How to Paint  - Tips for the amateur

If you are someone just about starting out learning to paint, you will need to take care of certain aspects. First of all you are likely to come face to face with the commonly held art myth that it needs talent to paint. Although it may be true to some extent, it all ultimately depends on your desire and enthusiasm to learn.

Before you begin to paint, you will first of all need to decide on the various tools and the kind of paint that you are going to use. The choice is eventually yours since you will need to decide on what you are comfortable with. For instance, while some of you may be comfortable with water colors, there could be others who could prefer oil paints over them.

Once you have chosen your paint, it then all boils down to learning the basics of color mixing. It is a skill that comes with experience and you need not feel worried if you were to mess it up during your initial days as a budding artist. Painting is not all about paints and brushes as many people think it to be. It is also about taking a lot of decisions. For instance you will need to decide on the size of the painting and crucially, the subject of the painting.

You will need to choose a theme or idea for your painting. You can go through the various creativity journals that are available these days. The internet is also full of useful resources from where you can gather ideas for your paintings. Taking all these aspects into consideration makes your job a lot easier.

Brushes, Strokes. (The different types of brushes and strokes used while painting)
Artists' paint brushes come in all sorts of shapes and size these days. While some of them are made up of natural hair, there are others where synthetic fiber is used. You can also find paintbrushes which have a blend of both being sold in the market.

Paint brushes are usually classified based on their shape. A filbert for example is a paintbrush that is narrow and comes with hairs that have a rounded point. A filbert is used for drawing thin lines. If you were to apply a little bit of pressure and flatten out the hairs, you can also produce a broad brush stroke using them.

Similarly, you can find many artists using round paint brushes for their works of art. In fact for most of the people who are not well versed with the nuances of painting, round paint brushes are synonymous with ‘art paint brush’. These brushes come with a sharp point and are therefore the best suited when it comes to painting fine lines and details. Round brushes are also good for holding significant quantities of paint and therefore well suited for broad brushstrokes.

If you want to produce either broad or thin brushstrokes, then a flat brush will ideally suit your needs. Even in this case a short flat brush would be the best when it comes to precise brush marks. These flat brushes are similar to the round brushes in the sense that they have a good paint carrying capacity. ‘Mop’ brushes too are known to hold a large quantity of paint and used for watercolor washes. These apart, you can also find ‘fan’ brushes used for blending colors and ‘water brushes’ that come with a reservoir for holding water, being used for artistic paintings.

How to Paint With Oils - The technicalities of painting with oil paints

Oil paintings have been in existence for a long time now. Many a classic owes its origin thanks to oil paints, which have been a favorite with leading artists for well over centuries now. Even though painting with them is easy to learn, you will still need to get to know certain nuances which will stand you in good stead in the long run.

If you are a beginner when it comes to oil paintings, then it is always preferable that you do not straight away start putting brush to canvas. You can always start your paintings with an acrylic under painting. If you were to start straight away with oil paintings, the initial layer would take some time to dry. Once there is an acrylic layer, it acts as a time saver as oil paints too would tend to dry that much more quickly.

One of the fundamental things, that unfortunately many artists ignore, is to make certain that there is good lighting, before they start painting. Remember good lighting helps lessen the strain on your eyes apart from bringing out the color. It is always preferable that you paint in a place that has plenty of natural light.

Just as important as light, is good ventilation, when you are painting with oil paints. This is because you will be using cleaners, thinners and oil paints in your studio, which are nothing but chemicals. Some of them can be quite toxic and it is always preferable that you exercise certain amount of caution while working with them.

Sceneries, portraits. (Different types of paintings)

Man has been known to express his innermost desires through paintings for a long time now. Although we may have come a long way now, the essential desire for expression remains the same. From sceneries to portraits, landscape paintings and water color classics, you can find paintings of all kinds nowadays.

 
Portraits are among the favorite paintings of a large number of people. In days gone by, when there was no photography, these paintings provided the only way in which people could preserve memories about their near and dear ones. Whether it is the ‘half length’ portraits or the ones that are ‘full body’, they still continue to find a large number of takers.

Landscape painting is another type that is as old as painting itself. There must be seldom a home where you cannot find a landscape painting adorning the walls. Landscape paintings, when done creatively, can add a touch of elegance to the interiors of any home. If one were to go through the history of painting, a vast majority of them have been landscape paintings.

Based on the type of paint used, paintings are broadly classified into watercolors and oil paintings. Watercolors are used on various surfaces including, wood, canvas, fabric, leather and paper. The most common and traditional surface used for watercolors still continues to be paper to a large extent. Oil paintings, as the name suggests, are made up of pigments of oil such as frank incense, walnut oil, safflower oil or poppy seed oil. These days many painters also use acrylic paint, which when dry becomes water resistant.

Why oil over water? (advantages of oil paintings)

Oil paints have been used by artists for hundreds of years now. In fact, oil paints were used for simple decoration way back in the 13th century in England, according to historical references. The reason for their popularity till date is the various advantages that they offer over other medium, such as watercolors and acrylic paints.

One of the reasons for the popularity of oil paints among artists is because they are slow drying, when compared to any other form of paint. This in turn means that artists can make many corrections before the painting is complete. This is not a possibility with other medium of painting.

Another major advantage with oil paints is that creation of luminous and rich colors is always a possibility with them. The hardwearing nature of oil paints means that these paints can also be left open, something that is not possible with watercolors. Oil paints are not known to dry even after exposure to air for several weeks. An artist can therefore work on a painting for several days, without having to worry about the paint drying up.

Oil paints are preferred by artists for one more reason. They are excellent when it comes to blending with the other paints surrounding it in a painting. Artists, therefore always prefer oil paints when it involves creating artistic brush strokes and blending with surrounding paints, something that is not always possible with watercolors and acrylic paints. With all these advantages it comes as no surprise that they are preferred by artists the world over.

The difference between using oil paints and water colors

Oil paints and water colors are the most widely used mediums when it comes to artistic painting. These days’ acrylic paints too are being increasingly used by many leading artists. There are certain differences between them and this is what makes each one of them favorite with particular artistic painters. You can also find many artists who are comfortable with both oil as well as watercolors too.

For anyone who is just about holding a paint brush for the first time, watercolors are the best way to begin. It is because they are relatively easier to use than oil paints, which need an experienced hand. On the flip side though, changes in the composition of the painting is difficult with watercolors when compared to oil paintings. This is because oil dries slowly and an artist can therefore make changes that much more easily. Corrections are relatively difficult in the case of watercolors.

For those who are looking for relative speed then watercolor is the best option available. Although this is the case, the painting needs to be pre-planned to a great extent in the case of watercolors. This is not usually the case with oil paintings, when artists can make subtle changes even after they have completed a major part of the art work. In fact oil paintings can be left in the open for long periods of time. This is not something that you can do with watercolors.

Although each medium comes with its advantages and disadvantages, with constant practice and gradual experience, if you are skilled enough, you can draw well on any medium.

Work those hands!! (Hand painting, using just hands to paint)

As we all know painting is all about creativity and what better way to be creative than paint without using brushes. As kids most of you would have enjoyed finger painting. In fact, the habit stays on in many people well into their adulthood also. Hand painting is fun and literally allows you to experience the thrills of painting ‘hands on’. In a way you feel as if you have become a part of the art work that you have created. This feeling is seldom matched when you create paintings with paintbrushes.

There have been instances in history when many leading artists have used fingers in particular and hands in general for painting. There have been many others who have also used items other than brushes to create their work. You can also find many artists doing art work on their hands, on their forearms, palms and fingers to be specific.

Contrary to popular perception hand painting is not a modern phenomenon. In fact it has been in existence for several centuries now. Man is known to have started painting this way during ancient times. Men are believed to have started painting using bare hands with colors that were actually extracted from leaves and flowers, before graduating on to paints.

With hand painting you can literally let your imagination run riot. You can create a wide variety of patterns and bring out expressions using the magic of your fingers in this form of painting. The fun involved in hand painting can perhaps be never replaced by any other form of painting.

Breathing life into your art. Real life paintings.

There is nothing quite compared to the exhilarating feeling of heading to the great outdoors and trying to capture their essence on canvas. Landscape painting is perhaps the most popular among all types of paintings.

The most common mistake that many people, especially beginners, make when they are trying real life paintings is to include almost everything that they see on the horizon. This should not be the case and you should try and use the landscape only as a reference. You must try and let your imagination literally run riot. Once you try rearranging the elements you see on the landscape, you will be pleasantly surprised as to the different things that you can do with paint and brush.

Another aspect that you need to remember when doing real life paintings is to give equal importance to the foreground , as you would give to the background. Proper mixing of ‘greens’ is another thing that you need to take care of when painting landscapes. You can always extend the range of greens by adding other colors such as yellow or blue to it.

Just as in the case with any other pursuit in life, you need to constantly practice in order to become adept at real life painting. It is also not necessary that you need to paint a different landscape, once you are done with one. You can always try and paint a particular landscape which you have already done in different moods or even seasons. Once you keep all these aspects in mind, real life painting becomes that much easier.

The Best Art Schools - The best places to master the art of creating magic with colours.

The contemporary art scene is thriving around the world. Paintings by some of the artists are fetching record prices these days. The trend is visible around the world and is not limited to certain pockets, as was the case earlier. A greater number of artists are emerging from different countries around the world. One of the primary reasons for the emergence of an increasing number of artists can be attributed to the numerous art schools that are available these days.

Although many regular institutions are also known to offer courses in fine arts, but they usually do so in combination with other subjects in arts and science. Exclusive arts schools such as the Art Academy of Cincinnati on the other hand offer courses only in arts. Yet another famous arts school is the Ecole Des Beaux- Arts of France, which is also considered the first art school to be set up anywhere in the world. Minneapolis College of Art is another renowned art school that is much sought after by budding artists these days.

Most of the art schools usually give either a bachelor’s or master’s degree in art after successful completion of the course. The course duration and exact curriculum could vary from one institution to another.

The Rhode Island School of Design is another famous art school to which several successful artists owe their grounding in painting. Similarly the Maryland Institute College of Art is another renowned art school that has produced many successful contemporary artists. The New York academy of Art is another art school that has been the Alma mater of several leading artists.