Acrylic Painting - Beginning

Woman painting

Student Testimonials

"Peter is a detailed teacher and covers the foundations very well."

"Enjoyed learning from a very knowledgeable instructor."

"The pace kept us moving and he really gave a lot of technique plus color knowledge."

"What a great class!"

"I enjoyed learning how to mix colors and the different painting techniques."

"Great content. Our teacher was super nice and gave us great tips on improving. The best combination of learning a ton without any excessive stress."

Class Overview

Acrylic painting can provide a lifetime of enjoyment. Learn how to express yourself using the vibrant colors of this delightful paint. 

Discover how to use the basic techniques of acrylic painting: blending, texturizing, brush handling, detailing, stippling, glazing, wet in wet, and alla prima. Learn about color mixing, complementary colors, warm and cool, hue, value, intensity, and proportions. 

 

You will be surprised how quickly your skills will improve by observing the instructor and painting along, during step-by-step class presentations. This class format will make it easy to get started and build upon what you learn, gaining new techniques and putting them directly into practice, soon becoming second nature. Enjoy the satisfying ability to represent the world around you in liquid colors, as you create unique works of art.

*** The class meets online via Zoom. If you are unfamiliar with Zoom, please click FAQ about Online Classes for the instructions. 

 

Supplies Needed

Palette

  • 1 disposable palette pad 9x12” or 12x16” (or paper plates for the first day)

Brushes

  • Long-handled brushes (white nylon or brown taklon bristles) are preferable – you can use short-handled brushes if you already have them
  • Rounds: #1 or #2 - (1/16" or 1/32" wide) 
  • Filbert brushes: 2-3 at least
  • A small and a large: 1/8", 1/4", 3/8", 1/2"
  • Flat - 1" wide
  • Angle brush (optional): small - 1/4" wide, or less  

Canvases

  • 2-4 canvases in size like 11x14”, 12x16”, 14x18”, or 16x20” – depending on preference and availability (students often like to start with smaller canvases and then go up in canvas size as the class goes on)
  • One 9x12” watercolor pad, 120 lb for practices and exercises (or 3-5 sheets of watercolor paper

Paints & Colors

  • Examples of brands, student-grade: Liquitex Basics, Galeria, Grumbacher Academy, Utrecht, Pebeo
  • Titanium white, any light yellow (examples: Cadmium Yellow Light Hue, Acra or Hansa Yellow Light, Light Yellow, or Lemon Yellow), any medium yellow (Cadmium Yellow Medium Hue, Acra or Hansa Yellow Medium, or Medium Yellow), any medium red: (cadmium red medium hue, Acra or Hansa red medium, or medium Rred), magenta, ultramarine blue, phthalo blue, mars black
  • Optional Colors (but very useful): any medium orange: (cadmium orange medium hue, Acra or Hansa orange medium, or medium orange), dioxazine purple, phthalo green, burnt sienna, burnt umber 

Other items:

  • Water jars: (glass or plastic, such as peanut butter, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc or large plastic cups or containers
  • Paper towels
  • 2b or HB pencil
  • White vinyl eraser (or pink pearl)
  • Sharpener (preferably with shavings catcher)
  • Optional: palette knives (plastic or metal) 

 

Learning Objectives

  • Color mixing: proportions, hue, value, intensity, complementary colors, and warm/cool
  • Using color schemes to add extra interest to your paintings: monochromatic, analogous, complementary, split complementary, and triadic
  • Techniques such as blending, texturizing, and detailing; might include stippling, glazing, washes, alla prima, dry brushing, impasto, swirling and dabbing, etc.
  • Various painting styles such as realistic, impressionistic, abstract, etc.
  • Ability to paint a variety of subject matter such as animals, plants, landscapes, still life, etc.
  • Represent 3-dimensional form in painting, in both black and white and in color, by using value, contrast, light, and shadow 
  • Atmospheric perspective makes entire scenes and landscapes appear more 3 dimensional, with the illusion of depth and space
  • Apply proportion and perspective to your paintings

 

Who Might Enjoy This Class 

  • Anyone who is interested in enriching their lives with the joy of painting
  • People who would like to gain or improve their painting skills and apply those skills to paint a variety of subject matter
  • Anyone who would like to learn to express themselves through the medium of painting
  • Budding artists who would like to gain the foundational skills of painting to apply to any visual art medium 
  • No experience is needed; everyone is welcome

LEARN MORE & REGISTER

Class Details

YRQ_Term

Winter 2025

  • When : Thursday, Jan 16 to Mar 06 ; 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
  • Location : SCONL , Zoom WA
  • Fee : $239

Instructor