The process of learning to paint can be a long road lined with frustration. Art teachers know this and have tried for many years to help students through laborious learning of various techniques. Mastering the art of applying paint with a thin brush requires fine muscle control. It also requires the painter to know exactly what they are painting and how much paint needs to be applied. There are ways to help the beginner learn to paint without quite as much struggle.
For many years, paint-by-numbers sets have been available to the general public. These were mostly oil based paints. The painting surface, a board, had a drawing on it with numbered sections. Each number corresponded to a color of paint. The object with these sets was to match up the colors and place them in all the correctly numbered spots. Once the entire board was covered, it became a complete oil painting for the hobbyist to hang on the wall. This was an easy way for people to enjoy painting without stumbling through the mechanics of the process.
Another method is to use canvas and teach painting with a less demanding paint such as acrylics. By drawing the basic form of the painting on the board, the student does not need to worry about creating the shape or form of the subject. The teacher has only to teach the student how to do basic painting. Acrylic paints are a perfect medium for teaching color mixing. This enables the teachers to impart basic knowledge in this area of painting. As students advance, they can begin learning more techniques along the way. Fast drying acrylics also mean a student can take their painting home the same day and proudly show their friends and family their creative work.
Successfully painting works of art is a long process that requires a great deal of knowledge. There are now ways to make the learning process less painful for the student. Incorporating these techniques will gently ease students into the more difficult parts of learning to create art while giving them practice with the manual techniques of production
