I love to paint, and I am a beginner kinda, but lately its been frustrating because I can't seem to make detailed stuff. I really think it's because of the brushes I have.
Can someone tell me what kind of brush I should be using for making detailed stuff. Also blending colors into a small spot is extremely hard to me, any tips?
Like stuff like Frida Kahlo, I don't even understand how she does that stuff...I know she uses oil paint, but is that a big facotor?Acrylic Painting - Which brush should I use?
All of the replies so far have been interesting in their own way but none have actually answered your sincere question completely.
For really fine, detailed work in acrylics I suggest you buy and use these brush sizes: 3/0, 2/0, 1/0 and even 0/0. You can paint the finest eyelash on a portrait with an 0/0 or an 1/0 size brush.
And buy natural hair brushes for your fine, detailed work. The reason being that natural hair brushes retain more of the paint and hold their point better. Think about how much water your hair retains as you step out of a shower and how much effort you have to put into drying your hair. Natural hair simply retains better. To save money I use synthetic brushes on the larger areas where I don't have to worry about details.
You actually don't have to dilute down acrylics when using fine point brushes. The better quality lines of acrylic paint makers, like Golden (which is the best), Liquitex and M. Graham all sell both solid, full body paint and liquid paint. The liquid paint they sell is just as durable, just as permanent, as any solid paint and yet just as fluid as watercolor.
As to blending, there are several ways to go. I prefer pre-blending most of my colors on my pallet and then applying the desired shades to the canvas. If you want to blend into what you're doing directly on the canvas this is easy enough to do with a little practice and learning a few little artist tricks: like keeping a second brush nearly, sitting in a cup of water, to use to keep your work area slightly wet. Keeping it slightly wet (damp) prolongs the drying time and allows you more time to work in your desired blends. It will take practice to get this technic down so I suggest you practice on a disposable area a little first.
You can also blend, and slow down the drying process, with liquid glazes. Both Golden and Liquitex sell high quality liquid acrylic glazes. But again, it will take a little practice to learn to use the glazes for the right effect.Acrylic Painting - Which brush should I use?
I paint very detailed and worked in acrylics for years (...started out by studying with with quite a few acrylic painters.) You can achieve great results in oils or acrylics - a lot of tightly detailed artists use acrylics.
In general, synthetic brushes will give a softer look and sable brushes will be harsher. Everyone has their favorites... It's best to have a mix of both. Get high quality brushes - it really does make a difference in your work. I like using rounds, but I have a selection of other types as well...just my preference... All you really need for painting in detail is a fine point, the body of the brush holds the paint and keeps it moist. (Very tiny brushes tend to dry out faster.)
For blending, use thin layers (glazes) and build up, letting each one completely dry before the next one. I never liked the results of using mediums - just diluting with plain water.
Hope this helps - happy painting.
Best,
Rebecca
http://www.lathamstudios.com
For highly detailed work, use a small brush.
For blending colours, I assume you mean mixing colours? Use a flat palette and maybe try mixing the paint with a palette knife.
The major difference between acrylic and oils are - oils retain their very bright, vibrant colours and the consitancy is similar to butter. When acrylics dry the colours go a bit duller and loose some of its brilliance. They are also slightly runnier than oils.
I like synthetic brushes. And I don't like to mix color in a small pot, but rather on a flat glass or plastic surface. Try that, and then if you're happy with the color, you could use a painting knife to stuff it in a small pot. I don't know the artist you mention, but I know good brushes, and a variety of them (round, flat, fan, etc) can make a world or difference. Good luck!
Oil paint is actually a big step up from acrylics.
I have used acrylics and oil paint
and I notice a HUGE difference
oil is just a much higher quality.
I think you should find brushes that are square tipped, and fine tipped, all kinds of tips!
Then that way you can experiment with all the different brushes!
no..acrylic works as fine as oil..it depends on how you dilute it..yes, brushes definitely play a factor...and also the style of holding brushes and the pressure that you apply on them..try to get smaller brushes with thin end..they work great for details..and the blending, u have to use smaller brush and work in circles to blend the colour in..use a small amount of water when working on blending..hope this helps..happy painting!
I'm a fan of synthetic brushes. The more kinds of brushes you have the better, I generally use flat tipped ones more often than not.
And if you are going for detail, use smaller brushes. Pick up a fan brush if that's the affect you want. Just shop around.
maskscannon ink
