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Position:Home>Visual Arts> Never painted before. How to begin?Question: Never painted before!. How to begin!? I've never painted before!. My few art experiences in school were negative, and discouraged me from ever trying!. Even my own mother laughed at my apple trees!. However, I've been fortunate to know some painters through the years, and I'm thinking I might like to experiment with painting!. How to start!? Watercolors (which I think may be the most demanding and unforgiving)!? Oils!? Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Hi: Check out the great book 'Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain'!. This book can help anyone to hone their drawing abilities, and that will only strengthen your abilities to paint!. Don't listen to any negative comments, because everyone has to start somewhere, and look up Vincent Van Gogh who didn't really start his art until he was in his twenties!. I think it helps to go to museums to get ideas about what is considered great art, because it might give you some inspiration too!. Watercolors are easy enough to use and can be fairly inexpensive, but not very forgiving if you want to make corrections!. Depending on where you live, you might look at some schools that offer continuing education classes - here in Kansas City, there is the very reasonable Communiversity that offers various art classes, as well as the Kansas City Art Institute, that offers classes and some are for credit!. You might also be interested in the great online artist community, wetcanvas!. There are many various forums you might be interested in, including watercolor, plein air painting, oil painting, etc, and basic membership is completely free, but you can browse a lot of the website as a guest!. You might be able to get some tips from other artists, and good ideas about what type of painting you might want to try!. Currently, there are more than 150,000 worldwide members, so you will probably find a lot of artists who will be happy to give you any advice or encouragement!. Hope this helps, and gives you some leads!.Www@QuestionHome@Com I've used several mediums in my early years but it wasn't till someone suggested i try oils that i found the medium that would put me on the path i now feel i should have been on from the beginning!. I had heard all the negative stuff about oils, too messy, too smelly, etc!. So i went to my local library and checked out most of the books they had on oil painting and taught myself what i needed to know about oil painting!. I've since given away all the other stuff i used in the past and now work only with oils!. I don't know if it's the right medium for you but at least check into it and not go by what people say!. My work can be checked out at hellosanantonio!.com under artist name GUERRO1!.Www@QuestionHome@Com I learned how to paint watching the painting instructional shows on PBS!. You could start with acrylics or watercolors!. I started with acrylics, but I thinned them so as to almost be like watercolors!. Oils are messier and smell!. Use with plenty of ventilation and never around open flame or high heat!. Buy medium priced equipment and material!. But buy the best brushes you can afford!. Cheap brushes will be a detriment to learning!. Check out: http://www!.cheapjoes!.com/ Here are some sites to help you get started!. http://www!.magicbrushart!.com/ http://www!.simplypainting!.com/ http://www!.bobross!.com/howto3!.cfm!?type=L!.!.!. http://www!.expertvillage!.com/interviews/!.!.!. Some of these artists use oils, but you don't have to, unless you want to!. Good luck! Keep Arting! Jeff (weseye) Wesley http://www!.etsy!.com/shop!.php!?user_id=566!.!.!. Www@QuestionHome@Com I think you are correct about the medium!. My suggestion would be to start with acrylics!. They are not noxious like oils and much more forgiving than watercolor!. The best way to begin painting is to get an inexpensive sketch pad, 9X12 inches and a couple of drawing pencils, a B, and 4B and practice drawing!. You can view painting demonstrations on line and get some idea about what's involved!. A web site you might look at is wetcanvas!.com!. There are forums there which can give you lots of information about all phases of drawing and painting!. Good luck!Www@QuestionHome@Com |