Tag Archives: art

February Valentines YouTube Tutorial

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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/

Feeling Out Of Sorts in January?

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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.

Beginner’s Guide to Acrylic Painting Supplies

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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!