Acrylic Painting Crash Course – Learn the Basics in 14 Minutes!, by Jed Dorsey Art on YouTube. 12 min 31 s.
- Video length
- 12 min 31 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Buy a small set of single-pigment paints: a warm and cool red, a warm and cool yellow, a warm and cool blue, plus a large tube of white. Skip black at first.
Choose artist grade paint over student grade where you can. Artist grade has more pigment, so a small tube goes further and colours stay stronger when mixed.
Pick a painting surface. Canvas board or canvas panel is cheap and ready to use. If the surface is raw or unprimed, coat it with a thin layer of gesso and let it dry.
Get three brushes to start: a medium flat for blocking in shapes, a round for lines and curves, and a small detail brush. Add more sizes later as you need them.
Set up a flat palette rather than a deep well one. A flat tray lets you see and mix colours properly, and a stay-wet palette keeps paint workable for longer.
Organise the palette by colour family. Put warm colours together, cool colours together, and white at one end. Leave clear mixing space in the middle.
Learn colour mixing by making a simple colour wheel. Mix each pair of primaries, then add white to one mix to see how it tints. Practise this before painting a picture.
Follow a five step framework for each painting: plan the idea, sketch the shapes, block in the big colour areas, add mid tones, then finish with details and highlights.
Spend most of your time on the block-in stage. Get the large shapes and values right before adding any detail, because fixing a weak block-in later is much harder.
Tips and common mistakes
Mix a grey from complementary colours instead of using black, which can dull a painting.
Keep acrylic paint from drying out by misting your palette or using a stay-wet tray.
Clean brushes with water straight after use, since dried acrylic can ruin the bristles.
Paint often and finish small studies rather than chasing one perfect painting.
Questions
Do I need to use gesso on canvas?
Most canvas panels and stretched canvas come pre-primed, so you can paint straight on them. Use gesso on raw wood, board or unprimed canvas to give the paint a surface to grip.
What is the difference between student and artist grade acrylics?
Student grade has less pigment and more filler, so colours are weaker and can shift when mixed. Artist grade costs more but covers better and mixes more cleanly.
How do I stop acrylic paint drying too fast?
Work on a stay-wet palette, mist the paint with water, and keep a spray bottle handy. You can also add a small amount of acrylic medium to slow drying.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
