Learning to Paint

[smurfchops]

I would love to learn to paint, hopefully modern art on canvas - see my previous thread - but don't know where to start. Any ideas?

[joko]

you can buy cheap canvasses from 'home and bargain' at the moment - if you have one near you.
or any art shop

you can also paint directly onto pieces of board - hardboard, chipboard etc

go to somewhere like 'the works' or similar and get yourself a cheap set of oil paints and some cheap brushes

get some turps and cloth - to dilute the oils if you want

then just get going!!

the good thing about oil paints is they take weeks to dry and so you can correct anything you don't like, and scrape off any bits of paint that are too much or whatever - so its very hard to mess it up - you can just keep going and going, experimenting with different styles, brush strokes

as you go on you will learn to make your own canvasses (there will be instructions on the web somewhere) - you just need a wooden frame and calico.

and start buying better quality paint and brushes, but to start off with, cheaper stuff is fine.

[Kim A]

I'd get yourself down to your local 'The Works' shop first for some cheapish supplies of canvas boards (not canvases) and acrylic paints. Buy some brushes from a proper art shop, though, the Works brushes are not very good quality. With regard to how, it's tricky. Classes are fine, but you tend to get stuck with painting in the style of your teacher. I've always found the library has good art 'how to do it' books. I've suggested acrylics as oils are too smelly, messy and take too long to dry. With acrylics, you can slap it on the canvas board and if you don't like it, you can paint over it again in about half an hour.anbd your brushes wash out in water. You would do well to go to some local galleries as well, to have a look at what others are doing. where do you live?

[Kim A]

Ooh, snap! Joko! same time and everything!