w

What Youll Get From This E-Book

Quite simply, this book will help you to become a better Acrylics painter and just as importantly, you will get a huge amount of enjoyment from knowing how to use this vibrant and forgiving paint medium. Although aimed at those who have little or no experience with acrylics, this e-book will also help if youve tried Acrylics previously but, for whatever reason, havent progressed with them as much as youd like to. In my Watercolour Secrets e-book, I said;Im a great believer that anyone can be taught how to paint... or draw... or be artistic. I know from many years of first-hand experience that you dont have to be blessed with a God-given talent. Now that statement is just as true with Acrylics as it is with Watercolours or any other paint or drawing medium you care to mention. In fact, as we go through this e-book, youll find many of the techniques Ive explained there are exactly the same with many other paint media. My wish is that with this little e-book, together we can open up a stunning world of acrylic painting that will enable you to produce pictures that will amaze family and friends with your new-found talent ! Have you ever been frustrated with art at school or in art classes where there seems to exist an assumption that students already know the basics and youre expected to start off half-way down the road, so to speak. Youre thrown straight into terms like introducing concepts and energy and abstraction into your work when all you want at that point is to find out how to mix a simple shadow colour or create a believable-looking tree that doesnt look like a grotesque green lollipop ? When you ask about how to avoid creating mud or painting water that looks wet, youre told - dont worry, youll pick it up as you go along.... Well youll find that Acrylic Secrets tells you how to learn these basics and a lot more useful stuff besides. This will get you going to the point where you can start to think about introducing some of those concepts into your pictures..... Every lesson, whether its in this e-book or the main video course shows you HOW. I dont assume, like some of my schoolteachers did, that youll just pick it up.

Its amazing what you can achieve when youre shown step-by-step. Im convinced, having seen the results complete beginners have achieved after following the Watercolour Secrets DVD Course that, with practice, the necessary painting skills required for Acrylics can be acquired by all of us. I promise, that with a little bit of practice (not years of trial and error) youll see great results - and quickly too. Print this e-book out - fast draft or economy printing will do. Take it to your painting station (Ive graduated from the dining room table to a studio in a spare bedroom) and follow along. Read through a lesson and then have a go! Thats the most important thing... to have a go... and to have fun! Oh, and do look out for me in the free video lessons that accompany this e-book. Until then enjoy your painting. And if you like the e-book and sample videos then have a look at what you get in the full Acrylics Secrets DVD Course which I honestly believe is the best of its type that you can find anywhere. Best wishes,

1. WHAT IS ACRYLIC PAINT PAINT? AINT?

1
o f f e r s m a n y o f t h e b e n e f i t s a n d s t y l e o f o i l p a i n t i n g w i t h o u t t h e s m e l l o f t u r p e n t i n e o r q u i t e a s m u c h m e s s o f c l e a n i n g u p . I t i s v e r y q u i c k d r y i n g ( w h i c h c a n b e

Photo 1
, m i n d .

2
I t s f o r m u l a i s v e r y s i m i l a r t o t h e p a i n t y o u u s e t o d e c o r a t e t h e w a l l s a n d c e i l i n g o f y o u r h o m e (

Photo 2
s l i k e w

&

3
t h e

Photo 3
, c e s f r o m v i f y o u r e n o

4
h i c k a s

Photo 4
n t l e f t b y t n g i d e a l

5
T h e y e l l o w a c r y l i c i n k i s s t i l l p r e t t y d e n s e w h e n i t c o m e s n e a t o u t o f t h e b o t t l e b u t t h i n n e d f u r t h e r

6
e c o n o m y s e t s f r o m t h e p r e v i o u s l y m e n t i o n e d d i s c o u n t s t o r e s . u s u a l l y i n m u c h s m a l l e r t u b e s t h a n t h e b e t t e r q u a l i t y p a i n t s , a s h e r e , f r o n t l e f t .

Photo 6
s a m e f a i r s i z e , g o a

&

2. WHAT OTHER EQUIPMENT DO I NEED? NEED?

( R Y

Photo 1
e q u i p m e g e t s t a r t e

PHOTO 2 BRUSHES FOR ACRYLICS (left to right)

N N h y l o n o . 2 R o u n d B r u s N N y l o n o . 1 R i g g e r

3
A l t h w i t a v a

Photo 3
T h h e t i c

Left to right in Photo 4:

1 h h L i n i n g w a l l p a p e r u s e d f o r s m o o t i n g m i n o r i m p e r f e c t i o n s i n w a l l s . O r t e b a c k o f o r d i n a r y w a l l p a p e r . 2 B h h h h r o w n w r a p p i n g o r p a r c e l p a p e r . L i g t w e i g t b u t t o u g e n o u g t o p a i n t o n .

4
r e w i n d i n g i t t o r e f e r b a c k t o e a r l i e r l e s s o n s . U s e i t o n t r o l l o r c u t t o y o u r p r e f e r r e d s i z e .

Photo 5
, o m e t y p e s h d d t o t e t

6
i v i t y p l a y b a c k -

7
c o n v e n t i o n a l p a i n t i n g s u r f a c e s t h a t y o u c a n u s e . F r o m l e f t t o r i g h t i n

Photo 7:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 t e r c o l o u r P a p e r

A c r y l i c P a p e r P a d

M o u n t C a r d

P l y w o o d

H 6 M D F , a r d b o a r d o r M a s o n i t e

7 S t r e t c h e d C a n v a s

8
e d

( Y

MAKING A SIMPLE PALETTE

1
Y o u c a n b u y s p e c i a l p a l e t t e s f o r a c r y l i c p a i n t s i n a n y a r t

All the materials you need are in this photo. From left to right - kitchen towel, greaseproof paper or baking parchment, a small shallow tray or plate and a little water.
P h o t o 1 .

Fold up a couple of pieces of kitchen towel so it sits comfortably in the bottom of the tray or on the plate.
P h o t o 2 .

Add some water so the kitchen towel soaks it up. You dont need it flooded but make sure to replenish it as youre painting if the towel starts to dry out.
P h o t o 3 .

Cut or tear a piece of greaseproof paper to the approximate size. Its not vital if its a bit bigger than the tray or plate.
P h o t o 4 .

Place the greaseproof on top of the damp paper towel and put your paints around the edge, leaving the centre area for mixing. Depending on the thickness of the greaseproof paper you use, it will cockle slightly on top of the wet towel but this is quite normal and it will stay intact. By the way, if you can only get brown greaseproof or baking parchment, this works exactly the same. Its just a bit easier to see what colours youre mixing with the white version.
P h o t o 5 . W h e n y o u v e f i n i s h e d p a i n t i n g , c a r e f u l l y w r a p u p t h e

5
Y