How to Get into Painting: realizing your Dreams

Are you wondering how to get into painting?

Millions of people are painting and you can learn how to paint, too!

Painting art is a universal language that uses the senses, emotions and the mind to create something beautiful.

Anyone can start painting regardless of your age or experience.

You can learn how to paint!

This is your introduction to the essential tools and inspiration you need to get into painting.

Whether you’re a complete novice or looking to refine your skills, get ready to paint.

• Paint mediums
• Begin painting on a budget
• The basics of painting art
• Inspiration for painting
• Get into painting by doing!

Paint Mediums: how to get into painting

Here in the United States the three popular painting mediums are oil paint, watercolor and acrylic. Each medium has its own characteristics and requires a slightly different approach.

One type of paint is not better than the others.

Oils are easy to use. The paint is thicker, provides a textured appearance and dries slower which allows you to work gradually. Start oil painting with a couple of brushes, mineral spirits and a canvas. Oil paintings are easy to frame and long lasting.

Watercolor is another easy paint. All it takes is paint, water, paper and one or two bushes. It's a light, delicate medium that's great for capturing the subtleties of light and color. Watercolors on paper require a mat and they are framed under glass for protection.

Acrylics are versatile. They provide the ability to paint in thin washes like watercolor or thick like oil paint. The down side is that acrylic dries very fast, that makes it hard to blend the colors. However, the dried paintings are very durable and simple to frame.

oil paint

Oils may be painted smooth or with lots of texture for added interest. 

Painting with oils is easy!

alkyd paint

Alkyds are a relatively modern paint. Their color pigments are mixed with alkyd resin.

Alkyd butterfly painting

They have been my go-to paint since the 1980s.

My mom and I both switched to them because of their short drying time, compared to classic oil paint.

The resin speeds up their dry time to overnight or at the most within 24 hours.

This provides time for blending, but they dry fast enough to paint layers in a short amount of time.

Their fast dry time makes it easier to paint the finer details.

Finished alkyd paintings look exactly like an oil painting.

They use the same brushes, solvents, supports and painting techniques as oil paint.

watercolor

Watercolors are an easy, portable medium that is often used for painting on location. A little tin of colors, some water, a brush and paper and off you go to paint anywhere you desire.

Many of the colors are transparent and let the white of the paper show thru. It gives them a light, luminous appearance.

Enjoy the art of painting!

As the name implies, the paint is thinned and cleaned up with water.

Watercolors are somewhat unpredictable in the way they move and blend with other colors. But that's the joy of using watercolor paint.

The key is learning how much water to use.

Finished watercolor paintings on paper are framed with a mat under glass.

You may find watercolor art supplies here.

Watercolor paint comes in two forms.

• Tube watercolor paints make more brilliant color because we don't have to add so much water to use them.
• Pan watercolors are a dry cube placed in a pan. They are portable and favored for painting on location.

We have a choice of 3 supports for watercolors.

• Watercolor is often painted on 140# watercolor paper. Watercolors on paper need to be matted and framed under glass for protection.
• Watercolor can be painted on canvas. Make sure the label says it can be used for watercolor.
  Before painting, brush water on the entire canvas to break the surface tension. Let the water soak in before painting. This helps prevent the paint from beading up or sliding around.
• Aquabord is a rigid archival watercolor support made by Ampersand. It is textured like cold pressed watercolor paper. The colors on Aquabord are more brilliant than many watercolors done on paper.

After the paint is dry on watercolor canvas or Aquabord, spray the painting with a protective UV resistant spray. The paintings may then be framed without a mat or a glass covering.

Acrylics

Acrylics are often chosen by beginners. It thins and cleans-up with water.

They dry very fast, so additional layers may be painted quickly. The down-side is they dry so fast that blending and transitioning the colors is quite a trick.

The colors are bright and durable. They dry to a flat finish, so the finished paintings are often varnished. They are economical, widely available, and considered a good way how to get into painting.

They may be painted on various surfaces like rocks or wood. I painted fruit and flowers on my kitchen cabinet doors and then varnished over the finished paintings for protection.

Regardless of the medium you choose, learning how to paint requires practice and patience. Let your art journey be guided by your love of the process and not just the end result.

As your artistic confidence grows, you can explore other painting mediums.

begin painting on a budget

Equip yourself with the supplies for your art journey. We can spend a lot of money at the art store, but what do we really need? How can we get into painting without spending a bundle?

Basically, we need: paint, brushes, a palette, something to paint on and clean-up materials.

The most expensive products are not always necessary. The best approach is to stick to the basics and then slowly build your collection as you progress.

What is the best place to paint?

If we have a place to leave our painting stuff out ready to go, we are more likely to paint.

How do we store our supplies? I started out storing my paint and brushes in a fishing tackle box. Different things work for different people.

What about lighting and ventilation in your painting area? What is the best type of light bulbs for painting art?

Get the answers with more ideas for your home art studio.

The basics of painting art

All art paintings use the same basics: values, color and composition that includes a focal point.

They are the foundation of successful paintings. These fundamentals are indispensable for the painting artist.

It's not necessary to learn them before you start painting. Get the feel of your paint and brushes by painting the tutorials and you'll pick up the fundamentals along the way.

Then use them in all your artwork. You'll be glad you did.

Easy Composition

The rule of thirds makes easy compositions.

Artists Color Wheel

The artist color wheel is the basis of mixing colors.

Values in Painting

Contrasting values are the backbone of good paintings.

Create a Focal Point

Create a focal point to draw people into your paintings.

inspiration for painting

Now comes the fun part of how to get into painting - deciding what you want to paint!

Paint what you enjoy.

Begin painting with subjects that excite you, intrigue you, or calm you.

Paintings are personal. They are like a part of ourselves. The joy we find in painting will inevitably reflect in our artwork. That's the beauty of learning how to paint.

The best place to start painting is with the things around us. We do the best job of painting a subject we understand. We have a better idea of its form and colors.

It's a good idea to start simple. A piece of fruit or a simple landscape scene would make a good start. As you progress and build confidence, then start painting more complex subjects.

You may want to explore more painting ideas for beginners.

Do we begin painting from life or photos?

When we actually see the subject, we can do a better job of painting it.

Many artists enjoy painting from life. But the birds and bees don't stay still long enough for us to paint them. So, what do we do?

We may also paint from photos. Paint from our own photos or copyright free images.

Look for public domain images or creative commons images have no copyrights attached. Pixabay.com is a good place to find public domain and CCO images.

Inspiration can come from anywhere. Keep a tablet to jot down ideas and sketch things to paint. 

start small and easy

It's a good idea to start small and simple. As you progress and build confidence, then start painting more complex subjects.

Finishing a painting in one session is encouraging.

Small paintings, like a 5x8, 6x6, or 8x10 inch can be done in an hour or so.

"Speedy and Tuna"

When I was giving my sister a lesson on how to paint, we did a small watercolor of her two goldfish named "Speedy and Tuna".

We used a simple palette of Cadmium Red Light, Cadmium Yellow Light and Ultramarine Blue.

The fish were painted first. Then the background was painted around the fish with salt sprinkled into the blue for added texture.

Painting is lots of fun!

paint Often!

This is an 8x8 inch painting.

The more often we paint, our inspiration flows and we want to paint more.

The more we paint, the faster we learn.

There's a special joy that comes with a completed a painting. It gives us a sense of accomplishment.

Plus, then we have something to share with our friends and family.

Include painting in your schedule. No matter whether you paint daily, weekly or monthly - paint regularly.

Many professional artists paint daily.

Painting on a regular basis will put your learning to paint into overdrive!

Share your paintings

It's encouraging to get feedback from friends, family and other artists by sharing.

Join your local art association. Paint with other artists. Go to painting classes, art shows and visit art museums.

Seeing other's artwork and sharing your art will encourage you. It will stimulate you with new ideas. Plus, it's just plain fun to share.

Painting is fun, but sometimes you may run into a block where you just can't get into painting. We all do from time to time. How do we overcome an artist block?

painting is a joy!

It's fun learning something new. And who doesn't like a challenge?

Painting is joy!

Get involved, that's how to get into painting.

When I was learning to paint, my full concentration would be on painting.

One time, everything else slipped my mind, like cooking dinner. Late in the afternoon my husband asked, "Are we having dinner tonight?"

Oh my, I was so engrossed in painting that I completely forgot about the time, dinner and my hungry husband.

So the painting had to stop and get finished after dinner and dishes.

get into painting by doing!

You’ve taken the first steps to start painting. You are equipped with essential tips on selecting the right supplies, the fundamentals of color and composition, and keeping your inspiration alive.

The tutorials are your tools to practice and learn at the same time.

Paint some of the popular painting tutorials. Each step contains photos with the details of how to do the painting step by step.

Choose tutorials that pique your interest and start painting. Paint and learn at the same time.

do you want to start oil painting?

Oil painting is easy. Painting is easy with a good teacher.

How to oil paint tutorial

Most of my paintings are done with a limited palette.

A limited palette consists of only one to five colors. Any additional colors are mixed.

This oil painting tutorial of a "Fun Fish" is done with a limited palette of yellow, red and blue.

The bluish background is painted around the fish. We paint the fish.

Then as a touch, thinned paint colors are blown through a soda straw onto the blue background to simulate seaweed. That's what makes this fish painting "fun".

If you want to learn more about oil painting before you start, How to Oil Paint provides detailed answers to frequent questions about using oil paint.

learn how to paint watercolor

Many people begin painting with watercolor.

Watercolor tutorial for beginners

You can begin watercolor by painting this Rufous hummingbird visiting a yellow flower.

First there is a discussion about the basics of watercolor.

Then, following are the easy steps to begin painting watercolor.

In this beginners' tutorial you will learn what colors to use, the suggested brushes, what you can paint watercolor on, how to keep your colors clean and more.

This painting uses only three colors; yellow, orange and blue.