From the kind people at oilpaintingsguide.com (second part to come next week) -

Acrylic Painting Tip 1: Keeping Acrylic Paints Workable

Acrylics dry much faster than oils so my advice is to squeeze only a little paint out of a tube at a time. Also take a look at the palette you are using. Some have a waxy finish to them. These are ideal as they will not absorb moisture at of the paint. Alternatively, frequently flick water from your brush on to the lump of paint. In a dry climate the paints will start to set within 20 minutes of being squeezed out from the tube.

Acrylic Painting Tip 2: Blot your Brushes

Keep to hand tissue paper or a towel. Remember to blot the excess water from your brushes before you apply to canvas. Otherwise, you’ll have water running from the bristles down on to the canvas in messy streaks. Blot your brushes or pay the consequences!

Acrylic Painting Tip 3: Opaque or Transparent

Depending on how you apply the paint acrylics can be either opaque or transparent. Apply thickly from the tube and mixed with a little white. If diluted down with water the acrylics will appear in essence, much like watercolors with a similar effect.

Acrylic Painting Tip 4: Acrylic vs Watercolour Washes and Oils.

Once acrylic paint dries that is it! Unlike working with oil paints, you can not re-work an area of the canvas hours later and, unlike watercolors, acrylic paint is totally insoluble. If you have made a mistake, all is not lost! You can paint a new layer over the top.

SETTING UP: oil paints and surface

Yarka Russian Primed Linen canvas

Since the Dutch invented oil painting back in the fourteenth century, oil painting has been one of the most popular and widespread mediums chosen by artists around the world. For many people who do not paint or who would like to, Oil painting seems perhaps daunting at first. Let it be known, oil painting is not as complex as people first assume. All one really needs is lots of enthusiasm and patience to learn. One also will require a small selection of brushes, a surface to paint on, should it be wood panel or canvas pre-stretched or not, a variety of color oil paints and some solvents.

Whilst many different surfaces are available to paint on, primed canvas is usually the most popular. Canvas can be bought by the yard and you can buy it already assembled or you can do this yourself providing you have the correct materials; artist stretcher frames, which are sold as single wooden slats that interlock with each other to form a frame; canvas, which is stapled to the frame; and gesso, which is applied in a couple of coats to the canvas in an even manner. This is basically used so that when you begin to paint on the canvas, the paint is not absorbed too quickly.

From our “How to Paint” contributor…

“Would you like to start painting? First of all, you mustn’t listen to people who declare the old myth that you have to be incredibly talented to paint. More importantly you have to be enthusiastic and have the desire to want to paint. This, above all else is the most important quality one must posses if one is to learn how to paint and….learn how to paint well.”

(Arteze: Can anyone relate to this? Friends and relatives who began painting after retirement have said this very same thing to me - it’s not about talent, it’s about passion!)

"Can you see what it is yet?"

“The next step is to consider the materials that you would like to start with. Oil paints, Acrylic paints, water colors or even pastels. There is no harm in trying one medium and moving on to another should you feel that it is not working for you. Also, I recommend buying the best paints that are affordable to you. When working in oils you shouldn’t feel afraid to paint over something you are not pleased with or scrape the paint off the canvas back to the original surface you began with. It’s always best in my opinion to start over than to keep working something you are not pleased with.

Mixing colors is usually the first step to painting that most beginners feel uncomfortable with. Don’t be shy! Enjoy this process and don’t forget that the basics of color mixing are not the difficult or complicated. The biggest disaster is that you are going to end up with some dirt colors, if this happens, don’t waste the paint. Try adding some white to the palette and mixing this in to produce a value exercise painting in monochrome…”

Watch this space for more updates.