want to paint on canvas board to create an abstract image. Havent done b4 dont know how to start.?

Will use acrylics. Do I use a background colour over the whole thing to get rid of the white. Is this a special paint? For the design, do I use straight from tube? Do I have to mix with a medium? Then how do I finish it? Do I have to seal to protect from dust or UVs. It will hang on my bedroom wall. Doing this because I cant find a suitable print to buy so thought I would make my own. Will prob do an African feel abstract, earthy colours.

You don’t need to put a background colour on the board if it is already prepared with gesso white. If it isn’t gessoed (it is brown or something) then just paint white acrylic paint over it. The reason for a white base is that any colour painted on top is ‘pure’. With a brown base (for instance) putting yellow on would come out duller and browner.

You can choose to paint a background colour just to get started and get rid of that scarey white – but I advise you to make it a light or bright colour so other colours aren’t muddied when put on top. So no black or brown (unless you want a really sombre painting).

You can use acrylic paint straight from the tube on its own, or mix it with some water to get thinner more transparent colours, or with medium (such as flow medium to make it ‘flow’ nicely, or impasto medium to make it really really thick for a more textured painting). Medium costs, so if you want to save money, don’t bother with them in your first painting.

When mixing colours from tubes, I advise you do it on a scrap piece of paper or a magazine page to see what you get before mixing big blobs – some combinations don’t mix like you’d expect and just go a muddy gray/brown.

Acrylic dries really fast, which is great, because you can do one layer and then let it dry and then add something on top. If you want a more abstract work, then keeping paints moist as you paint others on top causes nice, random colour combinations. Not too many or it will turn to mud.

One trick to keep paint from drying out is to get a shallow tray, put some kitchen paper towel in the bottom, wet it enough so that it is really damp, then put some baking paper (used for stopping cakes sticking to trays) on top and put dobs of paint on it. The moisture below keeps the paint from drying out but the baking paper protects the paint turning watery. Put cling wrap over the top if you need to take a break otherwise the paint blobs get a plastic skin over the top and you are just wasting paint. NEVER LEAVE THE LID OFF YOUR TUBES – it’ll dry into a plug in the nozzle.

Another trick is to get a FINE spray bottle and spray your painting with water vapour to keep it moist as you paint the next layer into it. Needs practice but you can get really subtle abstract swirling and the like (paint with the board on the ground or table flat otherwise you might get some running drips – unless you want that of course ) A fine perfume vaporiser works (but make sure there is no perfume residue!).

It’s advisable to paint from light colours to dark to avoid dulling it to much as you go. Also use plastic wrap, bubble wrap, etc, to apply paint like a paint brush to get lots of texture (if that’s what you want). Randomness is better than over planning an abstract.

No you don’t need to seal to protect. Acrylic is practically self-protecting being plastic-like when it dries. However you can add a spray or paint-on finish that is for acrylic work to make the painting more shiny (gloss or semi-gloss). Adds a little zing to the finished product and doesn’t look as cheap and nasty as matt finishes in acrylic can.

Finally, when you hang it on the wall, make sure direct sunlight isn’t on it or part of it. Cheaper acrylics do fade in UV eventually, so if it is good enough to keep for years and years, no direct sunlight.

Remember, with acrylic if you hate the result just start a new painting over the top of it. Waste not want not.

Have fun and I hope you like it so much you keep painting!

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