We have been painting with Acrylic Paints in our Adult Class.

Catherine’s Lemon

Acrylics are water-based so they can be cleaned and thinned with water. They are also non-toxic and non-smelly which makes them attractive for the eco- or health-conscious.

We started with the basics talking about grounds, Gesso, paint brands, mediums, palettes and paint brushes.

We then spent a little time practicing some brush strokes and took a look at under painting and the impact of surrounding colors.

We then moved on to color mixing and started practicing by painting a basic still life  and sunflowers. We went over the following steps for painting a simple still life:

1. Simply draw the object.
2. Paint in the shadows with a thin layer of umber.
3. Paint in True Colors – cover entire object
4. Add white and add the lights – dark light first then lighter lights. Use heavier strokes on lightest part.
5. Then continue to refine with darker darks.
6. Add reflected light in the shadow.
7. Finally add highlights.
8. Adjust and refine.

This last week we discussed the concept of value as we all spent a few minutes painting the classic sphere.

We are going to spend the next two weeks practicing what we have learned so far as we continue to work on our sunflowers and still life paintings.