Starting painting

I Concur

Hi

I've been drawing portraits for a while with pencils and charcoal, but now i want to start working with colour. I want to get as much detail as possible, but i've no idea what paints or brushes to get!

Any advice is welcome

Thanks

I Concur

Also i've been looking at pastel pencils, whats your opinion on them? Which would be better for putting in lots of detail, paint or pastel?

spinandscribble

pastels are pretty ****e for detail tbh. I haven't used them in awhile but when i did it was mainly for washes/soft pictures.

[edit: thought you said pastels, colour pencils are grand and can feel more comfortable after you're used to painting but following the steps below will still help you as it'll help you learn how to mix colours]

If you're looking to paint i'd recommend gouche. yeah its expensive but with these basic colours you'll be able to achieve nearly every colour.

white
cadmium red/yellow
spectrum red/yellow
Prussian blue
ultra marine blue

other ones that are good if you can afford it is aztec blue and marigold.

You can buy other paints but gouche is good because the pigment is so rich and true that to really learn how mix colours and get the colour you desire. Its also thin so can't really be coated on to correct areas. I think learning how to mix colours is crucial if you want to be good at painting.

get yourself a colour wheel and try to replicate the colours exactly. There is also colour stars ect that you can find to push yourself further. Don't use online examples as the colours depicted on a screen are not great.

create a composition out of objects of different textures/surfaces/colours and include at least one black item. Begin by drawing this composition and getting to proportions right so when your paintings over it wont be ruined by lazy drawing. learn how to make black from your colours. test your blacks by mixing in a little white and see if its a perfectly neutral grey. this is key.

Brushes come down to your style and way you like to work. I love tiny brushes to paint with so my colours blend as delicately as possible and I strive for photo like quality (from a distance anyway :P). Some do great work with bigger brushes but that depends on how big you are painting. A light touch is needed applying colour when you're working small compared to big also Its common sense stuff you'll realise when you begin.

Mixing colours with a palette knife is a great starting point. you won't lose any paint on the brushes and risk accidental mixing any left over paint into the mix. keep two cups of water at the side, one warm colours, one cold colours. Preferably don't mix brushes unless fully cleaned with a diluted soap.

Its long and tedious at the beginning, you'll hold your page to the object you are painting and lie that its the same colour. Try to be honest with yourself.

The benefit of this is you'll have more colours at your finger tips and ultimately save yourself money if you eventually switch to oils ect because you won't need to buy as many colours. Plus you'll kind of get a sixth sense replicating colours and know what colours to mix and this feels great.

When you've colour replication down you'll feel a lot more confident approaching other work, be it imaginary or otherwise.

If you've any other questions you can ask, after following these rules my painting has come on leaps and bounds, I was always nervous painting before now I'm much more confident.

I Concur

spinandscribble wrote: »

pastels are pretty ****e for detail tbh. I haven't used them in awhile but when i did it was mainly for washes/soft pictures.

[edit: thought you said pastels, colour pencils are grand and can feel more comfortable after you're used to painting but following the steps below will still help you as it'll help you learn how to mix colours]

If you're looking to paint i'd recommend gouche. yeah its expensive but with these basic colours you'll be able to achieve nearly every colour.

white
cadmium red/yellow
spectrum red/yellow
Prussian blue
ultra marine blue

other ones that are good if you can afford it is aztec blue and marigold.

You can buy other paints but gouche is good because the pigment is so rich and true that to really learn how mix colours and get the colour you desire. Its also thin so can't really be coated on to correct areas. I think learning how to mix colours is crucial if you want to be good at painting.

get yourself a colour wheel and try to replicate the colours exactly. There is also colour stars ect that you can find to push yourself further. Don't use online examples as the colours depicted on a screen are not great.

create a composition out of objects of different textures/surfaces/colours and include at least one black item. Begin by drawing this composition and getting to proportions right so when your paintings over it wont be ruined by lazy drawing. learn how to make black from your colours. test your blacks by mixing in a little white and see if its a perfectly neutral grey. this is key.

Brushes come down to your style and way you like to work. I love tiny brushes to paint with so my colours blend as delicately as possible and I strive for photo like quality (from a distance anyway :P). Some do great work with bigger brushes but that depends on how big you are painting. A light touch is needed applying colour when you're working small compared to big also Its common sense stuff you'll realise when you begin.

Mixing colours with a palette knife is a great starting point. you won't lose any paint on the brushes and risk accidental mixing any left over paint into the mix. keep two cups of water at the side, one warm colours, one cold colours. Preferably don't mix brushes unless fully cleaned with a diluted soap.

Its long and tedious at the beginning, you'll hold your page to the object you are painting and lie that its the same colour. Try to be honest with yourself.

The benefit of this is you'll have more colours at your finger tips and ultimately save yourself money if you eventually switch to oils ect because you won't need to buy as many colours. Plus you'll kind of get a sixth sense replicating colours and know what colours to mix and this feels great.

When you've colour replication down you'll feel a lot more confident approaching other work, be it imaginary or otherwise.

If you've any other questions you can ask, after following these rules my painting has come on leaps and bounds, I was always nervous painting before now I'm much more confident.

Thanks very much, thats very helpful!

Ell69

Hi
I'm a memeber of WetCanvas . Its a fab website for artists..Theres so many members you're questions are usually answered in minutes. All mediums too..:)

http://wetcanvas.com/

When I first started I painted with Acrylics, easy to paint with and dry quickly and I found as I was a beginner the fact that they dry so quick allows you paint over your mistakes.
This can be a good or a bad thing depending on how you look at it.
I've recently discovered oils and don't think I'll ever go back to acrylics.
Sorry this isnt answering your question as to how to make the transition to colour.
Try the website it is good..

I Concur

Ell69 wrote: »

Hi
I'm a memeber of WetCanvas . Its a fab website for artists..Theres so many members you're questions are usually answered in minutes. All mediums too..:)

http://wetcanvas.com/

When I first started I painted with Acrylics, easy to paint with and dry quickly and I found as I was a beginner the fact that they dry so quick allows you paint over your mistakes.
This can be a good or a bad thing depending on how you look at it.
I've recently discovered oils and don't think I'll ever go back to acrylics.
Sorry this isnt answering your question as to how to make the transition to colour.
Try the website it is good..

Thanks very much, joining now!