Nova Colors’ Key Brushstrokes:
- Prime before painting—gesso isn’t white paint; it grips and seals.
- Keep water additions light; use mediums or a wet palette for control.
- Drying varies: 25–60 minutes to touch; thicker layers may need 1–2 hours.
- A four-color palette can cover nearly any beginner project.
Starting with acrylics when you’ve never held a brush can feel like becoming buried under an avalanche of questions about beginner acrylic painting. What to buy, brushes to use, how much water is needed, why color mixing turns out muddy, and why colors shift as they dry. This quick start outlines five clear steps for painting with acrylics, using studio-tested methods by Nova Color artists.
Step 1: Set Up Your Surface for Success
Every painting begins with proper surface prep. Gesso isn’t just another white paint. Gesso is a primer that adds tooth and locks acrylic to canvas, wood, or even fabric. White paint sits on top, gesso bonds beneath.
But, How do I Apply Gesso?
Brush one or two thin coats of gesso in even, crisscross strokes until the surface looks slightly matte, not glossy. Let each coat dry completely before the next. When dry completely, the surface should feel faintly gritty, and that texture will help your paint grab.
You can skip gesso, but only on pre-primed surfaces; never skip on raw canvas or wood. That sealed base keeps layers stable and colors true. This is the first and a critical step in learning how to paint with acrylic paint for beginners.
Step 2: Build a Simple Starter Kit
Start small and purposeful. Too many paint choices can stall you before the first brush stroke. Choose four pigments: Titanium White, Hansa Yellow Light, Quinacridone Red, and Phthalo Blue. This may seem like a very limited set, but it mixes vivid secondaries without waste while teaching and sharpening your mixing instincts.
Add a few synthetic brushes, a rinse jar, and one acrylic medium for thinning or glazing to prevent over thinning with water. Acrylic paint with excellent pigment load covers well, even in thin layers. Once dry, it’s permanent and water-resistant. Seal finished work if you know that it will face moisture, humidity, sun exposure, or handling later.
Step 3: Learn and Practice Three Beginner Techniques
Here are three moves to practice when painting with acrylics for beginners before you chase fine details:
-
Thin wash. Add a little medium for transparent color. Mix roughly one part paint to two parts thinning medium or a few drops of water until it moves more like ink. Test on scrap paper. Your brushstroke should look transparent but still hold color.
- Keep in mind: some acrylic paints are naturally more transparent right out of the jar, so they may not need much (or any) medium to achieve a see-through effect. Others are formulated to be opaque and will show stronger, more solid marks unless thinned intentionally.
-
Color Block. This is the act of painting flat shapes. It’s a fantastic way to learn coverage and edge control. Load your brush straight from the jar or palette. Aim for smooth, opaque coverage that hides the background within your shapes in one or two passes.
- Opaque paints naturally excel here, giving you bold, even coverage for clean edges and solid color areas. Transparent paints, on the other hand, can create subtle overlaps or layered effects if you prefer a softer look.
- Texture Pull. Using a palette knife and a gel medium to thicken and add texture, you add raised accents, texture, and 3D elements. Scoop roughly a teaspoon of gel medium into half a teaspoon of paint. Use the knife or an old gift card to spread it; drag the edge lightly so peaks form and stay standing.
These simple acrylic painting techniques for beginners are a hands-on way to teach yourself how acrylics move, layer, and grip. If you find your paints drying faster than you can experiment with, try using a wet palette or an acrylic retarder instead of adding extra water.
Step 4: Try a One-Session Mini Project
Make a 5x7-inch (roughly) study using any or all of the above techniques. Any of the above are the simplest acrylic painting ideas for beginners that teach layering, color control, and texture in a single sitting.
Step 5: Dry, Protect, and Keep Practicing
Acrylics dry remarkably fast, about 20-60 minutes for thin layers, and up to 2 hours for thicker work. Wait between coats to prevent lifting. Rinse your brushes well before any painting, and remember to close the lids tightly.
While acrylic is water-resistant, they are not waterproof. Finish with a varnish if needed.
To avoid overworking half-dry paint, let your layers rest, then return. Paint small, daily studies to build control and familiarity through repetition. Practicing is your surest way to steady your hand and eye and learn mixing.
Painting shouldn’t be about striving toward perfection but learning to read how the paint behaves. How it slides, grabs, dries. Each layer you build adds a little more control and a little less guesswork.
And when you’re ready to see what well-made acrylics can do, explore Nova Color Paints—artist-grade pigments mixed and trusted by painters who know the value of exceptional paints.
