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[SD-Ness]

I have never thought about painting since the 8th grade. I never took any art (drawing, painting, etc.) in high school. Music filled my art credits. Anyway, since I just graduated and have a lot of spare time on my hands right now, I was thinking about stuff to do. Painting popped in my mind. Now, I have done art stuff by myself - I do draw on my own - but I've never thought about doing something different than drawing the "typical" (you know...anime/manga pastiche shit) stuff I've been drawing.

Does anyone paint for fun here? What would be a good method to begin with? I remember there are oils and watercolors, but I remember watercolors being hard or something. So, I'm leaning towards oils. If that's even right, I don't know. Also, what kind of board, or paper would I need to get? Help me out.

 

[Umpteen]

Oils are a pretty advanced medium, but if you think your artistic vibe will be abstract, they should be just fine. Most people start with acrylics or watercolors and then move on to oils (mostly because oils cost more and some of the colors take years to dry).

You can get watercolor paper at any art store, it will be clearly labelled. Oils and acrylics can both be painted on standard canvas. (You can actually paint acrylics on just about everything - scrap wood, paper, rocks. . .whatever floats your boat.)

 

[fugimax]

I enjoy painting in non-standard ways.

I usually use watercolor or oil based paints...usually just use the watercolor paste for texture, I don't actually mix it.

But then I paint with different objects. I've made quite a few things just using the blade of a pocket knife. You can use anything really though. I usually use objects that are symbolic of my feelings somehow (i.e., painting a heart with a knife).

But if you just want to start painting whatever...pick up some acrylics and a few brushes. Definitely the way to go for someone looking to just paint whenever. It's also the cheapest route.

 

[Pochacco]

Oils are pretty difficult aren't they? And quite expensive too... not only do you have to pay for paints and canvas, you also gotta worry more about brushes and stuff.

It really depends on what you want to paint - and how you want to go about it.
Watercolors are an easy and cheap way to get started - also really relaxing imo. Acrylics are cool too - and aren't nearly as messy as oils

I used to take art in school - would spend entire mornings just painting. It was great. Haven't picked up a brush since

 

[Umpteen]

Ya oils are complicated. You have to have turpuntine ( or some paint thinner, been a few years since I have messed with them), a good set of oils (which can be pricey), real canvas, brushes, etc.

More than that they just take more finesse to handle well. It takes a steady hand and a calm heart to correct mistakes in oils. :lol

 

[Wendo]

I have never thought about painting since the 8th grade. I never took any art (drawing, painting, etc.) in high school. Music filled my art credits. Anyway, since I just graduated and have a lot of spare time on my hands right now, I was thinking about stuff to do. Painting popped in my mind. Now, I have done art stuff by myself - I do draw on my own - but I've never thought about doing something different than drawing the "typical" (you know...anime/manga pastiche shit) stuff I've been drawing.

Does anyone paint for fun here? What would be a good method to begin with? I remember there are oils and watercolors, but I remember watercolors being hard or something. So, I'm leaning towards oils. If that's even right, I don't know. Also, what kind of board, or paper would I need to get? Help me out.

As strange as it sounds, I'd recommend buying a Wacom tablet. When you're starting out painting, the undo button is a freaking godsend. And you can get some really awesome results with an application like Painter.

 

[CrystalGemini]

As strange as it sounds, I'd recommend buying a Wacom tablet. When you're starting out painting, the undo button is a freaking godsend. And you can get some really awesome results with an application like Painter.

I second that. Also helps if you have a good computer.

 

[pjberri]

Painting in a computer really defeats the point of painting.

Anyway, get some acrylics to get you started, oils are just a pain in the ass. If you get a good set of acrylics you'll find you can do quite a lot with them, they are reasonably versatile.

 

[Pochacco]

Wacom?!

Part of the fun of painting is not having an eraser/undo-button. If you make a mistake, you can usually hide it or turn it into something else, especially if you are working with more forgiving mediums like watercolors.

 

[Powdered Toastman]

His shows were/are eerily soothing to watch. And while I find most of his work quite tacky, his technique is interesting.

 

[Dagless M.D.]

Maybe not what you are thinking of, but I think you should consider pastels. Just buy the good ones. The cheap ones are just crappy crayons

 

[belgurdo]

Oils are pretty difficult aren't they? And quite expensive too... not only do you have to pay for paints and canvas, you also gotta worry more about brushes and stuff.

It really depends on what you want to paint - and how you want to go about it.
Watercolors are an easy and cheap way to get started - also really relaxing imo. Acrylics are cool too - and aren't nearly as messy as oils

I used to take art in school - would spend entire mornings just painting. It was great. Haven't picked up a brush since

Me too...I took a watercolor course in my first year of school, dropped about fifty bucks for supplies, loved it, then spent another $50 on paints and brushes after I passed. Painted all of four pictures afterwards and never touched them again. I should really get back into it

 

[Timbuktu]

I love oils. I'm not sure if painting with oils is necessarily harder than acrylics or watercolour etc. Since oil take hours/days to dry, it is more flexible once applied on the canvas than media like acrylics and watercolour. It depends on what you want, oil is the most versatile in my opinion, and what I use most of the time, but I've used acrylics when I needed layers of textures, since they dry quickly and watercolour and ink when I sketch in my travels. I love pastels too, but they're harder to take care of once you finished your piece and you would need a good range. Also, I second fugimax about being creative with what you paint with, like sponges and other disposable stuff, they work well with acrylics.

I think a good way to learn about a medium is to try to copy a known piece that you like. Look at the way the paints are applied and try to mimic. It's what I've done anyways.

And yeah, no offense to Wacom users, but I don't think it comes close to the qualities of actual painting.