21 expert tips for working with acrylic paints

Soma Mandal Datta Author

Acrylic painting tips for beginners. Advice on paint, brushes and more to help you overcome overwhelm of getting started with this versatile medium.

Trying out painting in any new medium can seem like a challenge for most beginners. But it’s not as difficult if you have grasped the basic techniques and idiosyncrasies of a medium. I changed to acrylics from being a watercolourist almost a decade ago after falling in love with it for its relatively forgiving nature. But it took me a while to understand its quirks such as it dries faster than watercolours and dried acrylic paints can ruin palettes and clothes 😊! I was once where you are and so understand the struggle when starting to paint with acrylic.

Welcome to my blog! My name is Soma Mandal Datta (Dr) and I am a mixed media artist. Find out more about me and my expertise at: How I came to be a mixed media artist.

So apart from having a section in your wardrobe for art-class outfits, here are 21 of the top tips that I have learnt through trial, error and over 10 years of practice.

These tips will help you get started with acrylic painting, avoid some of the common challenges and shorten the learning curve when starting to paint with acrylic.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Note that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

21 Acrylic Painting tips for absolute beginners

• Buy the best materials within your budget: 

Cheap craft paints and brushes can set you up for failure. You could opt instead for student grade paints from renowned brands especially brands that also make professional-grade paints. This option is often better than dollar shop paints which lack enough colour pigments or dollar shop brushes that shed bristles.

• Choose the right brushes: 

You will need a variety of brushes such as flats, rounds and pointy ones called detail brushes for painting finer details. Your choice of brush sizes will depend upon the size of the canvas you choose.

• Buy the right brushes: 

Check that you are buying brushes specially designed for use with acrylic paints such as Taklon and synthetic brushes. Oil painting brushes such as hog bristle ones are stiff and designed for use with thick, heavy-bodied oil paints. They will leave undesired textures and prevent smooth blending if used with acrylics unless that is part of the effect you seek to create. Watercolour brushes such as squirrel mop are soft and delicate designed to be loaded with watercolours and water and not with thicker acrylic paints. You may find mixed media synthetic brushes in art stores that are designed for use with 2 or more mediums – double-check with your art store if they are appropriate to acrylic before buying them.

Here's an example of quality brushes designed for multiple mediums: Princeton Aspen 6500 5pc Professional Paint Brushes

• Buy basic primary colours for starters: 

You only need 3 primaries: crimson red, lemon or cad. yellow and pthalo blue with black and white to create infinite colour possibilities. Refer to a colour-mixing recipe book to test out recipes using these colours. Then with practice, identify your style and preferences and only then build up your collection as needed.

Here’s an example of basic colours set: Chromacryl Student Paint Color 5-Pieces I recommend for most of my beginner's courses.

• Always clean your brushes and clean them often: 

Acrylic paints when dry solidifies into a hard water-insoluble substance. Hence cleaning the brushes frequently during and after the painting is a must. Special brush cleaners are available to freshen and clean brushes after use. If on a budget and unable to purchase brush cleaning liquid, you can use dishwashing liquid to clean brushes. After cleaning, lay them horizontally to dry.

• Prep your Canvas: 

Use white paint or yellow ochre to prep your pre-primed canvas. Doing so ensures better paint adhesion for subsequent layers of paint and also  prevents the white of unfinished painting showing through in the final painting.

• Use different brushes to create different effects: 

Every brush type from liner to fan-brush has unique ways it can be used. Fine liner brushes are used for detailed linework and fan brushes are excellent for foliage and grass. Flat brushes are great for painting loose especially when doing the backgrounds. Study marks made by each brush in your collection to identify different ways you can use them in your painting.

• Plan your painting: 

Use a simple background. Plan the composition and subject/s. Position the subject in a way that tells the viewer exactly who or what is the star of the painting. Decide details and colours.

• Start painting with the background: 

Acrylic paints dry fast. So it is much easier to quickly paint larger sections or background areas and then paint the finer or smaller sections of a painting. Flat brushes are ideal for blocking the colours of the background quickly. Work loose at the start and then be specific as you add the final layers of details.

• Use a palette knife to mix paint: 

You will find that mixing paint with palette knives prevents wastage compared to using brushes to mix paint and clean up after mixing colours is easier too. But if you don’t have a palette knife you can use a plastic butter knife.

• Try palette knives for textures 

Have fun by swapping brushes with a palette knife. By scrapping paint off or adding thick paints you can create textures in your painting.

• Use a paper towel or rags to clean your brushes: 

Acrylics dry hard. So it’s important to clean your brushes every time you are done using them and wipe them clean with a rag or paper towel.

• Practice blending: 

It’s one of the key techniques in acrylic painting. But since acrylics dry quickly, you need to practice to get the hang of it. Wet your brushes with water before you start painting to achieve softer colour and tone transitions. I suggest cleaning the brush on a rag when blending in areas of transition. Removing excess water prevents paint drips unless that’s part of the special effects of course.

Here’s a book that will enable you to master blending and so much more: Painting Party: Acrylic Painting for Beginners

• Use a colour wheel to mix your colours: 

As beginners, many are seen to struggle to get the colours right and often end with muddy paintings. An inexpensive tool referred  to as 'artist's colour wheel' will help you for mixing colours and to decide which colours you should use in your painting. You can buy one here: https://amzn.to/3olTF2I

• Mist your canvas to extend drying time: 

Use a travel size spray bottle (100 ml) to add mist to canvas while painting and palette. This helps to slow down drying time and keep paints workable.

• Try out a retarder medium: 

Acrylics dry too quickly. To slow down drying time and achieve ‘almost’ oil painting like soft transitions and effects, you can add a retarder medium to your paint. Remember to follow instructions on the bottle for correct ratios of mixing paint to medium.

• Walk away from your painting: 

Losing perspective of what you are painting while working is normal where your brain stops giving you information on the ‘bigger picture’. That’s why you should make it a habit to step back periodically and observe the overall work. By doing so, you’ll immediately see aspects that have worked and ones that need adjustment such as if the colours are working together, if contrasts look right or if objects are in proportion to each other.

• Use a mixing palette to paint: 

Mix paints on a mixing palette and test it on a piece of paper before applying it to the surface. This prevents accidentally applying the wrong colours.

• Paint over mistakes: 

If you have made a mistake then let the paint dry and paint over it with the correct colour of choice. You may want to add a thin layer of white paint on the section needing correction before repainting to prevent the mistakes from showing through and making it easier to cover it up with the right colours.

• Change water frequently: 

Keep an eye on the water jar. As soon as it starts looking murky change it immediately. Muddy water will cause dull colour mixes leading to dull paintings.

• Be creative and have fun: 

Keep experimenting. Have a play with different brushes and study the difference in marks. Make notes. Explore different techniques and note what works and what didn’t. Accept failure is necessary to learn and keep painting. The more you paint better you become at it.

Acrylic painting is by far the most forgiving and versatile medium to paint with as a beginner.

While the first few steps might seem daunting, especially when you first start learning to paint; be assured that with plenty of practice, trial and error, you CAN and WILL become a fabulous acrylic painter.

If you are planning to paint your first painting with acrylics then don’t forget to take advantage of the FREE Paint Party Style art workshop I have available at the moment.

If you found this article helpful, it would be wonderful if you could share it!

Happy Painting!

Soma Mandal Datta

Categories: learntopaint, Tips and techniques