Featured post

Beginner’s Guide to Acrylic Painting Supplies

Beginner’s Guide to Acrylic Painting Supplies

When I first started painting “for real” I already owned quite a few miscellaneous paints and brushes. Arts and crafts with kiddos took care of that. What that also meant was that in that pile there were a couple of diamonds, but mostly lower quality supplies. The more I painted, the more I learned about how acrylic paint works and how to get the best bang for my buck.

DISCLAIMER: All product links in this blog posts are my affiliate links to Amazon. Purchasing from those links won’t cost you anything but will pay me a small amount for referring you to the product.

As Paint with Luba grows, I get more of the same question. What do I get if I had never painted before. With you in mind, I created this list. I teach color mixing in the step-by-step video lessons in the group mentioned above and also on my YouTube Channel. My goal is to transition to only using the colors below to make it easier for you to follow the lessons. I might add metallics or some paint colors that are super hard to mix on the go now and then, but most of my lessons will have the colors listed below starting January, 2022.

Along with paints and brushes, you will need a table cover (I use old cereal boxes, cheap plastic table cloths, anything works really), rinsing jar ( I use a cube shaped flower vase, it’s stable and heavy enough for a clumsy me to not tip it over), paper towels and my personal favorite unscented baby wipes. Having good lighting is crucial as well as having a comfortable chair. These things may already be in your disposal, but I will add my ring light to the list below. Just in case.

This list will be updated on the as needed basis, feel free to come back and check it out. Also, if you need a recommendation or my opinion about some particular item, leave the comment below and I’ll get back to you.


Acrylic Paints

This is the list of paints that I use the most and find to be most versatile for my lessons and creative adventures.

DecoArt DEC65.01 Americana Acrylics 16oz Snow White

DecoArt DA067-9 Americana Acrylics, 8-Ounce, Lamp (Ebony) Black

ARTEZA Acrylic Paint Mid Yellow Color (120 ml Pouch, Tube), Rich Pigment, Non Fading, Non Toxic, Single Color Paint for Artists & Hobby Painters

ARTEZA Acrylic Paint, Lemon Yellow Color 8.45 oz/250 ml Tube, Rich Pigment, Non Fading, Non Toxic, Single Color Paint for Artists & Hobby Painters

Liquitex 1046151 BASICS Acrylic Paint, 4-oz tube, Cadmium Red Medium Hue

Liquitex BASICS Acrylic Paint, 4-oz tube, Quinacridone Magenta

Liquitex BASICS Acrylic Paint, 4-oz tube, Ultramarine Blue

Golden Heavy Body Acrylic 2 oz Tube – Phthalo Blue (Green Shade)


Paint Brushes

This set is a bit more expensive option, but I include it here because it was my first set that I used for EVERYTHING!

AIT Art Paint Brush Set – 15 Paint Brushes – Rounds, Flats – Handmade in USA for Trusted Performance with Oil, Acrylic, and Watercolor – Includes Canvas Brush Holder

The next set is a good brand, I have their Filbert set and have been using it for quite a while too. It has all the brushes a beginner might need to get going.

Nicpro 13 PCS Art Paint Brush Set, Kid & Adult Small Painting Brushes for Watercolor, Acrylic, Fabric, Canvas, Oil, Gouache, Detail, Face & Body

Here is the set of palette knives I’ve been using.

Mont Marte Studio Palette Knife Set, 5 Piece. Selection of Different Sizes and Styles of Stainless Steel Palette Knives.


Painting Surface

I absolutely love my Strathmore Visual Journal which is essentially a mixed media pad. It has paper that is heavy enough to hold a few coats of acrylics and it saves me room in the studio. I ran out of wall space for canvases, haha!

Strathmore 460-19 500 Series Visual Mixed Media Journal, Vellum, 9″x12″, White, 34 Sheets

In my videos, I use this one. It helps me paint on a larger scale and slow down a bit for the video.

Canson XL Series Mix Paper Pad, Heavyweight, Fine Texture, Heavy Sizing for Wet and Dry Media, Side Wire Bound, 98 Pound, 18 x 24 in, 30 Sheets, 18″X24″


Posca Pens and Gel pens

Sometimes I need a nice well defined line that can be tricky to achieve with a paintbrush. Sometimes I just want to add fine details. Sometimes I need white highlights on my watercolor or journaling page. These items are my favorites and I ‘ve used them for years.

Uni-posca PC-5M Paint Marker Pen – Medium Point – Set of 15

SAKURA Gelly Roll Classic Gel Pens, Opaque White Ink, Ass’t Tips 05/08/10, 6 PK 57461

Posca Acrylic Paint Marker, Extra Fine, White


Image Transfer

I really do prefer graphite transfer paper to any other method. Sometimes, though, it makes sense to just use some chalk. I couldn’t find the link to 18″ by 24″ graphite paper, I will update this post once I do. This one is the same brand, just a regular printer paper size -ish

Graphite Transfer Paper, 20 Black Sheets – Wax Free – Erasable – Smudge-Free – Ideal for Drawing, Tracing and Watercolor Transfer – Premium Arts and Crafts Supplies by MyArtscape

This is the seamstress chalk you see me using all the time. In fact, I have two sets. One pencil has white and the other has blue for lighter backgrounds 🙂

Dritz 3095 Chalk Cartridge Set


Lighting

This is the ring light I am using when shooting videos and when I’m creating at my desk. This is NOT a cheap update, it might make sense to wait and see if you’ll stick with painting and IF you actually really need it. I don’t get much natural light in my studio and I mostly get to paint at night, so it makes sense to me to have purchased one. There are also smaller and cheaper versions, do your research and get what you like.

Emart 18-inch Ring Light with Stand, Big Adjustable 3200-5500K LED Lights Ring with Ultra-wide Lighting Area for Camera Photography, YouTube Videos, Makeup (Kit: Phone Holder, Remote, Soft Tube, etc.)


You are absolutely welcome to use any supplies that you already have and love. This list is a suggestion. I hope it will make your life easier and painting a lot more pleasant experience. Every purchase from my affiliate links with no cost to you helps me with my supplies to keep offering free painting lessons.

As always, feel free to comment below should you have any questions. I love hearing from you!

Free YouTube Tutorial: Lilacs and Lilies

This class is scheduled Live on YouTube on March 17, 2023 at 7pm Central. It will be available for replay right after that. You can join live or watch later here.

Here is a reference photo

This painting is done with acrylic paints and I try my best to use the paints that are easy to find. My go to for beginner lessons is craft quality paint. Here is the list of colors with  links to what I believe is the best match. I buy my paint in bulk for my brick-and-mortar and some colors can be a challenge to find in craft paints. I did my best to match the color and best price. You may be able to find better color options or prices in your local arts and crafts store.

Paints that come in tubes will need to be watered down a little. You can add up to 30% of water to this paint to create consistency of craft quality paint. Paints in tubes should last you longer if you follow that rule. 

DISCLAIMER: I am an affiliate with Amazon and if you use the links in this post to purchase materials I will be paid a small commission at no cost to you.

List of colors for Lilacs and Lilies:

White, cerulean blue, phthalo blue, magenta, bright red,  phthalo green, chromium oxide green, lemon yellow, primary yellow. 

Here is the list of colors/paints I stick to for all my free YouTube classes.

white https://amzn.to/3wQKEni

black https://amzn.to/3jmLSno

lemon yellow https://amzn.to/3JxtAdL

primary yellow https://amzn.to/41qD2pH

magenta https://amzn.to/3Ixebb9

bright red https://amzn.to/3wQ16UV

cerulean blue https://amzn.to/3XYsFX7

phthalo blue https://amzn.to/3KDlT6c

phthalo green https://amzn.to/3KDlQaw

chromium oxide green https://amzn.to/3SxDMVR

raw sienna https://amzn.to/3KDmQvc

burnt sienna https://amzn.to/3wSnGw0

raw umber https://amzn.to/41mzncB

burnt umber https://amzn.to/3Zie9dO

Brushes:

Large flat, medium flat, medium round, small round, detail brush (round #00)

Surface:

Any canvas, board, mixed media paper, acrylic paper or watercolor paper

Other items:

Surface cover, paper towels, water for rinsing, graphite transfer paper, pencil, eraser

Patterns:

This pattern is a digital image. You are welcome to download it to your device and resize as needed. I will NOT teach the sketch for this one, it would take too long.

If you are painting on a 16 by 20 canvas, feel free to download this PDF. It is already spliced for you. Simply print pages 2-5 and assemble like a puzzle.

Free YouTube Tutorial: Chicken Stack

YouTube Tutorial: Chicken Stack

This class is scheduled Live on YouTube on March 3, 2023 at 7pm Central. It will be available for replay right after that. You can join live or watch later here.

This painting is done with acrylic paints and I try my best to use the paints that are easy to find. My go to for beginner lessons is craft quality paint. Here is the list of colors with  links to what I believe is the best match. I buy my paint in bulk for my brick-and-mortar and some colors can be a challenge to find in craft paints. I did my best to match the color and best price. You may be able to find better color options or prices in your local arts and crafts store.

Paints that come in tubes will need to be watered down a little. You can add up to 30% of water to this paint to create consistency of craft quality paint. Paints in tubes should last you longer if you follow that rule. 

DISCLAIMER: I am an affiliate with Amazon and if you use the links in this post to purchase materials I will be paid a small commission at no cost to you.

List of colors for Chicken Stack:

White, black, cerulean blue, phthalo blue, magenta, bright red,  phthalo green, chromium oxide green, lemon yellow, primary yellow and raw sienna. 

Here is the list of colors/paints I stick to for all my free YouTube classes.

white https://amzn.to/3wQKEni

black https://amzn.to/3jmLSno

lemon yellow https://amzn.to/3JxtAdL

primary yellow https://amzn.to/41qD2pH

magenta https://amzn.to/3Ixebb9

bright red https://amzn.to/3wQ16UV

cerulean blue https://amzn.to/3XYsFX7

phthalo blue https://amzn.to/3KDlT6c

phthalo green https://amzn.to/3KDlQaw

chromium oxide green https://amzn.to/3SxDMVR

raw sienna https://amzn.to/3KDmQvc

burnt sienna https://amzn.to/3wSnGw0

raw umber https://amzn.to/41mzncB

burnt umber https://amzn.to/3Zie9dO

Brushes:

Large flat, medium flat, medium round, small round, detail brush (round #00)

Surface:

Any canvas, board, mixed media paper, acrylic paper or watercolor paper

Other items:

Surface cover, paper towels, water for rinsing, graphite transfer paper, pencil, eraser

Patterns:

This pattern is a digital image. You are welcome to download it to your device and resize as needed. I will teach how to draw these cute chickens in class so if you feel like free handing it there is no need for the tracer.

If you are painting on a 16 by 20 canvas, feel free to download this PDF. It is already spliced for you. Simply print pages 2-5 and assemble like a puzzle.

Easy Step-by-step Monarch Butterfly Painting

the date changed to the 18th, replay available on YouTube

This is a beginner friendly class on how to paint a monarch butterfly with acrylic paints. Below you will find the materials list, reference photos and even a free downloadable pattern. The link to the video is at the very end of this post.

Materials list for this class:

Painting surface

Acrylic paint brushes: I’ll be using a large (1in) and a medium (1/2in) Flat brushes, medium and small round brushes and a spotter (just like a round brush but bristles are shorter, you can use a round brush for that as well)

Acrylic paints, craft quality, nothing fancy. Colors: white, black, phthalo blue, phthalo green, lemon yellow, primary yellow, primary red, magenta.

Pattern:

Save the image to your computer and resize as needed or

Use this pdf below for a spliced pattern to fit a 16 by 20 canvas. Only print pages 2-5.

Here is a reference photo

reference photo

And a black and white to see darker/lighter areas easier

black and white reference

The video is available right here on YouTube right after the class takes place on Feb 18, 2023.

February Valentines YouTube Tutorial

DISCLAIMER: this post contains affiliate links with Amazon. It allows me to earn small commission at no cost to you.

This beginner friendly painting can be done on almost any surface. As you see, I painted it my sketchbook, Strathmore 300 series mixed media paper.

This painting is done with acrylics paints and I try my best to use the paints that are easy to find. My go to for beginner lessons is craft quality paint. Here is the list of colors and affiliate Amazon links to what I believe is the best match. I buy my paint in bulk and some colors, like lemon yellow or phthalo green can be a challenge to find in craft paints. I did my best with what I found on Amazon at the moment of posting this. You may be able to find better color option or price in your local arts and crafts store.

You can paint on mixed media paper, acrylic paper, cardstock, cardboard, canvas board, canvas, wood, etc. If painting on wood, make sure to sand it and apply primer or gesso before painting.

This lesson is available on YouTube, here is a direct link https://youtube.com/live/dunnQi3cN0k

Also feel free to use this pattern if you need help with drawing a sketch.

If you need to resize the image to fit a 16 by 20 canvas, I use this website a lot https://www.blockposters.com/create/

Watercolor Snowman Free Class on YouTube

This snowman is super cute and I couldn’t help but create him in watercolor!

Snowman in Watercolor

This class takes place Live on YouTube and is available here for replay.

I use rose/magenta, some bright red, some bright orange, black and pretty dark blue here. I’m not giving you any specific colors because the best part about it is that you can use what you have and love :). I also use some shiny glitter glue to add sparkly snow in the end.

Here is the tracer/pattern. I highly recommend AGAINST using carbon transfer paper. Instead, print out your pattern, rub a pencil on the wrong side, place it on watercolor paper and trace your design super lightly. Use a kneaded eraser to clean up the lines you don’t need. I will show you how to draw this without the pattern as well.

Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel and Buy Me a Coffee if you are enjoying my classes.

Watercolor Snowman Tracer

Golden Christmas Tree on YouTube

You can watch this lesson Live on December 16, 2022 at 7pm Central or watch replay later here.

Tracer will be sent to you after you check out.  Don’t forget to check your email.

Acrylic paints:

  • Yellow ochre
  • Green gold
  • Cadmium red
  • Phthalo blue
  • Black
  • White

Assortment of brushes.

To save the tracer, simply right click on the image and save it to your computer. You can re-adjust the size as needed.

Arrive at Thanksgiving Season with a Heart Full of Gratitude and Grace!

November usually marks the time when everyone on Social Media starts sharing their daily gratitude. Some make it through the month, some don’t. I don’t. As much as I am all for expressing gratitude, this doesn’t work for me. I do not get invested enough. I do not feel the benefits, at all.

What I do feel though is the overwhelm of meeting everyone’s expectations as the holiday season arrives. Friends post essays of thankfulness as their Facebook status. Then they post their shopping. How beautiful their pumpkin collection on the porch is. How many presents they were able to fit into the room. I’m sure you get it. To-do lists and to-get lists get longer, days get shorter, tempers get shorter while coffee is the only thing that keeps me afloat…

making a payment with a smartphone
Photo by Jack Sparrow on Pexels.com

A few years back I had an idea of combining my drawing attempts with a journal format. 

 This is how I started my first ever gratitude art journal. This was when I felt tremendous relief from stress and overwhelm. Then I invited a couple of people to join me and that’s how Gratia Partum was born.

Gratia Partum is Latin for Creative Grace. In this community we support each other’s intention to have a consistent gratitude practice through art. We share, support and encourage each other to use our creative spark daily. To focus on the things we can be grateful for, allow ourselves to grow and learn.

Consistent practice of gratitude, through art in particular,  has proved to improve people’s lives in so many areas! 

Jilda says,

“The gratitude art challenge gave me a whole new outlook at art expression. Joining up with a group of like-minded people really opened up my mind to being grateful for simple things and art.”

Tammy says,

“Experiencing the intricacies and depth of gratitude since joining the group has been incredible. I have such gratitude for gaining assurance in myself (with nearly no art experience) to fully participate in a group with no fear of judgment, but rather with acceptance and encouragement.”

Other members of the group share improvements in:

  • Stress relief
  • Improved mental health
  • Peace found in every day
  • Deeper and more relaxed breathing
  • Inner calm
  • So much needed me time
  • Have more mental energy
  • Understanding and dealing with overwhelm

Sadly, self care often gets pushed to the back burner. It seems easy to start, but hard to stay consistent. Lack of accountability and support of the community  allows us to fall through way too easy and way too soon. This is especially true when it comes to our mental self-care and growth. It is something that can ALWAYS be done later. Or can it?

Here is what other members of the group say:

Lee Ann:

“I felt that sometimes life gets overwhelming and doing the Gratitude challenge in the next class made me feel that even though life gets hard the times get tough you can always look in your heart and find people still have gratitude and good thoughts and almost everything.”

Nancy:

“Such a wonderful learning experience.

At 70 years young, I am learning more than I ever imagined. Different kinds of media art. Finally learning to draw. Finally, keeping an art journal (gratitude) is the most amazing thing.

Enjoying like minded people. And learning types of paint and ways to use them. The opportunity to grow here is endless. So so grateful.”

In the Gratia Partum community I will be teaching and supporting you every step of the way. I will share cute bite size tutorials you can apply in your journaling right away as well as I will share my own private gratitude journal to help you get inspired and get out of the fun of a “blank page scare.” – I get those too! 

We will share a gratitude art journaling session twice a week. Those sessions will be broadcasted Live into the Facebook group and will be available for replay. Those sessions usually spark deep conversations which is why they will not be shared anywhere else outside the private Facebook group.

Read what Katherine said:

“Life seems overwhelming at times but channeling my art through a journal has helped bring me closer to understanding why I have felt overwhelmed. Art is love to know and love yourself.”

And Diane,

“I LOVE these sessions! I’ve found and embraced art/creativity as the missing link in journaling about grief. Thank you Luba!”

I am so grateful to have created this community where everyone is welcome and everyone can find what they seek.

Sherri Lynn says,

“Art Therapy is a method of rehabilitation since I had major brain surgery in 2021. I’ve been working on Art with Luba doing pieces (although I tend to be very slow) since later the same year. When I saw the Art Gratitude Challenge come up I thought it would be another great avenue for my rehabilitation. What I’ve found though is it’s therapeutic. A safe space to share my art and my journey. An avenue to explore other mediums and see how I do with them. For me it’s more than a challenge…it has become a part of my life.”

Gratia Partum Community is open for the 2022 session! Starting August 25 we will spend 3 months immersing ourselves into the art of gratitude and creative grace. In this three months program you will learn how to keep an art journal, get exposed to multiple mix media techniques, become a part of a like minded community and, most of all, create a habitual practice of gratitude. And when Thanksgiving and Christmas arrive, we’ll be ready!

To join the community, click here…

Feeling Out Of Sorts in January?

January is literally around the corner.

Some of us are done celebrating, the tree is put away and regular routines took place.

For others, it’s the time of not knowing what day of the week this is, trying to keep children from killing each other, and trying to decide what to cook for dinner that’s healthy-ish and doesn’t require a lot of work.

Holidays burnout settles in, creativity attempts feel stagnant at best and I find myself staring at the blank page more often than I care to admit.

For me, January is the best time to recharge, reset, and start anew.

I suggest to use this time to allow our creative selves to rest.

Rest doesn’t mean to do nothing at all, although, I personally believe there is nothing wrong with that. There is time for active rest and passive rest. You will need to discern for yourself which one is the best for you at any given time.

Let’s use this time and do the things we always want to do but are always too busy.

Take inventory of the art supplies.

Organize the creative space.

Deep clean, examine and/or replace the old brushes.

Catch up on projects that were stashed away until better times.

Invite daily practice of drawing.

I would love to encourage you to share your before and after pictures as you work on your space as it is such a rewarding process.

I invite you to join daily drawing practice in your sketchbook starting January 1st.

You can use as few or as many supplies for it as you like. I prefer to work in a mixed media or watercolor sketchbook and use a pencil, waterproof artists pens (liners), and watercolor.

Are you up for a challenge? Put your intentions in words and add them as a comment below. You are much more likely to act on your intentions if you write them down and let others know.

Here are January creative prompts I picked using January holidays calendar and I added some of my own. You are welcome to use them in order or pick what you like, or not use at all. The goal is to draw daily.

Artist Block or Lack of Balance

I just can’t do anything creative nowadays. I stare at the blank page and feel nothing but frustration. Even when I manage to pull out something I end up feeling drained and empty for days afterwards.

Does this sound familiar to you? 

I hadn’t had this problem until the first week of school here. 

Our family has been homeschooling for seven years now. When the pandemic hit, we were all set for schooling from home. We had to adjust to not having our regular activities just as the rest of the world but we managed. 

This year, though, my oldest started middle school and my youngest is in the 3rd grade. These are very demanding academically and my help is required all the time. If I could assign the page and switch to something else for a bit last year, I’m required to be hands on all the time now. 

I am tired. I find it hard to do anything creative on the scale I used to before this school year. By the end of the day, I just want to shut the door and be left alone. Yet, I still have this nudge deep inside that says, no, get back to your desk. Paint something. Make something. Connect with your people. Guilt creeps in. 

As overwhelming as this can be, I find myself falling back to my planning and organizational skills from ways back. I take a deep breath and start looking for the pockets of time (and energy.)

One of my favorite pockets is weekend mornings. I discussed it with my husband and he has my back. Weekend mornings are for catching up on everything business and creativity related! 

Have you seen this diagram that represents life balance? It’s in the shape of a triangle and the angles are happy kids, perfect home, and career. It says you can only have two. Ha! In my case, I work with my kiddos most of the time and then I work on my art and business. I have a couple tiny pockets when I get groceries, cook dinners, and clean up. BUT, my home is far from perfect and I’m ok with it. 

Did you notice how this triangle has nothing to do with my mental health? Yes, I noticed it too! 

As creatives we need to have outlets for the juices to flow! Otherwise we become stagnant and nothing good comes out of us. One of my biggest energy flow outlets is belly dance. Yes, you read that right. I practice belly dancing. I take a class weekly and I rent dance studio space to have an hour of self-guided dance practice. And, you know what’s funny? That time that I have carved out just for myself helps me stay grounded, have patience for my family, and have creative energy to put even more out on weekend mornings. 

I think it is wrong trying to put balance into a triangle. I think it should be a circle. And in the middle of that circle is HEALTH. Mental, spiritual and physical. 

Then, it’s the filter that everything in our lives goes through. What goes in, goes out. What we watch, what we eat, who we listen to, who we follow, and who is in our immediate circle influences both our Trinity of Health and what we do in the world.

The outer circle may look different for you. You may need more or fewer sections, but do make sure self-care takes up a third of them. Why? – it’s only to make sure you don’t give more than you have. Draining yourself dry only does one thing. It damages our Trinity of Health and then our bodies can’t be productive and/or creative.

So yes, look at your daily life. Look for pockets of time that you can give to yourself unapologetically and regularly. Help the juices flow, check and clean your filters regularly. Man! We take better care of our coffee makers than ourselves, sometimes!

Once you start this consistent flow, you will start to notice creativity to shine through your day. I know it because this is how I do it.

Thanks for reading this article! I have a new pocket of time in my schedule and hope to write more in my blog now. Yay to drop-off children’s activities! What would you ask me if we sat down for a coffee one day?