Guidelines For Acrylic Portrait Paintings

By Jeffrey Bennett


Art has become a common hobby among most people. Acrylic painting is quite affordable and easy to learn which have made it the best technique for a beginner. Anyone who intends to engage in such activity should consider a couple of aspects to make this endeavor successful enough. Below are factors to consider in acrylic portrait paintings.

Consider the essentials that you need. There is a long list of items that one should have when looking for acrylic painting supplies. It goes from paints, paintbrushes, artist pallet, painting surfaces, rag towels, and other stuff. Make an inventory of all items that you need to avoid leaving some out when making your purchase.

Choose the right brand of paint. There are numerous paint brands that one can decide to use. You need to acquaint with all the brands available in the market to find one which matches with your needs. Most brands have the student and artist variety. The student varieties have poor quality but can be ideal for beginners. The artist variety has a remarkable finish and is suitable for professional artists.

Select your colors well. There are dozens of color options that one can make. However, you need to get the ten primary colors which are ideal for a starter. You can freely mix the colors to get others altogether. All you need is an acrylic color set which you can use to compare the shades. It might be overwhelming to acknowledge the colors in the first instance, but with time you will learn about them and know how to use them accordingly.

Check the permanence level. The level of permanence refers to the ability of a pigment to resist gradual fading when the painting gets exposed to light. You can check the degree of durability labelled on the tube of the jars or tube. They vary according to the authority that has approved them. The standards can either be an ATSM or typical manufacturer standards.

Take note of the viscosity. The viscosity level refers to the thickness that the painting has. The heavy body acrylics have a buttery consistency which retains the brushstrokes. They also facilitate color mixing and blending. On the other hand, fluid acrylics are thinner and are suitable for watercolor techniques, staining and dry brush works.

Acknowledge the drying period. Every type of paint available on the market has a different drying time. There are those that dry quite quickly and those that stay for quite an extended period. Those that dry fast needs professional artists since they can dry before the artist completes the project. On the other hand, slow drying paints require beginners but can stick on the brushes when left for quite a long time.

Determine whether to pick tubes or jars. The variation in the container of jar depends on whether you want to purchase heavy body acrylics or the fluid acrylics. The heavy body ones are available in tubes or jars. Tubes are quite smaller and portable making them ideal for first-time painters. The painting sold in jars is thick but can flatten when put on the pallet. The fluid acrylics come in bottles which have dripper or screw tops that one use to apply the paint.




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