forums : Designer Genes

new to painting..materials?

as most of you know, i'm a professional designer by trade but i wanna start painting. i'd like to experiment w/ mixed media i.e. acrylics, scans, xerox, tape, paint marker, spray paint, etc. easels are pricey...anyone know of a second hand shop or how i can make one? what is a brand name of acrylics that's not too expensive but works well? what type of brushes...natural or synthetic? stratch canvas, canvas boards or masonite? pallets?? help me get started!

Re: new to painting..materials?


you know, it really depends on you. what you are doing and what your own preferences are. play with it . I am not a painter but I do have a degree in fine arts (and working on another one) .. but I always opt for the synthetic brushes. that is bc im a die hard animal lover so i hafta .. but the hair ones have a different quality .. they are softer and less streaky. but they also shed a lot more and you will have hairs in your painting. make sure you get some paint brush cleaner and use it every time. if youre gonna use acrylic definately invest in some retarder. i know that sounds funny but its this stuff that you mix with your paint that makes it dry more slowly. acrylic paint is basically like rubber or plastic .. and it dries really quickly so if you want anything blendy looking get some retarder.. .stretched canvas is usually better especially if you stretch your own, you have more control over shape size and texture .. ultimately you want to be getting some powder pigments and mixing your own paints ...and you know about gesso right. its a primer you put on your canvas b4 painting ... helps with paint taking to the canvas. if youre gonna go for oil get terpanoid insted of terpentine it is way less toxic. what else .. oh, if you want a really smooth designy look use goauche, it has a flat matte feel and it stays pretty solid. you can paint over goauche with other goauche and not have any bleeding. you can also get clear washes that add a surface quality, a gloss or a matte to any kind of paint. in terms of brands i cant tell ya much there, but as with anything generally the more expensive it is the better quality. I am not so down for the canvas boards, i think they are cheap and crappy, but they sell disposable wax palletes that are super useful .. dont have to wash after. also there are these refillable paint-pens that come in handy if you are trying to be more portable. if you are really serious one of my best friends is an incredible professional painter and can really dig into the technicalities of the whole thing with you. but it kindof sounds like you already know what youre talking about for the most part so you know, you learn with experience. i would suggest to get a student ID, they really help with discounts at art stores. you can borrow mine if you want. UCLA gets pretty good discounts usually. hehe.. and post any of the paintings ur doing. i'd like to see. i will trade you by showing you the animations i am doing . hope all this rambling helps a little. . if not then, s**t. sorry :p


[ kamala - 20 Sep 2007 01:06 ][ kamala - 20 Sep 2007 01:04 ]

Re: new to painting..materials?

I worked at the art store for a long time and I love to talk out of my ass soooo...been meaning to reply to this, it'll take a minute...

paint: dont be afraid of generic acrylics, the 'Blick' brand and most store brands are good. The only time i buy expensive acrylics is for specific colors and finishes (such as mixible mediums /matte/gloss/pumice). Also it never hurts to have some cheap water colors (cool textures/drips/washes) to play with. While mixing mediums (oils/acrylics/gouache/water) is not a great idea, you can find cool ways to experiment. Also I like guache, which is basicly an opaque water color (great for commercial art).

Brushes:
Buy a bunch of cheap brushes and just like the paint, get a couple of nice ones for details or certain gestures (outlines need clean brushes with no stray hairs).I like synthetic brushes as well because it gives you a harder line. The series 7 windsor newton are my favorite nice brushes, and they rule because they work with ink as well. I also LOVE foam brushes, they're only $.25 and are great for filling and straight lines.

Also dont forget that you can paint with anything for different unique textures. I use broken plastic fork tongs for small details and improvise with s**t like that.

As far as the micellaneous tools, got to the dollar store... masking tape/house brushes/rollers/sandpaper and other things are gonna cost you 5 bucks a pop at an art store will work just as well for a buck.

Canvas:
I use caqrdboard, wood,glass, plates, skateboards, toys, cloth. All those things are lying around and are in most cases free. The art store pre stretched canvases are ok, but dont get the thin strtcher bars because the warp over time. If you need a canvas that you would like to potentially sell you need a thicker stretcher frame, its just a gallery thing...

whatever you do EXPERIMENT...anyone can imitate styles or duplicate techniques, but innovation is progress and art is progress. art is fun and makes for unique personal expression. That was the coolest part of working at the art store, I didnt matter if it was an executive/student/actress, they were all there to create something.

have fun man...

Re: new to painting..materials?

cool..thanx for the feedback guys! right now i'm just having an issue w/ blending...i can't keep the paint "active" on the canvas long enough for me to blend the colors together. i'm mixing my acrylics w/ water. the consistency is somewhere between mayonnaise and milk...is that still to thick? what kinda medium would i add to increase the viscosity of the paint?

Re: new to painting..materials?


JoS -
Go to any art store and buy some acrylic retarder. it doesn't matter what brand. the consistency depends on how opaque you want your paint, but regardless of consistency the retarder will slow the drying of the paint down and you will be able to blend. The more retarder you use, the less quickly your paint will dry. But careful not to use too much, or it will never dry. You can also use glycerin and other various things but its a pain in the ass.

retarder - 5 buks :
http://www.dickblick.com/zz006/28h/

[ kamala - 26 Sep 2007 11:47 ]
[ kamala - 26 Sep 2007 11:46 ]
[ kamala - 26 Sep 2007 11:45 ]

Re: new to painting..materials?

yea man, and stay away from water (maybe a few drops), it bubbles the paint, use mediums (matte/gel/sand...etc.) and yes...RETARDER... itll give you alot more working time...