A painting can be created with acrylics or watercolors, or with a combination of both.
Painting, as an art, is often done with either watercolor or acrylic paints. Watercolor paints are more subtle and lighter in color due to their dilution with water. Acrylics are deep in color and have a thick, gooey texture. While watercolors appear smooth on a page, acrylics may be bumpy and crusty. Both watercolors and acrylics are chosen for different kinds of painting and create appealing effects, depending on the desired outcome.
Instructions
Watercolors
1. Watercolors are compact and almost mess-free.
Set up your painting area, such as a table, with watercolor paints, paintbrushes in different sizes, a cup with water and paper towels. If paintbrushes are stiff and have dried paint on them, wash them under running warm water and dry them with a paper towel. They should be soft and clean. Lay down the paper or canvas, or use an easel if desired. Note that the area might get wet, but otherwise watercolors are mess-free.
Watercolor paints usually come in a tablet form. Each paint color is a smooth, round mound which, until it becomes wet, does not give off any color when touched with fingers or a dry paint brush.
2. Dip a small paintbrush into the cup of water and tap it on the edge of the cup to remove excess water. It should be wet, but not dripping.
3. Press the brush gently into a chosen color of your watercolor paints. Rub it against the paint either in circular movements or sideways until you get color on your paintbrush. Use more paint for a darker color. If you want less paint than is on your paintbrush, dip the paintbrush in the water and tap off the excess water. Water will get dark overtime; you can use either more than one cup or replace it with fresh water.
4. Hold the paintbrush as you would hold a pen or another way that feels comfortable to you. When painting with watercolors, it helps to hold the middle of the paintbrush, but it is also common to hold it by its tip or down by its bristles.
5. Place the paintbrush with the watercolor onto your paper or canvas and make smooth, long or short strokes depending on what you want to paint. The paint will dry within seconds or minutes, depending on how wet the painting is. To make the color of the stroke darker, dip the paintbrush again into the watercolor and repeat the painting process. For a different color, first dip paintbrush in the water to clean it, tap on the cup's edge and pick up a different color with the paintbrush.
6. Press the brush containing watercolor onto the paper or canvas so all the bristles are flat against the page, or use just the tip of the paintbrush bristles for painting. Try out a variety of methods. Mix colors by dipping the paintbrush into more than one watercolor.
7. Let the painting dry. If you are painting on paper, the paper will get wrinkled. When it's dry, place the painting between heavy books so it can be pressed flat and smoothed.
8. Clean your paintbrushes with running water once you're done painting. Clean your watercolor paints by placing them under running water to return them to their original colors if they were used for mixing colors. You can also use a paper towel to wipe them clean.
Acrylics
9. Acrylic paints are thick and saturated with color.
Prepare the area for painting with acrylics by covering it with plastic, large sheets of paper such as newspapers or paper towels. The area will get dirty. Wear a painter's apron or wear clothes that you don't mind getting dirty.
10. Set up the chosen area for painting by placing paintbrushes, a cup with clean water and a canvas or paper. Place the canvas or paper on a flat area or use an easel.
11. Squeeze out a bit of each color of acrylic paints onto a palette or plastic tray. You may also use a foam, cardboard or wooden tray instead. Acrylics come either in tubes or bottles. Use small amounts of paint since whatever is not used from your palette will have to be discarded. Keep the colors separate for now on your palette. Close the acrylic paint bottles or tubes to keep them from drying. You may add more paint to your palette as you start painting and run out of a certain color.
12. Dip the tip of a clean paintbrush into the chosen color of acrylic paint. If you place too much paint on the paintbrush, press it against a clean area of the palette to remove the excess paint.
To mix acrylic colors, dip your paintbrush into one color and bring it over to a clean part of your palette. Then, dip your paintbrush into another color or colors and bring those over to that same part of the palette. Mix the colors together using your paintbrush in circular movements. Add more color as desired. Add white paint to make a color lighter. Dip your paintbrush in this newly mixed color.
13. Place your paintbrush with acrylic paint on it onto a clean canvas or piece of thick paper. Hold the paintbrush however you desire, although it helps to hold it steady as you would hold a pen. Use long or short strokes by pressing gently or firmly, depending on what you want to paint. Use a variety of strokes and acrylic colors to complete your painting. Acrylic paint can be layered, painted thick or painted thin. How thick or thin the paint is depends on how much is on your paintbrush.
14. Set your completed painting to the side to dry. It will take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to dry, depending on how thickly you applied the acrylic paint.
15. Clean your area by throwing away dirty newspapers or other covering of the painting area. Wash your paintbrushes. The paint left over on your palette will dry eventually but you can reuse the palette next time by simply squeezing fresh paint onto it. Or, you can wash off the palette under running water for a fresh start next time.
