It’s not the material that makes the artist, or the quality of the work. In fact, you don’t need a superb studio to be able to paint magnificent pictures. Nor should you postpone your beginnings just because you have no space, no studio, etc. My advice: get started wherever you are! Over time, you’ll see that you’ll be able to create your own space with all your materials. In fact, it’s great to have everything at hand when you’re painting. You don’t have to waste time looking for what you need. The creative impulse that drives you is not interrupted!
Equipment: what’s essential for painting?
There’s no need to have tubes of every color available to get started with acrylic paint. To start with,the 3 primary colors are all you need. The advantage of starting with just these 3 tubes is that you can practice mixing colors, and really understand how acrylics work.
Quickly familiarize yourself with colors and their mixtures, create your own color wheel !
The essentials for your debut:
🖌️ a spray;
🖌️ some brushes, 1 spalter;
🖌️ 1 knife;
🖌️ clean rags;
🖌️ a palette;
🖌️ support: drawing paper, canvas etc;
🖌️ motivation!
Then, little by little, you’ll find yourself wanting to try out other painting techniques and materials.
Painting flat or on an easel?
What’s really great about painting is that you’re free to do whatever you want! Free to choose your style, your colors, your motifs. There’s nothing you have to do to be a “good” painter. It’s up to you to try out the different media and find the one where you feel most comfortable with your brushstrokes.
🎨 painting flat, to use liquid paints, in motion; to work in acrylic pouring;
🎨 on a table easel to paint from another angle;
🎨 with a large easel on the floor for greater mobility;
🎨 on canvas directly against the wall for a different painting experience.
How to set up a painting studio easily
You know, you don’t have to invest huge sums of money to build yourself a nice little place to paint. You can have a studio of your own that’s worthy of the name, and for very little money.
What do you need to make a worktop?
- a little space or 1 dedicated room. The advantage is that you don’t have to worry about dirtying furniture, walls or carpets, and you can enjoy the peace and quiet you need to let your inspiration flow undisturbed. It’s also practical to avoid having to clear everything away at the end, by depositing everything in tote boxes where it’s all jumbled together;
- a melamine-coated wooden board as a work surface. The dimensions can be adjusted according to the space you have available for your workspace. I chose 2 boards of size 170/100 cm. This allows me to work on polyptychs or large frames without being constrained in my movements;
- chipboard to make a “wall”. It is used to hang all the equipment and protect the wall of the room!
- stable table legs at the right height for you. It’s also important to paint painlessly. Sometimes you’ll spend several hours working on a creation with your back arched, and it’s not uncommon to feel some muscular tension. Think ergonomics 👍!
How to organize your painting supplies
In the same way, storage is quite personal. However, here’s how I organize my painting equipment, which may give you some storage ideas.
Directly attached to the wall:
- Arrange color tubes inchromatic order. Hang with hooks screwed into the chipboard;
- Also hang large, bulky tools such as spatulas. Hang them on the wall, facing you;
- You’ll also need space to store masking tape, scotch tape, a protective mask (useful when spraying products) and a small hammer (for securing fasteners to the chassis).
On small shelves:
- I also store my various mediums: acrylic pouring mediums, thinners, molding paste materials, gesso, spray varnishes and liquid solvents. I also store my small pots of paint mixes of the moment, as well as larger pots of paint in bulk packaging;
- store materials such as sand to make different textures;
- arrange my sprays.
Directly on the worktop:
- underneath the shelves, I put my heat gun, which I use to tighten stretch a canvasor dry paint faster;
- a storage rack for all my brushes, pencils, poscas etc. It’s mobile, not attached to the stand, so I can move it around the table depending on where I am.
💡 As for the lighting, I prefer spotlights just above the work surface, with a neutral, cool light, so as not to alter the perception of the colors once the painting is finished and displayed with a different light source.
In any case, you should know that when I started out, I made my paintings in my living room, on my little glass coffee table. Getting started in this way never dampened my motivation, on the contrary. On the contrary, the more I practiced, the more I learned about acrylic painting, the more I spontaneously felt the need to have a corner of my own, a painting studio.
Little by little, the bird has made its nest 🪹!
💖On the psychological side
If you want to optimize your inspiration, manage your stress or anxiety in front of the web, I invite you to discover my blog on the subject: https: //www.cardiao.fr/ 👈
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