Learning The Art Of Painting

As I mentioned above my uncle (my mother's brother) is an artist painter. He paints mostly still life, landscapes and animals, and as much as I know he never "learned" how to paint. He just did. Of course you can take paint classes and this will always be beneficial for you if you do, but the real "knowing" how to pain will come from within you.

In other word it's not because you NEVER painted that you should decide that you can't. Yes, Some people do have more of an inherent talent, or an aptitude, for art than others. But don't analyze too much about how much talent you have or should have in order to start. If you learn some basic techniques and practice you will get better and better as time goes on. from there your creativity will take over and your talent will expand.

Your skills will develop as you try as well. With time you will realize how different brushes affect your painting, how to work on colors and different paints. You will get into the habit of exploring the possibilities that painting offers you.

If you have the desire, you most likely can. If you didn't have any artistic ability for painting, you wouldn't have any desire to paint at all. It is this desire combined with persistence and the practice of painting techniques, not talent, which make an successful artist.

We all have some sources of inspiration. Which painter or painters inspire you most? For example some people might be inspired by abstract painting, surreal painting, or true to life scenes painting such as myself.

What is YOUR inspiration?

You will be able to paint the kind of painting you like better than the kind you don't like. So, this is the first choice you need to make. What kind of painting you would like to paint. Personally, I love landscapes, flowers and still life, therefore that is what I paint.

What are the painters who attract you the most? If you feel like you want to paint, but are really not familiar with any famous painters, I encourage you to get to know some of them. Their work will definitely inspire you. In my case August Renoir has always been a painter that inspired me. What is yours?

To start your paintings project you will need three basic items which are: Canvas, brushes, and paint.

If painting become a regular hobby for you, you might want to invest into an easel which will make your painting experience much more relax and efficient.

Of course there are several kind of canvas, brushes and paint. You will have to make your choice here as well. But here I am going to try to help you, so you can make the best choice for YOU.

Canvas

Canvas have different texture: Canvas has a variety of textures from the most smooth to the most rugged based on the canvas weave, or grain. This grain gives the canvas what is called "tooth". The more coarse the surface, the more tooth it has.

Too much tooth consumes paint and wears out brushes, too little makes it hard to build colors up to the intensity required. Just what grain is best for an artist depends upon on the art work.


Rough grain

This has a pronounced, course texture with a visible grain. Rough canvas is appropriate for oil or acrylic paint and when you're painting heavily, roughly, or loosely.

Medium grain

Good all-purpose texture.

Smooth grain

Ideal for portraits or other fine detail work.

Primed canvas vs. Unprimed canvas

Primed canvas are canvas that have been treated for protection again alteration or deformation due to acrylic or oil paint.

Canvas already primed by the manufacturer for a particular medium will eliminate the hassle of priming the canvas yourself but will cost a little more. However, note that unless it has been universally primed, the canvas will be limited to which medium it can be used with it.

Unprimed canvas must be primed by the artist. This can be a tricky procedure for the beginner, especially when surface regularity is important. The benefit, however, is that unprimed canvas can be primed and made ready for any medium. It's also cheaper than pre-primed canvas.

Mona Lisa-Gessoed Hard Boards

Water Color Boards

Brushes

The paint brush is an essential for an artist painter.

Paint brushes are made by attaching natural or synthetic bristles to a handle by clamping them on with a piece of metal called a ferrule.

There are all sorts of different kinds of paint brushes, and each different kind has a different handle, ferrule, and bristles. The size and shape of even the most common types of paint brushes vary from one manufacturer to another, but there are certain consistencies common to them all. For example, short handled paint brushes are generally favored for painting in ink or watercolors, while long handled paint brushes are traditional for working with oils and acrylics.



There are many different kind of brushes which allow the artist to paint everything down to the most minute details.

The Angular: While the body of the angular brush is flat, the edge is angled at a slant. This gives the brush both a flat edge and a "tip," making it great for both wide and thin strokes.

The Bright: The bright brush is basically the same as a flat but with shorter bristles. The short, flat head of the bright makes it ideally suited for applying broad strokes with a controlled edge.

The Fan: This brush is easy to spot because of its distinctive fan shaped head. The fan is designed for blending color and softening edges. They're also good for creating feathery strokes when painting objects like clouds, leaves, and grass.

Fibert:The filbert has a flat body with a domed edge. Extremely versatile, the filbert can be used as a flat to make broad strokes or as a round for more detailed work.

Flat: With its flat body and square edge, the flat is the perfect brush for applying large amounts of color both quickly and evenly.

The Liner: The liner brush has a round, slender head with long hairs. The thin tip makes it perfect for applying minute detail, while the long body allows it to deliver color continuously when painting long lines. This brush type is also called a "rigger" as it is commonly used to paint the rigging on ships.

The Round: Just as its name implies, this brush has a round head. Its hairs usually taper to a fine point at the end. The round is suited for precise strokes and detail work.

The wash brush is an extra-large flat. It is primarily used for "washing" paper with water when painting with watercolors, or for laying down large amounts of color.

The Mop: Mop-Large and flat, the mop has an oval or rounded edge. The mop is useful for delicately washing a surface and for blending large amounts of color.

Paints

The basic definition of paint is a "colorful pigment suspended in a liquid binder", a definition which leaves a lot of room for variation. Artists have taken advantage of this variability over the millennia, using and experimenting with a number of pigments and binders in that elusive search for the perfect color, consistency, and permanence for their art.

Fortunately, some of these paint combinations have been more successful than others. These can generally be grouped into a few major categories:

Acrylic which was developed in the 1920s and now one of the most popular paint for it easy use texture and low price.

Acrylic Paint: mix their pigments with a liquid plastic binder. They are water soluble when wet and water resistant when dry. Acrylics dry very quickly when compared to oil base paints and, upon drying, become remarkably flexible and durable.

Oils Paint: The standard medium for painting, oil based paints have dominated the art world for centuries. Oil paints are made of pigment combined with a drying oil binder such as linseed, safflower, walnut, or poppy.

The quality oil paints possess excellent color depth and resonance. They are also extremely durable and fade resistant. Highly versatile, oil paints can be used for a variety of effects including thin washes or thick impastos.

Oil paints can also be difficult to use, especially for beginners. Because they are water insoluble, oil paints require solvents like turpentine for thinning and cleaning. They also dry very slowly, and large or complex paintings can often take months to complete. See Oil paint.

Watercolors:These paints combine pigment with a light binder of gum Arabic and glycerine. When the paints are mixed with water, the binder dissolves and the pigment particles become suspended.