Tips For Acrylic Portrait Paintings

By Jeffrey Bennett


Acrylic painting is one of the affordable and most versatile artworks that one can consider. It does not require a lot of experience or time before one becomes a professional artist. However, there are a few aspects that one should take note to ensure that such a venture becomes successful. The following are guidelines for acrylic portrait paintings to take into consideration.

List all the essentials. There are numerous items that one needs to make this process successful. Some of these items include paintbrushes, paints, painting surfaces, rag towels, palettes, and other things. It is recommendable to have an inventory of the items since you might leave some out when you intend to purchase them.

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.

Check the drying period. Every kind of painting has a particular drying level. Paints that dry quickly requires a professional artist since they can dry off on the brushes and the palette. Therefore, a slow artist can end up failing to complete their work when it dries off too quickly. There are those that take longer to dry off and replicate oil paints. They are suitable for beginners. Alternatively, one can look for a medium paint by using a retarding medium which slows down the drying process.

Consider buying tubes or jars. Your decision to purchase heavy or fluid acrylics define whether to use the jars or containers. You can find the heavy boy paints in jars or tube. The tubes are usually small and portable making them an ideal choice for beginners. Those that are in jars are thick and are suitable for palettes. Fluid acrylics have bottles which have screw tops and drippers used to apply the paints.




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