I want to start painting but I have no idea of where to start. All I’ve ever done is watercolors but I feel like a little kid and they always look like crap so I want to do oil or acrylic or something. I’ll probably get all my paints and brushes and stuff on eBay because there are no art stores here. I like to think can draw decently…but I want to paint…I’ve wanted to for a long time. I suspect people here can give me some pointers…
Watercolors are very difficult to work with. They are not “little kid” and if you don’t believe me, find some chinese or japanese watercolor paintings and you’ll see what I mean. I used to paint in watercolors when I was in middle school and high school. I haven’t done anything in a couple years and I’ve regretably lost most of my old work, but I assure you, you can learn to paint some pretty intricate stuff in watercolors if you stick with it.
I personally hate acrylics, but they’re cheaper than oils and much easier to clean up (no turpentine needed), so you probably want to start with those. You can use them like oils, or you can water them down and use them like watercolor. Even if you don’t have an art supplies store, you should be able to get some canvas boards (you can buy stretched canvas, but it’s more expensive, you probably want to wait until you can paint some good stuff before you spend money on them) and medium-quality paints at Wal*Mart. Buying used art supplies off e-bay may not be a great idea. If you just absolutly cannot get anywhere, try http://www.discountart.com or some other online distributer (google if you have to)
I’ve been looking for someone who likes to paint mobile homes.
The medium is acrylic latex.
Best wishes,
Jerry
Hi Cranberry
I guess I know more about painting than whistling so for what its worth here is my two cents. At least I’ve sold many paintings but have yet to be paid for a tune. 
As a child (a very strange child) I used to copy paintings that I liked using oils, and oils were my medium for at least twenty five years until I experimented with Alkyds and acrilics. I like alkyds because they blend like oils but dry much faster. Acrylics to me don’t have the same depth and glow as oils, but they dry fast and can be really bold. But oils are by far still my favorite medium. I also like watercolors if you can get some decent paper (like Strathmore).
You say that you are a good drawer. I think that that is very important as the problem with most begining artists is that they forget that a good painting begins with a super drawing and composition. I like to do portraits because they (for me) are the most challenging. I always begin with a good pencil sketch. I also like to do landscapes because that is what i like to look at in my house. Some basic colors to begin with: white, alizarin crimson, viridian, cobalt blue and prussian blue, terre vert (earth green) and a good strong yellow and a couple of earth tones like burnt sienna and burnt umber. You can mix a good deal of variety on your pallet and oils will keep for a long time if covered. Learn your complimentary tertiary and other color relationships because they are like the notes in music. Try not to use black, as shadows can be made of a darker hued combination of the color and its compliment. I love painting lanscapes of Provence with their bright sunny colors and stong contrasts, but I never open a tube of black paint any more.
Watercolors are fun and immediate, but they take much forethough to achieve success. Part is serendipidy, but it is a kind of planned ‘accident’ to look fresh. Again, you don’t need black paint, and you don’t need white paint either.
In all my painting, I paint quite thin and in layers for a glazed deeper effect. A great book is: Painting on the right side of the brain.
all the best with your efforts,
Jean S.
I dont paint but do love colored pencils..I recently bought myself some good watercolors and some very expensive watercolor paper. I havent had the guts to even try them yet, they are still sitting unopened..I wish I could help you out I love this kind of stuff almost better than whistling..I have always wanted to buy oils(having used them in the past) but they are just too expensive. I have never even heard of Alkyds maybe I will check these out. I have used acrylics and dont like them at all. They dont mix right and dont feel very good when you use them and they are just too loudish if that makes sense..Maybe you could buy enamels and paint whistles that would be a good mix 
I have these old pieces of regular board (like they build birdhouses with), they’re about 1/4" thick, and about 2’ square, which are much larger than anything I’d want to paint, but I’m thinking of trying on them first…because the first few efforts will probably be not very good anyway.
If I get paints and brushes and stuff off eBay it’ll probably be new. I can usually get to Walmart, but I don’t know, I just don’t trust them. There is a quilting store nearby that may know of a place for paints and supplies.
I don’t really know that much about what I need or how to technically do what, but for a long time I’ve been catching myself thinking of things I’d like to paint, from instruments to landscapes, and thinking of how I’d want to paint them and then I forget about them and I think it’d be nice to actually get them out and do it..I also look at paintings in books and things and notice what I’d do differently and what I think would be better and stuff.
I’m clueless as to what kinds of brushes I’d need, how many, what XYZ, etc. I have a birthday coming up and (dare I say it?) I don’t really want whistles. I want painting stuff…if I end up doing something I’m proud of I’ll post it here.
The fact that people can’t get acrylics to work right is not the fault of the medium. It is harder to work with than oils because, among other things, it is difficult to blend because it cures so fast. It simply requires a different technique. I get good results by combining washes (like watercolor) with drybrush and tempera techniques.
Oils are the most forgiving. However, they stink, are expensive, and are a fiendish mess to clean up.
There are lots of other options, like watercolor, colored pencils, gouache (opaque watercolor), casein, egg tempera. Gouache is fun. It handles like the poster paints they used to use in school, but with much more vibrant colors.
Probably the most important item is good brushes. Even housepainters know this. Unfortunately they can cost a lot.
[quote=“Ridseard”]Oils are the most forgiving. However, they stink, are expensive, and are a fiendish mess to clean up.quote]
There are water soluable oil paints on the market. They thin and clean up with water(and a little soap) and are blendable with the old fashion oil paints. If you keep the blend at something like 20/80 or 30/70, they still thin and clean with water. I don’t think there is a lot of difference in working with the water soluable paints.
As far as expense goes, I have tubes of paint that are over ten years old and are barely used up. The cadminums go a long way. So do most of the bright tones, if you’re not covering an entire canvas in blue, for example. I go through payne’s gray and the brown tones the fastest as I use them as backgrounds. I also use more white . . . but white’s pretty cheap.
Now that we’re on this topic, I’m becoming nostagic and sad over my loney paints and brushes that don’t get touched anymore because, like most poor saps, I have to WORK FOR A LIVING!
gumble
Oils are by far my favorite medium. Nothing else will work like oils. Like others have mentioned before, they are very forgiving. If you do something one day, look at it the next and want to “mush” it around a bit, YOU CAN!!! Plus, I just like the look that oils give. It would never occur to me not to use them because they smell, or clean up is longer- and I do hate to clean up.
The tubes may cost a bit more, but they last a L-O-N-G time.
However, you might like acrylics. I just don’t prefer them. You can get stuff to make them dry slower. My brother who is a professional artist prefers them over oil because they do dry faster and he tends to work on a large scale with lots of pure color. And, just to show that paint is not the only medium, you might want to look into what you can do with a humble pencil, since you said you like to draw. Some of his most popular work is done with nothing but a pencil. It is amazing what can come from a bit of lead.
As for brushes- I generally use only one or two brushes for an entire painting- a medium to small size, and a fine one. I like to use my fingers a lot too. Heck, I’ve done entire paintings without a brush, only a palate knife. As I said, oils are great.
If I were you, I would only paint on something decent. It would be a shame if you created a work you really liked and then had to wish you had put it on a nice canvas. I bet you will be suprised at what you can do.
I’ve drawn and painted since I was a kid. That was one of the ways my brother and I played together. We drew. He always drew people and things. For me, since I love animals, I have always drawn and painted them. It has been a long while since I’ve done anything I could keep- most of my work is commisioned . This thread is making me want to break out my paint.
You can get very cool watercolours in tubes. I’d recommend a class or a book or something if you intend to take up any kind of painting. Oils smell bad, and acrylics dry really fast, so I’d at least consider watercolours. I suppose I’d like oils best if the smell didn’t bother me so much. I’d recommend painting outside with them if you can.
Brushes are a matter of personal preference. Just think what you might like to do with and get a few different ones to see what works. Heck, I’ve even used my fingers. You should get some sort of palatte too, to mix your paint. you can use random objects, but I like the little plastic palettes with the places to put different colours in.
I’ve been preparing some whistles for a Russian/Israeli Festival at our congregation and I starting painting whistles.
Take a plain brass whistle or get one that was painted and strip the paint off with a wire brush if you wish. Get some masking tape, I use this blue stuff from Krogers - using an exacto knife, cut out various patterens and apply them to the whistle. Then lightly heat the body of the whistle in an oven or use torch (be careful not to overheat) to get the humidity out and make the paint cure well. Spray first with primer and then with the color of your choices. After it dries, (wait two hours to 1 day depending on paint). I use lacquer. Then remove the tape, heat the body again and spray it with lacquer clear coat.
You could also freely paint it with a brush and then clear coat it for protection.
Daniel,
What about using a hair dryer to heat/dry the paint? I use one from time to time in various trades and crafts whenever I need to get something hot and/or dry.
Best wishes,
Jerry
I can attest personally to the fact that Daniel knows what he’s talking about. The paint job on the keyless chromatic whistle he sent me is impeccable.
Second (or third or fourth?) the recommendations to start with acrylics; they’re versatile, as you can use various slow-drying media and work with them in similar fashion to oils; used straight from the tube, they dry quickly so you can get nice clean edges for abstracts, etc., if that’s what floats your boat; or you can dilute them for watercolor techniques (also agree with the others that competency in watercolors is not an entry-level skill). Also, unlike oils, the easy (and inexpensive, i.e., water) clean-up is a pleasure. A starter set of acrylics is not too pricey; but do spend a little money on a few good brushes. They make a difference (also, it sucks to find little paintbrush hairs stuck to your work after it dries, which happens with cheap brushes). You can get by with three or four brushes to start with… round, flat, different sizes, based on what size canvas/board you’re using. I think 2 foot square is a perfectly reasonable size to paint on; not a conventional rectangle shape, but who cares? If you’re using wood, you should probably prime it first, but not sure what you should use, though; maybe the gesso that’s used for raw canvas? Kilz? Whatever, remember, it’s supposed to be fun…keep your expectations reasonable and just let things flow. Enjoy!
One more question - what exactly makes a brush good? What should I look for?
Synthetic brushes are good for acrylics and oils and can be less expensive than natural bristles. There should be a web page somewhere which shows you what to look for in a good brush, like uniformly sized bristles set carefully and evenly into the ferrule, neither too stiff nor too soft for the task for which they are designed. A trustworthy art dealer can advise you on brands. Stick to the mid price range and you should do okay. Do not get the cheapest ones unless you are going to abuse them. Good brushes should be cleaned thoroughly and carefully after each painting session; try to get all the paint out of the bristles all the way up to the ferrule. With acrylics, once you use a brush, it’s a good idea to keep it wet during the session, even if you don’t intend to use it again. You’ll also need a knife or two, for mixing paint as well as applying it for special effects.
I will say one thing-- DO NOT put your brushes end-down into the water cup. It will mess up the shape and make them a pain in the arse to use. I don’t know squat about oils as I’ve only done maybe 3 oil paintings in my life, but when it comes to water colors, you want bristles that will hold a lot of water. Plastic bristles suck. I know you’re vegan, but animal-hair bristles really do a lot better. You don’t have to blow your bank account on paintbrushes, but don’t go for the cheapest thing either. You probably want 3 or 4 different sizes of round brushes and at least a couple sizes of flat-edged brushes. There are also angled-edge brushes which are good if you’re doing something with lines or caligraphy. I do think watercolors can be fun if you A. have good paints (NOT crayola. Those dry-cake ones stink, get the ones in tubes), B. decent paper (the thicker the better, thin paper buckles and warps when damp), and C. a bit of patience and forethought. Watercolors do require planning, you can’t just sit down and throw it up there unless you’re going for some kind of messy abstract modern art (a style I happen to hate, but that’s just my personal opinion).
I think you should give your watercolors another chance, personally.
I’ll probably go acrylic paint, synthetic brushes. Might give watercolors another try. I remember my 7th grade art teacher, I’m going to try to find him and see if he knows of any places I should go for supplies, etc…I always had a huge crush on him anyway…damn his wife and kids.
I have dabbled a bit with acrylics but I learned with watercolors and that is my primary medium. It is a very challenging medium to work with but can wonderfully expressive. The first thing I would suggest is to get a book called Watercolor School (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0895774666/qid=1062529316/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-9909701-6238360?v=glance&s=books). It is by far the best primer on watercolor I have ever seen (I used to work at an art supply store so I have seen a LOT of books on watercolor) and covers begining techniques as well as advanced. A good way to get started with water colors is to do mixed media with pen and ink and watercolor. You begin with good black ink drawing and then add the watercolor washes. You can add washes all day long and the black will still show through. This is a more forgiving method as you can have accidental overflows and bleeds but the integrity of the picture stays intact. I had a lot of success with this doing color renderings in architecture school. Should you decide to take the plunge into watercoloring, I cannot empasize enouph getting decent paints and brushes right at the start. Poor quality pigments and brushes will frustrate you to no end. A great place to start is with a Yarka Student Watercolor Set. A 12 color set only costs $5-$6. It looks like one of those cheapie sets that you would buy for kids but it has a much higher quality pigment and doesn’t dry out like the cheapies do. I used to actually sell a lot of them to professional painters who used them for field sketching. For a step up, M. Graham watercolors are great. They use a honey binder so you will have fewer problems with colors flowing into each other and they are much more forgiving then other brands. If you find you like working with backrun effects and want a more flexible paint the Holbien paints are a bit more expensive but are probably some of the best watercolors on the market. Whatever you do, don’t let some sales guy talk you into the Windsor Newtons. The company changed hands about 10 years ago and their quality has declined greatly while the price has stayed the same. As far as brushes, there are too many brands to really say what is good and what isn’t. The qualities to look for are a brush that will hold a lot of water, will smooth to a nice point when wet, and doesn’t have a lot of odd length or stragely looking bristles. Another suggestion is to get a watercolor block pad. This is a pad of prestretched lightweight water color paper with edges of the sheets glued together. Once your painting is dry, you just peel it off to get to the next sheet. With single sheet watercolor paper you need to wet the paper, tape it to a board, then let it dry, do your painting, let the painting dry then remove from the board otherwise it will wrinkle and warp quite badly. Paper heavy enough to not need stretching is so expensive that it is typicaly reserved for final pieces.
Jerry,
A hair dryer will also work - if your heating wet paint, use the low setting - it’s flamable and too much wind will cause runs and uneven coating.