Any artists/painters in here??

[mjr]

Ok, as a requirement of my university art class, I had to visit an art museum. Or, at least take a picture of myself in front of it to prove I was there.

Anyway, so I went, and it kinda got me more interested in painting.

Unfortunately, I'd be pretty new to it.

So, I'm asking what I should start with. I kinda know what styles of painting I like (mainly abstract stuff).

I'm just wondering if anyone could recommend a good "starter" set for this. And what paint medium should I start with?

Ideally, what I'd like to do is something on canvas, maybe with acrylic or oils, whichever is easier to paint with at first.

I've considered that Bob Ross thing, but I don't know if I want to drop that much money at first, for something that would be a small part-time hobby (since I have so much other stuff going on).

I was thinking of working with smaller, 8 inch by 10 inch canvases first, then working my way up to larger ones (a 16 x 20 has four times the area of an 8 x 10).

Anyway, I think I have a few ideas that I want to start with, I just need some advice on where/how to get started!

[42_42_42]

Acrylics are much better for someone starting out. Having painted with both acrylics and oils, I vastly prefer acrylics--much easier cleanup for one thing!

[wolfie]

Not an artist, but here are a few things to consider when choosing between acrylics and oils.

Acrylics: "Binder" is synthetic.
Thinned (and brushes cleaned) using water
Relatively fast drying (not sure exactly how fast - faster than oils, but slower than encaustic - ask at an art supply store)

Oils: "Binder" is linseed oil
Thinned (and brushes cleaned) using turpentine
Very slow drying (days) - consider this if you need to transport the painting fairly soon after it's finished. On the other hand, you can go back and rework something without it showing.

[mjr]

Thanks to both of you!

Sounds like acrylic may be the way to start, then. Just have to figure out all of the materials I'm going to need (palette, number of brushes, etc.)

[Seshat]

Get some student grade acrylics, one in a red, one in a yellow, one in a blue, a black and a white.
Be prepared for the fact that pigments don't mix 'perfectly', the way light does: borrow at least one book from your local library about colour mixing using pigments. Essentially, we're talking about colours made with muds and tree saps and flower petals and crushed beetle wings and bits of rock. Mixing those doesn't do the same thing as mixing light.

Brushes, you will want to get decent quality but student grade brushes. 'toy' brushes and some hobbyist brushes, the bristles will come out of the ferrule and get stuck on the painting. Other brush annoyances are bristles that spread, and brushes which don't pick up paint or don't deposit it.
If you're going to spend the money on professional grade anything, spend it on brushes.

Water jar: wash out an old jam jar. Have some clothespegs: you don't want to ever support the brushes by their bristles. So peg the brushes and balance them on the edge of the jar. Don't let the paint dry on the brushes.
You can have a clean rag or some kitchen paper at hand to dry the bristles of a brush you want to reuse.

Palette: go to a $2 shop and pick up any plastic doodad with divided segments. One of my palettes is an ice cube tray, another is a microwave muffin-tray.

Canvas: start by buying whatever's cheap. Hathor found us a book of 'faux canvas' painting paper, intended for acrylics or oils. We also often find pre-stretched, pre-treated canvases in the $2 shop.

Easel: not needed at first. Paint flat on the table. Get an easel only if you find it stressful on your back or arm to paint that way, decide it is a hobby for you, or have back, shoulder, neck or arm problems.


Surface protector: an old sheet. Or newspaper. Or anything you'd put under a child's hobby project to protect the surface. Also, wear clothes you don't object to getting paint on: you will.
At least acrylics wash out with water.

Care of everything non-brushy: wash with water, preferably while the paint is wet. If the paint hardens, it is likely to peel neatly off non-porous surfaces. Porous surfaces, wash with water and hope the pigment doesn't stain.

Care of brushes: get ALL the paint out, after each session. Use soap if you need to. Pigment is fine, it doesn't matter if the porous bristles of natural-fibre brushes get coloured: but you need to get the paint base substance out, otherwise the bristles stiffen and stick together.
Try not to get much water into the ferrule: the bristles are glued together and glued into the ferrule, not just crimped in. You don't want to dissolve the glue.

Put a little light oil onto the brushes: I use some of the kitchen olive oil. You don't want to overload the brushes with oil, just replace some of the natural oils that washing them removes. Blot with a clean rag or paper if you over-oiled the bristles.
While you're oiling the brushes, shape them. Just run them between a couple of fingers and put the bristles back where you want them to be.

Hang the brushes upside down to dry. Get a cheap bit of clothesline or something, string it over the laundry tub (or some other place where drips are harmless), peg the brushes onto it with clothespegs.
Never support the brushes by the bristles.
No matter how well you care for the brushes, sometimes a bristle or two will 'stray'. When (not if) that happens, just try again. If it's stubborn, carefully clip it off as close to the ferrule as you can. Brushes have a limited useful lifespan anyway.

Store the brushes either lying down, or in a jar with the bristles upright.

[dalesys]

Corral all tricycle motors securely. One of the tipis my ex painted has a trail of Llewellyn footprints.

[Seshat]

Addendum: for the most part, the different brush shapes are for different sizes and shapes of paint blob or streak. It's fine to start with a 'starter kit': they're usually chosen to give a new artist a feel for which brush shapes and sizes suit his/her personal style.


Addendum 2: hit your local library, and hit online, and hit the section of DeviantArt or other art sites that cover acrylic (and oil) painting. Don't focus so much on the intellectual learning that you aren't painting; don't focus so much on the painting that you aren't learning from other peoples' mistakes.

[fireheart]

When you're first starting don't skimp on the brushes. Get some basic ones and get used to the way they lay the paint down. After all the years I've spent painting I have used a 'proper' palette only once - I tend to use a Corelle saucer or plate - acrylic peels off of it pretty well, water colours rinse right off, and I don't use oil paint because I the smell triggers asthma attacks for me.

Pretty much this.

My sister and I both get stuck into the paint for various reasons (semi-hobby/projects for her, projects for me) and prefer acrylics. The cheap-ish ones will peel right off if they've dried out. We also use a saucer for a palette or you can get cheap plastic ones at your local craft store.

If you are going to go watercolour, don't discount the power of using watercolour pencils or ink blocks as well as paint. Watercolour tends to come in the following flavours:

-Tablets or blocks.
-Tubes.
-Pencils/sticks.

The tablets will last a little longer, while the tubes are easier to store and carry. Pencils are good for fine details or for sketching in features before you start painting.

[protege]

When you're first starting don't skimp on the brushes. Get some basic ones and get used to the way they lay the paint down.

I usually use various red sable (the softer the better) brushes to paint my sports cars. I use spray cans to do the bodies and other big parts. But, a fair amount of brush-painting goes into one of my cars. Good brushes will last a long time. If I can't get red sable, some of the synthetics are pretty good too.

After all the years I've spent painting I have used a 'proper' palette only once - I tend to use a Corelle saucer or plate - acrylic peels off of it pretty well, water colours rinse right off, and I don't use oil paint because I the smell triggers asthma attacks for me.

I don't think I've ever used a 'proper' palette when building something. I'll use scraps of cardboard, or use the paint right out of the jar. I too only use acrylics on my models...after years of using solvent-based paints. Acrylics clean up with water, don't give me a headache...and don't stink up the entire house.

[Gravekeeper]

I've never painted with oils, only acrylic and water colour.

That said I'll put in a second vote for water colour. Cheap, easy to mix colours and easy to clean up the brushes afterwards. Lends well to learning and experimenting. Plus you can pull off some pretty crazy things with it if you get really good with it.

[mjr]

Sounds like I have some art supplies to buy!

I'll probably see what's available at Mart of Walls, first, before venturing to a real art store.

Anyway, this brings up another question. Let's say I paint something I like. What prevents the acrylic from peeling off of the canvas? Is there some sort of sealant or protectant I need to apply to the canvas, or over top of the painting itself to preserve it/keep it from peeling? I really, honestly don't know how this works. I'd be a complete newbie.

[mjr]

I probably don't at this point. I'm more interested in just getting the materials to get started. Though if I did want to preserve it, what type of acrylic spray should I use? Just go down and get a "clearcoat" in a can?

[Seshat]

None of my acrylic paintings have any sort of extra coating. Some are 20 years old, and doing fine.

[Kogarashi]

Bit late to the party but if you do decide to go for a clearcoat, I recommend Krylon's UV-resistant matte finish clearcoat (I get mine at Michaels, with coupons).

But as said, acrylics at least shouldn't need them. I do use it on my watercolored works, at least in part because I'm working my way through some cheap paint that seems to have a chalky filler in it, and the clearcoat keeps the color from rubbing off onto other things.

And I'll add my vote to trying out watercolors as well, since they're easy to mix and fun to work with, trying out various combinations of wet and dry brushes and surface to get interesting effects.