Buy and use good quality brushes. They make
painting
sooo much easier!
Here are a few brushes you may want to purchase
when
first starting out:
For floating usually start with a 10, 14 & 16;
A liner brush 10/0;
A good base coating brush or sponge brush;
A filbert brush 10 or 12.
As you progress you will want to add specialty
brushes
like stipplers, rounds or fans.
Take care to wash brushes carefully after
each use.
They will last longer and hold their shape
longer too.
Saves you money in the long run.
When setting up your painting space, keep
a bar of
ivory soap on top of a paper towel, next to
your water
container. This is for washing out your brushes
as you
finish with them. Saves trips to the sink.
Also keeps
brushes CLEAN and no paint buildup.
~Thanks to Linda of Rayville, Louisiana
Keep a baby food jar filled with Murphys Oil
Soap and
water, put a piece of scrubby on the bottom.
Great for
cleaning brushes!!! Also easy to carry to classes.
If paint has dried on your brush, DON'T soak
the brush
in water. Instead, dip it back in the paint
and work
it gently on a piece of scrap wood or paper.
The
fresh paint will soften the old after a few
minutes
and you can then rinse your brush.
~Thanks to Kelley Delano
Don't throw away old brushes, they are invaluable
as
"
scruffy" brushes. Just experiment with
them to see
what effects are possible. Old flat brushes
are
excellent for the fur on teddies, old round
brushes
can give some interesting dry brush effects.
Keep those old toothbrushes too! They're great
for
creating various paint effects.
There are many ways to keep your brushes neat
(and
visible) in their cup holder. You can place
a couple
of inches of rice in the bottom of the cup
(preferably
uncooked :). You can cut out a piece of corrugated
cardboard about two inches wide and however
long you
need it to be, roll it up and stand on end
in the
bottom of the cup and then plant your brush
handles in
the corrugations of the cardboard, or you can
eliminate the cup altogether and stick your
brush
handles into a block of styrofoam or florist's
clay.
Perfecting your strokework or in essence learning
to
control the brush is the basis for developing
your
techniques. Start by learning the basics of
strokework
like the "S" for curving lines;
the circle for round
objects; the "C" for filling in
round and oval shapes
or forming shadows and highlights. Strokework
is the
foundation for creating beautiful designs,
a great
place to start.
In an effort to
keep paint from shooting out of a new
tube (thereby doing damage to everything in sight) try
this: Unfold the crimp at the bottom of the tube just
once before opening the tube to relieve the pressure.
After squeezing out your paint and putting the lid
back on, re-fold the bottom of the tube.
~Thanks to Kathy Roush
Use brown craft paper to practice your strokes
on.
The paper has a texture of wood so it feels
the same.
Regular paper doesn't have as much texture
so the
feeling would be different. You may want to
paint the
paper white first so that your strokework is
more
visible.
Try practicing on wax paper first to get the
feel of
the brushes and various strokes.
~Thanks to Pat L.Galarneau-Trithart
PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!
It DOES get easier!
Next time you're at the grocery store, pick
up a box
of plastic coffee stirrers for stirring paint.
They're
inexpensive and perfect for the job.
This one's been around the block a few times,
but in
case you haven't come across it: Save the cardholder
picks that come with your flower arrangements.
When
painting from a photo, just insert the photo
in the
cardholder and stand the cardholder in the
jar with
your brushes. This not only keeps your picture
at eye
level but also keeps it from getting messy
with paint.
Select a paint that is suitable for the surface
you
want to paint on. The paint could be watercolor,
oils
or acrylics, the choice is yours. Acrylics
are less
expensive than oils, dry faster and offer a
wide range
of ready made colors. If cost is a factor,
then while
experimenting acrylics may be a good place
to start.
If you have poured some paint you will be
needing
again (in less than 8 hours) cover it with
plastic
wrap and it will keep fine.
When using a mixed color
for a base coat always keep
a little in a small container so that small
accidents
can be corrected. It's almost impossible to
mix
exactly the same colour again.
Try keeping the plastic tops from gravy granules
and
jam jar lids. Wash and dry them and keep them
as
containers for small amounts of paint. Wrap
them in
cling film, label them and even keep them in
the
'fridge. They will last for several days.
When bottles of acrylic paints start getting
old and
have been used frequently, little bits of hardened
paint can get inside the bottles. Don't throw
them
away and buy new ones yet! Instead, cut out
a small
square of pantyhose or nylon, stretch it over
the top
of the bottle and replace the cap. It acts
as a
strainer and you'll get much more mileage out
of the
bottle.
Sometimes when transferring a pattern on to
a very
light coloured surface the grey transfer paper
is too
dark and the white transferred lines don't
show. The
way around this is to transfer the pattern
with the
white transfer paper and then with your finger
wipe
along a dusty surface then gently rub this
dust over
the transfer lines and they will magically
show up! (A
great excuse not to dust!)
For freehand designing on a previously basecoated
item, watercolour pencils are invaluable. If
you need
to alter the design just use a damp a tissue
and wipe
over the pencil and start again.
A great recycling tip: If you work at a job
where you
print a lot of address labels, save the shiny "backs"
they come on and use them for paper palettes.
Remove the old sponge from a sponge brush.
You can
then use the revealed plastic end for mixing
paint.
Ever been in doubt about how a certain color
or stroke
will look on your painting? Place a piece of
clear
acetate over the painting, then apply the stroke
or
color to the acetate. Voila! Like having a
crystal
ball.
Instead of using a plain colour to basecoat
the back
of a piece try using it to practice your faux
finishes
on, e.g. wood graining, marbling or sponging.
Use toothpicks for applying paint to fine
details,
making tiny dots or applying color in hard
to reach
areas of your project.
The end of the handle of a sponge brush can
be used
for large dots, useful for quick berries etc.
To create perfectly straight painted lines
on a flat
wood surface, score lines in the wood using
a stylus
and a see-through ruler. Load a liner brush
with
thinned paint and follow the depressions created
in
the wood by the stylus.
Ever mask off an area or stripe on a project,
only to
have the stripe color bleed under the tape?
Next time,
first paint the stripe or masked off area with
your
background color. Any paint that sneaks under
the tape
will seal the gaps. Then when you apply the
stripe
color, you get clean, even lines. Using a low-tack
masking tape also helps a great deal.
If you have a lot of edges or "corners" of
a project
to paint, simplify and speed up the process
greatly by
loading up a small sponge with your paint and
swiping
it down the edge.
For ease in painting small pieces, wind masking
tape
on the roll backwards so sticky side is out
and attach
your pieces to tape. You can now paint them
and keep
your hands free of paint.
~Thanks to Lori Shives
If you paint round glass tree ornaments by
the tons -
you may want to try using bottle caps as stands
for
them to dry on. Hope this is helpful to other
painters.
Leave your piece to dry for couple of days
before you
varnish, sometimes the paint can come off if
you
varnish before this time.
~Thanks to Edith Mercer
Keep a photographic record of all your completed
work.
To avoid accidentally swiping a sleeve across
a
freshly painted surface (thereby avoiding the
suicidal
tendencies that follow) place your water or
turpentine, palette and supplies to your painting-hand
side. This will eliminate the need to reach
across
your painting and everything you need will
be within
easy reach.
Save all patterns you come across even if
they seem
too difficult, your skills will improve quickly
with
practice and you will be glad to have the extra
patterns.
The internet is a great source for tips, just
search
under tole painting and you'll get all kinds
of
information.
