# Beginner Questions



## VoidZA (Dec 28, 2016)

Hi everyone. 

I decided today to try out Acrylic painting. I don't know much about painting, I've just always enjoyed watching Bob Ross's videos, and it got me to eventually go buy some stuff and try it out.
I grabbed all the basic stuff I could think of and a bunch of paints.

So of course I tried to follow one of Bob Ross's videos (this one for reference 



), but all did not go that well.
Firstly the way he did things (I do not know what I'm talking about btw) he always worked with all the paint being wet on the canvas and mixing and blending. He covered his canvas for starters with a white coat, so I tried that, and the paint just kept drying before I could even get it all on. I tried adding water but I think that was the wrong move, it did not really take that much longer to dry.

Also my Canvas is covered in tiny little dots (like un-even'ness I mean). I don't really know how they are supposed to be made, so I'm not sure if this is a cheap one or a decent one, but it seems cheap to me, the little dots (that stand out) gets wiped clean when the paint is too thin and falls only in the "valleys" between them.

Sucked that it didn't quite work out like I tried, but I'm ready for try number 2, if you can help me out that would be awesome!
(Is there a special primer that he used or do I need to mix something in with all my paints)


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## VoidZA (Dec 28, 2016)

So it seems the small dots I was talking about was the structure of the weave with a white pre-coating over it. It says its triple primed, don't know what that means.


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## abt2k15 (Jan 9, 2016)

yeah had that same problem when i picked up acrylics for the first time. the wet on wet technique can be done if you mix some dry retardant into your colors. i also discovered that trying out some different color brands is also a good thing. i found a few ( not expensive ) brands i like to work with. different brands often use different consistence. i.e. one brand being more fluid another being of the opposite condition.

you can also usa a "water sprayer" to always keep the canvas moist ( but not super wet ). this can delay the vaporizing of the water within the acrylics ( once water is gone - its dry and as you experienced it wtaer goes away quickly with acrylic ).


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## VoidZA (Dec 28, 2016)

Thank you abt2k15, gonna get some dry retardant and a little spray bottle and see if attempt number 2 goes better


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## cprimo (Feb 23, 2017)

Bob Ross usually used oil paints, so that may be why your paint is drying faster if it's acrylic. If you want to continue to use acrylics, you may be able to use either a glazing medium with white (extends the drying time) or maybe even gesso as the replacement for the white underpainting. Also, a little bit of water added to acrylic can help to cover a rougher canvas - it could also be the brush you're using. Likely though it is just the difference from oils to acrylic that you're seeing when watching Bob Ross.

Hope this helps!


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