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**bestcigsnick** · 11-08-2010, 03:53 AM

For the advice bro. I predominantly use water colours and not acrylic paint.

I might give it a go, but I'm worried that everythings gonna end up one incoherent, murky mess. Do you have to let one colour dry before you paint on another? and do I need any special equipment to build the canvas?

Start using acrylics first - that way you can get a feel for the way that kind of paint behaves when you mix it and when you paint with it - water colors are an entirely different world compared to acrylics and oils.

You dont HAVE to let one color dry before you begin applying another color - it al depends on the efect you want. - lets say you start your painting with a blue base background - you cover the whole canvas with blue - then, you want to paint a rose over the top of that blue background - the red and blue will combine to make a purple rose - so in that instance you either want to waith for the blue to dry - or you leave the part where the rose is going to be placed blank (dry canvas), and come in later and make the two meet in the middle.

Dont be afraid to mix two colors together on a canvas - you can get some interesting results. For example, look at the Tear drop "Alhumd..", the squiggley lines in the background are the result of placing blue paint on one have of my brush and white paint on the other half - they then combine a little and blend to create the effect I wanted - but I wouldnt know about these things unless I experiment.

The other advantage of starting with acrylics is that they dont have as thick of a texture as Oils when they dry (unless you really cake the paint on) - so if you paint something you dont like, you can white it all out with canvas primer and start fresh - they also take hours to dry rather than days - you can use them right out of the tube (no solvent) - and they clean up with just water - all that allows you to experiment with ease - I have probably 10 "test" canvas' that are just a jumble of lines and colors and different effects I tried to figure out.

as far as building canvas' - Depending on the size, you dont need many specialty tools - youll first need a roll of canvas, in the US some rolls come stretched and treated, some dont, so figure out which kind your buying - a roll of canvas here is about $50 for 100 yards - price depends on if its treated and the dimensions of the roll.
If you get untreated "raw" canvas - youll need to stretch it and prime it - specialty art stores in the US sell stretching tools (clamps, rollers, frames)

For the wood frame of the canvas all you need is a tape messure and a ban saw or circular saw to cut the pieces to fit - oh, and youll need a staple gun.

If you dont plan on making hundreds of paintings in a year or making a huge canvas - dont worry about building canvas', they sell them pre-made at affordable prices - you only need to buy in bulk if the cost of pre-made canvas' exceeds the cost of hand made ones.

11-08-2010, 03:53 AM	#27
bestcigsnick Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 474 Senior Member	For the advice bro. I predominantly use water colours and not acrylic paint. I might give it a go, but I'm worried that everythings gonna end up one incoherent, murky mess. Do you have to let one colour dry before you paint on another? and do I need any special equipment to build the canvas? Start using acrylics first - that way you can get a feel for the way that kind of paint behaves when you mix it and when you paint with it - water colors are an entirely different world compared to acrylics and oils. You dont HAVE to let one color dry before you begin applying another color - it al depends on the efect you want. - lets say you start your painting with a blue base background - you cover the whole canvas with blue - then, you want to paint a rose over the top of that blue background - the red and blue will combine to make a purple rose - so in that instance you either want to waith for the blue to dry - or you leave the part where the rose is going to be placed blank (dry canvas), and come in later and make the two meet in the middle. Dont be afraid to mix two colors together on a canvas - you can get some interesting results. For example, look at the Tear drop "Alhumd..", the squiggley lines in the background are the result of placing blue paint on one have of my brush and white paint on the other half - they then combine a little and blend to create the effect I wanted - but I wouldnt know about these things unless I experiment. The other advantage of starting with acrylics is that they dont have as thick of a texture as Oils when they dry (unless you really cake the paint on) - so if you paint something you dont like, you can white it all out with canvas primer and start fresh - they also take hours to dry rather than days - you can use them right out of the tube (no solvent) - and they clean up with just water - all that allows you to experiment with ease - I have probably 10 "test" canvas' that are just a jumble of lines and colors and different effects I tried to figure out. as far as building canvas' - Depending on the size, you dont need many specialty tools - youll first need a roll of canvas, in the US some rolls come stretched and treated, some dont, so figure out which kind your buying - a roll of canvas here is about $50 for 100 yards - price depends on if its treated and the dimensions of the roll. If you get untreated "raw" canvas - youll need to stretch it and prime it - specialty art stores in the US sell stretching tools (clamps, rollers, frames) For the wood frame of the canvas all you need is a tape messure and a ban saw or circular saw to cut the pieces to fit - oh, and youll need a staple gun. If you dont plan on making hundreds of paintings in a year or making a huge canvas - dont worry about building canvas', they sell them pre-made at affordable prices - you only need to buy in bulk if the cost of pre-made canvas' exceeds the cost of hand made ones.
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