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Acrylic tips from readers
Hi,Enjoyed your article on acrylic painting, as I've set my watercolors aside for a few day, so I can explore a different medium.
Just a thought that might be added to your article...Watch for those 40% or 50% off coupons from art stores (Michaels, JoAnn, Etc., Hobby Lobby) and buy a Winsor Newton acrylic beginner set at the reduced price. Then splurge on a couple of good brushes (as you recommended.)
The set I bought with my coupon was priced at $34.95. Sure was sweet to then get a discount using the 50% off coupon. I've since then purchased about 5 other colors and a bunch of canvas boards in 3 different sizes.
Judy
I enjoyed your article on acrylic painting, as I am new to painting.
A thought that might be added to your article, the plastic trays that you get your meat on at the super market make great palettes for mixing paint once they have had a good wash. They also can be cleaned and reused.
Celene
Western Australia
Another tip for keeping your acrylics wet and reusable:
For a palette that will keep acrylics moist and fresh while painting, I took two glass panes from a couple of old picture frames, and put masking tape along the edges to keep sharp glass from cutting my fingers. Then I lay the panes on the table next to where I'm working.
As I paint I squeeze a little of each color I want to use on the bottom pane, and lay the other piece of glass on top of it. The paint stays fresh for hours because no air gets to it. I can lift the top pane up and lean it back against a box or the wall to mix colors. Then I just lay it back down again when I'm finished. If I get distracted and accidentally leave the paint exposed for a while, I just spray a little water on it and lay the glass back down again. I've had paint stay like that over night when I wanted to keep a color I've already mixed. It saves a lot of paint from drying out, and when I'm finished the paint rinses off the glass easily under a little running water.
Shirley
I don't quite understand your method. If you lay the top pane on the bottom one, doesn't that flatten or squish your piles of paint, pancake style? And don't you then have paint on both panes of glass when you go back to painting?
Also, what size of glass do you use, 12 x 16 or 18 x 24 or what?
Hi Harlan,
Yes..... it squishes the piles like a pancake... and yep, I have paint on the top pane, too... but I don't care. I can dip my brush into the paint up there, too. I just make sure to put the top pane down in the same place each time. Green on green, yellow on yellow.. mix on mix, etc.
The main thing is I'm not constantly throwing away paint if I squeeze a little more out than I can use right away... or I have to stop painting for a while and the paint starts to dry out.
It's just a quick, inexpensive solution to a more expensive problem. The thrift shops in our town have piles of old picture frames with glass in them for 25 cents each. Mine just happen to be 10x14... but any size that fits your workspace is fine.
Another palette tip:
I now use as a palette a big white porcelain plate that you would normally eat on. You know, the same shiny plates that we eat on but just plain white. You can buy these plain white plates at any dollar store and many other shops like oriental shops etc. At the end of the day when the paint dries on it, I just place it in the sink and pour some water in and a minute or two later the acrylic paint starts to get wrinkled and comes off easily because it does not adhere very well at all to the shiny surface. If you want you can use a little plastic scraper so it doesn't damage the shiny surface (I use my palette knife and it doesn't seem to damage it ... we use knives and forks on plates all the time and it doesn't damage them :) Once the paint film is removed wash with soap and water)
Hope this helps,
Gracindo Jason Pereira
And another tip...
I put gladwrap (plastic wrap) over a plastic plate to save my paints and that works well as the lip on the plate holds the plastic off the paints a bit. Just make sure it is sealed well. Thanks for such positive information.
Regards, Wendy (New Zealand)
I was looking at your site. And I have a suggestion for keeping paints moist. I use a plastic plate. I mix the color that I want. ( If I can't find it in a tube. ) Then I place the mixed paint on a wet paper towel. then cover that plate with another plate and tape them together. It keeps them moist and ready for when I need them again. When I am done with that color, and I might need it later for touch ups or another painting.
When I put my acrylic paints on a paper towel I also moisten the towel with water to keep them moist. And the plates that I use are the ones that are meant to be thrown away. This method keeps my paints moist for days until I can get back to them. I also mix some of the paint on the wet paper towels if I just need a little color of something that I don't have. The water helps keep the paint smooth.
Tracey
Hi Harlan,
Enjoyed reading your tips on acrylics, I have a suggestion for you to consider.
'Stay-wet' palettes, which work by osmosis, are ridiculously expensive to buy and maintain if you use the suppliers. I paid about 13 pounds sterling (around 20 dollars) to buy & try one out and was pleased with the result but not pleased with the thought of replacement components. So I consulted the internet and found that cheap ones are easy to make.
You need a tray of some sort - a simple sort of self-service or home plastic tray is best. I bought 2 moulded plastic home trays for 2 dollars each at a discount shop. Size doesn't matter. You then need to cut an absorbent paper shape to fit the bottom of the tray - newspaper or kitchen towel will do. This should be sprinkled with water to dampen it. Then cut (best done earlier) a piece of white greeaseproof paper (not baking paper), this has osmotic potential. This is placed on the damp bottom (water resevoir) layer.
That's it - just use the 'greaseproof' top layer as your palette - as paint looses moisture it draws replacement water through the top layer by osmosis - never more than it needs! Ensure bottom layer is kept moist - I cut a corner out to add water to it.
If you are leaving the palette for a while then ensure bottom is moist and stretch clingfilm or similar across the tray to air seal it.
I have left a palette for weeks this way and it was perfect upon return! I have been told that months are possible if the bottom layer (the water reservoir) is maintained to be moist. A roll of greaseproof paper here in the UK is about 2 dollars (2 feet x 60 feet) and will last you ages. Make a template of the tray bottom and get the kids to cut out a batch of both.
Pigments are expensive, do not waste them!
By the way, you might want to add that anyone wanting more info could google 'stay-wet palette osmosis' and would certainly find other descriptions.
Kind regards Charlie
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