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Since
acrylic paints do dry so quickly, it's important to only squeeze
out enough paint for that particular session, otherwise you will
be wasting a lot of paint.
To
keep your acrylic paint moist, you will need to have a special
palette that will keep your paint workable during your painting
session. There is a really awesome palette on the market that
was made just for this purpose called the Masterson Sta-Wet
Handy Palette. This palette is a good buy and will keep your
paint in a good working condition for a longer period of time
while you paint.
If
you do not want to purchase a palette, another solution is to
buy a handful of small 35mm film canisters and store your paints
inside the canisters. The caps on these canisters will screw on
pretty tight and keep most of the air out.
Some
artists also keep a spray bottle handy and spray a light mist of
water over the paint while they are painting.
Another
issue you may be faced with is deciding what type of acrylic
paint you should purchase.
My
advice is to choose a good quality student grade acrylic paint
in the beginning. There is no need to go out and buy the most
expensive acrylic paint right away, as you are just beginning
and experimenting. A wonderful paint for beginners is Liquitex
Basics Acrylics Colors. These are high quality, affordable
paints. These are also great for experienced acrylic painters
who may be on a tight budget. I know of a lot of artists both
beginners and experienced who love working with these acrylics.
Make
sure you take good care of your acrylic paint. When you close
your paint tubes, make sure you clean the cap and the threads of
the tube thoroughly. If you leave any paint on the cap or on the
threads, it will dry and form a strong bond. It will be quite
difficult to pry the cap off. Make sure the cap is also sealed
tight, otherwise some of the paint in the beginning of the tube
will dry also, making it very hard to squeeze out the fresh
paint underneath.
To
improve the flow of your acrylic paint try adding a special
medium to the paint, instead of using water alone. If you only
use water as a medium to improve flow, you will find that it
diminishes the brilliance of your colors. Purchase a medium like
Liquitex Acrylic Flow Aid, which works very well for improving
the flow of your acrylic paint.
To
care for your brushes, make sure you store them properly after
washing. There is quite a bit of controversy over the best way
to clean and store your brushes. I have found that when I hang
my brushes with the tips pointing down, gravity does most of the
work by pulling the water from the brush. Water can really
damage your brushes if it builds up on the ferrule, so it's
important to dry your brushes well.
Go
out and buy some wooden clothespins. Clip the pins to the end of
the brush and then hang them off the side of a table or desk.
Lay a towel under the brushes to catch the dripping water.
The
next best thing to hanging your brushes is to lay them flat.
NEVER
let your brushes soak in any type of liquids.
When
choosing a palette for your acrylic paints, make sure it is a
non-porous surface. If the palette is too porous it will absorb
the water from the acrylic paint.
NEVER
mix acrylic paint with oil paint or paint acrylics on top of oil
paint.
I
hope these tips have helped. Remember to never give up and happy
painting!
By:
Ralph Serpe
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Interior-Tip.com
