Painting # 16: Basic paint application: Moonrise

 Composition Source:

Exercise  1: Basic paint application:  Moonrise

"Learn to Paint in Acrylics with 50 Small Paintings" by Mark Daniel Nelson; 

5 step-by-step directions with photos to guide you.

Finished artwork:
Size:  ~ 6" x 6" 

 Finished artwork:

Paints:

• acrylics.... I'm now using just a step up from the least expensive student grade:
• Royal Talens Amsterdam, Standard Series, Titanium White (opaque).
• Liquitex basics level, Mars Black (opaque)
• the dark grey-violet sky & water was from a mix of leftover paint from the peonies piece just finished;  the mix consisting of scraps of various magenta, violets, rose, white, darkened with Thio Violet and a touch of black 

Brushes:

• 1 inch foam brush for underpainting background, although the instructions didn't call for it, I thought it would be easier than the #8 round

• #8 round.  
• I used a "level 2" synthetic nylon and it worked well.  I didn't have to use tweezers to constantly pick out brush hairs as you have to do with the student level 1 brushes.  
• I just found out that the "artist" and "professional" grade brushes are made to use with "heavy-body" acrylics (the best grade).
• 

Surface or Support:  

• In the making of the book, all 50 original exercises were on 5 x 5 inch panels of 3/4" thick medium density fiberboard.

• Since I am learning I chose to use 6" x6" canvas paper series 3 "better" grade, recommended for oil or acrylics

• 115# weight.  I do not think this was heavy enough for the wetness of the acrylic paint.  

• Also, I should have taped it down before I painted the initial overall under painting or background layer; as it buckled or warped a bit and did not fully recover after taping down when this layer dried.

Composition Source:

Exercise 1. Basic Paint Application

"Learn to Paint in Acrylics with 50 Small Paintings" by Mark Daniel Nelson


• 5 step-by-step directions with photos to guide you (as do all 50 exercises in this book)

• the book uses only 5 different brushes and between a minimum of 8 to a maximum of 15 different paint colours (depending on whether you want to try to mix or buy the extra).  Most starter paint kits from Liquitex Basics or Amsterdam have 24 to 48 colours.