Things I've Learned About Acrylics Painting So Far

Friends Forever
Acrylics on 6" x 6" stretched canvas.


Speaking of friends...Happy Birthday to my friend Luisa today! And congrats to my pals Doug and Jen on the birthday of their baby daughter earlier this week!

I've sold 26 paintings since I started selling them three weeks ago. My friend Walter bought the first painting (thanks, Walter!). Here are some things I've learned so far, in case any of you are thinking about trying acrylics painting:

- Don't use flimsy plastic cups to hold your rinse water because they tip way too easily. Ugh.

- Acrylic paints are way easier to clean up than oil paints (water and soap work fine). They also don't seem to smell; that's one thing I remember about oil paints back when I tried them as a kid. However...

- Acrylics paints dry VERY quickly.

- Acrylic paints are a pain to clean up once they're dry. Clean your brushes, clothes, cat etc. while the paint is still wet or you'll regret it.

- Invest in good brushes. They really DO make a difference! Get advice from experienced artist types BEFORE you go brush shopping. Dear lord, there are zillions of brush types out there. Talk about option paralysis.

- I was just kidding about the cat. We don't own a cat.

- Invest in good quality paints. They really DO make a difference. At first I tried using paints I had left over from painting my office tree, but found that those paints were very difficult to work with when doing fine detail work, even when mixed with water or a medium.

- It's a bad idea to try to eat lunch while painting.



- Get a Masterson Sta-Wet Palette. I felt like I was wasting paint every time I cleaned up after a session until I got one. The palette is basically a flat plastic tub with a sponge you soak in water, then lay special re-usable paper on top. You use the paper as your palette, then just put the plastic lid on top at the end of the session; your paint globs don't dry out. I've reused the same sheet about four times so far (it can be scrubbed) and I still have four extra.

- I need better lighting. Either that or better eyesight. Since the latter is unlikely to improve, I'm going to have to figure out a way of putting in more lighting in the craft corner of my office.

- Let one layer of paint dry before applying another! Else you end up lifting paint up instead of laying it down and it turns into a horrible icky mess that you just want to end up tossing in the garbage bin.

- You can gesso over your horrible icky failed experiments and start again, so don't panic.







Cat Seasons (two views)
Acrylics & ink on a 4" x 4" x 3 stretched canvas.

I painted my first "cube canvas" this week. I came across these at my local art store. It measures 4" wide on each side, 3" tall. I picked up a few up because I was so intrigued and decided that the format lent itself well to a seasonal theme. :-)

Here's the Winter side of the cube:



I have to figure out a way of setting up a place in my office to photograph my art. Right now I'm using a tote bag and my craft apron as the background, and it's nearly impossible to get a photo of my canvases without reflected light.

And despite my basement office being twice as big as the one I had in our old condo, I'm still wistfully wishing for more space -- how greedy is that? Because I'm realizing that as I gradually work up to painting on bigger canvases, I'm going to need space to lay them out to dry as well as store. Yikes.

A couple more pieces I did recently:



Above: "The Apple." Acrylics and ink on 5" x 3" canvas board. Since my mom died but especially after my brother and his wife died, the holiday season has always been a mixed bag for me, emotionally. I created this painting to help remind myself to appreciate what I -have-.



Title of painting above: "Bunny in The Wild." My local art store is still out of 4" x 4" canvas boards but I found some 3.75" x 3.75" miniature stretched canvases; up to now, I've only seen those in Calgary during my visit last month.

I picked some up and have started a series of even SMALLER paintings like this one. I also found some miniature rugs which are being marketed as coasters; I think they go well with a mini-easel in displaying my tiny paintings. :-)



Title of painting above: "Hesitation." This painting is about grabbing the moment, not waiting by the sidelines as an observer but jumping in and seizing life wholeheartedly. Acrylics on a 5" x 3" canvas board.



Title of painting above: "Monstrous Outing." 4" x 4" canvas board. The photo above is an example of the reflected light I'm trying to get rid of. Ugh. I really need to take a better photo.

Most of the paintings above are or were for sale in my Etsy shop, by the way; feel free to click on any image to be taken to that item's Etsy page.

In case some of you are wondering about what's happening with my writing, I'm still working on the graphic novel and writing cartoon book. My fantasy novel got rejected again and has been sent off once more.

Tonight I'm attending the annual Christmas party of the National Cartoonists Society (Toronto Chapter)! Have a great weekend, everyone.



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