Acrylic Painting is My New Favorite Thing

So if you have read my last blog post on setting art goals for the new year, you will know that this year for me was going to be all about character design and 3D modeling. Well, when winter classes opened up at the Indy Art Center, there was a character drawing class for adults. I was going to sign up and, at the last minute, decided not to. I thought I would wait until spring. Spring classes went up, and that class was no longer available. I really wanted to have a class where I could meet other creatives and just have some built-in creative time. So I looked and saw Acrylic Painting All Levels. I have to say I am so happy I did, and I highly recommend it.

My Previous Painting Experience

I have loved painting since I was little, and my mom broke out the finger paints. I wanted to finger paint all the time. But you know moms don’t like messes, so it was special when my brother and I got to finger paint. We got to try a lot of different arts and crafts at my house growing up. 

I got a set of oil paints in high school but had no idea how to use them. I tried once, and it was not pretty. And at the time, I didn’t have access to any classes. Then, in college, I took an oil painting class. Since then, I have tried watercolors and dabbled in acrylics, but I felt I was missing something.

The Paintings I Created over the 7-Week Course

You can see real progress in my paintings. On day one, I was so nervous about painting in front of people. I felt very insecure and had no idea what I was doing. One of the things I loved was that we were all painting something different. It really cuts down on comparing your work to others. You start to just go with it and have fun. While our instructor Dan Cooper walked around and gave information on techniques to try and composition, he encouraged us to paint what we wanted and how we wanted. He wanted us to have fun. It wasn’t a class to teach us to paint like him. He lets you find your own style, and that can be rare with art instructors. So, let’s take a look at what I created in his 7-week Acrylic Painting All Levels class. 

Painting 1 – Under the Sea

There are a lot of layers under this painting because we were looking at composition and color and talking about under paintings. There was no rule or set painting; everyone had something different going on. It was like getting a feel for the paint. I even used a palette knife to see how that felt. I was headed down this under-the-sea theme but never finished it.

Painting 2 – Intergalactic

We started with a still life. Everyone from class added something to the scene. My contribution was the pears. I have to admit what we created was not pretty. But Dan had us take a photo from any angle that we liked. Once we had a photo reference, we began painting. Dan encouraged us to try something abstract. It didn’t have to be exactly what we see in our photo. I decided to give it a shot and started with some basic shapes. I then just played with layering colors and was still getting a feel for how acrylic paints layer and how to keep my paint wet enough. Dan walked by and said, “Intergalactic.” I think it stuck with me and helped influence my next painting.

Painting 3 – Purple Planet

I knew I wanted to paint a landscape. I had never done one before and really wanted to try it. After painting this one, I really want to paint more of them. I surprised myself with this painting. It was like I finally felt more comfortable with the paints and my brushes, and I just felt more comfortable going for it. And why not? There is nothing to lose, only more lessons to learn.

It all started with this photo I found on Unsplash by John Fowler. When I saw it, I knew I wanted to use it as a reference to create an otherworldly landscape. I chose a color palette, put it into Photoshop, cut up the photo a little, and added some new elements to create a reference to paint from.

I really enjoyed this painting and found myself working on it for hours outside of class. It is very different from the nervous painting I did on day one. You can really see a progression in these paintings. My drawing, illustration, and 3D modeling practice over the past few years, I believe, also had a big influence on how this painting turned out.

The Most Important Lesson I Learned in This Acrylic Painting Class

Just have fun. There are no rules; if it looks right to you, that is all that matters.

I’m so happy the character art class was no longer available, and I went with acrylic painting. I honestly think I enjoyed it more than I would character drawing. It has reawakened a past love, and I want to continue exploring it. So, I hope to add more acrylic paintings and some 3D environments to my portfolio.