I am a single mother who has recently become interested in painting,
but I can't afford to take a formal class. I want to start painting on
canvas but don't know about the different kinds of paint and what I
would need to know to do that. Is there a website or a book that can
talk about the different art supplies and what they are used for?
Maybe some basic descriptions of painting on canvas? I just want to
learn as much as I can. Someday I will pass it on to my kids too, but
now I just want to learn more about my hobby. Thank you so much for
your help in this matter.  I?m willing to tip $10 if your answer is
good.

Hi jillcat,

Thank you for your question.

Congratulations on your new hobby!  One of the very first decisions
you'll make when you start painting is what sort of paint (also called
a medium) to use. When painting on canvas, your mediums will be either
oils or acrylics.


Painting Surfaces - Canvas
http://www.passionforpaint.com/PaintingSurfaces.html

Painting Lesson 1 - Stretching and Preparing a Canvas
http://www.ndoylefineart.com/stretchcan.html

Painting Lesson II: Materials
http://www.ndoylefineart.com/ptgmaterials.html
 
========

About.com - How to Decide What Paint to Use:
http://painting.about.com/library/weekly/aawhatpainta.htm

What are the advantages of each?

Acrylics: Dries very fast. Mixed with water or mediums/gels. Brushes
cleaned with water. Once dried, can be overpainted without disturbing
underlying layers. Can be used thickly (impasto), like oils, or in
thin washes, like watercolour. Water-resistant, so good for murals.
Works as a glue, so good for collages.

Oils: Dries slowly, allowing plenty of time to work and to blend
colours. The proportion of oil to spirit dictates the drying time.
Once dried, can be overpainted without disturbing underlying layers.
Rich, deep colours which maintain their intensity when dry. Can be
used thickly or in thin, smooth washes. Then there's the status
factor, oils being what the Old Masters used.


? What are the disadvantages of each?

Acrylics: Dries very fast, though working time can be increased by
adding retarding medium to paint or spraying water on a painting.
Completely waterproof once dried, so cannot be removed by rewetting
the paint. Difficult to remove from a brush if it's dried in it.
Except when used in thin washes, colours dry a bit darker than when
applied.
Oils: Mixed with solvents and oils, so need to work in a
well-ventilated area. Slow-drying, so consider working on several
paintings at once. Have to wait several months to ensure a painting is
dry before it can be varnished. Brushes need to be cleaned with white
spirit or similar solvent. Water-based oils are produced by a few
paint manufacturers.

****Please note***
Poison hazards: If you've small children, you may not want to have the
solvents used in oil painting lying around. Some people are also
allergic to the solvents ? low-odour versions are available, as are
water-based oil paints.


Should I Use Acrylics or Oil Paint? 
http://painting.about.com/cs/paintingknowhow/a/acrylicvsoil.htm

Continued Oil vs. Acrylics
http://painting.about.com/cs/paintingknowhow/a/acrylicvsoil_2.htm

=========

Before You Buy Acrylic Painting Supplies 
http://painting.about.com/library/weekly/aabybacrylics.htm

Before You Buy Oil Painting Supplies
http://painting.about.com/cs/oils/bb/byboils.htm

=========

Oil Painting Supplies
http://www.wetcanvas.com/ArtSchool/Oils/OilPaintingSupplies/

Ebay has a site called Painting Supplies Buying Guide:
http://pages.ebay.com/buy/guides/painting-supplies-paints-buying-guide/

=========

Painting 101 - The Basics for Beginners - Oil Painting
http://painting.about.com/library/bl101oils.htm

Oil Painting 101 
http://www.gatheringofartists.com/epitome/content/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=81&Itemid=52

Oil Painting Tips Archive
http://painting.about.com/library/bloiltiparchive.htm

See links for:
Alternatives for Cleaning Your Oil Painting Brushes 
Basic Shades & Highlights 
Cleaning Your Oil Painting Equipment 
Drying Brushes Quickly  
Glazing 
Impasto 
Oiling Out Before Varnishing 
Preventing Overthinning
Preventing Surface Wrinkling in Oil Paintings 
Priming Canvas 
Recycling Canvases of Oil Paintings 
Storing Leftover Paint 
What does alla prima mean? 
What is "fat" over "lean?"

=========

Acrylic Painting Tips
http://www.geocities.com/Ian_Thomas_Graphics/Acrylic.html

TIPS ON ACRYLIC PAINTING
http://www.madisonartshop.com/abaccol.html

Ten TIps for Acrylic Painting
http://painting.about.com/library/weekly/aaacrylictips1a.htm

=========

Books (Amazon - Look inside the books)

Oil Painting for the Serious Beginner: Basic Lessons in Becoming a
Good Painter (Paperback)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0823032698/qid=1130974486/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-4123762-1368802?v=glance&s=books&n=507846


The Beginner's Guide Oil Painting: A Complete Step-By-Step Guide to
Techniques and Materials (Paperback) by Angela Gair
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1853686026/qid=1130974486/sr=8-5/ref=pd_bbs_5/002-4123762-1368802?v=glance&s=books&n=507846


An Introduction to Acrylics (DK Art School) (Paperback)
by Ray Campbell Smith 
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0789432870/qid=1130974581/sr=8-2/ref=pd_bbs_2/002-4123762-1368802?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

*****

Walter Foster How to Draw & Paint Books 
http://www.reuels.com/reuels/page613.html

Whatever your medium or subject of interest may be, our How to Draw
and Paint series has the book for you. Each title is brimming with
helpful, simple-to-follow illustrations and instructions to guide
beginners through the fundamentals, leading into more sophisticated
techniques for advanced artists.

(Click on the various categories for a wide selection of books.)

=========

Online Forums:

Acrylic Painting Discussions:
http://www.simplypainting.com/forum/forum_topics.asp?FID=1

Oil Painting Discussions:
http://www.simplypainting.com/forum/forum_topics.asp?FID=1

=========

Free Lesson Acrylics
http://www.simplypainting.com/frankscollege/lesson_intro.asp?lessonID=17

(Click on Start lesson, then next, etc... 29 steps)

****

Free Lesson Oils
http://www.simplypainting.com/frankscollege/lesson_intro.asp?lessonID=30

(Click on Start lesson, then next, etc... 51 steps)

=========

Here are some miscellaneous resources that might be of interest to you.

Top 5 Color Mixing Tips
http://painting.about.com/od/colourtheory/a/Top_color_mix.htm

How to Care For Your Painting Brushes
http://painting.about.com/cs/paintingknowhow/ht/Howto_Brushcare.htm

Top Tips for Landscape Painting
http://painting.about.com/od/landscapes/a/landscapetips.htm

Figure Painting, Anatomy, and Portraiture
http://painting.about.com/od/figuresportraits/


Abstract Art: A Step-by-Step Painting Demonstration 
http://painting.about.com/library/blpaint/blabstract-karenvath1.htm

(click on demos 1 - 6 bottom of page)

Are You Holding Your Brush Correctly? 
http://painting.about.com/library/weekly/aabrushusing.htm

Selling Paintings: Which Subjects Sell Best?
http://painting.about.com/od/careerdevelopment/a/bestsubjects.htm

=========

keyword search:

oil painting
acrylic painting
learning to paint on canvas
painting 101
buying oil and acrylic supplies
buy art supplies oils acrylics canvas brushes easel
online free art lessons
message board forum discussion painting art beginner
how to paint art books
what do I need to start painting on canvas
buy paint brushes for canvas oil acrylic

=========

Best regards,
tlspiegel

Perfect!  Just what I was looking for.

Hi,
The answer above is quite thorough, especially from a web stand point.
As an artist myself, some other points I'd make are:

1. There are really, when simplified, 3 main traditional types of
painting -- oils, acrylics and watercolour. The answerer did not go
into watercolour because you specified canvas, and WC is done on
paper. It is a Very different way of painting when compared to the
other two.

2. You asked how to learn something though knowledge/information that
must be learned through practice. No amount of reading can really help
you learn how to paint, you must paint. Only as you start painting
might you understand what the words are about.

3. This applies especially to the choice of say oils or acrylics. If
you cannot find a place that is well ventilated, you are precluded
from traditional oils, and must go with water-based oils, or acrylics.
If you can ventilate a space, then I'd suggest buying a "starter set"
of each type, and maybe just 3 brushes for each type (oils should use
natural bristle, and acrylics should use anything synthetic, Not
natural bristle). then see which type feels more natural to you and
gives you the look you want. Oils should blend much better, acrylics
dry much faster, as pointed out above.

4. Consider looking up a local group or classes to get involved with,
there are usually community arts centers or sketch groups affiliated
with the town, possibly with the library, and sometimes there are open
figure drawing/painting sessions connected to a local college or
university. You may find low cost lessons available as well.

5. As a teacher once told me, drawing is the back bone of art. It
would probably help to take up drawing/sketching as well in order to
enable you to get ideas/images quickly out of your head, and to
provide an underlying structure for your painting.

Hope this helps,
Brian

If you live in (or near) a large city, the library system is probably
going to have all the information you need.  Here in Milwaukee,
through the inter-library loan program, I can get my hands on Books
and Videos that cover everything from beginner to advanced.

Even if you live a good distance from a large library system, most of
them will allow non-residents to get a "guest" library card at
reasonable prices.

Good art supply stores have staff that live and die to tell you about
stuff like this, so exploit them since you're going to be buying
supplies from them anyway!  (Art supply shops usually have free or
ultra cheap classes, too.  Cheaper than a college, at least.)

Take Care...

Hi jillcat,

Thank you for the 5 star rating, comments, and very generous tip!  :)

Best regards,
tlspiegel