Acrylic Painting Supplies: The Essentials
Hey, painters! Welcome to our blog where we are passionate about helping artists of all levels elevate their skills. Acrylic painting is our absolute favorite at Heart Studio. In today’s post, we’re sharing our essential acrylic painting supplies list to get you started on your painting journey.
Acrylic Paint:
Of course, in order to start a painting you must have the paints first. While investing in high-quality materials is encouraged, it is definitely not a must. Choose what works for your budget! Liquitex Studio paints are a great affordable option and they offer rich pigmentation.
Colors: Permanent alizarin crimson (red), Cadmium yellow light., Ultramarine blue., Burnt umber. Titanium white, Black (optional). You can always buy secondary colors if you want to expand your paint collection, but learning how to mix all of your colors will transform you into a knowledgeable artist.
Paint Brushes:
Have an assortment of acrylic brushes of all shapes and sizes. Have a few large, medium, small, and detail brushes available to you. This allows you to experiment with different marks on your paintings, which will keep your paintings visually interesting.
Palette Knives (optional):
These are great for color mixing and creating interesting texture on your paintings.
Rags or paper towels:
Be sure to clean your brushes in between using colors so you’re not creating muddy tones in your painting!
Gesso (optional):
Adding a layer of gesso before you paint creates a smoother surface to work on. Most canvases are already gessoed, so you can probably skip this step!
Painting Surfaces:
There are a number of surfaces you can work on: paper, wood, canvas… Canvas is the most popularly used by artists.
Mediums/Additives:
While these are not essential, every painter should learn about them and how they perform. You would mix these in with your paint. It’s also important to note that acrylic paint typically has a semi-gloss finish on its own.
Gloss medium: further enhances the sheen of acrylic paint and makes paint more transparent
Matte medium: adds a matte finish to acrylic paint
Glazing medium: used to make paint more transparent
Gel medium: often used as a paint thickener
Texture gels: imitates certain textures like beads and sand
Modeling paste: a very thick paste that’s sand-able once dry, often used for collage
Flow improver: thins acrylic paint
Retarder: slows down the drying time of paint
Drawing Utensils (Pencils, Eraser, Ruler, Pencil sharpener):
Use these to sketch out your drawing first before painting.
Paint Palette:
You can use a glass palette, a plastic palette, a paper plate, or a paper palette! You just want something to mix your paint on.
Jar for water:
We reuse salsa or pickle jars for this.
We can’t wait to see what you create. Give us a follow on our Instagram for more painting tips!
Happy painting!
Thanks for reading,
The Heart Studio Team
Do you live in the MA/NH area?
Come stop by Heart Studio! We have art classes available for all ages.
At Heart Studio our mission is to grow a community of artists and designers by providing our students a creative space, mentorship and necessary tools to create.
About the owner
Heart Studio is owner Kim Piazza’s passion project. She has worked in the corporate design world for nearly seven years and has switched careers to work with her true love— people. She gets more joy out of seeing someone else succeed through her teachings than creating her own work.
Why Creativity is so Important for Young Minds
Hey there, art lovers! Welcome to our corner of the internet. At Heart Studio, we teach art classes for all ages, especially young children, and we’d love to discuss the importance of creativity with you all. Art has such a major impact on young minds and helps shape us into the people we become. Here are just a few reasons art is such an incredible outlet to have:
Art helps us with self-expression:
Art is a form of language. Through form and color, children can learn how to connect deeply with their imaginations and communicate how they think and feel without ever speaking. Creativity helps foster empathy, as it allows them to connect with others and their emotions. Through self-expression, they will develop a deeper understanding of who they are, empowering them to live more authentically.
Art helps us develop problem-solving skills:
Art isn’t just about creating beauty. We strengthen our critical thinking skills while we work, too! Mistakes are inevitable as we try new mediums and experiment. But through trial and error, we’re able to cope with the unexpected and get better each time. We learn what patience and perseverance really mean through the creative process, which are invaluable skills to have in life.
Art helps builds confidence:
As children create their own masterpieces they discover their own abilities and imagination. They can see that anything is possible as they put their pen to paper, which empowers them to keep trying new things. Proudly displaying their artwork gives them such a sense of accomplishment, too!
Here at Heart Studio, art is a way of life. It teaches us so much about ourselves. We believe that everyone should embark on a journey of self-discovery through the realms of art. We encourage everyone to pick up their artistic medium of choice today and get creative!
Do you live in the MA/NH area? Come stop by Heart Studio! We have art classes available for all ages.
At Heart Studio, our mission is to grow a community of artists and designers by providing our students with a creative space, mentorship, and necessary tools to create.
Heart Studio is owner Kim Piazza’s passion project. She has worked in the corporate design world for nearly seven years and has switched careers to work with her true love—people. She gets more joy out of seeing someone else succeed through her teachings than creating her own work.
Thanks for reading,
Heart Studio
The Best Art Supplies for Kids
Hey! At Heart Studio, we’re passionate about teaching children the importance of creativity and its impact on our minds. Exploring our imaginations can strengthen confidence, curiosity, empathy… and so much more! As a parent, you can assist your child in further discovering their unique artistic abilities. In this blog post, we’ll be discussing art supplies that we feel every kid should have in their toolkit at home for ultimate creative discovery. Let’s dive in!
Washable Markers
Markers are typically non-toxic and easy to grip, which is essential for children while they’re still developing their fine motor skills. They are mess-free and perfect for on the go, too!
Crayons
Crayons are typically non-toxic, easy to grip, and mess free! These can be used for a number of drawing techniques such as coloring, shading, and blending.
Finger/Tempera Paints
These paints are great for exploring texture and color mixing. They’re washable for easy clean up.
Watercolor Paint Palettes
These are great to have on hand as they’re portable and easy to clean up. Children can experiment with a lot of different techniques as they paint, such as blending and layering colors.
Modeling Clay
Clay introduces children to three-dimensional elements. It also strengthens hand-eye coordination and encourages problem-solving skills!
Sketchbooks/Drawing Pads
Encourage your child to unleash their imagination by giving them their very own sketchbook to fill with ideas. Practice makes perfect, and it will only help them grow as artists!
Chalk
Its washable and temporary element allows for spontaneous creativity and exploration, taking the pressure off of the artist.
How you can encourage them as a parent:
Let their imagination Soar
Did you know that doodling can help you connect with the creative side of your brain? Give your kids a sketchbook and some markers and let their imaginations roam free. It does more for their brains than you think!
Help them practice self-expression!
Encourage your children to express their thoughts and feelings through their artwork. Communicate to them that different colors can represent their emotions.
Embrace the mess.
Letting them experiment freely with different mediums is a great way to strengthen their creativity. It opens up so many possibilities for them!
Be proud of their creations.
Display their artwork at home! This will strengthen their artistic confidence in so many ways. Encourage them to keep exploring and creating. Your support means everything to them!
WHAT WE’RE CREATING AT THE STUDIO
Thanks for reading,
The Heart Studio Team
