a study instead of a finished piece of art.
He says, "Don't be intimidated by the white canvas,
don't be afraid of mistakes, learn the difference between line
and mass, learn brushwork, understand how to see, and get
started - learn, explore, enjoy!" All of that information
was on one page. That's a lot to start with.
I decided to start with an hour, limit my colors to the basics - red, blue, yellow
black and white, and limit my brushes to 3. I ended up exchanging the large brush
for a liner brush. I was trying to keep it as simple as possible. I also am using a
12 x 12 canvas, a lot smaller than I usually use.
This was after 20 minutes
Another 15 minutes
and the last 10 minutes. He said
not to think of your work as a finished painting
when you're learning but I want to finish this up
at least a little more. I just want to see what it will look like.
I'm happy with what I've learned so far and I'm only on
page 9. Hopefully I will improve my techniques with acrylic
to a level I will be happy with.