[Locust]

I don't paint- I suck at it. I have for fun as a kid, but I was never any good. I can't draw, either. But I feel like trying to paint something, anyway. I need a small bit of advice from you folks.

1. What kind of canvas is a good lasting canvas that the painting can be preserved on for the long haul?

2. What is an easy paint for beginners to work with?

3. IF I work with charcoal instead of paint, how do I preserve it so it doesn't smudge?

4. How can I remove paint from the canvas if I made a mistake? Is there a special kind of paint remover I can use on the canvas? Can it be used on any canvas?

Thank you.

[zyklonP]

I usually go for a canvas from Michael's or some other craft store with a wooden frame in the back so I can hang it on a wall if I please. It doesn't even have to be expensive. In fact, Wal-Mart has nice canvases.

An easy, workable paint for beginners that looks nice and stays nice is acrylics. I prefer Liquitex Heavy Body. (The Liquitex Basics, although more friendly on your wallet, I do not really care for. They have an odd texture in my opinion.) You can find it at JoAnn Fabrics or Michael's and most craft stores.

When I paint, I have a shop rag with me, and if I make a mistake, I wipe the paint off. To me, it is effective, because I'm the type to just re do the section if I need to. However, other ways, such as paint thinner, I have never tried.

And if you work with charcoal rather than paints, you can preserve it on your chosen surface with matte finish spray. It's in with the artist sprays at the craft stores. I have a can of Krylon Matte Finish that's saved me many a time.

Any other questions, feel free to ask me. :] Good luck.

[Shangrala]

Agreed. Acrylics is the choice of paint for simplicity.
Michaels carries a wide variety of all brands in many colors. I favor Ameiciana brand. It's a bit more costly but well worth the texture it delivers and ease of application.

Since you are just beginning, I would suggest that you purchase some less expensive canvas along with your final choice. This will allow you to experiment with texture and technique at a lower cost to you (as you may not want to keep them, depending on what your trial creations are...You never know though, they may turn out beautifully...An artist is always their own worst critics).

zycloP is correct about keeping a rag handy for quick corrections. Due to the simplicity of Acrylics, though, you do not need paint thinner. (Paint thinner is primarilay for oils). Acrylics are water based only, so you'll need a jar of water nearby.

A wide variety of brushes provides you equal variety of results. Again, spend some time with some creative exploring.

You will need a palette for laying out and mixing your paints.
I've never actually purchased one myself (been painting for years). I've always tried to think of economical means .... using plastic lids from used food tubs, like from a coolwhip tub, margarine tub, anything like that. They have actually proven better as they have a lip surrounding it, which holds anything which may try to run off, and serves as a great edge for scraping any excess paint off of the brush. Not to mention that once the paint dries, it merely peels off of it...great for clean up. Tub lids allow you to have many on hand with no extra expense.

As I said, you'll need a jar of water handy to keep brushes from building up too much paint. Swirl brushes in water, tap of excess, and (depending on the effects your creating) you can either use that excess amount of water left on brush to apply to your work in progress, or wipe the excess water from brush onto that handy rag.
Personally, I have many rags handy..a clean one I keep beneath the jar of water (which I use for quick "clean" wipe-offs after a rinse in the water), and 2-3 others I use to completely wipe brush clean.
So long as the brush doesn't build up too much paint at the base (where bristles are held on with the metal clip).

What I've discovered to be the ultimate wonder of easement for working with Acrylics is what is called "Floating Medium". It is essential for the allowance of extending the paints drying time AS you work with it. I LOVE THE STUFF. I'm lost without it. The best offered (in my opinion) is offered by FolkArt. Ask any of the clerks in Michaels to assist you in finding your materials.
And yes, for final preservation, once completed and finally dried, you can also use the matte spray on your paintings, as well as on charcoal, as zykloP had mentioned. That stuff is great!

There are also "how-to" books out there, but I've personally never found them useful enough for their price (most are quite pricey).
In my opinion, trial & error is the best teacher....Not to mention, fun, fun, fun. I Love Painting.....on anything!

Everyone has their own technique. And depending on the medium used, each tecnique is equally unique.
I paint on many different mediums, with canvas falling as one of the last on my list. (I paint many murals. I use tecnique in a large array, which requires much longer time for completion. I'm always seeking anything which aids in making the paint easier to work with longer..lol).

I hope some of this has helped. Any questions, feel free to pm me.

Happy painting.

Shangrala

[Rawnie]

There is no such thing as being a rubbish artist! If you have good enough eyes and thoughts, then that is all that really matters. Constructing a decent visual language is the hard part, but if you are not a working artist, then you shouldn't worry yourself with things like this!

As an art student for a long time, one of the things I find with people who think they are crap at art is that, although there are some people who just can't see their world in a visually subjective way, the reason most people think they are bad is purely because they have a notion in their head of what something should look like before they have even started! The best works I have done have been near automatic (i.e. free from conscious thought) where I haven't cared about what the eventual product will be but have been more engrossed in the actual progress and methods, taking each stage at a time.

Bear this in mind as an example; If you wish to do a painting of a dog, you often have an idea in your head of what a dog looks likes, or are working from life. You get into the frame of mind that if what you create doesn't look like the dog you are seeing or thinking, then you are obviously not very good at drawing and have no hope of being an artist. But the whole point of art is not to create the same dog out of paint (admittedly sometimes it used to be) but rather communicate the notion of "dogness" through your work; the dog's personality, it's movements, the feeling it evokes in you and so on.

My advice is don't finish before you've even started. I fall into this hole alot and believe me it is never ever productive or helpful.

On the materials front, everyone is right in saying that acrylics are the best paints to start out with. They are cleaner, less harmful, and if you want to change something in the painting they dry very quickly and you can paint over parts. They can also be diluted with water to create washes (the best way to start the painting is with diluted washes/layers first and then build up the paint). Try not to leave any white parts because it doesn't help in the long-term and is bad practice!

Acrylics are relatively cheap, and sometimes you don't even need to buy canvases to paint onto, some cardboards or suitable papers from art shops might be cheaper than mounted canvases. That said you can pretty decent standard canvases now at small prices if you know where to look.

If you want any help then I would be happy to give you some advice!

Good luck!