Acrylic paints for begginers

Acrylic paints are fairly straightforward to use compared to other paints such as Watercolour, Gouache and Oil paints which are commonly used by more advanced artists. Acrylics can be used to create dark as well as light tones, depending on the theme aimed. As well as that, if the painting did not meet the expectations (which usually doesn't at first) , it could always be let to dry in order to change the mistake.

Through personal experience,and past mistakes, I learned that painting can be tough. Not tough to paint the picture/scene itself, but to finish the painting before having a mental breakdown. Up until now, I occasionally have these moments where I look at the painting I am working on and just hate it. But you know what? creativity does not come with perfection. Creativity is being unique. And being unique is not the same as being perfect at everything. What if one day that painting you hated becomes a world known masterpiece? Non of us know what the future holds.

What to look out for:

• Acrylics dry fast (be careful with the blending)
• Can be expensive (depending on the quality)
• Can contain toxins (just like most other paints)
• Once the paint has dried, it cannot be removed
• Can damage brushes if not cleaned regularly

Tips for using acrylics:

• Try not to leave any white places on the canvas/paper 
• Do not try to save paints by painting with a little amount of paint. That will cause the painting to look semi-transparent, tacky and messy. Use as much paint as you need. It's the quality that matters in the end.
• Use different brushes with different sizes to create a variety of new marks. Buying brushes does not have to be something expensive, although quality of the brushes does matter.In order to pick out your fist brush, look for a medium size (usually size 4) and make sure it is a stiff-bristled brush (such as synthetic brushes) as the consistency of acrylic paints is usually thick.
  
  
  
   
• Use any support for acrylics such as: Canvas, Paper, Wood, Canvas boards and whatever you can get your mind around (to which acrylics will stick to).
• Make sure to keep acrylics wet. Once they dry on the support, you will not be able to blend anymore meaning there might be contrast between the more recently added colour. 
• Work from big to small. So instead of going on with straight detail like you would with oil paints, in acrylics, the base needs to be done first and then detail is worked into bit by bit. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Do not keep brushes in water for too long as it may damage the brushes and bend them.  In order to clean the brushes, normal soap with water will be enough.