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Newbie here and relative newbie to painting - Support Advice needed
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Message
Posted
Hello!
I usually choose to sketch, as I often find that my addition of colour is clumsy.. But I want to branch out from greys to some colourful art.
I don't have all that much money to invest in expensive supports for acrylic paint, so I wondered if anyone can advise on which are a good middle of the road support? I do prefer ready made canvas, because it's easy and quick, and hangs on the wall with minimal effort but I'm open to anything, as ready made canvas is seemingly quite expensive.
I'm also curious about paper-is there any paper that holds acrylic well and is easily mountable?
Posted
Most watercolour papers, untouched or primed with acrylic gesso, will take acrylic very well - the rougher ones probably, on balance, the better. If you wanted a rigid support, canvas boards are more than adequate but be careful of the very cheap ones - some of them are treated with a fungicide (because of their country of origin) and need to be washed with tepid water to get rid of any hint of material glistening within the weave: acrylic paint can just rub off in some areas otherwise, the pressure of a brush being enough to shift it when you varnish.
There are papers specially made for acrylic - the ones I've tried have all been absolutely useless, but I'm told the Galeria brand is OK: I haven't tried it, can't confirm.
You could also try MDF/HDF or hardboard panels, cut to size: you'd have to apply an acrylic gesso to these to stop them sucking all the moisture out of your paint and it might also be a good idea just to rough them up with a bit of sandpaper or wire wool beforehand.
You have my sympathy on the "expensive" front, because there's no cheap way of painting in any medium - it rarely pays to economize on quality. I just save my money, and have a wild splurge now and then - I can even forget how much I've paid when the parcels arrive; not unlike Christmas - I thank an entirely imaginary, kindly old uncle, who just happens to be me.
Posted
Hi Amy, There are cheaper alternatives but you would have to pay more on the finish. For example, you can get 2mm MDF boards cut to size, but then you would have to prepare them yourself, which means 2 or 3 coats of paint first and then you would probably have to buy a frame, all adding to the cost. Paper, no lighter than 140lb can be used, all different price ranges, but they too will need to be mounted. I would opt for stretched canvas which is already prepared and you won't need to frame it but just pop it on a hook. If you look at different art sites you can get a range of prices, sizes and deals - for example Ken Bromley. If you buy 5 or 10 you get a discount. Try SAA or Jacksons Art or Great Art. Also for a cheap canvas, try The Works which are normally found in every High Street. Other artists here might have some tips for you as well.
Posted
Canvas is actually quite a good idea - it's a good support for acrylic, and while I don't know anything about The Works, a cheap canvas won't hurt when you're starting out: the very cheapest I find are more trouble than they're worth for reasons I won't bore you with now, but there are intermediate ones. Agree with Adele on the best places to go, with the exception of The Works of which, as I say, I know nothing.
Posted
The Works is a discount art, craft and book store, Robert. Springing up in all high streets and shopping centres across the country. I agree that good quality is normally important but if you are just starting out or practicing and the budget is tight, then you can start at The Works. Incidentally, though, I wouldn't buy with their paintbrushes. They are great for craft work using glue which normally ruin the brushes, but I think decent mid-range brushes from proper art stores will save money in the long term.
Posted
I agree with Sylvia - Rosemary & Co brushes are great! We have a local art store near us that started as three shops made into one and gradually it has been getting smaller and smaller as people have been using the internet more. I don't often go in there, but I popped in several months ago for something small, and I remarked that I wouldn't be surprised if soon they shut. They replied that it was because so many people were buying off the internet now and if we wanted to keep our local shop we should support it, so I looked around. I was shocked by the state of their brushes where customers had - it looked like - taken off the protective plastic covers and cleaned the floor with them. So I won't be buying from them!
Posted
Brushes - Amy no, don't use sables with acrylics! It'll kill them. There are good synthetic brushes available - Rosemary's Shiraz and Ivory ranges are very good, but so are Daler-Rowney's Dalon range, and Winsor and Newton's several ranges - even their Cotman brushes would be better than your sables. You can use hogs with acrylic - I never used to, because I assumed they'd just get waterlogged, but actually they don't. Always clean them VERY thoroughly while working - swishing them in water isn't enough, you need to make quite sure you've got all the paint out of the depths of the brush, whatever it's made of.
Acrylic paint can be difficult to get to the right consistency, and if that's the trouble you're having, use a more liquid brand - there are several available: System 3, for instance, or other brands like Chromacolour in pots, though their tube colours break down quite easily as well and don't stick so much as some other brands can. I might risk a hake with acrylic, but never sable, probably not squirrel, and I have only one natural mongoose brush and wouldn't use that either: these natural hair brushes are just too delicate for use with acrylic paint.
By the way, you might not be Amy at all - I can get a little confused by these Forum names.
Edited
by RobertJones