Painting is an activity for any time of year, but it’s great for occupying the family during the long summer days, writes Jason Osborne
I feel as though everyone has some painting experience buried in their past, even if it’s as simple as a former primary school activity or something our parents occupied us with as children.
A friend of mine once told me that a priest advised him to take up an activity or hobby he enjoyed during childhood if he was having difficulty relaxing or slowing down, and with his advice echoing in my ears, it occurred to me that you could do a lot worse than re-immerse yourself in painting if you were looking to wile away some time this summer.
With children finished school and looking for entertainment, it’s important to be able to offer them simple, wholesome alternatives to an array of screens, and a canvas provides just that. That said, it’s an activity that requires some preparation and materials, whether you intend to do it yourself or push your family to, so it’s worth reviewing what’s required.
Pick your paint
Before beginning, you ought to focus on which medium you’d like to implement, at least in the short term. This will allow you to see how it works, before deciding which one you’d like to work with in the long term.
There are a range of options to choose from, but the main choices are oils, acrylics and watercolours. It’s important to remember that there is no right answer in this – it’s a matter of choosing which suits you and your desired objectives.
Acrylics are generally viewed as the beginner’s choice because they’re easy to use and don’t require any special supplies. However, their main downside is that they dry very quickly.
Acrylics will work for you if:
– You are a total beginner and don’t want to worry about the complexities of oil and watercolour painting.
– You want an easier clean-up afterwards.
– You have a limited budget.
– You are sensitive to the harsher chemicals involved in oil painting.
– You want to experiment with mixed materials.
There are a couple of downsides though, including the aforementioned quick-drying, which means that you only have a limited amount of time while the paint is responsive. Also, the colours darken as they dry, with lighter colours experiencing the greatest change.
Oils then, are the most widely used kind among professional painters. This can be attributed to a couple of things.
They’re very versatile, meaning you can alter the drying time and consistency of your paint drastically using paint thinners and additional oil. This allows you to work with a wide range of painting techniques.
Once mastered, though, they can produce as good a painting as any other kind”
There’s also the minor facts that they were favoured by the painting masters of history, while oil paintings generally seem to be held in higher regard by art collectors compared to acrylic paintings. Of course, we’re unlikely to fetch a high price for our first fumbling attempts, but no harm in knowing what the collectors value!
Finally, watercolours are usually considered the hardest to start with due to the runny nature of water and the inability to do much reworking of errors. Once mastered, though, they can produce as good a painting as any other kind.
As mentioned, there’s no right answer regarding which one to begin with, but it’s usually recommended to start with acrylics or oils before venturing into watercolours.
Stocking up on supplies
Once you’ve decided which paint to go with, you need to turn your attention to supplies.
The supplies will vary depending on which medium you choose to paint with, but generally, you’ll need:
- An easel to hold your work,
- Either canvas (for acrylic or oil painters) or paper (for watercolour painters),
- A palette for colour mixing,
- Brushes (which should be suitable for your chosen medium,
- Palette knives,
- Paints,
- Solvent (if you’re oil painting)
- Paper towels (for wiping the brush in between strokes)
Most, if not all, of this can be found in art and hobby shops or bookshops. If you’re a beginner, it’s advisable to go for cheaper, simple materials, purchasing quality only where it’s really needed, such as with your brushes, canvas and paint.
With regards to which colours to begin with, a limited palette of the primary colours is best, featuring red, blue and yellow, coupled with white and an earth tone.
Getting familiar with the fundamentals
Depending on how seriously you plan on taking your newfound hobby, becoming familiar with the fundamentals of painting might be a good idea – colour, composition, edges, brushwork and technique.
As with any skill or activity, it’s quite possible to make your way along without learning any of the theory, but your painting will benefit if you understand what you’re doing and what’s happening every time you put brush to canvas or paper.
Selecting a subject
A key part of the process, and sometimes one of the most challenging, is choosing what to paint. Some questions to help you determine what’s worth your time, are:
– Do you have a “why”? An idea that makes you want to paint it.
– Are you capable of painting it?
– Do you have the supplies necessary for painting it?
– What problems are you likely to encounter?
– Can you see a finished painting at the end? What do you envision?
It’s quite important to have a concrete end-point in your head before setting out, as there’s no easier way to become disheartened and grow bored than by being faced with a nebulous task with no end in sight.
Get into the habit of taking a picture of what you’d like to paint so that you can reference it and draw inspiration on the good days and the bad”
As well as this, it’s smart to start simple. Don’t pick an overly difficult subject, such as a person or a portrait of a face, rather, aim for capturing initial impressions of a simple subject. A tree in a park, boats out on a bay – that sort of thing.
While painting outdoors is idyllic, the weather doesn’t always allow for it in Ireland. Get into the habit of taking a picture of what you’d like to paint so that you can reference it and draw inspiration on the good days and the bad.
Painting is as simple or as complicated as you’d like to make it, but it can be a deeply rewarding and relaxing activity to get lost in, for both adults and children.