by Stella Coles

Created on: October 25, 2009   Last Updated: October 29, 2009

Acrylics have been around since the 1950s/60s. They are made from fine-ground pigment particles suspended in water and bound with a form of plastic. Have a read of the tips below and maybe you'll find that you want to give them a go. They're so easy to use and I love them. You don't need to spend a fortune to get started. You can find cheap ranges in art shops, but I find the Galeria range are good for starting off with. Use heavy duty watercolor paper or canvas, although you can paint on wood or canvas boards.

I find it an advantage that the paints dry very quickly. It means that if you make a mistake, you can paint over the layer of paint underneath without it mixing with the new paint. Make sure you keep a large container of water nearby. You'll need to make sure that you wash you brushes regularly or keep them in water because if the paint dries on them, they'll be ruined. As acrylics are water - based though, they only need to be cleaned with water, and there's no smell of turps.

You can use acrylics straight from the tube or you can mix them with water to thin them. If you want to make a wash use only a small amount and thin it with water. If I want to create a mist over the sea for instance, I use white watered down quite considerably. When applying it, take your wet brush and apply it generously over the area. The next part needs to be done very quickly because you don't want the paint to dry too quickly.Take your wet cloth and work from left to right blending the wash as you go. It's better to use a weak wash because you can always apply one with a denser consistency later. It gives a wonderful effect if done correctly. It's slightly nerve-racking, as the fear of ruining your painting can be there at first, but don't worry. Keep your cloth wet and rub from left to right and you should get the required effect.

As the colors in acrylics are quite vivid, I sometimes use emulsion paint as well. As this is water based, I can add more water to give a wash effect. It gives a more subtle hue. Brushes and palette knives can be used. Sable brushes are good quality but are expensive and can be easily ruined. You can get different shapes of nylon and bristle brushes from art shops which work really well for acrylics. I find that cheap, bristle brushes bought from DIY stores for home decorating work really well. They don't leave any brush marks.

Let me go through the process of one of my seascapes as an example. First of all gather your things; canvas or watercolor

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