How to Start Painting in 3 Essential Steps

The world is not the same anymore.

Traditional arts are trying to keep up with a constantly evolving world.

As the world continues to move into a digital phase, there is some fear that traditional arts could eventually go extinct in the future.

Digital art is just like any other traditional arts.

But, could its rapid growth and wide global acceptance foreshadows the ending of such art as traditional painting?

In the spirit of trying to keep traditional arts alive, the following are some essential steps for painting.

Why Take Up Painting?

The reason an individual takes up painting varies completely person to person, but it can be difficult sometimes to make a decision in the first place.  

This indecision usually comes from the feeling of uncertainty, where one doesn't know if he or she is making the right decision for self or others. It can be totally nerve racking at times when one doesn’t have a clue at all.

The way to go about resolving this uncertainty, if one should take up painting, it would come down to one’s personal purpose. The purpose itself could have multiple sub-purposes that could influence your final decision. 

 

First, start out by evaluating your own purpose as to why you should undertake painting as an activity. You might have to write down these thoughts to help you visualize them to see why you’re going to do it.  

These are some reasons why people might decide to take up painting:

1. It could be the feeling of natural fulfillment in the arts. Where you always had an attraction towards painting and felt so much admiration for it that you wanted to be part of it somehow, to express and share your ideas in this manner to the world. 

2. You might be looking for another activity for personal growth to occupy your free time constructively. There are quite a few people out there who didn’t have a clue at all about the artistic world of painting with entirely unrelated background experiences, but after they tried it, they felt in love with it.  

3. Painting is part of your family-heritage line to some degree, where you have many artists amongst your relatives. If so, this might be part of your personal pride to follow on such footsteps. 

4. Friends or colleagues of yours recommended it to you as an activity, especially if you live near an art community.  

5. A way to relieve yourself to a certain extent from recurring stress or negative thoughts that are plaguing you in a daily basis. You might be looking for additional alternatives to add to whatever you are already doing to manage your stress to help you get those emotions and thoughts out of your head on to a canvas. By doing that, it might assist you in becoming more extroverted, so you don’t find yourself thinking all day.

Whichever your personal reasons are, it’s always important to review your own purpose as to why you are taking up painting. As a matter of fact, any other activity that you might choose to do, it applies to all that as well.

The WHY for selecting painting or any other art are always from your personal goals and purposes in order to find out if it matches your intentions. 

By knowing that simple fact, it can help one greatly to become more motivated in that field. 

More on Why Painting

Self-understanding as to why one is making a decision for starting a new activity based on one’s purpose is one factor, but knowing why that subject is important itself is of much significance as well. 

So, why is painting significant? 

Well, it starts out by looking at its origins. 

The earliest painting discovered on record goes back quite millennia. It’s assumed that painting has been around since humans first emerged.

As time went by, painting became one of the most basic forms of communication for mankind throughout the ages, from primitive to civilized man today.

If one looks at the history of man starting from ancient cave paintings through the Renaissance leading to modern times, one could see how it leaves a record of mankind’s artistic evolution. This includes traces of past cultures that don’t exist anymore.

As a whole, painting has helped provide a glimpse into man’s activities and ideas through time. Some of these paintings reflected their daily actions, concerns, spirituality and much more.  

There is a great deal more to be known about the history of painting, but this gives a brief concept on its origins and importance.

Hey, you can even be part of the history by leaving your artistic mark.

  

#1 Getting to Know Your Subject

The understanding of a subject is power. 

It includes the knowledge that one has to learn in order to apply it in real life to produce your desired results.

This above concept fully applies to the artistic world of painting.

Painting is the art of using artist paint on a picture as decoration.  

Anyone can start painting right away. They just need to learn some basics on the subject, so they can put their creativity to work.   

Reading some books about painting is a good start, especially if these books contain lots of illustrations.

The key points you want to learn are:  

• The different type of painting methods that are available.

• The type of tools and materials that you’ll need to get going.  

• Setting up your space, so you can artistically create. 

As you progress through your own painting journey, you should continue to further your own education in this subject by learning much more about it from its distinct painting styles and how they evolved through time. That’ll help you cultivate your own understanding towards enriching your own painting skills.  

Ultimately, you want to discover your own painting style. 

#2 Preparing Yourself Up for Painting

In order to prepare yourself for painting, you first have to decide on the type of painting medium that you’re going to use for producing your artwork. That’ll help you determine the basic tools and materials that you’ll need.   

The most popular mediums used for artistic painting are oil, acrylic, and watercolors. The supplies for oil and acrylic paints are quite similar, but if you decide to take on watercolors, the materials are very different. They are all great paints to use, but it comes down to your personal preference. 

These are the basic painting supplies that you’ll need to start creating:

Paints – Get a variety of colors if it’s your first time painting, but if you know the primary colors and how to mix them to produce other colors that you want, go ahead and create those colors yourself.  

Brushes – Paintbrushes have their own personalities, so make sure you use an approved brush for the type of paint medium you decide to use.  

Glossy Varnish – It’s used for intensifying colors for your paintings, which gives them a final even look and protects them from getting dusty or dirty. But its application doesn’t apply to watercolors. 

Mineral Spirits – This is a painting solution used for cleaning oil paint from your brushes. If you are using watercolors or acrylic paint, you won’t need it because they are water-based.  

Linseed Oil – It is used to dilute oil paint, just as if one were using water to dilute watercolors and acrylic paint.   

Container – When cleaning your paint brushes, you’ll need a jar for this.  

Palette – This is a tool to help you hold all the different color paints that you are going to use for your painting, including getting them mixed as needed. Palettes come in different materials, sizes, and shapes based on your needs, whether it’s white plastic, disposable paper, wood and more.    

Palette Knife – This instrument makes it easier for you to mix all your various paints or clean the top face of your palette, but it could be used as a painting knife as well.

Canvas – It's a strong unbleached cloth made from certain kind of plants, which you'll use to paint your picture on. The usual types are canvas pads, canvas panels and stretched canvas.

Pencil – It’s used to sketch out what you’re planning to paint on a canvas, but it’s optional. It's based on your comfort level plus what you are trying to do. Some people prefer to use actual paint to sketch out their basic concept or still life arrangements that they intend to paint.

Easel – This is optional, but it can be very useful. There is a short easel that you can place right on top of a table to put your canvas on, or you can use the traditional freestanding easel, which is preferred by most artists.

Cleanup Supplies – Rags, paper towels, soap, and water for cleaning after all your creations.  

Painting Apron – This item is not necessary for everyone, but if you want to avoid making a masterpiece out of your nice clothes, it might come handy to get it. Paint has a tendency to sneak up exactly where you don’t want it sometimes.

As a note, watercolors have some exceptions in comparison to oil and acrylic. Instead of using a canvas for your paintings, you use a special paper pad for your picture. When using watercolor paint, it's going to look very different from using oil and acrylic paint. The paint is a water-soluble cohesive substance that is thinned down with water, which gives it a soft, transparent look.  

If are still not sure as to what type of paint medium you want to use, simply start out with acrylic paint as your best choice due to its flexibility.

#3 Setting Up Your Spot to Create

This final step is all about establishing your painting spot at home, so you can get to the fun part of materializing all your ideas.  

Actually, anywhere is a good spot to paint. 

Deciding where you want to place all these artistic materials is important. Make it easily accessible and comfortable for you.    

If you have a small apartment, you have the choice of storing these items in a closet. Or make it part of your home decoration by leaving the easel out for visitors to see with your latest painting on it along with the rest of the materials on display. If you have ample space, you can put it anywhere you want. 

This is a matter of perspective, but the world is your home. 

That means you can paint also anywhere. You can go to the park, a public fair, a beachfront on a nice day or even get with friends and have a painting spree together. 

Just go anywhere that’s relaxing or inspirational, so you can create.

Create, Create and Create Some More

Creation itself can be quite a divine experience.  

It has to do with the ability to create something out of nothing:   

• One first conceives an idea, so it can be visualized.  

• Then, through much practice, you can learn to materialize it.    

Thus, painting is one of the best common ways to manifest your ideas.

Go ahead and paint the world, as you want it to be.   

And set your thoughts free.

Written by,

Nathaniel Bernard—Art Blogger