About
Acrylic Painting for Beginners is a free collection of acrylic painting lessons for adults who are just starting out. The lessons explain how the paint behaves, which few supplies are worth having, and how to finish small, achievable paintings one clear step at a time.
What the site covers
- Starting guides that explain how acrylic paint behaves, how thick to mix it and which early mistakes are easy to fix.
- Easy paintings with every step spelled out, such as a sunset over dark hills and a single pear.
- Techniques covered one at a time: blending, layering, dry brush, stippling, texture, gradients and clean edges.
- Flowers and landscapes built from simple shapes: daisies, poppies, skies, trees and hills painted back to front.
- Color mixing from a few tubes, including a mixing chart you make with your own paints.
- Supplies and practice: brushes, surfaces and palettes described by type, plus short drills that build brush control.
If you have never painted with acrylics, begin with Acrylic Painting for Beginners: Where to Start, then read the starter kit guide and the guide to paint consistency. The easy sunset painting is a good first canvas. Every lesson is listed on the Tutorials page.
How the lessons are written
The site is published by a small editorial team under the name Acrylic Painting for Beginners. Each lesson covers one painting or one skill from start to finish, in the order you would work at the table: what to set out, what to paint first, how long to let a layer dry and what to do when something goes wrong.
The subjects are original. Every scene, flower and still life was designed for its lesson, and none is a copy of an existing painting. You are encouraged to change the colors, the size and the composition and to make each painting your own.
Paints, brushes and surfaces are described by type, such as a 1 inch flat brush, a canvas panel or titanium white, and never by brand, so you can use what you already own. Measurements are given in inches with metric equivalents in parentheses.
The pictures on this site are original illustrations drawn for each lesson. They are diagrams, not photographs of finished paintings, and they are there to show a stage, a brushstroke or a color relationship. Your painting will not look exactly like the illustration, and it does not need to.
What you can rely on
- No sponsored content and no paid product placements. No lesson was written to sell a product.
- No invented reviews, ratings or testimonials.
- Time estimates are approximate. How long a painting takes depends on your paint, your room and how much practice you have had.
- Color recipes are described by what to look for, not by exact ratios, because tubes of the same color name differ from one maker to the next.
Who the lessons are for
The lessons are written for adult beginners: people picking up a brush for the first time, people coming back to painting after many years, and anyone who wants a calm, structured way to practice. No drawing skill is assumed and nothing has to be printed or traced.
Sensible habits at the painting table
- Follow the label. Read the label on every paint, medium and varnish you use, and follow its instructions for use, storage and disposal.
- Ventilate for varnish and sprays. Use varnish and any spray product in a well-ventilated room or outdoors.
- Keep paint away from food. Do not eat or drink at the painting table, and do not use your water jars, palettes or brushes for food afterwards.
- Keep materials away from small children. Store paints, mediums and small items out of their reach.
- Protect your space. Acrylic paint cleans up with water while it is wet but is hard to remove from clothes and furniture once dry, so cover the table and wear old clothes.
Corrections and suggestions
If a step is unclear, a color mix does not work as described or a link is broken, please tell us through the Contact page. Mention the name of the lesson and the step number so the problem can be found quickly. Corrections are always welcome.