Question: Art supplies!?
Hi there!. I am a very good sketcher, on regular paper, with regular pencil and pen!. I joined this poster contest with a 3grand first prize!. I have great ideas and creativity to spare but the catch is that you have to have it on canvas!. I'm not too knowledgeable about art supplies!. I'm new at the whole canvas thing!. What type of canvas and what type of color should I use seeing that I'm not very experienced (ie, Water color paints, acrylics, pencils, etc) I need something that I can start off easy with and gradually get used to the whole canvas thing!.
Thanks a bunch! =)Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
I am a bit puzzled about why a poster contest would require entries on canvas!.
Still if that is the case, I would recommend using canves boards rather than stretched canvas!. These are cheaper and come in a variety of sizes!.
I suggest, to you, that this will be a MAJOR change in the way you do your current artwork!. Working in paint, or ANY wed media is quite different than sketching!. You might consider experimenting on using pen and ink on canvas board!. Perhaps you can practice using a brush and ink on paper and then practicing on canvas board!. Inks come in different colors and you may be satisfied with the result enough to turn in an entry!.
But, if paint is the way you decide to go, I suggest acrylics!. Watercolor is a difficult technique and can take years to master!. Oils work similar to acrylics, but require some rather exotic solvents and cleaning products, while, with acrylics, generally water is all you need to thin paints and do most of your clean up!.
Start by purchasing a small set of acrylic paints and suitible brushes!. You can buy tablets of canvas paper to practice on!. (this canvas paper may also be acceptable for the contest, but you should check with them)
Again, wet paints will be very different than pencil sketching, so, be prepared to spend a LOT of hours in practicing, and learning technique before starting on any final work on your entry!. If you don't have time to get it done before the deadline, then the lesson learned will be that THIS may not have been the contest for your particular talents!.
An analogy might be something like: if you are the best BMX bicycle racer in your state, and you decide to enter a Formula One car race!. While both kinds of racing have some similarities, they are, entirely different things!.
Still, I won't try to discourage you from entering!. You may actually have the talent to win this thing and you won't know until you try!. Good luck!Www@QuestionHome@Com
I'd suggest that you buy a pre-stretched and pre-gessoed canvas, for this project!. and that you use acrylic paints!.
Most art supply stores sell a set of 'student grade' acrylic paints, which contains the primary colours for acrylics!. And then you need a couple of good brushes, usually 'gold sable' , which are actually a synthetic nylon bristle, made especially for acrylic paints!. Water for mixing, and something like a plastic palette, or an old dinner plate, to mix on!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
If you've never worked on canvas, the best place to start would be to go to any Michaels, Dick Blick Art Supply, Hobby Lobby, or any other arts/crafts centered store and look at what canvases they carry- ask an associate about the different types, that's what they're there for!.
A good transition for you, since you're familiar with regular paper, would be to start with canvas boards!. They are thin boards with a canvas texture that are primed and ready to paint!. That way you can get the feel of painting on canvas without the expense of buying the big pre-stretched and primed ones!. But check the rules of the contest, they might not allow canvas boards instead of regular canvas!.
Start with basic acrylic paints!. They're easy to work with, thin down with water, and are pretty forgiving (they dry quickly and are easy to paint over if you mess up)!. Watercolors won't work because of the primer on the canvas- it probably won't stick and you'll end up with a runny mess!. Pencils, etc!. will work, but if you want to get familiar with canvas the best thing to start with is paints!. You can always add other media once you're comfortable with the basics of painting on canvas!.
Hope that helped- good luck!Www@QuestionHome@Com