Acrylic Painting

 

After painting for many years with oils I decided to take an acrylic painting class.  I quickly recognized that I could adapt some of my oil painting techniques but not others.  I came away with several paintings that I loved but it was a struggle to make the change.  After playing with acrylics for quite some time, I decided I really wanted to teach some classes.  My first choice would have been oils but no one wanted to allow me to teach in this medium.   So I started teaching acrylic classes in a local craft store.  It was a great learning experience for me.

 

 I started teaching at Inside Out: Accessible Art in 2015.  Inside Out is an artist co-op to which I belong that houses a gallery, four studios and a classroom.  It has been a wonderful place to teach and show my art.

 

A beginner acrylic painting can be done in a single 2 hour class.   Cost:  $30 per person.  All supplies included.

 

Advantages of Acrylics:

    Can be cleaned with water

    No odor

    Dries very quickly

    Mistakes can easily be painted over   

 

Disadvantages of Acrylics:

     Dries very quickly making it hard to blend colors

     Care must be taken to keep paint from hardening in brushes when not in use

     Paint dries quickly on on the pallet

    

I am finding that I use acrylics more for paintings that need to paint in multiple layers or when I want bold colors.  Acrylics are definitely easier to clean up and are less "messy".

 

Neither oils or acrylics come out of clothes easily after they have set so come prepared with a paint shirt or apron.  

 

See below for some of my favorite class samples: