A friendly and inspiring course designed for anyone who would like to start painting but isn’t sure where to begin.  Acrylic Painting for Beginners introduces the essential techniques of working with acrylics in a relaxed and supportive environment.

You will learn how to mix colours, use different brushes, create simple compositions, and develop confidence with paint. Through step-by-step demonstrations and guided exercises, you’ll explore expressive brushwork while creating your own small paintings.

No previous experience is needed—just curiosity and a willingness to experiment. By the end of the course, you’ll have a better understanding of acrylic painting, several finished artworks, and the confidence to continue your creative journey.

Session 1: Getting Started: Tools & Materials

Meet your materials, learn health & safety basics, and discover how to properly clean and care for your paintbrushes. Begin understanding the importance of surface preparation, before painting.

Session 2: Understanding Acrylics & the Stay-Wet Palette

Discover the characteristics of acrylic paint, how to keep colours workable longer, and practise setting up and using a stay-wet palette to support smooth, controlled painting.

Session 3: Colour mixing

Dive deeper into colour theory, learn how to create new vibrant colours and how to avoid muddy colours. Practice mixing tints, tones, and shades. You’ll create a colour chart you can use throughout the course.

Session 4: Painting techniques

Learn foundational techniques such as blending, layering, brush control, and simple mark-making to help you build confidence and create expressive, vibrant artworks from the very start.

Session 4: Creating Shapes &Forms

Learn how to block in shapes, build form using light and shadow, and begin a simple study. Focus on observation skills and developing structure in your painting.

Session 5: Building Layers & Texture

Experiment with layering methods, and textural techniques unique to acrylics. Start developing more depth and interest in your work as you build on previous skills. Add final details, refine your artwork.