Discovering Acrylics with Donna Gibb

Here is a short introduction which covers everything you will learn in "Discovering Acrylics"

In this video you will learn about the Art Materials required to take part in the Discovering Acrylics Art Course.

Donna will help you make the right choices in what to have in your art kit to give yourself the best start for your artistic journey. You will also learn about other essentials that make life easier for the artist!

Here you will learn about Colour Mixing including

1. Warm and cool colours.

2. Which colours are the Primary Colours.

3. Which colours are secondary colours and how to mix them.

4. Why it is important to have warm and cool tones of your primary colours.

5. Why us artists like a few extra colours in our paint box.

6. The importance of quality pigments in colours.

   Please refer to this guide for any of your colour mixing needs.

In this Lesson you will discover some different kinds of Brushes and what we use them for.

You will learn about each brush and how it can be used for different painting effects and techniques.

You will gain knowledge on which brush to use for what.

It's very important to care for your brushes.

You can use a laundry soap to clean you brushes with as long as you rinse them thoroughly, and don't leave them face down soaking in water or cleaning solution for too long as it can bend the bristles.

I recommend you soak your brushes in a horizontal tray if you are reviving hard brushes. The best brush cleaning solution I have ever used is called "Incredible Brush Cleaner" made by Chroma inc.

Sometimes you have to soak your brush for a couple of hours and come back to it.. Give it a rinse in the sink then re soak it and repeat this process until your brush is good as new!

This is lesson one in Discovering Acrylics  for "Poinciana." Part 1 In this lesson you will learn

1. About warm and cool blue tones.

2. How to blend your paint for a nice transition in blue colours.

3. How to compose your artwork and getting started!

4. How to apply the paint and which brush to use.

Please find the resource material attached to this lesson for "Poinciana" which includes

1. The Art Materials List required to paint this artwork.

2. An Image of the completed Artwork so you can see what the end result of this artwork can look like. Although in my experience, everyone's tree loos a little different which is fabulous!

3. The reference photo of what you will be painting.

4. A Colour Mixing Guide for the Sky Colours.

This is Lesson two for "Poinciana". In this lesson you will learn.

1. How the colours of the sea differ to the colours of the sky.

2. How to mix a sea colour so it is in a different cooler tone of blue.

3. How to define your horizon between the sky and the sea.

   Please find attached a colour mixing guide for the sea colours.

This is lesson three for "Poinciana" The final lesson for Painting one in Discovering Acrylics.

In this lesson you will learn.

1. How to paint the tree and its branches using different brush techniques.

2. How to apply highlights and shadows to the tree branches and other parts of the painting.

3. About warm and cool red colours and tones

4. How to apply paint using an impasto technique.

5. The value of painting "wet on wet" techniques.

   Please find attached a colour mixing guide for the tree and flowers.

This is Lesson Two in Discovering Acrylics " Driftwood" parts 1 and 2

In this lesson you will use the skills you learnt in lesson one, "Poinciana" to paint in the sky and sea.

You will also be using the skills you learnt on how to paint in the branches and trunks oof the poinciana tree.

You will also learn new skills including:

1. How to paint sand. Wet and Dry.

2. How to create shadow on a surface. In this case the beach.

3. How to create movement of the sea coming into the sand.

4. How to create the shell line on a beach.

5. New colour mixing skills. See the colour mixing fact sheet for this lesson attached.

This is Lesson 3 in Discovering Acrylics Part 1, 2 and 3. "Lake Nillahcootie"

Do not be overwhelmed by the reference material.

If you follow each step of the way by watching and pausing the video, and using the  reference material for the colour mixes provided for each section of this painting on the colour mixing fact sheets, you will get there in the end!

I know this because I have had complete beginners create an amazing version of this artwork!

Please do take a break between each section. It doesn't matter if it takes you a few hours, days or weeks to get back to. Just keep following the instructions and you will amaze yourself with the results!

In this lesson you will use your skills you have learnt from the previous two artworks, and also learn:

1. How lake water differs in colours and tones from sea water.

2. How to put distance and perspective into your artwork.

3. How to create realistic looking trees, and the colour combinations to do so.

4. How to take your artwork that one step further with extra elements in the composition.

This is the final parts of Lesson three in Discovering Acrylics "Lake Nillahcootie"

Congratulations on getting to this stage.

In this lesson you will learn:

1. How to create different tones of green for your trees that differ from the grass tones.

2. How brush strokes can determine a different leaf structure.

3. How important it is to make those final highlights.

4. Understanding how dappled light works and figuring out where the light is coming from.