Acrylic Painting 101
How to Paint — for Complete Beginners

Become the Artist You Are Meant to Be

Discover your creative self
and Acrylic Painting Tips, Tools, & Techniques
​with artist and teacher Karen Lynn Ingalls

Let's do away with feeling stuck at home, bored with Netflix, and depressed by the news. It's time to try something new!

How about turning it into your own creative opportunity?

Would you like to just be creative with paint, without stressing about how things will turn out? No drawing needed, just an opportunity to play and make fun stuff?

Then you're in the right place! Here you can discover how to begin, just one step at a time, and have fun while you play and explore your creativity.

In this Art Adventure, we'll explore many of the different ways you can apply paint to paper or canvas, with brushes, palette knives, and more. 

You will play and experiment with paint, and explore how it feels to paint with acrylics. You'll learn color mixing, too.

​And yes, you will create your own abstract paintings! 

Abstract Meditation • 11" x 14" • Acrylics on canvas • © Karen Lynn Ingalls

Why abstract? For now, we want to keep it simple – you don't have to think about whether it looks like anything in particular. That can come later! 
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You will discover:

• What kind of acrylic paints to use
• All about different kinds of brushes, and how to use them
• All about palette knives and how to use them 
• Even more tools you can use to make special creative marks on paintings!
• How to put what you've learned into an abstract painting
• 2 different ways to approach abstract painting
• How to keep that inner critical voice at bay — and that's important!

How this works:
Before we meet, you will get links to videos explaining:

• The materials you'll need (and a list of them)
• Paintbrush 101
  • What are the different kinds of paintbrushes?
  • And which ones will you want to start with?
• How to mix the colors of your paints (we'll be working with primary colors)

That way, you'll know what materials to get, and you'll be able to explore mixing colors before we meet.

​If you have any questions in advance of our meeting, send them, so I can make sure to answer them when we meet.

On the day of our Art Adventure:
When we meet, we'll start with mark making! You'll explore:

• How to make a wide variety of brushstrokes with your paintbrushes
• How to use your different palette knives to make a range of distinctive marks 
• How to use mark-making tools that you may have around the house to create fun, offbeat special effects
• How to create two completely different abstract paintings, with different methods that you can develop and explore even more on your own 

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​I will guide you through the process with direct instruction, slides, and time-lapse video demonstrations (so you have more time to try things out!).

At our Bonus Follow-up Session:

• You'll be able to share what you've painted so far, and see what everyone else is doing.
• You can ask any questions that have come up during the in-between week.
• You'll discover even more painting techniques that you can use to develop your paintings

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FAQs

Is this like a Paint-and-Sip-type class, where the students copy what the teacher demonstrates?

• No, most definitely not!
• You will learn how to actually paint YOUR OWN paintings, not to copy what someone else is doing.
• Because the whole point is to be creative, right? Not to be a copyist. (You can sip if you like — that's your choice!)

Student creating abstract landscape paintings during in-person workshop

What will we actually create when we're together?

• At the end of the first session, you will have 2 original and distinctive abstract paintings. each created with a different method. 
• You can continue to explore both methods on your own, or whichever you enjoy the most.
• At the end of our Bonus Follow-up session, you'll have even more techniques you can use to: 
  • Develop your current paintings even more, if you want to,
  • Or apply them to any of your future paintings.

Demonstration abstract painting in progress, with texture medium (that's in Acrylic Painting 102!_ • © Karen Lynn Ingalls

What if we want to add texture and collage to our paintings?

• If you like, you can discover how to do exactly that in Karen's next class,  Acrylic Painting 102.
• You will learn how to add collage to your paintings, with your own printed photographs, drawings, or decorative papers.
• You will discover acrylic texture mediums, how to use them, and how to create your own texture mediums.
• You will find out how to create glazes, to cover areas of your painting with a subtle, thin, transparent layer of color.

What if we want to paint something realistic?

• You can do that in Acrylic Painting 103, where you will learn how to paint a simple still life. There's a lot that goes into painting something so simple — and it will apply to everything else you will want to paint, too.

Dates & times: 
3 Sunday afternoons
September 25
October 2 & 9
1 PM to 5 PM, Pacific Time
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Location: Online, live on Zoom, from wherever you are

How Much: 
$147 for CAC members
​OR two payments of $75

$197 for non-members
OR two payments of $100

(NOTE: Membership + class is the same price as the non-member price — and will give you some discounts on future classes)
Materials not included

Materials you'll need: Download list here.

Sign ups date opening soon!

Student creating abstract landscape painting during in-person workshop

Why use Acrylics?

• Acrylic paints are the most versatile, and most forgiving, paint medium. They are way easier than watercolors or oil paints!

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• In what way are acrylics forgiving? It's simple — if you don't like what you're working on, just give your paint a little time to dry, and paint over it. No fuss.

• Do you want to paint quickly, allowing you to add layers of new paint over what you're working on, for rich, interesting surfaces? That's where acrylics excel.

Abstract Floral painting — another direction you can take your paintings in!

•  Do you want ​to create a watercolor–like look? You can do that in acrylics, without the difficulties you encounter in watercolors (the most difficult painting medium).

 

• Do you want to create work that looks like oil painting? You can do that in acrylics — except they dry a whole lot faster! And you can get a buttery, creamy paint consistency similar to oils, and extended drying time for three to four days, by using Open Acrylics — which also intermix with every other kind of acrylic paints.

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Four different kinds of paint brushes

• ​Do you want to work with mixed media, and incorporate collage into your work? Acrylics are THE paint medium for working with collage, and they combine amazingly well with almost every other art medium.

 

• Would you like to add textural effects to your paintings? Welcome to the world of acrylic mediums, which give you a large range of options to do just that.

Abstract Arch & Moon • 16" x 20" Acrylics on canvas • © Karen Lynn Ingalls

• ​Do you love the look of encaustics, but would rather not work with hot wax? You can create an encaustics effect in your paintings using acrylic paints and mediums.

Abstract Painting in progress • 11" x 14" • Acrylics on canvas • © Karen Lynn Ingalls

​Testimonials & comments from students about Karen's teaching:

"I've learned more about how to make a real painting in three hours than I have in three years." 
— Catherine Singels, Calistoga


"I have been taking classes from Karen Ingalls for approximately two and a half years. She is an amazing teacher. ...She is always positive when critiquing our work, but also encourages us to move out of our comfort zones into a place that enables us to grow in our own individual styles. ..."
— Sally Briggs, Healdsburg


"Classes with Karen are fun. ... I had no idea if I could paint when I started taking her classes. It's very subtle, but you learn a lot, and everyone makes continual progress. She is very supportive of individual styles and gives really constructive feedback."
— Patricia Campbell, Santa Rosa

An Introduction to Acrylic Painting 101 & Your Teacher

And Even More Painting Techniques We'll Explore...

More examples to come....

Abstract with Red Circles • 16" x 20" • Acrylics and mixed media on canvas • © Karen Lynn Ingalls

Example of Simple Still Life Painting that We'll Explore in Acrylic Painting 102

More examples to come....

Lovely Little Pear • 8" x 10" • Acrylics on canvas • © Karen Lynn Ingalls