How to Paint With Acrylics

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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Acrylic paints are a versatile and fast-drying medium. Many effects can be achieved by painting with acrylics. They can be purchased for a low price and are good, especially for beginners.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Acrylic paints
Paintbrushes varied in size
Water
Paper towel to blot brush
Slow-drying medium

Step1

Choose a surface on which to apply the paint. With acrylic paints, this can be about anything. Paper and canvases are commonly used. So are cardboard, wood and pottery. With acrylics, the possibilities are endless.

Step2

Decide whether to use the paint as transparent or opaque. Acrylics have the ability to be either. Transparent mediums allow the light to shine through the color and bounce off the surface underneath for highlights. Opaque finishes completely cover the surface, whether it is paper or canvas.

Step3

Mix the paint from the tube with water. Acrylics are water soluble and can move more easily when wet. Add just a little water to move the color more easily, but add a lot to use the acrylics like watercolor. Watercolors are transparent and allow highlights from the light background. When used like this, acrylics allow the colors to be layered upon each other for blending. Add a lot of water to use acrylics as a glaze.

Step4

Use the paint thick and straight out of the tube to recreate the look of an oil painting. Acrylics dry much faster and are much cheaper than oil paints, but can achieve much of the same effects.

Step5

Work very quickly to blend, since acrylics dry at a rapid pace. Work time can be extended by mixing the paint with a slow-dry medium. These are found at art supplies stores with the acrylic paint in tubes just like the paint. Using the medium won’t thin the paint at all, like water does. Water also increases work time. If working on paper, wet the paper to also increase drying time.