In this blog post I'll share some advice and tips I use working with acrylic paint.

Firstly, let me tell you my story, how I learned to use this medium and why I chose acrylics.

Usually my medium was watercolor or gouache, sometimes oil paint. I was very curious about acrylics because my studio was in a bedroom and I couldn't work with oil paint there, also oil paint is a really messy medium for me, one painting session and I have paint literally everywhere. Moreover, I saw so many artists use acrylic paint and I was very curios to try it too.

I was struggling with acrylics and experimenting with this medium for about half a year and it wasn't a good experience. I couldn’t find the right way to use them, the right amount of water I needed to add and the consistency just wasn’t right, the results were quite disappointing.

Even my husband seeing my struggle told me that I should quit painting with acrylics and use mediums I'm good at, like oils, they've been very easy to paint for me. But I just couldn't stop, I've spend a lot of time struggling and learning how to use acrylic paint on my own.

And it was totally worth it, I love working with acrylics, they’re easy to use, vibrant, colorful and I can create beautiful layers of texture. Also acrylics dry quickly and don’t require anything else, except water. I can talk about advantages of acrylics forever, but let’s better dive into my tips:)

My main tips to work with acrylics:

Use good quality paint

For beginners I would highly recommend buying 5 tubes of paint: blue, yellow, red, black and white. You'll learn how to mix colors, which is a crucial skill for painters and also you won't need to spend a lot of money on art supplies. Just 5 tubes of paint and you're good! I would recommend Liquitex or Amsterdam, a Standard series, not heavy body.

However if you feel like the standard series acrylics are not enough vibrant or opaque for you, go ahead and try more expensive acrylics and heavy body acrylics.

Another advantage of using only primary colors is that when you buy a few shades of each primary color, they can be used to create endless shades of any color possible. You can recreate so many color options and color combinations, compare to if you choose to buy oranges, browns and greens.

If you want to learn more about painting with acrylics I offer 1:1 coaching HERE

Spray bottle

That's a must. I have just a regular spray bottle for flowers. I spray it on a palette to prevent paint from drying and also on a canvas to easily add more water to paint.

Canvas or paper

I use both. Canvas for larger and longer works and paper for smaller studies. Experiment with different types of surfaces and see what you like more. There are quite a few options to choose from. Also wood and wooden panels seem like a popular choice.

Add texture

Acrylics look flat without texture. I always add a few finishing layers of texture to make my paintings more alive and interesting. Honestly, I live for the texture, it just makes a painting 100 times better! Usually I'll add a few really thick brush strokes and a few swipes of palette knife in the end of each painting.

Palette knife

Use it to mix paint (for me brushes are more convenient most of the time, but sometimes I use palette knife, it’s especially great when mixing a lot of paint). Add texture, paint with it, draw straight lines, use it to clean a palette or add paint to the palette. It is a must have for any acrylic painter.

Lately I’ve been incorporating palette knife more into my practice and painting the last half of a piece with the knife, the texture it creates is just incredible! It took me a lot of time to learn how to paint with palette knife, don’t worry if your palette knife paintings don’t succeed right away, just practice and it will get better.

Don't add a lot of water

When I started working with acrylics this was my biggest mistake. If you want a thick and opaque(not see through) layer of paint, don't add a lot of water, but if you're into transparent paint, add as much water as you want. I usually add just a few drops so the paint is easily mixable but still very thick.

Work your way up

Start with bold brush strokes and a thin layer of paint and work your way up to thick brush strokes, texture and details. This way a painting will come together naturally and beautifully.

These are main rules and tips I use while working with acrylic paint. Hope you’ve found this blog post helpful.

Acrylic paint guide for beginners