Hints and warnings In this book boxes with a lightbulb contain handy hints for making your artwork even better Boxes with exclamation marks give safety warnings and other important advice ARTSY IDEAS All you need to create fantastic paintings drawings collages and other artsy projects are a few basic art skills and lots of imagination This book shows you all kinds of easy techniques and tips to bring out your artistic side What Is Art Art is a way of expressing yourself by creating something It could be a painting sketch model or something completely different it’s up to you Some art looks beautiful and some aims to shock or surprise Images can be amazingly realistic or dramatically distorted Mastering the skills in this book will help you discover what kind of art you want to make Two common types of art are portraits of people and still life paintings of flowers and other objects Some artists experiment with shapes and colors to create abstract art 4
Getting Started Create your own personal space for art projects whether it’s on the kitchen table or in a spare room Protect surfaces with newspaper or plastic tableclothes wear an apron or old clothes and collect all the equipment you need before you begin Don’t rush your work and remember to clean up afterwards Art supplies may include tubes bottles and brushes Store them somewhere safe SUPER FACTS Many modern artists create works called installations that involve viewers by including elements such as sculpture film music and lighting The earliest art was prehistoric drawings on cave walls showing animals and patterns These prehistoric hand paintings were found in Patagonia 5
PAINTING BASICS There is a huge range of art materials you can buy but the three easiest paint types to use are watercolors poster paints and acrylics Buy a cheap set of each and see which you prefer What to Use Watercolors come in tubes or blocks and are used for landscapes or delicate patterns see pages 8 9 Poster paints come in squeezy bottles or paintboxes and can cover big areas with bold colors Acrylics are fast-drying paints in tubes that are good for painting details or decorating models Watercolors are often sold in boxes that have space for mixing colors Use acrylic paints straight from the tube or mix them with water to paint a wash Oil Paints Many artists use oil-based paints because they dry slowly so there is time to rework sections and blend colors They’re tricky for beginners and also contain solvents that some people are allergic to Which Brush Buy fat bristly brushes for poster paint plus thinner pointy brushes for watercolor or acrylic details Clean them with soap and warm water rinsing until all the paint is gone Lay them flat to dry Acrylic paint is water-resistant when dry so wash your brushes right away and try not to get paint on your clothes 6
Color Choices Look at a color wheel to help you choose or mix colors for painting There are three primary colors red yellow and blue These can be mixed to make other shades which are called secondary colors Similar colors are side by side on the wheel The opposite colors are called complementary colors Poster Paint Patterns Here’s a great way to experiment with color Choose similar colors to create subtle shades and shadows or complementary colors so that each color stands out primary colors To darken a color mix in a little of its complementary color 1 Stick crisscrossing strips of masking tape on colored card stock 2 Cover with poster paint and leave to dry then carefully peel off the tape 3 Stick on new tape strips that overlap the painted squares Paint with a different color 4 When the paint is dry peel off the tape How do your colors look together 7
