Is it okay to use a ruler in art? (Or is it cheating?)

I was sitting at my drawing desk and was thinking if it is okay to use a ruler in the artwork I was about to do. I needed to do a speedy sketch but the straight lines drove me crazy. Something I read in an online community also came to my mind. According to that … Read more

Mixing water with acrylic paint: Best ratios explained

Once you started using acrylic paint, one of the first questions that may come to mind is whether to mix water with it or not. I will be answering that question in this article using my own experience as well as the experiments done by acrylic paint manufacturers. In general, acrylic paint can be thinned … Read more

How long does gesso take to dry? (With influencing factors)

We artists get a little impatient when waiting for the gesso to dry. You might wonder how long it will take. I thought of sharing my own experience with gesso drying time as well as of other artists. In general, the first coat of gesso takes 1 hour and each additional layer takes 20 minutes … Read more

Do you need to do the background first in a painting?

You might get the reference photo and think about starting the painting, but from where do you start? This is the thought of almost all the newbies including myself when starting on painting. You might wonder if it would be better to start painting the background first. In general, with all art mediums like acrylic, … Read more

Can you eat acrylic paint? (the truth about “nontoxic”)

Sometimes totally unexpected things can happen to artists, like accidental ingestion of acrylic paint. Maybe your child has eaten those bright, beautiful colored acrylic paint or the total in the art zone artists might have drunk the acrylic paint water. In either case, let’s see if it is safe to eat acrylic paint. It is … Read more

Fixing a messed-up acrylic painting: what you need to know

Every acrylic artist whether it is a professional, hobbyist, or a total newbie makes mistakes. The best thing is that it is much easier to fix mistakes with acrylic paint, even if you messed up the whole painting. Here is how you can fix a messed-up acrylic painting. In general, Wet acrylic paint can be … Read more

11 Best things to strip and remove acrylic paint

Acrylic paint is a versatile and safe art material. However, you might need to strip and remove acrylic paint when you got paint somewhere that you don’t want. In that case, you can use several liquids and materials depending on your situation to strip and remove acrylic paint. Acrylic paint can be stripped and removed … Read more

What is cheating in art? (Everything you need to know)

There is so much buzz and controversy around the topic of ‘cheating in art’ to the point no one knows a clear answer. Here is my answer to the question of ‘what is cheating in art’ considering both the ethical and legal implications of the matter. There is no such thing as cheating in the … Read more

Why is acrylic paint too thick? (and how to fix it)

You might have got new acrylic paint and it may feel too thick. Also, may have found find that some of your old acrylic paints are thicker and chunkier. The thick consistency is usually harder to paint with unless you are doing an impasto-style painting. So why has acrylic paint become too thick? Acrylic paint … Read more