[WICKED]

I just got a set of liquix acrelics or however its spelled. Ive never used paints in my life before so im actually a bit nervous. I got the primary colors and black, and white. Do you guys have any mixing tips, working with acrelics, or anything that could help me out before I start?

[ex]

I thought acrylic was the spelling, but, maybe its both. just have fun. thats what i did, and im still learning

[WICKED]

Yeah your right im just a terrible speller

[Ahcri]

I often thin it down with water first and use the mixture to paint the first layer. Then sometimes I add white glue to the paint to make it thicker, it gives you a nice texture, but you must work quickly and wash your brush thouroughly afterwards.
I also add some water to black right out of the bottle, I don't know if it happens to you, but black is always more stiff than other colours. It'll be easier to use once you've done so. But when you mix paint with water or glue, do it in another container and stir, never shake, especially with glue.
That's all I can tell from my experience right now..

[egerie]

I try to avoid using pure black and make my own dark gray mixing the primaries.
Ahcri is right about the brushes ; don't let your brushes dry or you will scrap 'em. Acrylics dry very very fast.. When washing them, use cold water.
Um... what else.. If you can afford it, try to get ahold of a tube of burnt sienna or ochre. It's just a personal preference but it helps sometimes
For white I use plain old gesso... But try to use as less as possible.

You can add some medium to your paint ; either matte or "brilliant". It's usefull if you want to do glazes and want to work on your color building on layers of glazes. It also works if you're mixing your paint and water.
Another treatment you could do is use a greater amount of paint and work with your palette knife .. and REALLY add texture with thick medium.
Anyway, have fun, acrylics are fun

[cheney]

Mix with light colors first. Also know the transparency of your colors. Black is typically very transparent and white is typically very solid. I tend to prefer to use more paint than you need when mixing because you never really know how much you will need and you don't want to run out. I also prefer to use a palette knife to mix the paints rather than a brush because the palette knife will stir the paints and you can really see how mixed they become. Mixing with a brush will cause certain paints to get up inside the brush, and you may end up leaving certain colors unmixed at the bottom or under a side of your paint blob.

[[666]Flat]

ooooh you got yourself a set of "liquix acrylic", well, nobody could prevent you from rockin' da show now

[WICKED]

Thanks guys all great information. Its actually harder than i thought i did a blown up self portrait with them. looks pretty cool. I didnt get skin tones right, but ill have to work on mixing colors =). I still dont understand how you use mediums yet but thats ok I dont have any. Thanks for the help.