Learn New Painting Techniques And Polish Your Skills With A Painting Class

Taking a painting class can be a great opportunity to express yourself through paints with an instructor and fellow artists who are collectively painting the same subject. You can take a painting class to learn new painting techniques or to polish painting skills that you already have. Here are some supplies to bring with you and things to consider when you take a painting class:

Painting Surface:  Come to a painting class ready to paint. If you are planning to paint on a stretched canvas or a canvas board, prepare your painting surface with a coat of gesso and allow it to completely dry the day before your class. Tape the edges of your stretched canvas with masking tape and apply a layer of acrylic gel medium to the edge of the tape where it meets the painting surface. This will keep your edges free from paint splashes. You can remove this tape when your painting is thoroughly dry.

Brushes and Knives:  Bring both sable and bristle brushes in different sizes to your painting class. You will need coarse bristle brushes to paint large areas of your composition and soft sable brushes to paint details. You can carry your brushes in a flat bamboo brush holder that you can roll up to keep all of your brushes separate and your brush tips from touching anything. You will also need one or two palette knives to mix different colors of paint on your paint palette.

Easel:  Invest in a French painting easel to carry everything to and from your painting class. This easel has three adjustable folding legs that form a sturdy tripod stand to allow you to paint at a convenient height whether you are standing or sitting. A French easel also has a pull out drawer where you can carry your paints, brushes, mediums, and paint palette. It has an adjustable canvas holder on the outside of the easel so that you can easily carry a wet canvas after taking a class. French easels are made by different manufacturers and are available at art supply stores.

Painting Mediums:  If you will be painting with oil paints bring a small bottle of linseed oil to thin your paints and a small bottle of turpentine to clean your brushes when changing colors. You can also bring an alkyd resin painting medium to use with oil paints to speed drying time. If you will be painting in acrylics, you can thin your paints and clean your brushes with water. Bring two small mixing jars to hold your painting mediums and clean your brushes.

Camera:  As soon as you have set up your canvas, easel, and paints, take a few photographs of the model or still life that you will be painting. This will allow you to make color and lighting adjustments to your painting after class. You can use the camera on a cell phone to document the subject that you will be painting.

One advantage of taking a painting class is that a model or still-life will be completely set up for you in a pose or composition with appropriate lighting. Another advantage of taking a painting class is that you will have an experienced instructor who can give you ideas and approaches that you may not have considered. To become a good painter, you should paint often and when you are not painting, you should record your ideas in a sketch book. The more you paint, the better painter you will become. 

Contact a business like Colorest Inc-Art Supplies to learn more.