How to Paint Line Animals
Painting line animals is a starting point for learning how to paint. The lines on the animal will act as a guide, so you can break them down into sections as you paint. Most line animals will have different shapes once broken down, so you can choose to make it as simple or as detailed as you like. Painting line animals can be done just about any way you want, but try to stay within the lines to ensure your success. Design and color choice are entirely up to you.
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Things You'll Need
- Jar of water
- Paper towels
- Plastic pallet or magazine pages
- Acrylic paints (basic colors)
- Small flat brush and round brush
- Smock
Instructions
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Fill a jar up about halfway with water. Place some paper towels on your work space. Use a flat protected surface to paint on. You can use magazines to lay your paper on. Pull out a few extra pages and set them next to you to mix paint on.
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Use acrylic paints, and be sure to have the basic colors: red, blue, yellow, black and white. These are all you need in order to make any color you want. Use the black to darken the colors and use white to create lighter tones. In case it's been a while since you had elementary art, here is a basic color theory guide to use: red + yellow = orange, blue + red = purple, yellow + blue = green, red + white = pink.
Mix the colors directly onto a plastic palette or magazine pages. Use a little bit of water to create softer tones.
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Use a flat brush, and load a little color onto the tip. Be sure to only use a little. The tip of the brush should be covered. Be sure to wipe any excess paint off onto a paper towel if you accidentally get too much. This is a common mistake made while painting. Use the brush to pull a little paint over to the side of the glob you may have squeezed.
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Line the edge of the brush up as close to the border line of your animal as possible, and pull the brush inwards towards the center. Repeat this process until all of the large sections are filled in with color. Keep the strokes even by moving your wrist smoothly and slowly. Blend any bumpy brush strokes by wiping the paint off of the brush with a paper towel, and smooth the paint with a naked brush. Paint the largest sections first, and allow them to dry before taking the next step.
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Work with the detail brush now. Dab the tip of your brush into the paint so you have a small bead of paint. Dot it into place where eyes or whiskers may be. Use the detail brush like you would a pen. Just pretend like you are drawing with it. Let your detail work dry.
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Add some shadows by working in some black or gray tones. Show where light is hitting your animal with white. You can always add your own custom design elements. Paint some spots, swirls or lines anywhere you want on your animal. Have fun and be creative.
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Tips & Warnings
Squeeze your paint slowly onto your pages as this will prevent waste. You can always add more paint to your palette but you can not return extra paint back into the tube. It is best to work in sections, and let them dry before continuing because this will prevent you from accidentally smearing paint with your working hand.
Wear a smock to cover and protect your clothes, in case you spill or drop paint on you.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit painting green image by Horticulture from Fotolia.com
