Questions on Acrylic paints/brushes/palettes for human figure work

[mambo]

Besides doing a lot of lurking here since I've become a member (a very short time)... I've actually been getting things ready to get back to doing some paintings in acrylic.

Only this time I wanted to make a break from the prior method of painting -err... which was... if worked out and looked good then I'd put the brushes down for a while and rest on my laurels... which wasn't too far from when a painting didn't work out... where my method was then to curse my inability and get lazy and step away from the paints... either way... a lose/lose situation for improving.

So... this time I've prepped by doing some reading on skin tone palettes and how some portrait artists go about painting portraits... example - the book by:

Painting Beautiful Skin Tones with Color and Light
in oil, pastel and watercolor

Author: Chris Saper
Publisher: David & Charles
ISBN#: 0 7153 1266-9

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1581801637/ref=ase_artshowcom-20/102-8528927-3682559?s=books&v=glance&n=283155&tagActionCode=artshowcom-20

the index so you get an idea of where she's coming from:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/sitbv3/reader/ref=sib_dp_top_toc/102-8528927-3682559?ie=UTF8&pageID=S00D&asin=1581801637#reader-link


Some might agree with me that one can go to the library and find volumes of books on how to paint and do portraits - and that's fine and well until you start flipping through them and find that most of the work is total crap.
This book seems to be a bit different and she lays down a very good structure for delving into portrait painting.

Anyhow - so I dug out the paints and a bunch of canvas paper and will dig in... but it got me to thinking... having been so tied up in pencils and markers for such a long time with most of the realization of the final pieces being in Photoshop... I wondered what everyone else was working with in terms of brushes and colors... here is a short list of questions:

1) Can anyone give me a quick idea of what sorts of brushes they find usual for human figure and portrait work in acrylic?

2) What about a rough idea of your skin tone palettes?

3) What is your preferred surface/base (eg. canvas/paper/masonite etc.)?

I will eventually start another thread where I post the progession from the first painting through the current one and ask for some feedback.

Best regards,
Mambo

[Bendragon]

Hey there Mambo.
1) Id recommend starting off with a small set of brushes that includes a flat brush, round brush and a fine one for details. The brush size really depends on the size of your work. And different hairs apparently has little differance. Then you can slowly build up your brushes as you feel you need to expand whilst painting.

2) Havent done that many paintings of people but I know that buying already made skin tone paints are a bad idea. I'd go with the standard cadmium yellow, ochres, cadmium red, burnt sienna and experiment with different mix and layers with them.

3) As a beginner I'd say use papers and cards. Canvas is good but they could be expensive and I would practice on something cheaper before you decide to use canvases.

Hope that helps and good luck!

[Elwell]

1) Can anyone give me a quick idea of what sorts of brushes they find usual for human figure and portrait work in acrylic?
For acrylics, you want synthetics. Hog bristle gets unpleasantly floppy when used with waterbased paints, and acrylics will totally ruin sables unless you take scrupulously good care of them (which you won't). As for sizes/shapes, to start out get a big flat, a bunch of medium flats, a few small flats, and a smallish (but not tiny) round. What big, medium, and small actually mean will depend on what scale you are comfortable working.

[Flake]

1) Can anyone give me a quick idea of what sorts of brushes they find usual for human figure and portrait work in acrylic?
Cheap synthetics, makes it much less painful when you accidentally let acrylic dry on the brush.

[mambo]

Thanks for the replies peeps...
I've mucked my way through the first one..not too shabby... but no Rembrandt either. :rendered:

I'll work on them a bit and then post some up for some crits.