A lot of people think that there is a shortcut to becoming a great artist like Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli, but let us tell you right at the very beginning that there is none. Painting requires patience, dedication, commitment, and hard work. It is a lifelong process if you want to improve day by day and if you want to be distinguished like every famous artist out there. The secret success formula differs from one artist to another but there is a common underlying theme: practicing every day and learning from your mistakes. Many people think that painting is not made for everyone because it’s a tough skill to learn. Though this notion is true to some degree, everyone can enjoy this activity regardless of their age and skill level.
There are many ways to enjoy painting and you just have to start with the basic ways to make the learning process more fun. To help you start with your creative journey, this article will give you a simple guide on a painting made easy for beginners. Because we believe that to start with a new skill, you just have to start somewhere, and that is by doing it. So, if you’re feeling helpless with the task, we are here to help you. Keep on reading to learn more!
The most common question that most beginners ask when they want to venture into visual arts like painting is, “where do I even start?” It is okay to be clueless in the beginning because everyone has been there. What’s not okay is being clueless and not doing anything about it. To help you get started, you need to prepare your painting tools first. Quite overwhelming, right? You have different brushes, different pigments, sizes of canvas, different types of surfaces, and many more. Just thinking about the materials that you’ll need is quite a Herculean task already but don’t give up yet because we have a simple solution for you.
Start Practicing with Paint by Numbers Kits
There are common problems that most beginners face when they want to start venturing into the world of painting and these are:
- Low budget
- Materials
- Canvas
- The stress of the preparation before the actual painting process
These four problems can be eradicated just by practicing your first few attempts in painting using a paint by numbers kit. While some people view these kits as a toy for children, some art classes use these as a tool to teach the new students the basic concepts of painting for very practical reasons. First, these kits are affordable. At Best Paint by Numbers, you can get a high-quality PBN kit for only USD 28.95, free shipping included! The advantage is that there are plenty of designs and you can even get a customized one (price differs) if you want to be challenged.
Second, each kit comes with a complete package featuring every tool you need to start. You get the canvas that is pre-printed with the contours and numbers, a water-based acrylic paint, and a set of three basic brushes. Third, you won’t be intimidated by the canvas because the size is not too big, nor too small for beginners. It’s about 40 x 50 cm in size which makes it suitable for beginners and it’s already marked with contours and numbers that correspond to a particular color.
Lastly, we know how stressful it is to prepare everything you need to make the painting perfect. So to help you skip the somewhat tedious process, the canvas in the kit is already primed while the acrylic paints are pre-mixed. This means that there is no need for you to purchase gesso and prepare the canvas as well as mix the acrylic paints. They are ready to use!
Basic Concepts that Every Artist Should Know About
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of concepts and techniques that every artist should learn and know about, depending on the type/s of art and the genre that they want to venture upon. However, there are basic concepts that beginners should study to have a solid foundation in painting. Even though art is all about breaking the boundaries and rules, you need to learn the “rules” first so that you’ll have something to break. Here are some basic concepts that you should know:
1. Elements of Art:
- Line
- Color
- Form
- Texture
- Value
- Shape
- Space
2. Principles of Design:
- Contrast
- Balance
- Emphasis
- Movement
- Variety
- Unity
- White space
- Rhythm
- Pattern
- Repetition
- Hierarchy
- Proportion
3. Blending
4. Color mixing
5. Brushwork or brush movement
Apply the Paint by Numbers Technique to Your Painting Game
Even the founder of the very first Paint by Numbers company, Dan Robbins, revealed in his memoir that there was a main source of inspiration behind these beloved pastime kits. Accordingly, he was inspired by the similar method Leonardo da Vinci used to teach his students the fundamentals of painting. Robbins described that da Vinci would use numbers as an indicator on where to put certain colors on the canvas and how the colors will be implied.
Once you’re comfortable with the idea of working on a blank canvas by yourself, simply do not forget about the paint by numbers technique. Use numbers to indicate colors, techniques, in your canvas, and even use the tips and tricks that you learned when you used the painting kits.
More Things to Remember
Before you grab your canvas and start with a painting project, we want to remind you that you are a great artist. Just keep on practicing, be patient, and never be afraid to make mistakes because that is how you will learn. Create art for the sake of creating, recognition comes second. It’s all about making yourself feel good, productive, creative, and accomplished.
Ready to start your painting journey? You can start by practicing with one of our Paint by Numbers kits. Start browsing the wide collection of designs and custom designs that you can get at Best Paint by Numbers by clicking here. The world is full of possibilities, remember that.
Have fun and be creative!