#big canvas acrylic painting ideas

[jamswhams]

I've a massive thread of merlin screenshots I took for reference while watching and I have yet to properly use em smh

[meg-girumi]

How did you make your head for your Mr puzzles cosplay? (I’m trying to make my own, and I want to get some ideas for the face mostly.

Ok! Lemme tell you how I made mine)

It's gonna be a long one so...⬇️

The head

1) Make the simplified 3d model

It's only base. Without knobs and vent

Here's the link (to open it you'll need pepakura viewer)

This link is pdf (just glue sides with identical numbers)

2) Print it!

I used high thickness paper, so It would be more sturdy

Next is a long one, so you'll need scissors (scalpel) and a lot of patience

3) Cut out pieces

And don't forget to number them (If you're using the program it will be easier to assemble)

4) Glue pieces together

5) Cut out the hole for the neck

6) To make head even more sturdier we will strengthen it with plastic (not necessary)

I used 3d pen and pla plastic and covered the whole surface of the head with grid

Sorry, no photo :(

7) Cover with thin foam

I used white, 3 mm one

This face didn't make it btw

8) Paint!

I used metallic paint and also painted edges black for the cartoony effect!

How to wear the mask?

For head to be fixed in place I glued polystyrene foam (I had few big blocks left)

And to how actually get it on head I made a door that holds on metal hinges

Knobs and vent

Knobs were made out of cardboard and covered with foam

Meanwhile the vent was created completely out of foam

The hat and antennas

The felt hat was found in the arts and crafts store

Yet couldn't say the same for antennas

Base was made out of cardboard and then covered with polymer clay

As to how I attached them?

✨ 3d pen ✨

And the last but definitely not the least

Screen

The screens glass was made out of palette made of plexiglass (that's also the reason why here it's green)

on the photo the same pallet but this one I actually used for paint

Faces were made using the same white foam and acrylic paint

For the screens to hold up I glued small clamps to the base. This thing allows me to change faces)

That's how mask looks from the inside

As to how I see through them

Yep there's a hole in the mouth, covered with black plastic canvas. Yes the vision is a bit blurry this way, but it's better than seeing nothing.

Ok, that's all byeeeee

[sorensolsikke]

here's some punk diy tips and ideas

[other than crusty pants and battle jacket, although we still love those greatly.]

why should you diy, when you can just find decorated items everywhere, you can ask. what if you are clumsy at painting or anything?

firstly, good questions. we diy so we don't give credit to the big companies who rule the world. we diy to get more independent from the system we dislike. we diy so to save money. to express uniqueness, recognize eachother and be recognized. and especially to have fun and feel cool. diy is not only about clothing, but anything you can set your mind on. of course, one cannot make EVERYTHING for themselves, there isn't enough time and energy. but making at least small steps are already a statement and more than nothing. also, helping small artists by buying their products is also pretty punk.

that being said, i provide you with some tips of mine, all gained from experience:

anything you drew/painted on, you will WANT TO protect. acrylic paint/markers + acrylic paint varnish/transparent nail polish/textile medium are your best friends. read after anything that's new to you.

i highly recommend working with old clothing or thrift shop finds when it comes to textiles, as it is environmentally friendly and you will stay in budget. Anyways, always make sure that the material you use isn't gonna be problematic. for example, if you want to do some patchwork, the material shouldn't decay easily (if it does, it will come off so quickly.). if you want to paint on it, it shouldn't be rugged.

you can not only draw/paint on your canvas shoes, but can also sew, embroidery (just make sure to use a thimble, plus floss instead of thread could make your work more durable), and add beads and trinkets to your shoelaces. in the case of shoes, never use glue (neither hot nor instant glue) – it will come off quickly. for some inspiration, i'll show you my shoes!

(the fake moss is literally unstoppable from falling off or getting dirty. risky idea.)

it's good to carry around water and food!! you don't even have to pay for decorative water bottles and food boxes, as you can draw on glass and plastic just fine with acrylic markers. just don't forget to paint transparent nail polish all over your drawing. in at least two layers. don't be lazy or laid-back. even posca comes off while washing the dishes. and you WANT TO save your reference pictures/final designs, as the case of emergency is likely. but after all, my water bottle is exactly fine after six months, with no accuring problem.

if your current best option to get stickers from is aliexpress or overpriced decor stores, search for local artists and shops on instagram and tiktok, as it may be their most efficent way of getting you to know them. if it seems like you have no chance, you may can still find a print shop with the option of printing on self-adhesive sheets (at least in hungary, those are pretty cheap). and if you want drawings to print out as stickers, you may use your own or –ONLY IF YOU GET PERMISSION– other artist's work. not only good for decorations for like, headphones, but for vandalism too. WAIT WAIT who said that. who said it. not me. no never

(in case that's also impossible, you can create stickers by printing out/drawing a picture, cover it up in transparent adhesive tape, and then put some two-sided adhesive tape on the white side of the pic. it won't be that durable, but it functions.)

if you want to bleach-paint clothing, get some plastic brushes!! any other brush dissolves. draw your design first with chalk!! never forget to put cardboard inside the clothing, and to wash the finished work in a washing machine before you'd put it on. prepare to be patient with the process. and it's not dangerous to touch 5%-9% household bleach, just wash your hands soon after.

if you want your crusty pants to last veryyy long, wax them. look up on youtube jeans waxing.

some more things i made for myself so to give you some inspiration: totebag with pockets, a small crystal holder cabinet, badges, and i decorated some t-shirts, button-ups, an id card case, phonecase, laptop.

theoretically speaking, there is nothing that an individual would be unable to learn how to make, when it comes to diy. you can't imagine how easy it is to bake bread at home. consuming-focused media makes people believe that it's hard to make anything. of course, everyone has to decide about their own priorities, i don't want to convince or change anyone in here. and if you have any questions, send an ask!! i hope i had been helpful.

[leighsartworks216]

Self-Portrait of the Soul

Rafayel & gn!artist!Reader

Been playing around with this idea for a while, mostly cuz I think it's funny. But I also think it would be really cute if Rafayel went on to date an artist

If Thomas is mischaracterized, idc. I am using him as a vessel to move things along. If Rafayel is mischaracterized......... I have no excuse 😔

Warnings: mischief, heavily implied exploitation, misunderstandings, pre-relationship, possibly ooc

Word Count: 1,279

Main Masterlist

Love and Deepspace Masterlist

AO3

Tag List Form (Psst fill this out to be tagged in future fics! - Updated to add Rafayel)

You look up at the large painting on the wall. Acrylic paints hold each brushstroke in a suspended image, frozen in time. Even the carefully blended sections hold the evidence of their creation. A sheet coating of varnish makes the colors pop into a stunning vibrancy.

You’ll be the first to admit, it’s a bit experimental. The colors are chaotic and poorly laid out when compared to artists like Piet Mondrian, with seemingly no limit to the palette used. Your agent had been hesitant to put it in the exhibit at all, but you’d insisted. Now that you’re in the thick of it, you watch people in suits barely give it a glance as they pass from one painting to the next, and hear the occasional snicker from art snobs who only really like art when the artist is dead.

The rest of the works are ‘safe’, staying within the realms of comfort for buyers and gawkers. But this one… It’s the only one that sings to those willing to listen.

“There’s not many people appreciating this one.”

You jump a little at the voice that comes from beside you. A man, dressed in a simple but expensive suit, stands with his hands in his pockets as he looks at the painting. His purple hair and relaxed posture make him stand out like a sore thumb in a place like this.

He tilts his head to look at you, smiling. “Do you like it?”

Stumbling over yourself, you nod. Nobody has spoken to you about your work yet tonight. You can’t let the opportunity go, lest your agent get on your case about it. “Y-Yes, it’s my favorite.”

“Really?” There’s a twinkle in his eyes as he looks back up at the piece, and then glances at the other, markedly more popular, works around it. “Huh, how come?”

You glance at the other works, too. They’re just as familiar as you remember them.

Looking into the eyes of a portrait, you can recall the struggles of getting it just right so the figure is easily recognizable. The realistic painting of a cat stalking a mouse brings to mind the mind-breaking efforts of painting fur strand by strand. Most of the works are like that; easy-to-grasp realism, depicting things people would be interested in buying. A koi fish distorted by the ripples in a pond. Water droplets on a foggy mirror. A sunset. Each one with their own agonies, recalling only the pain of their production. Your agent’s voice repeating time and time again that this is what it takes to get into a gallery and have people be interested.

You look up at the big painting and all you feel is pride, peace, and like a burden has been lifted off your chest.

You settle for a more sophisticated answer. Your agent always said not to ruin the image of an artwork by pointing out the rough details. “Well, while the others are all technically correct, this one has more emotion and passion behind it.” You look at him, biting your cheek, hoping you answered ‘correctly’.

He cocks his head to the side, taking in the emotion and passion you mentioned. “It’s my favorite here, too,” he finally says after a minute. “It’s more genuine, like you said. The rest are all surface level and boring. They exist to appeal to a wider audience, but they don’t feel true to the artist’s intentions. Here, it feels like the artist has transcribed their soul onto canvas with each color and brushstroke.”

Your heart flutters. He… He really sees past the exhibition. He sees more than the price tags and art collectors.

He turns to you with that same relaxed grin, though something playful dances at the corners, reflected in his eyes. “Their whole soul is here, but nobody seems to care about it. Ironic, huh?”

You nod slightly. You can’t deny it; the most important artwork to you has become reduced to amateurish abstraction by the other attendees. You’re more certain now that it will not be purchased tonight. “Yeah…”

A hand taps your shoulder. You turn to see your agent, an older woman with dyed brown hair pulled into a tight bun and thin-framed glasses perched on her sharp nose. “There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you!” Your agent huffs with barely-contained irritation. She smiles quickly at the man, no joy behind the gesture. “Madame Shrike wants to talk to you about commissioning a portrait! Come on, we can’t keep her waiting!”

A commission? Your heart skips a beat. You can’t tell if it’s from excitement or dread. Your agent grabs your arm to drag you over, but you stop to turn to the man. “Oh, I’m sorry, I have to go! But it was nice talking to you, Mr…?”

The man’s eyes widen slightly, the realization of who this art belongs to catching up with him. His smile doesn’t falter despite the surprise. “Rafayel.”

You smile in return. “Thank you for your observations, Mr. Rafayel. I hope you enjoy the rest of your night.” You turn and follow your agent with hurried footsteps as you struggle to keep up with her rapid pace.

Rafayel turns back to the painting. His eyes roam the colors, trying to seek out the layers to this self-portrait of the soul now that he knows just who it belongs to. Thomas sighs as he comes to stand beside him.

“Thought you snuck out again,” he says. He looks up at the painting with disinterest. The only reason they were there at all was to rub elbows with potential buyers for an upcoming exhibit. “Have you spoken to anybody at all since getting here?”

Rafayel smirked, like he’s just been told some juicy gossip. “I have, actually. I spoke to the artist being shown tonight.”

“Really? What did you say to them?”

“I insulted their art.”

Thomas’s face dropped immediately. “What?!” he hisses in a stressed whisper. “Do you have any idea what that could do to your image?!”

Rafayel’s eyes widen as he blinks dumbly at his manager, pretending to be shocked as he puts a hand over his chest. “I have no idea. How?”

Thomas shakes his head and turns back to the colorful painting. “You’re insufferable sometimes.” Rafayel chuckles to himself, all too proud of his little joke. “What did they say?”

There’s a bristle from the brush you were using caught in a stroke of red. He wonders what they’re made out of, where you got them, how long you’ve had them for. He wonders how many more bristles he’d find in the rest of your work.

Ignoring Thomas’s question completely, Rafayel says, “Buy this one for me, will you?”

“This one? Isn’t it a bit… ‘rough around the edges’?”

“It’s the best painting here.”

“... I’ll never understand you.”

By the end of the showing, you expect all but one painting to be missing from the walls. Instead, once everything was taken down to be wrapped for various buyers, the walls were blank. Your manager gushes at her phone.

“You did really well for your first ever exhibit!” she praises. “Every single painting sold! Even your… ahem, experimental work. That doesn’t happen very often! You should feel very proud!”

You smile at her, but it doesn’t reach your eyes. She doesn’t notice. You can’t stop staring at the big empty spot where you’d spoken to that man.

“Okay! Now that you’re in, we need to start networking. There’s an exhibition next week for Rafayel that will be packed with more critics and connoisseurs than you could shake a stick at.”

You turn to her, eyes wide. “Rafayel?”

[rufusahhahh]

in classic yoomtah fashion her painting might've almost caught on fire and/or burnt my skin off :D for context my acrylic pad was probably part cotton and while i was trying to stick the big flowers on the back, i decided it was the SMARTEST idea to use superglue and then i felt the canvas heat up where the flowers were. fun fact about superglue! cotton and superglue react very violently together and conduct heat! :) Thank god tho i mixed the superglue with elmers glue tho LOL badum tsss

[lord-aldhelm]

WIP Wednesday

Another week, another tag game! Please share your last sentence; or, if you don’t have one, share a plot bunny or idea! (OR sketch for your artwork!)

No one has tagged me yet so here goes!

This is from Chapter 10 of my WIP Darkest Before the Dawn:

“Yes, Lord,” he said one more time, and left the great hall to seek his own chambers. He was glad that the incident with the guard’s injury was not a falsehood. If he had been caught out on that it would have ended badly, and he would not be able to cleverly talk his way out of the situation. But it did make his sporadic trips to Saltwic riskier.

I also just finished this rough sketch of my next big personal project:

This will be an acrylic painting on a 20x30 inch (51x76 cm) stretched canvas, with gold embellishments and gold paint for the halo. I really hope this turns out as well as it looks in my head! This is something I had planned on for TWO YEARS now! And I finally have the time and skills to pull it off (I hope). This was going to be the original idea for the first painting I did, before I chickened out and removed the crown and the halo.

The theme of this will be "green and gold" and have a multitude of shades of greens and golds, primarily. The background will be a washed out muted green, the halo will be metallic gold, his outfit will be emerald green with gold detailing. The crown, hilt of the sword, and his brooch will be gold with emerald cabochons inlaid into them. I just ordered my canvas this afternoon and cannot wait to get started on it!

No pressure tags:

@gemini-mama @synintheraven @garunsdottir @thenameswinter99 @thelettersfromnoone

@bagheerita @solinarimoon @errruvande @paula-in-dreamland @aneurins-barnard

@waterfallsilverberrywrites @whitedarkmoonflower @bilbotargaryen @holy3cake

@grinningkatz @ladyinred2248 @hikaruchen @st-eve-barnes @alexagirlie

[cant-shake-it]

How to Make a Printing Screen from Home

I wanted to share a quick cute little tutorial for how I made my own screen for making patches (and other things that don't require exact measurements). Cute lil how-to under the cut >:)

Disclaimer: I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing at any given moment. There could be a better tutorial out there for you. I'm just guessing for a lot of the things I do and this is no exception. With that out of the way:

THE SUPPLIES YOU DEFINITELY ABSOLUTELY NEED:

a small/medium canvas (depending on what you have and how big your design will be)

paintbrushes

a tight-woven sheer fabric (preferably not stretchy and STRONG)

a fine-tip pen

water-resistant gloss of some kind (mod podge works, but make sure it's a waterproof kind if you want to make more than one print)

paint that won't come off in the wash (acrylic/spray paint work)

good strong tape

a good sturdy card-like thingy

an easy/cool design for your print :)

THE SUPPLIES THAT ARE RECCOMENDED BUT NOT NECESSARY (aka things I like to use):

a good canvas fabric/thick cotton for printing on

fabric paint (will stay on the fabric best duh)

a 1/2in, 1/3in, and fine tip paintbrush for details (depending on your design)

some company for fun :)

Alright, so first you'll want to figure out the design you want to print out and get a good sketch over it. I'm a detail freak so I like sketching out my design then going over it in a black pen. The ideal is hard contrast and clear and discernable lines/fill-in spots, like pictured below:

(Note how I emphasized which spots were to have thicker lines, which parts of the stripes were to be printed, etc. I tried to think a lot about which portions I wanted to show up on the finished design and how they would look on the fabric as a whole.)

So you've got your design. Great! Next step is a fun one: Grab a canvas you are willing to part with (this one was a painting I made when I was 16. I hate it), and rip all the fabric off of that fucker!! If you pull off some staples in the process, don't worry. Just make sure you can retain the shape of the frame, since that's the part you'll need to keep. You don't need to take off every single bit of the fabric, but as previously stated, I'm a freak, so I did. You'll come out with something like this:

For the next steps you'll need a good pair of scissors as well as your pen and your sheer fabric. You're going to want to set the frame on your fabric and cut about an inch and a half around it so there's extra to wrap around the frame and tape down. You can draw a guideline for where to cut if you want, but once again, I'm a freak:

Now lay the front of the canvas frame (the part without staples on it) face down on the fabric and grab your tape! Now we're going to tape down each end of the frame so the sheer lays taut on the frame. I like to put one or two strips of tape on the ends parallel to each other and pull them tight, then do the same with the other side, then continue adding tape until the whole outside of the frame is covered. See below:

(Note: your goal in this step is to stretch the sheer as tight as it can comfortably go so there are no wrinkles or depressions in the fabric.)

So now you have you're frame. Fuck yes!!! Go ahead and grab the design you came up with as well as your pen (you can use a pencil too, but the pen shows up much better through the fabric so I definitely prefer it), and put the frame front side down onto the sketch.

If you're worried about keeping the frame steady, feel free to tape the frame down and go ahead and trace over the design with your pen. Make sure to fill in all the dark parts enough that you can differentiate them from the light parts.

Once you have your sketch copied to the frame, now you can grab your gloss!!! Hurry!!! You're almost done!!!!

With this step I like to start big and go into the details once all the larger portions of the sheer are covered. Pretty much you're going to paint over every part that isn't the black of the pen with your waterproof gloss. This ensures that once you start printing, the only parts that are going to bleed through the fabric will be the black parts that weren't painted over with gloss/varnish/mod podge/whatever you used as long as it's waterproof!!! Take all the time you need, it's not a race. Once you're done and the gloss has dried, your screen is going to look something like this when put up to a light:

Now that this step is over with, congratulations - you have just made a mesh screen!!! Keep reading to learn how to use it lol

So for the patches that I make I just went with black and white paint, and black and white fabric to keep it traditional, but you can use any colors of paint and fabric you want, truly! The world is your oyster! I do not care! That being said, we're keeping it simple today.

Grab your screen, a piece of fabric that can cover the design and leave at least an inch of space around it, and a surface you won't mid getting paint on on accident. You'll also want to grab that card-like thingy for this as well. It can really be anything that can provide a sturdy, even pressure across the screen consistently. Go ahead and pick up that fabric paint too, I guess. We'll probably need that.

At this point, this is what your workspace might look like:

Next up you are going to center your design onto your piece of fabric-

-and grab your fabric paint. put a thin little stripe over the top (start slow and add more - as you can see I added a little too much and kinda fucked up my design) then grab your card thingy. Make sure you have even pressure on it and swipe it down at a medium speed so you're dragging the paint down the screen:

Once you've got everything covered I like to go over it a few more times for even coverage. Then you pull it up from the screen (which you might want to rinse off so no paint sticks to it!!!), wait for that bitch to dry, and you're done!! Congratulations, you have your very own fun silly patch! Go sew it on something! Or not! I do really do not care!!!!!!

[mvltisstuff]

hello again, i’ve requested a few times (the feels and sweet nothing) and i was hoping i could request again? (i think i might add an emoji at the end bc i love your writing and will keep requesting as much as you allow ❤️❤️) anyway, i hope you’re doing well and things are going good.

i was wondering if i could request a buck fic where is partner is an artist and he finds a sketchbook of sketches of him and when he asks about it they talk about how pretty he is and how deserves to be appreciated and just making him feel super loved with it. thank you if you get to it and ofc no troubles if you don’t. take care 🥰

also is 🚒 good for a way to recognize me??

wasteland, baby! - e.b

summary: request

evan buckley x reader

a/n: omg you always have such creative ideas! i love receiving requests so always feel free :)) 🚒 = ❤️‍🔥 i also won’t be posting as frequently for the next few weeks due to finals, but after that i’ll be posting a ton!!

buck had come over to y/n’s apartment after his shift for dinner, and the scent of thick acrylic paint and primer had stung at his nostrils. he began to love the smell, as he knew that it meant she was around. he had let himself in with his key, taking in all of the perfectly placed plants and artwork on the walls.

she had a canvas that was almost complete, with just a few finishing touches. buck had walked over to it to examine. her talent was extraordinary. he knew it was out of this world, and the way she was so proud of her pieces his made his heart swell up with love.

“hi, buck!” y/n says, beginning to walk out of the hallway from her room to her art. she was wearing a pair of dark green pants and a white t-shirt which somehow complimented her beautifully. her face had small specks of blue and red on her cheeks and black and grey streaks on her shirt. “sorry it’s such a mess in here, but doesn’t this look great?”

“no, don’t worry about the mess, but how long did that take? it’s amazing!” buck stutters a big, not being able to comprehend how art like that could come out of her hands.

“thank you, love,” she replies, taking his belongings and placing them down for him. “how was work today? anything good?”

“just a normal old day, but you know it’s the 118.”

“it is never normal at the 118,” y/n smiles and gives him a cheek kiss before going to wipe her face off. buck goes to sit down in her living room on the couch, and she follows behind him with a quick change of shirt. she placed a small pizza in the oven to cook for them, and cuddled up next to him while they told each other stories about their day.

“it was wild, y/n,” buck starts. “i mean this woman literally rose from the dead after like 15 minutes, after being under a street. oh! you’re going to love this- and we saved some puppies in a sewer.”

“oh my god, are they ok?”

“they’re all fine, but i’m not sure if we are right now.”

“what do you mean?” she asks, slowly and carefully.

“you don’t smell something burning?”

she takes a deep inhale and looks over to her smokey kitchen. it wasn’t too bad, but definitely enough to make it inedible. “shit! fuck, i forgot about it!” she says, bouncing the pan up and down while trying not to burn herself.

y/n was busy discarding of the pizza when buck looked over at her with joy. he had a cheeky smile on his face and was laughing at the forgetfulness of both of them. he looked back down in front of him and the coffee table, and he saw a book that y/n always has on her. she brings it to work, to her family, anywhere she goes, she has it. it was her beloved sketchbook, filled with hundreds of small doodles and big pieces. buck has seen a lot of things in it, admiring each one before he comes across a bookmarked section.

when he flips the pages of the book, he notices that the person that is sketched and shaded looks particularly familiar. he makes note of the sharp nose and soft, but hard jaw. he sees the famous birthmark on the side of his face. he’s never looking right on, though. he’s always focused on something or has a light grin on his face. buck knows these are of him, but he doesn’t think he had any importance to be the top drawing in her book.

y/n walks back in to greet her boyfriend, “i think we might just have to ord-“ she looks at the sketches that she had put on that paper. a heat rose up into her face, reddening her cheeks and making her feel a sense of embarrassment.

“a-are these me?” buck asks, quietly. y/n nods, slowly, praying that she didn’t make him uncomfortable and that she will see him again tomorrow. “i-um..”

“you don’t have to say anything, buck. i never meant for you to see those and if you don’t like them, i’ll never do it again i swear. you just, you’re so beautiful, buck. and i love to draw beautiful things.”

“i just don’t know what to say, these are so good. i feel like you know me more than i know myself,” he says, chuckling a bit.

“you like ‘em?”

“i love them,” buck says.

“good, i just couldnt stop myself. you are always so pretty, no matter what and i want you to know that, so i tried to convey it through this. i was going to show you eventually, but i wanted to do more.”

“why me, though? you could draw anyone,” buck asks.

“no one else is you! you might have a pretty face and all but there is really nothing more beautiful than your soul. you are filled with so much love and sweetness and i’ve been dying to find a way to show you, because you are loved, evan. i love you and i wanted to put my two favorite things together. not a day goes by where i have anything but love for you.”

suddenly, the feeling in bucks chest is rising stronger, feeling like it’s going to burst. when it does, he has strong riptides of tears in his eyes. with a pure smile on his face, he passionately leaves a kiss on her lips, and he feels loved for the first time.

growing up, his parents never showed him love. he always begged for it from everyone he knew, and now he feels like it isn’t deserved. but someone, y/n made him feel like he will forever be worthy of love. and he will never forget how she fixed him for the best.

[noodyl-blasstal]

You know when you have a stupid idea and nothing can stop you?

--

“Are you done yet?” Lup asks through gritted teeth.

“The more you ask the longer Taako’s going to take.” Taako prods her shin with his foot

“How about now?”

“Yeah, no, absolutely, glad you asked actually,  cha’boy’s completely done.”

“Really?” Lup relaxes her face. ”Lemme see!”

“No, Goofus, put your face back!”

Lup sighs, but settles back into her cross legged pose and resumes the terrifying smile. “You owe me.”

“It’s worrying how well you can enunciate like that.”

“Years of practice.” She winks at him as he peers over the canvas.

“A multi-talented muse.” Taako squints at Lup, then ducks back behind his stupid tiny easel. He should probably prop it up somewhere else, but the legs hadn’t been right when they were fully extended for years, so the sofa with some structural cushions was his studio of choice. He’s applying the last few brush strokes to the teeth when Lup starts to fidget again.

“Are you done now though?”

“Just let me…” Taako looks at Lup, back at the page, and back again. “Yeah, you’re good.”

“Can I see?”

“Taako isn’t moving it. That’s what smudged it last time.”

Lup vaults unnecessarily over the back of the sofa, then runs round to stand behind him. She takes a deep, reverent breath. “Koko… It’s glorious. Your best yet. You captured the emotions so well.”

“It’s true.” Taako nods solemnly. “Cha’boy has a gift.”

“Everything your brush touches turns to gold.” Lup rests her head on his shoulder to get a closer view. He absently rubs his cheek against hers.

“Uh huh. How many gold specifically? Like 400?”

Lup snorts. “Dream big, why not six?”

“Good point, Taako needs to remember his worth.”

“Hell yeah!” Lup stands and pats him reassuringly on the back.

“Ooooh, that’s good.” Taako grabs his brush and makes a final addition.

Lup waits for him to finish. “Perfect. You’re a genius.”

Image description: a screenshot of a Facebook marketplace post which shows a picture of a blue owl perched on a triangular black shape. The background is a dark blue sky with a large moon directly behind the owl. It is grimacing with human teeth. "hell yeah" is written in the top left of the painting. The marketplace title is "one of a kind contemporary art piece hand painted acrylic on canvas." The price is $600. Description ends.

(I saw this and immediately thought of Taako haunting the buy and sell boards with these.)

[annymation]

Okay, I know Valentine's Day just passed, but how would a Valentine's Day interaction go with Aster and Asha? What would each of them do for each other on Valentine's Day?

Sorry for the VERY late reply, haven't got much time to answer lately, and before I didn't have much inspiration for this one, but @uva124 gave me an idea, so here's a little Valentine's day story

Asha decided that for Valentine's day she'd make a painting for Aster, a painting of a field of purple aster flowers, with a beautiful night sky.

However, because she's quite the perfectionist, and not as skilled with painting as she is with drawing, she felt like the painting wasn't quite good enough no matter what she did. So for days before Valentine's day arrived she'd hide in her room trying to finish it, not letting Aster see it.

But then the day actually arrives and she loses track of time trying to finish it, before she knows it it's already close to night time

*knock knock*

"Asha? You're in there?" Aster asks worried from outside her room

"A-AH! Don't come it yet! I'm busy!" Asha has her hands and arms all covered in paint as she tries to hide her unfinished work behind a cloth

"I know, you said so earlier but... Valentine's day is almost over, do you wanna hang out?" Aster sounded a bit sad that they didn't even see each other earlier

Asha looks surprised noticing it's indeed sunset, she completely lost track of time "Oh no! Ugh I knew I should've used acrylic paint!" She says in frustration

(For those who don't know, acrylic paint dries way faster than oil paint, I'd know, I used to make oil paintings)

"What are you talking about" Aster says coming in the room, they see her covered in paint "*gasp!* You were painting!?" He smiles widely "I didn't know you knew how to draw AND paint too!"

"That's because I honestly don't know how to paint, this turned out a mess" She points to the canvas hidden behind a piece of cloth

"... Let me be the judge of that" Aster walks in and pulls out the cloth to see her art.

The night sky is full of white dots splattered around that do resemble stars, and the purple field of flowers looks quite messy because the flowers all sorta mixed together into one purple blur.

Aster looks at the canvas in awe while Asha covers her face in shame "It looks like a child made it, I'm sorry, I've wasted the whole day instead of spending time with y-"

"I LOVE IT!" Aster exclaimed hugging her tightly "It looks amazing! What do you mean "like a child made it"???"

Asha smiles at him, but she still feels insecure about the painting "I wanted it to be perfect"

They smile at her reassuringly "You don't have to be perfect, you just have to be you, and that's way more than perfect for me, okay?" he says while still hugging her

She blushes as a big smile stretches across her face, she hugs him as well "Okay heheh" she giggles a bit, feeling her heart flutter

"Now! It's my turn to give you a gift, come on!" Aster pulls her by the hand out of the room

They go to the cliff next to the tree Asha wished upon Aster

(I make a lot of romantic scenes take place next to this tree but come on it's a cool location)

They watch the sun set together, leaning on one another without really saying anything, just admiring the beautiful sight

Once the sun is gone and the stars start to appear, Asha says "That was a beautiful gift" holding Aster's hand

"Oh that wasn't my gift yet" Aster corrects her with a cheeky smile "OKAY GUYS! Do your thing!" Aster yells to the sky above them

Asha looks up, already excited to see what he got planned but... Nothing seemed to happen

"... Guys???" Aster asked the stars, already getting nervous they wouldn't do the one little favor he asked

Then, Asha sees it, a shooting star cutting through the night sky

"*Gasp!* You asked for a shooting star just for me?" Asha asks hugging his arm

Aster looks quite disappointed though "... No, I asked for a meteor shower, it was supposed to be A BUNCH of those, like come on, is throwing some asteroids around too hard???" They ask, frustrated that things didn't go as he planned

"Hehe you don't need to make a whole cosmic event happen to make me happy" She leans on their shoulder "I love just watching the sun set with you"

Aster feels his heart beating faster "And I love you"

"I love you too"

They kiss under the starry night sky.

A few more shooting stars can be seen passing by.

[harrrydubois]

CONCEPTUALIZATION - Alright, brainstorming time. Remember, this is just the ideation phase. There are no *bad* ideas.

Behold! My interpretation of VISUAL CALCULUS!! (Lie)

truth be told i tried to make it look like the original... but i dont really understand acrylics or how to mix paint so i can get my desired colour. painting is so hard and intimidating

this was meant to be a test! i want to make a big painting on canvas of one of skills. and yeah this is hard

[pvnksnotdead]

❝ close your eyes ! ❞ she had been a bit frantic about it; kept the box out of sight, despite his towering around, trying to get a peek. she knew she wanted to make something herself; she knew she didn't want to make the same thing. hobie had enough portraits and paintings hanging around.

❝ don't cheat— okay, keep them closed ... um, maybe— bend over a bit ... ❞

something presses against his lips, the gesture awkward and weird, causing felicity to stiffle a laugh. it's not a gesture that's unknown to hobie, but it lacks the expertise of someone used to that kind of stuff.

❝ at least it didn't smear. ❞ she keeps laughing once he opens his eyes, holding an opened tube of black lipstick, the box in her hand holding a few identical ones. no brand on the side.

❝ i figured you'd— you'd run out of those after a while, so, i wanted to learn how to make some. ❞ another laugh as she hands over the package. ❝ merry christmas, hobie. ❞

First thing's first, Hobie knows what he likes. He likes creativity. He likes when the maker isn't afraid to dig into places that most flinch away from. Too many artists get too comfortable. Too many artists dislike the idea of straying away from what's familiar. How many Henry Raeburns and George Stubbs does one world need? How many museums need to hold the pieces only meant for the aristocrats to look at while drinking wine more expensive than a block's worth of homes?

It's rubbish.

Hobie likes when Felicity gets her hands dirty, smeared with paint and oils and charcoals. She's in her prime when she doesn't resemble something human, hunched over her creations, seeing the world in colors that Hobie couldn't ever try to comprehend.

He's taken to being a muse, goes with the flow, let's her use him as a canvas. His lips knew the taste and texture of countless paints by now, gouache, acrylic, watercolor. Caked and layered with so many mediums, he might forget that he's a man, and think that he's a figure in her sketchbook.

She asks for him to close his eyes, Hobie obliges, smirking somewhat and tilting his head back.

" Gonna throw a mouse at me are ya? " He teases, knowing that she wouldn't do such a thing. He'd let her though. If she wanted to put shock on paper, he'd be the willing model.

Lips on lips. He knew this gesture well, liked it even more than the hairs of the paint brush that traced the curves of his mouth. Hobie cracks a grin, slouching forward the moment Felicity starts to laugh. A familiar feeling is left against his skin.

" You get me a bloody kiss for Christmas? " Hobie jokes, opening one eye and touching his bottom lip-- black makeup smudged on his fingertip.

" No kidding, you made this? " He sounds impressed, taking the lipstick tube. As he expected, it lacks any sign of packaging, no logos, no connections to corporate beauty. Clearly it was poured somewhere over a sink, carefully-- he can tell that at some point there was a shaking hand, a bubble in the liquid at the bottom of the stick.

Little imperfections made things feel human, and Hobie knew that big businesses wanted the human touch removed from their products.

This one's a winner. He takes the box, tucks it under his arm and hums thoughtfully.

" Gonna have to open all these, test 'em, you'll need to stand still real good so I can make sure they don't smudge when I use it. "

The assumption is easy to make. The only way to try out lipstick is to kiss. That's what it was for. Speaking with lips and translating thoughts without speaking; men like him with lips like his, speaking words of his own, weren't meant to sip wine from Marseille. Staining glasses bought with Sunday coupons and stored in simple cupboards suited him, leaving a part of himself on her whenever he felt the urge.

" Get you to make eyeshadow next time. "

[schvmacher47]

Rumour Has It (Pedri x artist! protagonist)

part 1!

view part 2 here ;)

read rumour has it on wattpad!

summary: Being dragged along to the studio of Sira's favourite artist, Pedri never thought he would find himself falling in love with this place or even the owner... He quickly found himself looking forward to hearing about the process of the commission his friend placed, dropping by after practice to pick up Ferran's commission and place his own, just to get another reason to see Ana again. [...]

It was a warm, bright day in early February, the clock was about to hit four in the afternoon. Ana's pants and the sleeves of her sweatshirt were covered in old, dried-off paint. She stared at the blank canvas in front of her, twisting the big paint brush between her fingers. The white canvas slowly but surely blurred with the curtained window front of her studio.

Ana sat with her back to the front door. It was a quiet day, not many people found their way into one of Barcelona's many, narrow, secluded alleys. And if they did, it was only with a certain goal in mind.Whether it was to take photos of the picturesque alleys, to go to one of the cosy cafés, restaurants or bars, or to visit her studio.

But it wasn't one of those days. And that was okay. She found the peace and quiet extremely pleasant. A welcome change from the stressful city and university life.

Sighing, Ana dipped the brush into the brown acrylic paint diluted with water. The liquid paint dripped onto the floor when she applied the brush to the canvas and spread the paint over a large area.

The former white of the canvas disappeared, the canvas was now tinted in a light brown colour. Satisfied with the new starting position, Ana reached for the magazines beside her and tore up article after article. She dipped another brush into the container filled with glue and began to randomly paste the torn articles on the canvas.

She did what she did best, let her creativity run wild. The randomly placed newspaper articles created a new depth to the canvas, creating the perfect starting point for an abstract portrait.

Even though art was a passion that required patience, patience was exactly what Ana never had when it came to waiting. Spending hours working out details on paintings? No problem. Waiting for the thin layer of paint and glue to dry? Big problem. That's why she always had a hairdryer at hand, in most cases she didn't want to deal with her impatience - The hairdryer thus became her little helper, speeding up the drying process in no time. She loved it, so she didn't lose any time and could start almost immediately with the actual sketch.

Lost in her thoughts, Ana let her pencil run over the canvas, and the initially confused lines quickly formed the shape of a female face. Carelessly, she dropped the pencil back into the bowl on her cart, which she now pulled towards her. The three-tier Ikea trolley looked like one big mess - or even a battlefield. The once white paint was adorned with colourful blobs of paint - oil and acrylic - apart from the new aluminium foil on the top surface - a kind of improvised colour palette. The lower two floors were crammed with paint tubes, sorted by oil and acrylic paint despite the chaos, containers of thinner for the oil paints and all the brushes.

Soft music accompanied the calm atmosphere in her studio as she mixed different acrylic colours and diluted them with water. The paint dripped again, on the floor, trousers, sleeves, as she spread the liquid paint with a soft brush along her sketch and on the newspaper articles.

Without a precise idea, she taped random spots on the canvas and exchanged her soft brush for a large spatula, which she generously covered with white and red acrylic paint and dragged it across the canvas.

The clock was about to hit five in the afternoon when Ana reached for the hairdryer again to dry the acrylic paint faster when she heard the door to her studio open. She rolled up her sleeves and fixed her hair before rising and walking towards the two young men that had just entered the studio.

»How can I help you?« she asked with a friendly smile on her lips. The taller of the two began to speak. »I would like to commission a painting.« – »Sure, would you like to sit down over there to discuss the details?« He nodded in agreement and dragged his buddy with him to the table in the corner.

»What do you have in mind?« she asked as she also sat down at the table and crossed her legs. She pulled a sketchpad and pencil from a drawer, placing the utensils on the table in front of her. »The whole thing is supposed to be a gift for my girlfriend, I brought you some pictures to use as templates...« He told her, spreading out some printed photos on the table. The photos showed a young woman with her horse.

»Sira adores your work! She's been talking non stop about wanting a painting of yours for ages...« he finally continued. »Oh, I'm glad to hear that.... Looking at these photos, I think we have two options here, option one would be, we keep it completely realistic, no frills, just a realistic oil painting. Option two would be a mixed media version...« She explained, meanwhile feeling the interested gaze of the other man, who had remained quiet until now, on her. »Mixed media is what?«, the aforementioned man inquired. »Mixed media is, as the name suggests, a work of art made from many different media.«

»Well, if you're saying that Sira loves her art style, then this 'mixed media' thing would probably be the best choice, right?« – »Gee, you do have brains, Pedri. Who would have thought.« – »You obviously didn't think of it yourself. At least one of us can think straight...« Ana grinned in amusement as she overheard the conversation. »I think your friend is right.« – »Ferran.« – »I think he's right, Ferran. I'd go for the mixed media version too.... Especially if she likes the style as much,« Ana said with a grin.

»I'd trust the female advice if I were you, Ferran« – »Are you questioning my decision-making ability when it comes to gifts for my girlfriend right now?« – »No, I'm just saying that you should trust the female intuition, I guess she knows what she's recommending,« Pedri gestured wildly to clarify his statement. »I can also just make a sketch and then you can still decide...« – »That sounds great, let's do it that way.«

Ana picked up her pencil, immediately starting a sketch of one of the photos that Ferran brought along. Whilst her main focus was now on the sketch, she still continued her questions regarding the painting. »How big do you want the canvas to be?« – »There's literally no need to ask Ferran that, out of all the people I know, he's the one with the worst spatial imagination.« Ana raised her head, the sketch suddenly not as important anymore. Pedri looked at his friend from the side, a wry grin on his face. Ferran just shook his head. »That's so not true!« »Oh yeah? May I remind you of the Christmas tree which was way too tall for your apartment? Or the wardrobe, which didn't fit through the front door?« – »There was literally no need to bring that up.« Ana grinned as she overheard the conversation.

She continued to run the pencil in her hand across the piece of paper, the lines slowly forming an image of the reference photo. »Sounds like a problem we can solve in no time...How about we finish setting up the order portfolio and then look at different canvases with different dimensions?« Both young men nodded in agreement, leaving Ana satisfied working on the final touches of the sketch.

»You know, this is just insane, right?« – »What?« – »This!«, he pointed at the sketch. »You did this in what? Barely five minutes.« Ana just shrugged. »It's my job, it would be very inconvenient if I wasn't able to sketch this quickly.« she mumbled and quickly put her pencil away, being satisfied with the outcome of the sketch. »So I'm right in thinking, that I'm doing a painting based on this sketch?« Ferran simply nodded, being at a loss of words.

Ana took a folder from the shelf behind her. Rummaging in her drawer, she took a ballpoint pen and started filling out her portfolio template. »Since we already have the sketch and reference photos, I'd only need your name and the date by which you need the painting. We'll discuss the price later, once we've decided on the size of the canvas.«, Ferran nodded in agreement, still having a surprised look on his face.

»It'd be great if I could pick the painting up by the end of March.« »Should we agree on the 29th?« – »That's perfect.« Ana nodded and noted the date down. »For how long have you been doing this?« »What?« – »Painting. When did you start?« – »There are photos of me painting at just the age of two, so probably even long before I could really talk. My parents told me that I'd always wanted to destroy the house... As far as I know they had to paint at least a few walls white again after I've decided to paint on them..« – »Sounds a lot like us, don't you think Ferran?« – »The destroying the house part definitely!« A wide grin spread across his face. »Care to explain?« »You don't know?« Both young men looked surprised at her. »Am I supposed to?« – »Given the fact that you live here in Barcelona, I'd say yes. At least the majority of women around your age would definitely know who we are.«, Ferran explained. »That sounds very...cocky.« – »Believe me, I wish it was different...« Pedri shook his head. »You can't have it all I guess..« – »Well I think there are a lot of guys who would enjoy all the female attention you apparently get.« – »I know, but that's just not the point of being a professional footballer...« – »Oh yeah right, I think I know who you are... At least if you're the guys my sister's boyfriend keeps talking about. And that one guy that looks like he could still be in highschool, supposedly forming the new greatest duo of all time with you, just like Xavi and Iniesta once were... I'm not much of a football fan though. Actually I’m one of those who just watches it when it's the Euros or the World Cup, so it's just what I picked up from my soon to be brother in law.« She explained, remembering how Catalina and Carlos had dragged her along to the group stage matches of the Spanish national team in Seville.

Ana just shook her head, twisting her ballpoint pen between her index and middle finger. She indeed never has been really into football, just then recognising the two young men that have found their way into her studio from all the billboards. »So your full name is?« – »Ferran Torres García.« – »Alright, we’re all set. I’d say we can have a look at the canvases now.« Ana quickly tidied up her desk, putting the order portfolio neatly away into her drawer, before she stood up and indicated them to follow her.

»I would probably opt for a rectangular format, as it kind of stretches out the painting rather than compromising it. Which is great in this case, as a square format would just compress it, it wouldn’t look great.« Ana explained, while she led the two men to her hidden storage room. »Now coming back to the spatial imagination, do you have an idea of how much wallspace you want to cover?« she asked, while she already picked out a few canvases she in general always recommended to clients. »I took a photo, we have this wall in our hallway, pretty empty so I figured we could put it there.« said Ferran, unlocking his phone to show Ana the photo he took of his hallway. She had a quick look at it, immediately getting a feeling for the space that should be covered. »How about something like this?« she grabbed a canvas from her storage shelf, putting it on her spare easel. »This is 1,40 metres wide and 1,20 metres tall. Normal wall height is at least 2,50 metres, so it’s not taking up too much space, while still covering up the empty space without being too bulky. « »Sounds… great?« – »I told you he has literally no idea!«, exclaimed Pedri from the other end of the small storage room. He had subconsciously moved off to the other hand and found himself looking at paintings which Ana had stored for her next exhibition. Still amazed by the works of art he’d just seen, he slowly returned, slightly shaking his head in disbelief.

»This is just insane…«

[randomscropio]

Migraines

This is an Inanimate Insanity fanfic one-shot. This was not a request, I just had an idea to do a fic like this late at night and couldn't stop thinking about it. The fic is based on the migraines my mom has and my younger brother ("brother a") sometimes has. I also sometimes get headaches, so I am self-projecting onto Paintbrush (just a little bit, tho).

Warnings: Migraines and headaches (that's literally what the fic is based around), pain, nausea, hiding pain, time blindness, art block, misgendering (by accident), panic attacks (mentioned), anxiety, medication, guilt (but it isn't put into the character by another character. The character with guilt just feels guilty), Lightbrush (Lightbulb x Paintbrush), Painbrush (Paintbrush experiencing pain/Paintbrush angst)

Paintbrush woke up, opened their eyes, and stood up. Their vision tunneled, and they could barely stand without wobbling. There was also a tight pain around their head, like a tight wrap around it. Their vision went back to normal, and the tight pain faded after a moment. This experience was normal for them. It typically happened when they stood up. Well, at least this time, it wasn't a migraine because that would be bad.

...

They didn't know how much time had passed since they had that headache at the beginning of the day (because they were time blind), but their head was hurting again. And they felt nauseous. What was worse was that they were hosting an art class.

Great, just great, I'm having a freaking migraine! At the perfect time! They thought sarcastically.

The thing about Paintbrush is that when they got a migraine they would typically also get really bad art block, they hate this fact because they like to paint and draw a lot, and their migraines came at random and were frequent.

"Wow, Paintbrush, your canvas sure is blank! And you're not talking. Shouldn't you be demonstrating what we're supposed to do?" Suitcase asked.

"Oh, right, sorry! I just got a bit distracted."

"By what?" Testube asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Thoughts," Paintbrush said, deadpan.

"Oh, okay then! So what are we doing, Mrs. Pa- sorry, Mx. Paintbrush?"

Paintbrush expected to be accidentally misgendered and didn't mind it. They had just recently come out, after all.

The pain in their head got worse and worse. That's when they noticed that they forgot to get the other painting supplies. "First, I have to go grab some stuff! I'll be right back." They said, grabbing their medicine and walking to the storage room.

They took some pills before the paint fumes made everything worse. They grabbed some thick tubes of acrylic paint. They also grabbed some paintbrushes (both big and small), painting sponges, paper plates (they used the plates as paint pallets so that they didn't have to wash any paint pallets), and a bottle of modpog (which is used to make sure that paintings and paint coats don't get damaged). They walked out of the room and set everything down on their desk.

They gave everyone a paper plate, a few different-sized paintbrushes, and a couple of panting sponges.

"Alright, class! Today we're going to do some abstract art. Get the paint that you'll need and just paint different colored shapes, don't think about or plan it. It's like improv in acting except for painting, drawing..." Paintbrush paused, realizing how long they had been speaking, "you get my point, right?"

"Yeah, I think we all got it, Painty! You're pretty good at explaining anyway!" Lightbulb said in her cheerful tone, which she usually had at least a hint of.

Everyone got their paints and started to paint. Paintbrush supervised everyone, making sure that everyone was okay. One hand foot rose into the air, shakily, and fell back down after two seconds. Paintbrush immediately knew who it was. Paintbrush approached a fidgety Suitcase.

"Do you need anything?" Paintbrush asked softly, they knew what the answer was but wanted Suitcase to get in the habit of saying what her problems were.

"I um, have to leave. I didn't take my anxiety meds and well..."

"Yes, I'm fine. Go take your medicine. I don't need you to have another panic attack here, especially only after a few days from the last one." They said with a slight chuckle that they immediately regretted.

"You can go." They said. The pain in their head made them slightly wince.

"A-are you okay?"

Suitcase didn't seem to mind though, since a small laugh came from her. She hopped down and walked out of the classroom.

...

Paintbrush looked at the finished and signed pieces. They were all amazing, despite what some of the artists thought of their own work.

"Great job everyone! It looks like you all have the hang of it! You may go now." They dismissed the class, hoping no one would stay so that they could dim the way too bright, fluorescent lights that only worsened the pain in their head, and put their head on their desk.

But, of course, someone stayed. Oddly enough, that someone was Suitcase.

"Hey, um Paintbrush?" Her voice was soft and quiet like she knew how much pain they were in, "um. Are you actually okay?"

Paintbrush nodded, "I'm fine, Suitcase! Really! Just a little tired." They said, trying not to cry from the pain in their head.

Please leave already.

"Oh, um, okay, then. That's all. I'll go now." She said.

Paintbrush sighed as soon as she left, cleaned up the materials, and grabbed the pieces to hang them up. They felt lightheaded, oh no, not this again.

They lay on the ground, squeezing their eyes shut, until they didn't feel lightheaded anymore. They got up and quickly hung up the pieces, then dimmed the lights. The pain continued and a few tears slipped from Paintbrush's eyes. They sat on the ground, pulled their knees up to their chest, buried their head in their knees, and softly cried. They didn't care if someone came in, at this point they couldn't control it, and they couldn't stop crying, even if they wanted to.

...

They got up and went to their room, their eyes were bloodshot and they were exhausted, they opened the door to their and Lightbulb's room (Lightbulb and Paintbrush now shared a room with eachother) and flopped on their bed.

"Hey, Painty, you okay?"

Paintbrush groaned in response.

"I'll take that as a no. What's botherin' you?"

They looked at the Lightbulb and sighed. "Migraine." They explained in one word.

"Did you take your meds?"

"Yes, I took my medicine. It didn't help very much."

Lightbulb clicked her tongue, "I'm sorry, I know that the lights can make it worse."

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Paintbrush said, unlike me...

"Well, why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I knew I'd get through it."

"Well, I'm here for you!"

"Thanks."

[aromantisk-fagforening]

I kinda wanna give acrylic painting a try tomorrow. I have an annoyingly empty wall and a canvas to spare (and I want to get better at acrylic painting) so why not. The only thing is that I don't have many ideas.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I mostly do character based art, so keep that in mind but yeah. (Lavendertowne and Jazza are big inspirations for me).

[tzaraat]

Thank you for answering my previous ask. I’m getting into drawing/painting - What would you suggest for someone interested in starting oil painting? Like, videos/books/general tips? Sorry for an annoying big question like that, I’m just a little lost and wary about wasting materials

first of all, good luck, i hope you have fun :)

second of all, this is not authoritative - just what works for me, and i don't have formal training. another disclaimer is that i am not personally too concerned with archivability, which means i am unbothered by the idea of my paintings and drawings warping and degrading over time.

the actual advice is under the cut.

supplies:

oil paints are expensive. if you know someone who used to paint, or still does, and can give you their old stuff - that will be the most economical (and most convenient) way. if you don't have something like that, i recommend going for cheap, but decent-quality materials. get everything at a small-medium size, it will last you a relatively long time - and replace things as needed.

linseed oil and turpentine (mineral spirits also works) are gonne create your medium and let you clean your brushes. go to an art store and get a container of each. i have half-litre containers which i have been using for the past 3 years and are not yet done. you don't need to replace them that often.

paints

if you already paint in another medium (acrylic, gouache, watercolor, etc), and have a base of pigments you're comfortable working with - get the equivalent oil paints. try to narrow down your list - 5-10 pigments.

if you are on a limited budget, get a basic kit - one of those 8-tubes in a cardboard box things. make sure you have a dark blue and a dark brown in there. you don't need black. i would aim for something with two blues, two browns, two yellows, two reds. also get a tube of titanium white.

if you prefer picking individual pigments and don't know where to start, these are basic ones i like:

titanium white, burnt umber, raw umber, yellow ochre, cadmium yellow, cadmium red, magenta, prussian blue, cerulean blue. you don't need all of them, just make sure you have at least one from each color family, and that some of them are dark.

get 37ml tubes at the largest. if you like it and run out, you can replenish your kit. most people use white a lot - get a larger tube of that one, or two small ones.

my main pallette is this one: titanium white, burnt umber, raw umber, burnt sienna, raw sienna, yellow ochre, cadmium yellow, lemon yellow, naples yellow, cadmium red, alizarin crimson, magenta, ultramarine blue, prussian blue, phthalo blue, cerulean blue. if you buy all of these at once, they will cost a fortune. don't do it unless you're super rich or someone else is paying. acquire paints over time.

substrates

the common substrates for oils are canvas or wood. that said, you can paint on other things - paper, glass, metal, whatever - you just need to prepare them first.

i paint a lot in my sketchbook. this isn't necessarily a great idea unless you can predict how long it takes for stuff to dry, and other things of that nature.

regardless of your substrate, if you are just beginning, aim for things around the size of an A3 sheet of paper. this is large enough to give you space, but is not overwhelming. you can go a little smaller, but - at least at the beginning - no smaller than A4.

if you already have a preferred size of work, or once you get the sense that some size is the most comfortable for you, go for that one. i'm usually a large-canvas artist, but those are hard to fit through the door. i know people who rarely if ever paint or draw anything larger than an A4 sheet of paper. your mileage may vary.

because you will be preparing your substrate anyway, this can be the place to cut costs. high quality substrates are nicer to work on, and are better for archival purposes - but you can paint on anything, shitty canvas included. try to get non pre-gessoed canvas, though.

if you get paper, default to something relatively heavy. 300gsm is standard watercolor paper weight - if you're going to be oil painting, and you don't want it to warp, this is the ballpark. don't get high quality watercolor paper if you're gonna paint with oil or acrylic though - get a different heavy paper.

if you want to work on an unprimed substrate, test it before you begin. if you work on a porous one, like wood or paper, the oil will seep in. if you work on a smooth one, like glass or metal, you might have to rough it up so the paint adheres. in any way, this is not great for longevity - but you don't have to care sbout longevity.

gesso

get white acrylic gesso. not a huge container, unless you're gonna be doing it a LOT. also get a large, square brush, like for painting houses - this is your gesso brush. it's ok if it gets kind of shitty over time. if you are bothered by textured substrates, also get some sandpaper.

if gesso is too expensive, or you can't find any, get white acrylic paint. it will do the same job. get something cheap.

brushes:

if you already paint, use those (or buy doubles, if you don't feel like washing brushes all of the time). if you don't, buy some that are sold as a set, they tend to be cheaper. get decent quality - you don't want them shedding on your painting all the time.

clean-up:

get a rag, your turpentine or mineral spirits, and an all-purpose soap bar (the kind that's good for stain removal). don't pour stuff down the drain - you're using toxic materials, and oils clog up pipes.

general:

you'll need rags and a few jars.

get a pallette - can be any flat, smooth surface. i used to use a bath tile i picked up on the street. now i use the surface of my desk. you can use anything, just make sure it's large enough.n

the process of painting

priming and preparation:

if just acrylic gesso: with your big brush, spread gesso to cover the canvas, preferably with your strokes going in one direction. try to create even coverage. i usually do two to five layers, letting the gesso dry in between my second layer has brushstrokes perpendicular to the first. the texture will be somewhat plastic-y.

if ground: mix gesso with modeling paste. spread evenly across the surface with a brush, using the same perpendicular layers as when using just acrylic gesso. smooth between layers with the edge of a razor. the texture should resemble an eggshell.

if you're very traditional, you'll make and use a rabbit skin glue gesso. that is far too expensive for me.

gesso typically dries between 30 minutes and an hour. leave it to dry COMPLETELY before painting - you don't want moisture getting in your paint.

for general preparation, fill a jar about a fourth-or-third of the way with linseed oil. fill another jar with your turpentine. lay the paints on your pallette - i like having them around the edge, with similar pigments grouped together. you do whatever is comfortable for you.

open a window! you're working with toxic materials, and solvents fume. ideally, don't do it in your bedroom. (i paint in my windowless bedroom. do as i say, not as i do).

oil painting- general notes:

most people paint with a mixture of oil and solvents. if you want to create a medium, mix linseed oil with turpentine. use more oil than turpentine (2:1 or 3:1 ratio, usually, depending on many factors, just play with it until you figure it out).

i personally use linseed oil almost exclusively, and reserve turpentine pretty much only for underpainting and cleanup. the downsides are that it dries relatively slowly and that it yellows easily. the upsides are that i'm used to this method and that oil does not fume the way many solvents do.

many people will tell you you should paint fat-over-lean, thick-over-thin, slow-over-fast. all three "rules" serve the same purpose - they try to make sure that, as the painting "dries" (oxidizes) and its surface deforms, it does not lose structural integrity (e.g. by cracking). the main principle is that, if you work in layers, you want your top layers to remain flexible as the bottom layers dry. "fat" paint means paint mixed with oil or medium. "lean" paint means paint with solvent mixed into it. fast-drying pigments include most earth tones, slow-drying pigments include most jewel tones.

oil painting - common techniques:

many people paint alla prima. this means your painting does not dry between layers. your initial layers should be loose, thin and lean - ideally semitransparent washes. the top layers should be the most vivid and opaque, with the most tonal range - highlights and deep shadows go last. working alla prima, you also have the option of taking paint away from your canvas - don't be afraid to experiment with scratching it with the blunt end of your brush or with a pallette knife. account for mixing on the canvas by making the color on your pallette more vivid, and load the brush heavily.

if you let your painting dry between layers, there are many classical techniques. mix and match between those as you see fit. you can use as many or as few layers as you like.

regardless of specific technique, people usually go through these stages:

graphic layer - this is the process of establishing your drawing on your substrate.

underpainting: there are many styles of underpainting, like imprimatura, verdaccio and grisaille. for imprimatura, you apply a wash of colour (in a warm earth tone) to the canvas, then rub out the light areas and darken the shadows. some add white for the highlights for a fuller tonal range. for verdaccio, the monochromatic underpainting is done in a greenish/yellowish grey (mixture of black, white and yellow pigment). in flemish painting, a verdaccio layer is done (usually in tempera) over the imprimatura background, and neutralises it. in grisaille, the painting is fully rendered in a neutral monochrome (unlike the warm imprimatura and greenish verdaccio), including fully developed highlights and shadows, and detail work.

color: color layers may fully cover the underpainting, or be transparent enough to allow it to it show through. usually, more opaque color is applied for highlights, whereas shadow areas reveal the underpainting by being relatively transparent.

glazes: transparent layers that tone the previous, more opaque ones.

in principle, oil paints tend toward some level of transparency. usually, the very surface of the painting will be primarily a transparent film - with the pigment sitting at the bottom. glazes explicitly utilise the transparency in order to create depth and luminosity. the process of glazing is similar to that of watercolor painting.

wait for the painting to be dry to the touch before applying the next layer.

after your painting is completely finished and dry (this can take a very long time), a varnish can seal and protect it.

ON THE USE OF BLACK: some people prefer using a black pigment, like ivory black. personally, i mostly use chromatic black - a mix of dark blue and brown, which creates the effect of black without use of black pigment. i prefer this way because it allows me to easily change the tonality of my black tones, and push them towards blue or red as i see fit. a mix of prussian blue and burnt umber creates a very deep and versatile black tone.

cleanup:

wash your brushes in the linseed oil, then dry them with a rag. wash in turpentine and dry with a rag until they no longer leave a stain. now get a jar with water and your all-purpose soap bar. clean your brushes using soap and water until completely clean. leave them to dry. do not use brushes which are not yet fully dry for oil painting.

close the jars containing your linseed oil and your turpentine (and medium, if you made some). unlike with watercolors, you do not need to replace your oil once it gets dirty. the pigments sink to the bottom, and you can later use them for glazes and washes. do not pour the water down the drain. it is your choice how to dispose of waste - personally, i wait until it gets too dirty, then evaporate it and get rid of the solids alongside any pallette shavings i may have.

if you still have fresh paint on your pallette, and are not going to be using it soon, you can store it in a box in your freezer to keep it fresh. if that is not an option, store it in a cool and dark place, like a cupboard. if you take your paint out of the freezer, make sure there is no condensation on it when you start working, so that you don't introduce moisture into your oils.

it is generally speaking a good idea to try and avoid getting your hands dirty with oils, because some of the pigments are toxic, as is turpentine. it's at your discretion to decide how much you care about that. i work with my hands a lot and don't care. conversely, i have friends who glove up.

resources:

i don't really watch youtube videos on painting, because most of the popular channels annoy me. if you want to learn a specific technique, there are good videos out there - they usually have less than 10000 views.

as for textbooks, i go for ones that get into specific artists' methodologies. alternatively, research papers. there are also useful books from academies, that have exercises in them.

experimentation is crucial for learning a medium. use it a lot. it's ok to waste SOME materials - it's very likely your first pieces will be kind of bad.

if it scares you to work on a designated canvas, say it's a sketch in preparation for a different painting. prime it roughly, and set yourself a time limit. you can always paint over a pre-existing painting. it's fine.

if you want to paint realistic works, you will have to also practice your skills of drawing and of observation. i'm always a proponent of working from real life rather than from an image, though of course it's a legitimate and enjoyable technique. i also like working from video reference and moving models, but that can be hard for some people.

if you want to paint abstract works, experimentation is your friend. familiarise yourself with the intricacies of the paint and its application, and play with it and your substrates. work a lot on your compositional skills. train your eye to decide what you like and dislike by metrics independent of how much a piece visually represents any specific object. express concepts - philosophical, emotional, visual, whatever - through abstract forms. get really into color and light.

if you have any other questions, feel free to ask. i can't currently think of anything else i would go over before starting to paint. just please don't kill your entire paycheck by buying supplies, there is always a good chance that you can get something for cheap or for free by just asking around or experimenting. there might also be programs around where you live in community centres or something where they teach painting, who will let you maybe borrow materials or something. if you can worm your way out of paying, by any means that don't get you in major trouble, that's better.