Beginner\’s Acrylic Painting - Paper Painting Surfaces - What You Need to Know
Have you ever gone in to buy some paper for painting and been overwhelmed by the choice? You would think it would be a simple thing to buy a sheet of paper, wouldn\'t you? Well, it can be if you know what the different choices mean and how it can affect your finished painting.
Manufacturers have created a whole range of paper products for the artist. So many choices that unless you know what some of the terms mean it can be very confusing.
When you want your painting to last for a long time always go for acid-free. This is the type of paper used in archives.
The next thing is the surface texture of the paper, whether you want a fine texture or rough. You may be asking How do I know? I just want something to paint on!
The texture you choose will depend on your style of painting. If you like to have a lot of detail in your paintings you will need a smooth textured paper - in which case you want one that is Hot Pressed.
If you use a lot of watercolour (or watercolour style) washes then the paper you should choose will be Not. That means \'Not hot pressed\'. It has a bit more texture than Hot pressed papers.
If you paint a lot of landscapes and/or like granulation (which happens when the colours separate while they dry) you will probably like using Cold pressed papers. These have the roughest texture.
Papers are sold in weights. This affects the thickness of the paper. Papers that are less than 300-lb or 640gsm (grams per square metre) will need to be stretched before painting. If you dont stretch the paper it will buckle when wet making painting difficult and the paint will dry in the hollows giving a disappointing result.
Stretching paper needs to be done in advance and the paper allowed to dry before you use it. You will need a clean drawing board, some 1 inch wide gum strip, and water to soak the paper in (the bath is handy for this).
Soak the paper in the water until it is saturated, this will take less than a minute. Place the paper onto the board and smooth it out from the centre to the edges.
Cut pieces of gum strip to fit the length and the width of the paper, plus a couple of inches. Dampen the gum strip and use it to stick the longer edges of the paper to the board, and then do the shorter edges. Smooth out the paper and the gum strip and leave it to dry naturally and on the horizontal. Do not place it near a heater!
If you just want to paint without needing to prepare the paper, there are pads of ready stretched paper that save you having to do this yourself. These pads have the paper glued around the edges and you paint on the top of the pad. Once you\'ve finished the painting and it is completely dry, a knife is inserted at one of the edges and moved around the sides to cut through the glue and free the top layer.
It is a good investment to buy good quality paper. It is much easier to use, and gives a better result.
Next time you need to buy paper think about how you like to paint, and it will be much easier to decide on the type of paper to buy.
Catherine Calder is the author of the Acrylic Painting Course. \r The simple step-by-step way to learn how to paint. Quick and easy. \r Check out Painting Surfaces The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly\r in The Special Reports section at \r http://www.learnanddo.com/acrylic.asp
Beginners Acrylic Painting - What Palette and Brushes to Buy?
Starting a new hobby can be a bit daunting, don't you think? Theres everything to buy and no previous knowledge about what t...
Painting Books - Drive into the World of Creativity
We all like being creative. Our busy schedule hardly gives us any time to spent time with our selfs. Constant focus on work m...
Easy Water Color Painting With Nine Tools
Water color painting is challenging and tends to frustrate many beginners. This article will highlight some of the essential ...
Sealing and Varnishing Watercolor Paintings Done on Canvas
Sealing and Varnishing Your WorkYou have two choices when you paint in watercolors on an alternate support such as clayboard ...
A Coat of Arms - An Easy Way to Design and Make It
Designing and making your own Coat of Arms is an interesting and enjoyable project. The Coat of Arms could be for your famil...
A Brief History Of Reverse Painting On Glass
Reverse painting on glass has been a form of artexpression since extremely ancient times. It is difficult to precisely date a...
How I Learned Simple And Popular Face Painting Techniques
As the mom of a three and a five year old, I've beenr to many school events, community festivals and charityr functions where...
5 Interesting and Simple DIY Craft Activities at Home with Your Toddler
Recently my friends keep asking me on how to find simple activities for children at home, and not every weekend just do windo...
Unleash Your Creativity and Think Your Way Out of the Box
The brain is a strange organ. It works in ways we dont yet understand and manages to create everything we see. Working at odd...
Technique of Watercolor Painting WC02 WATER
Water in watercolor painting technique is of equal importance to the pigment. Water is not just medium to make the pigment fl...
Technique of Watercolor Painting: WC09 FRAMING
Framing watercolor pictures is now a huge widespread industry.As education has been made available to children of all ages dr...
Top 10 Quick and Easy Kid Activities For Those Long Weekends
With the holidays quickly approaching, it's likely that you'll have some unscheduled 'down-time' with your child where you do...
Oil Painting Tips - Feeling Uninspired? Here Are Some Ways to Fight Painters Block
The next time you find yourself staring at a blank canvas, don't get discouraged. Sometimes our minds need a little break fro...
Unleash Your Creativity And YOU Can Change The World
As individuals, however creative we may be and however much we want to change the world around us for the better, its easy to...
Art Collecting Tips
Just because you have money doesnt mean you have to spend it. In art collecting it can actually be a disadvantage to be flus...
Four Types Of Model Aircrafts You Can Build
Do you enjoy the beautiful model aircrafts that are sold in the toy shops and on so many sites online? Of course you can just...
New Perspectives: Increasing Your Creativity and Imagination Using the Art of Reframing
As creative people, we can, ironically, at times be very un-creative in our ways of thinking. We may have certain ideas, habi...
Making Glow in the Dark Paint "Give your Art some Pop"
If you have never seen it you are missing something. If you have never used it thats a shame. If you love art this will blow ...
5 Ways to Unblock Your Creativity
Creativity requires us to journey into the unknown but its not a place we find particularly comfortable. Our thinking brain r...
Woodworking - Spray Finishing Booths - Why Use Them?
Spray finishing booths give the finishing touch to any completed woodworking product. Spray booths are used to paint or give ...