How To Set Up Your Painting Workspace & Control Your Brushstrokes
Awesome Brush Control
Getting organised before you dive into opening all your tubes of paint is a great way to make the whole process of painting a lot more fun.
Setting Up To Paint On A Table
When you know where things are on your table, you can easily grab what you need without having to think about it too much. Instead of worrying where your yellow paint is, or where to find your rag, it frees up all that brain space and allows room for your intuition to guide you through the actual process of painting itself.
I’m right handed, so this is how I set up my painting area on a table. If you’re left handed, you’d need to mirror this arrangement. This set up is great if you’re working on small to medium sized paintings, however if you’re working on something larger, I’d paint it hanging on the wall so I could move my whole body around it and be more expressive.
Sometimes working on a table is a lovely relaxing way to work though, so here are my best tips. Your set up will vary depending on the style, and size, of painting you’re doing, but these basic tips are handy to know!
Handy Tips For Setting Up To Paint On A Table
Having a rag in front of my container of water means I can dry my brush as soon as I take it out from washing it.
It’s handy to have the water on my right as it stops me from dribbling water across my page when I’ve washed my brush.
The palette is also on my right so I don’t place my arm across my wet page or canvas when I’m mixing colours.
If you’re planning on thinning down your paints or mixing glazes, it’s a good idea to have your ice-cube tray handy, along with either a sauce bottle of clean water or a glaze medium to easily squeeze into the tray and mix with your paints.
A spare rag or paper towels never goes astray!
Get To Know Your Brushes
#1 Small Flat & Round Brushes
These little brushes are great for small details and line work. When you’re washing them, be careful not to splay out the bristles so they stay nice and pointed at their tip.
#2 Medium Sized Flat & Round Brushes
These brushes are great all-rounders. I use predominantly flat brushes (like 90% of the time) in my work, as I like their versatility and how they make square edges. You can use both flat and round to make thin and medium lines, for blending, and broad areas of flat colour. However I find using flat brushes faster and neater when I want to paint blocks of colour and for blending.
#3 Large Flat Brush
When I’m working on large canvases, I use large flat brushes for the majority of my painting as they’re great for laying in large areas of colour and for blending. They’re also great for varnishing once you’ve finished your paintings to protect them from scratches and bring out the colour.
Brush Control Tips
I remember when I began painting, I’d end up with paint covering the handle of the brushes I was using, and therefore all over me. I’d also end up mixing way more paint than I needed, and the straight lines I tried to paint all ended up bumpy and jagged. It was a complete mystery how to paint a straight line! So in this section I want to help you short-cut the learning process I went through and discover how to use your bushes so you can get the most out of them and achieve the results you desire.
When you’re beginning, it’s helpful to think of brush control as a four step process; mix, load, hold and wash.
MIX LOAD HOLD WASH
MIX LOAD HOLD WASH
MIX LOAD HOLD WASH
Let’s take a look at each step!
How To Paint Thin, Smooth Lines
Step 1: Mix Your Paint
Many acrylic painting processes will work better if you begin with a smoother consistency of paint, and this is particularly true for painting thin, smooth lines. If you’re beginning with a fluid acrylic, then you don’t need to do anything to thin it down, but if your paint has a thicker, more buttery consistency and you want to get a smooth finish to your painted surface or you want to paint fine details, it will help to add a few drops of water to your acrylic paint to loosen it up and allow it to flow off your brush.
You can use an old sauce bottle, an eye dropper or simply mix clean water using your brush from a separate container to your washing water container, to thin down the paint. Make sure you mix the water and paint through thoroughly, until all the paint is smooth. You’re looking for a consistency that’s thicker than milk, but thinner than cream.
It’s important to make sure there are no lumps in the paint at this point, as those can get caught on your brush and leave jagged edges and globs along your lines.
Step 2: Load Your Brush
When you load your brush, be careful not to dip it into the paint up past the silver ferrule. This will help you keep more control of the paint and not end up in places it’s not meant to go, like, ahem, all over my arms and clothes.
Loading a round brush: dip in the bristles and roll the tip as you drag it out of the paint to remove the excess paint.
Loading a flat brush: dip in the bristles on one side, then turn the brush and dip that side. Slide your brush out of the paint puddle and angle it slightly to the right then the left to scrape off/remove the excess paint. Do this on both sides to load your brush evenly.
Step 3: Hold Your Brush
The way you hold your brush will have a big impact on the type of mark you create and there are three things I recommend you consider when you want to paint a straight line or smooth edge; direction, angle and pressure. Please note, when you want to paint more expressive lines, it’s important to hold your brush with a loose wrist and move your whole body. These tips are specific for painting straight lines and smooth edges.
Direction
When you’re using a round brush, move the brush in the direction of the handle and you’ll end up with a smoother line because it will pull all the bristles into line behind the brush. If you try to push the brush at a right angle to the handle, the bristles will splay out to the side and you’ll end up with jagged lines and marks (which is cool if that’s the effect you’re after, say in an abstract work or a background for example).
You may need to change the position of your arm so that you’re able to pull the brush in the direction of the handle with each stroke, particularly if you’re painting a box.
If you’re using a flat brush, you can drag the brush across the page at a right angle to the bristles to make a smooth edge in a kind of ‘sketching’ motion. I use this technique a lot to make smooth edges. You can also change the direction of your arm so you’re able to pull the brush in the direction of the handle in order to paint clean, smooth edges.
Angle
Consider the angle of the handle in relation to your painting surface. Keeping the handle pretty much vertical when you’re painting with a fine round brush will give you a very thin line. Avoid tilting the brush forward or to the side and you’ll end up with a smooth, straight line.
Move your whole arm across your painting surface in the direction of the line to keep it steady and smooth.
For thicker lines or for laying down larger blocks of colour, hold the brush at more of a 45% angle to the surface and it will give you a wider mark as more of the bristles will be touching the surface.
Pressure
Apply pressure to vary your line and brush stroke. A very light pressure will result in a very thin line, particularly with fine brushes. Stronger pressure will give you a thicker line. Be careful not to press so hard that the bristles are flattened down as far as the silver ferrule as it can disfigure the bristles and they won’t return to their original shape.
Step 4: Wash Your Brush
To keep control of your colours and ensure they don’t get mixed up, it’s a good idea to wash your brush between colours. You’ll want to gently dab it on the bottom of your container holding the handle at a slight angle, being careful not to splay and damage the bristles as you do.
You can push your brush against the edge of your water container to get more paint out that may be stuck further up the bristles. Then, dab it on your rag to remove the excess water.
Now It’s Your Turn To Play With Lines
Have a practice at painting a thin and thick lines with your different brushes! Use the area below or play on watercolour paper for best results if you don’t want to end up with wrinkled paper.
Painting Flat Areas of Colour
Sometimes you’ll want to paint a large area of flat colour in your soul’s creations. There are a few tips to doing this successfully with acrylics.
Mix up twice enough paint if you need to do a large area of colour, so you don’t have to spend time trying to mix the colour again.
It will often take two coats to make your paint smooth and not show any of your brush marks, so if that’s the effect you’re after, make sure you have mixed lots of paint and spray it to keep it wet between coats.
Allow the bottom coat to dry completely before you apply the top coat, or it will lift your paint up with the top layer.
Acrylic paint dries two shades darker than when it is wet, so mix a lighter shade if it’s important to you to match a colour exactly.
Now It’s Your Turn to Play With Smooth Flat Colour!
Have a go at painting a simple square shape using your different brushes... start with the outside edges and then paint the inside using horizontal strokes to make your edges smoother. Remember to turn your arm with each stroke so you are moving the brush in the direction of the handle.
This exercise is best done on watercolour paper, but you could have a play on printer paper below if you like.
Caring For Your Brushes
While You’re Painting
While you’re painting, you’ll want to keep your brushes wet. If you’re not using them for a while, leave them in your bucket of water, then dry them with a rag when you’re ready to apply the next colour. I often have a few brushes on the go at a time, using them for different colours to save having to wash my brush in between each colour. As long as I’m using them, they don’t dry out and the brush doesn’t get damaged.
It’s important not to leave your brushes in water once you’ve finished your painting date though, or the wooden handle will get damaged and can eventually break off. I’ve done this a few times. Trust me. Try to remember to take them out and then give them a proper wash ready for your next painting date.
The sponge brushes are a new tool I’ve been playing with. They hold a lot of water, so I found if I wash them then squeeze out the excess water into my rag it stops them becoming overly floppy and saturated. You can get sponge brushes from the hardware store if you want to have a play. They’re inexpensive and fun!
Cleaning Your Brushes At The End of a Painting Date
Acrylic paint is a form of plastic, so when it dries out it will ruin your brushes if not washed off. So it’s worth taking the time to care for your brushes at the end of each painting session. Give your brushes a thorough wash in your bucket of water, making sure to get the pigment out from way up in the top of the bristles.
Then move to a sink and squeeze a small amount of detergent into the palm of your hand. Roll the brush around using firm pressure into your hand (you can wear a spare pair of washing up gloves to protect your hands) but be careful not to splay the bristles to the sides as this can damage their shape.
Repeat until the water runs clear.
It’s normal for your bristles to be stained after use. As long as the water runs clear, they are clean and ready to be stored for next time.
Allow the brushes to dry without putting pressure on the bristles. If you have a wide brush, allow it to dry flat so the bristles remain in place. Other, smaller brushes should be fine drying standing up in a jar or container.
When the bristles of your brush begin to splay out to the side or get ratty, don’t be afraid to replace your brush with a new one. Remember your sense of abundance with materials? It goes for brushes too. Hog hair brushes are inexpensive and perfectly adequate for most applications of paint, so stock up and be generous with yourself! If you need to, you can remind yourself that a new brush is cheaper than a cup of coffee, and the fun lasts much longer!
Be kind to yourself and nurture your creativity.
With my warmest wishes,
Nicola xx
About Nicola Newman
I'm a Creative Business Coach, Award-Winning Artist & Mentor for Creative Hearts who want to flourish, flow & prosper.
My passion is inspiring and supporting Creative Hearts to trust their inner wisdom and carve out a life that’s personally meaningful and fulfilling to them.
I share practical, evidence-based tools for Creative Hearts seeking to improve their lives or businesses. My work draws from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), mindfulness-based techniques, body-based practices, and neuroscience -- and my own creative living adventures -- among other approaches.
My mission is to support Creative Hearts to:
Dissolve creative blocks, develop a loving relationship with themselves, nurture their creativity and reframe the beliefs and patterns that keep them from following their heart and making the creative contribution they would love to make in the world.
My approach is to embrace gentleness, playfulness and self-care to navigate self-doubt and instead cultivate deep self-trust so you can truly enjoy the creative process, bring together your body of work, make money doing what you love and leave a creative legacy you’re proud of.
Let’s pour a cuppa and get to know one another, shall we? :) Read more about my story here.
