Have a look through our art supplies to find acrylics, brushes, paper and canvas and use these handy tips to get you started on your acrylic painting.
If you are just starting out, it’s a good idea to save on canvas and paper by painting on glass. You can wash the glass over and over and experiment with the paints more.
Only squeeze a small amount of paint out at a time as acrylics dry very quickly. Spray a little water over your paints on the palette to keep the paint moist.
Work fast and clean brushes immediately—acrylics dry super fast.
Paint in doors rather than outside in the sunshine or breeze to avoid paint drying too quickly to work with.
Do not use natural brushes to paint with acrylic as the paint will ruin them; rather use synthetic brushes.
Use masking tape around the edges of your painting as it can be removed without damaging the paint and will create beautiful precise edges around your painting.
Dampening the paper that you are working on will increase the time it takes for the paint to dry. If you want to blend paints, it is a good idea to dampen the page to give you more time to do this.
Acrylics can be thinned with water or acrylic medium for a more oil painting-like effect (again, do not use turpentine).
If you use acrylics to paint glass or china, do not use these for food and drink.
Do not use turpentine to wash your acrylics brushes, only water.
Have a look at our other guides: 10 Oil Painting Tips and 10 Watercolour Painting Tips.
