Questions regarding painting -

[Autumnx]

I hope I'm posting this in the right section.

As of recent, I've decided to get back into artwork, and the first media my mind comes across is paint. I've wanted to paint a portrait for quite some time, so I begin sketching everything out, I start painting it... and I'm thinking... ...how do I ..make this..exact color I see in the photo? It's far harder than taking the mouse cursor around on a digital art color scale and just selecting a color. (Which I'm a bit used to digital art.)

..Instead of wasting anymore time, or paint, I figured I'd ask here. I figure maybe someone new a website that showed exact color charts/ how to figure out how to get the exact right blend of colors. I'm using acrylics since I wanted to test my skills.. since I've never ever ever painted anything... and the only colors I possess are the primaries, white, and black.

...Also since acrylics dry so fast, does anyone have any tips toward giving the area a blend-like effect? I figure, hey, I could paint something, then run a dry brush from the paint... but it seems to dry far too fast. ... or if that doesn't work, then maybe I could use a bit more paint and that seems to work (Sort of).. but I feel as if I'm missing something huge that's so simple.

I honestly know nothing of painting other than what I'm trying to figure out myself.

[Autumnx]

Actually I think I just figured out how to read proper mixtures by the RBG numbers on MS Paint... I'm such a nerd.

[Telephonoscope]

I've never painted, so I could be wrong, but I think it's not ever possible to get the exact color you see, because of shadows and highlights. The best thing to do is to get the tones right. Once the tones are right, you don't have to worry about exact color because the eyes will still see the painting as being "correct". From that point, you can work on getting your colors as perfect as they can be, assured that your painting will look good no matter what colors you choose.

Also, acrylics are known for drying fast. It might be a good idea to work with oils first since they take a lot longer to dry, and work your way up to speed painting with acrylics.

[dpaint]

get a spray bottle and spray a little water on your acrylics to kep them wet longer. There are also mediums you can buy that retard the drying time.

For blending we would use a makeup brush; you paint the two passages you want to blend and then fan it lightly with the makeup brush to blend it.
this acrylic illustration was done that way.
Of course you can always buy an airbrush and paint it that way but they are expensive.