Isabella Flores
Painting on paper is a fun and easy way to express your creativity. It can be a great hobby and an outlet for your imagination. Before you begin, it is important to gather the right materials and decide on a simple subject to paint. You can then start by priming your paper with gesso and choosing a limited palette of colours. Next, you can start painting, working from general shapes to specific details. Once you are done, you can clean up easily, especially if you are using acrylic paints. Finally, you can display your artwork or gift it to someone.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Materials | Paper, paints, paintbrush, palette, clipboard, binder clips, garbage bag, paper towels, storage bin |
| Planning | Have an idea of what to paint, e.g., a basic still life or landscape painting with 2-3 items |
| Technique | Start with big shapes, work general to specific, finish with details, use thin layers of paint, blend colours on the palette, use multiple brushes for blending |
| Priming | Use gesso to prime the paper, especially if using acrylic paint, to prevent paint absorption into the paper |
| Cleaning | Clean brushes with water and soap, clean the palette by throwing out the paper |
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What You'll Learn
- Prepare your paper: Smooth surface for blending, or textured for effect
- Choose your paint: Acrylics dry fast, so blend colours on a palette
- Pick a simple subject: Focus on 2-3 items, like a basic landscape
- Plan your colours: Identify values and depth, then plan where each colour goes
- Clean your brushes: Use water and soap, pressing brush against jar's side
Prepare your paper: Smooth surface for blending, or textured for effect
The type of paper you choose will depend on the style of painting you want to create. For instance, a smooth surface is ideal for blending, whereas textured paper will create a unique effect.
Smooth Surface Paper
For a smooth surface, hot-pressed paper is a good option. This type of paper is pressed between hot metal rollers, resulting in a smooth surface that is suitable for highly detailed work. It is perfect for intricate detailing, blending, shading, and layering without smudging or feathering. Synthetic papers, such as Yupo, also have a completely smooth surface and do not require any preparation before painting. Additionally, the Plate surface is silky smooth and ideal for detailed work with technical pens, airbrushes, and markers.
Textured Surface Paper
If you're looking for a textured surface, cold-pressed paper is a better option. This type of paper tends to absorb paint, which can be advantageous if you want to avoid a lengthy drying time. Cold-pressed paper is often used for watercolour and has a natural-looking texture created by woollen felts. You can also create texture on your paper by using techniques like stippling, which involves puncturing the paper surface with a needle, pen, or pencil to create a dotted effect. Another option is paper collage, where you assemble different shapes, forms, and textures of paper to create a unique design. Tearing the paper instead of cutting it will also create interesting textured edges.
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Choose your paint: Acrylics dry fast, so blend colours on a palette
When painting with acrylics on paper, it's important to remember that acrylics are known for their fast-drying time, especially on paper. This is due to the absorbent nature of paper. To combat this, you can use a product called gesso, which forms a thin layer between the paint and the paper, preventing the paint from being immediately absorbed.
If you are blending colours, it is best to do so on a palette rather than directly on the paper. You can create your own stay-wet palette by using a plastic container with a lid, lining it with wet paper towels, and then placing wet copy paper on top. This will keep your paints wet for longer, giving you more time to blend on the canvas. You can also add a small amount of water or a fluid medium, such as slow-dri, to your paints to increase their blending time.
When blending, use soft pressure and a soft, flat-topped synthetic brush to reduce brush marks. Work over an area multiple times, blending in a side-to-side motion for skies and in circles for round objects. Remember not to over-blend, as this can create a muddy effect.
If you are using a limited palette, consider using a brand like Winsor & Newton or Golden, as their colours have very little colour shift when drying. For realistic paintings, a basic palette of Burnt Umber, Ultramarine Blue, and Titanium White will allow you to create 90% of the colours you need.
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Pick a simple subject: Focus on 2-3 items, like a basic landscape
Painting a landscape can be a simple and enriching experience, offering a unique way to connect with nature and develop your artistic skills. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you create a basic landscape painting on paper:
Pick a Simple Subject:
When starting out, it is best to keep your subject matter simple. Focus on 2-3 items and create a basic composition. For instance, you could paint a background of mountains, a middle ground of elevation or hills, and a foreground of a grass field. This will give depth to your painting without overwhelming you with complex details.
Choose the Right Materials:
Select a basic palette of paints, ideally fewer than ten colours, including white. Acrylic paints are a popular choice for landscapes due to their quick drying time, vibrant colours, and ease of use. You will also need a variety of paintbrushes, such as flat brushes for broad strokes and covering large areas, and round brushes with fine tips for detailed work and lines. Fan brushes can also be useful for creating interesting textural effects and blending colours.
Prepare Your Paper:
Before you begin painting, prepare your paper by applying a thin layer of gesso to the surface. Gesso helps prevent the paint from being immediately absorbed into the paper, allowing you more time to blend and work with the paint. Once the gesso is dry, you can tape the edges of your paper to create a neat border.
Sketch the Basic Shapes:
Use a 3B pencil to sketch out the basic shapes in your composition. This type of pencil leaves a clear mark without needing to press too hard, and any mistakes can be easily erased. To ensure straight lines, use a piece of scrap paper as a guide by lining up its edge with the edge of your canvas.
Identify Light and Dark Areas:
Assess the tones in your reference image or scene to identify the lightest and darkest areas. This will help you establish depth and perspective in your painting.
Start with a Basic Underpainting:
Begin painting by creating a basic underpainting wash, focusing on values and giving depth to your painting. This will serve as a foundation for your colours and help you establish the overall mood and lighting of the scene.
Remember, landscape painting is about embracing the beauty of nature and expressing your creativity. Don't get too caught up in the details, and feel free to experiment and make changes as you go!
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Plan your colours: Identify values and depth, then plan where each colour goes
Planning your colours is a crucial step in bringing your painting to life. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you plan and identify values and depth, and decide where each colour goes.
Start by identifying the values you want to convey in your painting. Values refer to the tonal differences in your painting, from light to dark. Decide whether you want a high-key painting with mostly light values or a low-key painting with predominantly dark values. You can also go for a mid-key painting, which has a balance of light and dark values. This initial planning will help you determine the overall mood and atmosphere of your artwork.
Next, consider the depth you want to create in your painting. Depth is achieved by using a variety of values and colours to suggest distance and three-dimensional form. Decide where you want to place your focal points and how you can use colour to guide the viewer's eye through the composition. Use lighter values and colours that stand out to draw attention to important elements, and reserve darker values and more subdued colours for areas you want to recede into the background.
Now, create a colour scheme. Choose a limited palette of colours that complement each other and support the mood and atmosphere you want to create. Consider the temperature of your colours (warm vs. cool) and how they will work together to tell a story or evoke a particular emotion. Remember that colours have symbolic meanings and psychological effects, so choose and place your colours intentionally.
Finally, create a small colour sketch or reference sheet to plan the placement of each colour. This step ensures that your colours are well-balanced and harmonised throughout the painting. It also helps you visualise how the colours will interact with each other and allows you to make adjustments before committing to the final piece.
By following these steps, you will effectively plan your colours, identify values and depth, and decide the placement of each colour, setting yourself up for a successful painting!
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Clean your brushes: Use water and soap, pressing brush against jar's side
To clean your paintbrushes, you'll need some warm water and soap. You can use liquid dish soap, or a mild soap like linseed oil. You can also use a commercial brush cleaner if you have particularly stubborn paint residue.
First, rinse the brush in a bowl or under running lukewarm water. Then, add a few drops of soap to the water or directly onto the bristles. If you're rinsing your brush under a tap, hold it with the bristles facing downwards, to prevent water from entering the ferrule—the part that connects the brush head to the handle.
Next, use your fingers to rub or "massage" the bristles, working the soap into the brush to remove any remaining residue. Be sure to rinse out all the soap before handling the brush with bare fingers.
Finally, rinse the brush in warm, soap-free water to remove any remaining soap from the brush. When cleaning your brush in water, always push the brush against the side of the jar, and never the bottom. The bottom of the jar is filled with settled pigment particles from previous cleaning sessions.
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Frequently asked questions
You will need paper, paint, and a paintbrush. You can also use texture tools like plastic forks, plastic cups, or old sponges to create different effects. If you are using acrylic paint, you may also want to use gesso, which helps prevent the paint from absorbing into the paper immediately.
First, decide what you want to paint. It is best to start with a simple composition with 2-3 items. Then, sketch out your composition with light washes of paint to block in the major colors and shapes.
Acrylic paint dries very quickly on paper, so it is best to blend colors on a palette before applying them to your paper. You can also try blending colors directly on the paper, but you will need to work quickly.
