Acrylic Painting: A Peacock Butterfly

1. Introduction: [MUSIC] Hi there. I'm glad you're here. Welcome to my acrylic painting series where in this class I'll demonstrate how to paint a peacock butterfly step-by-step. I'm Brigitte Miller. I'm a decorative artist and I've been in the business since 1991. Lately, I've been sharing my skills with in-person and online classes to anyone who would like to learn how to paint for their own enjoyment or to become a professional painter like me. Although I'm not formally taught, through the years, I've honed my skills through many college courses, workshops, and alongside great mentors like my own mom, who is a professional oil painter. I grew up watching and learning the skills of painting. I'm bringing this experience to you in this acrylic painting series so you can learn the same way. Each lesson will be a complete study of one subject. You will learn to observe, plan, and create one painting each lesson. The painting you create will be your course project. I'll ask you to upload a photo of your painting to the project gallery and I'll address any questions or issues you have in the discussion area. This series is intended for beginners and beyond. The classes are really for anyone who wants to learn my method of painting and enjoys not only the theory like how to make a specific color or this is the brushstroke to use for daisy petals, but the classes are also for those that want to get to the full picture. A painting study is just that. It's the rendering of a subject to better understand it and it's a great way to practice. Some artists paint many studies to prepare for a more involved or a larger more complex piece. That's my aim for you. We'll sit virtually side-by-side and I'll show you techniques and share tips with you along the way that will help you not just learn the skills of painting, but also the valuable skill of LEARNING to paint. Each class in this series will be complete. You will not need to take any prerequisites. However, if you've never painted before ever, or if it's been a very long time and you want to brush up on the basics, you may want to take my introduction to acrylics course in my beginning acrylic series. There's a link to that class in the description area of this course and you'll find that when you click the About button below this video. When it comes to learning how to paint, as you may know, acrylics is a great place to start. They're easy to use, relatively inexpensive, and incredibly versatile. They dry quickly, which makes it easy to layer and fix mistakes, and they also adhere to almost any surface. Jump into this class for more hands-on information and I'll help you learn the ins and outs of this fabulous medium, one project at a time. Meet me in the next lesson for more details on the class project. [MUSIC] 2. Class Project: [MUSIC] For the class project, you'll follow along with me to create this study of a peacock butterfly. First, I'll show you how I plan, research, and sketch the initial design. You can sketch the design if you feel comfortable, or you're welcome to download my sketch that I provided in the resources section. We'll start painting the canvas with the first step which is underpainting, and then I'll show you how to paint the background, introducing you to several fun abstract techniques. that will build into our main subject, the peacock butterfly. At this stage, I'll show you how to transfer your butterfly sketch or the one I did, which I provided for you under the Projects and Resources Tab. Once the design is transferred to your canvas, you're ready to paint your focal point, which is the butterfly study. We'll block in the first layer, then add details step-by-step. I'll then demonstrate how to sign your work and wrap up with a budget-friendly framing idea. To get the most out of this course, you can watch this course all the way through and paint on your own, or you can watch and paint along with me pausing as needed. When you're ready, snap a photo of your painting and add [Photo Click!] it to the project gallery. If you've never done this before, go to the Project and Resources tab below this video and click the green "Create Project" button at the right, then upload your photo for the cover photo. In the body area, you can add text and add more photos of your process, or you can show me where you hung your painting, or anything else you'd like to share with me and anyone else that's taking the class. Then press the green "Publish" button at the top right. I'll be able to address any questions or concerns you have once you upload your project. You'll also be able to see other students projects from this class and comment on those. It's the best part of the class, especially when you see the feedback on your class project. You can also do me a kindness and leave a review for this class. It'll help me to know your thoughts on how I did and how I can better help you learn about acrylics. One more thing, if you have a suggestion for a future class, let me know anytime under the discussion tab, I'd love to hear your ideas. If I use your idea, I'll give you a shout out in the class. Uploading your project is an important part of learning process. I can hardly wait to see how you do. In the next section, I'll go over the supplies you'll need for the class project. See you there. [MUSIC] 3. Materials : [MUSIC] For your course project, you'll need to gather up some materials before getting started. To save time, I created a materials checklist for you and you can download it from the Projects and Resources Tab under the video of this class and then you're welcome to skip this section if you'd like. Many of the items on the materials list you may already have laying around the home. You'll need one nine by 12 canvas board or paper made for acrylic painting, like Canson's Acrylic Paper. You'll also need one set of heavy body acrylics. I'll be using LIQUITEX Classic Set. For one of the background techniques, I use a Liquitex Soft Body gold paint. However, any gold acrylic or craft paint will work. If you don't care for shimmer, you could omit it all together. You'll need four synthetic brushes. I use Artist's Loft brand from Michaels Craft Stores. You'll need one, one-inch flat, one quarter-inch filbert, one number 3 round, and one number 1 liner. [MUSIC] You'll need a paint palette. I just use two paper plates. A container for water for rinsing your brushes. I like using this nifty container with two sides because I wash my brushes out on one side and the other side, I keep the water clean so if I need to add water to my paint, I won't be using dirty water. A sharp number 2 pencil, white sidewalk chalk, a hairdryer, which is actually optional. It's to speed the drying time. [NOISE] Paper towels. I like these blue shop towels that I've seen auto mechanics use because they're more durable and they seem to be lint-free. A ruler will be handy. For some interesting techniques on the background, you'll need a toothbrush and you're welcome to use recycled one, that's fine. You'll also need a pallet knife. Something to scrape paint with like an old credit card or a vinyl scraper if you have one. For the final technique on the background, I'll be using this old wallpaper stencil. however, you can use any stencil you have or anything like decorative stamps or even bubble wrap. It's just something to add interest to your background design. If you choose to sketch your own design, you'll need some drawing paper, tracing paper and as an option, you may need a pair of scissors. Under the Projects and Resources Tab, I have downloadables for the Traceable Sketch and reference photos. Lastly, if you choose to frame your project, you'll need an 11 by 14 photo frame with a mat or a decorative backing paper and to clean your frame's glass, you'll need glass cleaner. I use Windex brand and the lint-free cloth. You'll also need some sticky putty, gallery quality is best. Once you have your materials handy, meet me in the next section and I'll demonstrate how to underpaint your surface. See you soon. 4. Underpainting- Step 1: [MUSIC] Hi there. Let's get started with your blank surface and a clean palette. I'll be using a 9" x 12" canvas covered pre-primed board, and then I'm also going to use an uncoated paper plate for the palette. In this step, I'll be using yellow and red for my colors. I'm mixing yellow and red, which are primary colors, and I'm making orange, which is a secondary color. If you'd rather mix with a palette knife at this stage, that will be easier on your brushes. I'm just going to use my brush to mix. [MUSIC] I'm going to cover the entire canvas with this medium orange color that I'm making, and I'm going to use my three-quarter inch flat brush for the entire step. You'll see I'm using a crisscross brushstroke. I'm not really concerned with the painterly strokes being uneven. This is just the undercoat. It won't show very much, so it's just going to cover the white, and you won't notice the brushstrokes when we put the next layers on. This underpainting is going to make my canvas smoother, it's also going to completely take the white out right away, that way if our other layers miss a spot, the white of the canvas won't show through. It'll also help me gauge the next colors in the next layers that we'll be doing. If you have the white of the canvas, it's going to be hard to know how dark or light a color is. You'll see that as you go through this process. [MUSIC] Lastly, the underpainting will peek through in areas throughout your piece. It will give your art a visual continuity in color that adds to the overall look of your art piece. You'll be able to decide how much or little you want your underpainting to show through, as we add the layers in the next steps. [MUSIC] Here you can see me painting the edges. If you've got a wraparound canvas that has a little bit more of sides to it, you may want to completely paint the sides, or in this case, the canvas board, if you paint those little edges. Depending on how you frame it, those edges may show, so spend a little extra time finishing off those edges. After you've completely covered the canvas, dry it with a dryer or let it dry for about half an hour, and then we'll put the next colors on. See you in the next lesson. [NOISE] [MUSIC] 5. Background - Step 2: [MUSIC] Hello. For this lesson in step 2, you will need to load your palette with the primary colors, blue, red, and yellow, and also white. If you don't want to mix your green and you have a tube handy, you can add that to your palette as well. The Liquitex classic set that I'm using has green, so to save the time of mixing, I'll use their green. But if your set doesn't come with green, go ahead and mix your primaries, blue and yellow, and you'll get a lovely green. For step 2, I'll be using the same exact brush as step 1, it's my three-quarter inch flat. However, you can use any brush that you're comfortable with. This is just my go-to brush for one I like to go over large areas. I'll be mixing colors as I go. There's no need to mix your colors ahead. But if you're more comfortable having all your colors mixed before you start, you can watch me mix and then mix your colors before watching again, and then you can use those pre-mixed colors for these next steps. You need to do what feels good to you. I've been painting a long time, so it's fun and relaxing for me just to mix as I go. It's a way to paint like intuitively, especially for these abstract backgrounds. I'll take you with me step-by-step as we create this one. The first color I'm blending and adding to my background is a turquoise green. I use a little blue and yellow to make the green. If you have green, go ahead and add that too, and then I add a little white until I see the color I want, I want to make quite a bit so I can cover almost the entire area. The underpinning was criss-cross strokes. This time I'm going to use the long strokes and I'm going to mix the colors directly onto the canvas using what I call a wet on wet technique. That's where I put the paint on the canvas and while it's still wet, I work in some other colors making sure I do not blend completely. But I layer the strokes next to each other to keep them mildly and expressive. At times, if I'm not able to move the paint around easily, I'll add a little water. [MUSIC] To add depth, I add white to lighten my color. Then I add a lot more blue and red together to make a dark purple. That uses my dark color. I have to work quickly so the paint doesn't dry before I can mix it onto my canvas. I just move the paint around until I see what I like. I am leaving a small area of blank because later that's where I'll add the peacock butterfly. Have fun with making your marks and just see what happens. It's fun to just play with the paint and experiment with the colors, and experiment with the different brushstroke techniques. It's a great way to get to know your medium. [MUSIC] Here's where you get to decide how much of the orange underpainting that you want to show through on your final piece. You'll see there is some missing areas on mine. Most of it's covered. You can let a little marsh peek through if you'd like. For me, it's easier to pick up my canvas and paint holding it. I don't do this with large canvases. I use an easel and I don't think that it matters one way or another. Just do what's comfortable for you. Some of my students use easels and some of them like to pick it up like this. Most of them probably use easels, so try an easel and then also try what I'm doing here and just see what works best for you. For more depth, I'm adding this dark blue with a little bit of red, so it's mix a dark purple. [MUSIC] For some added interests., I'm going to add red, not a mixed, just red here and there. I'm also going to grab a little yellow, mix it with some of my green, and put in just a few strokes of green. This just adds interest to me, so you can do the same or you can try something different. Just show me what you like by doing what resonates with you. Now at this stage, you can leave the background exactly like this or while it's still wet, you can blend it a little more by moving it around a little more with your brush. That'll give it a softer look. It's just entirely up to you. I'm going to give you some additional options in the next lesson, and then you can decide from there if you want to do more, so meet me in the next lesson and I'll show you a few more techniques that will add interest and expression, and then we'll move on to the more realistic style of painting when we start the butterfly. I'll meet you in the next lesson. 6. Techniques - Step 3: [MUSIC] Hello again here I have the first layer of my background. I would like a few more colors added to add more interest. I'm mixing a yellow, orange and adding it to the canvas. Now because my background is still wet. It's mixing probably more than I'd like with the other colors. I'm going to fully dry the background with my hairdryer. Then I can add my colors to a dry background. [NOISE] Through the magic of editing, I now have it completely dry. I'm mixing some more yellow, orange and then giving it another go, this time with a dry background. I do not want my color to mix with the background this time. I can have clear color. [MUSIC] I'm adding the color with my three-quarter-inch flat brush and just randomly almost putting it evenly. Again, you just have to decide how much you want this color and just put it here and there. Then once I have it on and it's still wet, then I take a shop towel. It doesn't disintegrate as easy as a paper towel and I wipe some of it off so it's sheer. [MUSIC] Then I add some red and a little bit more yellow. Just here and there place it on the canvas just to add a little more interest and texture. You can skip this part. At this stage, I know it looks messy, but it will all make sense as we go through the process. It's very painterly as you can see here in the close-up. [MUSIC] Before I add my next texture technique, I want to make sure it's completely dry. I speed this up by using my hairdryer. [MUSIC] Another way to add texture and interesting marks is to use a scraper or a sponge. I have several here. I'm going to use this white plastic scraper. I think it's used for applying vinyl, but it works great for the scraping technique that I'm about to do. I think if you used a credit card, that would do the same thing as this little scraper that I have. Now I'll make another mix of turquoise and add a little white and use this to make some marks on my canvas. Again, I realize this looks messy. However, bear with me, and you'll see that it will add depth and interest and it will make more sense as we add more elements. At this stage, just enjoy experimenting and discovering what you can make happen with this medium. There's really nothing you can do wrong at this stage, which makes it very liberating. [MUSIC] Here I'm mixing a yellow into my turquoise, and I'll add that color with my three-quarter-inch brush. [MUSIC] Don't forget to clean your tools while the paint is still wet. It's a lot easier than trying to scrape that paint off later. Here Here I'm using a soft cloth to wipe off some of the paint just to soften the edges of some of the marks. [MUSIC] Another great tool to make interesting marks is your palette knife. With mine, I'll add some bold expressive marks using red straight from the tube. Gently dragging the palette knife across the canvas and let it catch on the tooth of the service to make unique barks that are impossible with a brush. [MUSIC] Each time that you add a new technique, make certain the last marks you made are completely dry. That way if you decide you don't like the new marks, you can just wipe them off with a moist cloth and give it another go. [MUSIC] For this next technique, I'm going to use an old stencil that I used for a wall design years ago. Any stencil or decorative stamp can be used for this step. I've even painted on bubble wrap and use that to add a pattern design. Get creative. Look around the house. There's lots of things you might have laying around that could work for this step. I like to add a little shimmer or glitz to also create interest. This soft body paint from electrodex is iridescent gold and will be perfect for my background. Any acrylic craft or stencil paint will work. I just had this on hand and I like the color with the blue. This is what I'll use. You can apply it with a soft cloth, a towel, a stencil brush, or a sponge. Just by dabbing the color evenly over the stencil. Being careful not to change the position of the stencil until you're finished applying your color. [MUSIC] Every once in a while, check underneath and see if it's looking the way you like. [MUSIC] I'd like a few more points of the design to be on my background. I'm going to add a few more here. [MUSIC] Sometimes it takes two layers for the gold to look as shimmery as I'd like. [MUSIC] What that color already on the sponge brush. I'm going to add it here and there on the back of the canvas to marry up the stencil color with the background. [MUSIC] For the last textural element on this background, I'm going to use a toothbrush and add a splatter technique. [MUSIC] I'm adding black paint to my palette. I'm adding a little water to the black paint to thin it down to make spatter, your paint viscosity needs to be thin. It will be easy for the toothbrush to fling it off and onto the canvas. Use gloves as this technique isn't good for your manicure at all. Your paints viscosity, your type of toothbrush, how you pull back on the bristles of the brush. These all play a part in how your technique will look. If you need to practice on a paper plate or some other surface until you get the hang of it before adding this technique to your background. [MUSIC] Also, make sure your background is completely dry. If you want to make a change, you'll be able to wipe off this batter and try again until you're satisfied with your results. [MUSIC] Now you can draw it as is, or you can dab it with a soft cloth and change the size of the drops if you'd like. I'm going to mess around with it until I like it and then call it done. [MUSIC] I like how this turned out. Now that the background is complete, we can move on to the next step. [MUSIC] Meet me in the next lesson and I'll show you how to add the butterfly. See you there. 7. Plan, Sketch, Transfer - Step 4: Hey, there. In this lesson, I'll show you the full process of planning a design, sketching your study, and the transferring of your image to your surface. But for the course project, you're welcome to use my sketch as I've included a PDF under the projects and resources section of this course. Just download a copy and enlarge or reduce to suit yourself and trace the design using the same method that I'll be using in this lesson. Many of my in-person students want to paint but are not interested in the entire process of designing and sketching. I've included the information for those that would like to use their own sketch or perhaps would like to use a different type of butterfly or subject altogether. They might find the entire process useful for their own individual future projects. I'll keep it brief though so we can get to the painting part straight away. [MUSIC] When I first envision a painting as an idea in my head, I sketch out tiny thumbnail sketches to work out all the details on paper. I mostly think about where I want my study, the main subject, in this case, the butterfly, what size, how many would look good to give the most visual impact. I think about the story I want to tell visually, like where do I want my viewer to look first? Even though this is just a lesson for learning the skill of painting and acrylics, I'd like it to be more than just practice. I want it to be pleasing enough to proudly hang on your wall when you're finished. This all takes planning. My goal is when you're finished with the project, I want you to view it as not only a beautiful work of art adorning your home but also a representation of a journey of learning and experimenting and achieving. The image of the butterfly is a metaphor for transformation. What better way to symbolize embracing a new skill? [MUSIC] These are all the things that are going on in my head as I'm creating lessons for my students. [MUSIC] Once I decide the best composition, I research images from copy-free sites like Pixabay, Pexels, Unsplash, or my own reference images. Once I settle on my subject, I sketch a more detailed study [MUSIC]. Sketching my subject is a way for me to observe and learn more about it. It's why it's called a study. When I know more about my subject, I'm able to paint it more accurately when I get to that part. [MUSIC] Once I have my sketch, I use tracing paper to edit and finalize it. [MUSIC] I then use the tracing paper image to find a pleasing placement on my painting. Sometimes this requires cutting the image down to size. [MUSIC] [NOISE] Once I choose the best placement for my study, I add sidewalk chalk to the back of the illustration and place it on my surface chalk side down, tracing over with a very sharp pencil. [MUSIC] Check to make sure that you're pressing hard enough with the pencil to transfer the image. Now that I have the image transferred and I have a guide, I'm ready to begin the painting process. I have my reference images for color nearby on my computer and I also have a color copy print out. I've included the reference photos that I'm using for this project in the projects and resources section of this class. You can download those or just view that on your monitor as you paint. My color copy isn't very accurate so I like to use my old iPad for color reference. I also like to zoom in so I can see more detail as needed. Next up, I'll demonstrate step-by-step how to paint the peacock butterfly. Meet me there. 8. Painting the Butterfly - Step 5: [MUSIC] To start, you'll need a small amount of the primary colors, blue, red, and yellow, and a little white. Using a one-quarter inch filbert brush, or you could use a palette knife mix an orangey rust color by adding a little red to the yellow and then tiny amounts of blue to tone down the orange to a more of a rust color. If you like brighter colors, just omit the blue and go ahead and make an orangey red. [MUSIC] Using the flat side of your brush, fill in the large mid-sections of the butterfly wings. At this stage, I'm only applying a thin layer as I will be adding more layers as I progress. [MUSIC] To give the wings more dimension, I add a little bit of red and a little yellow, just a few brush strokes. [MUSIC] I'm using a wet-on-wet technique and as I put the color on, I mix it with the previous layer of color. [MUSIC] Next, I add a small amount of blue and red to the rest mixture to darken it in value, and then I use the edge of my brush to tap in the edges of the wings. [MUSIC] This is the blocking in stage where I paint my entire subject with the first layer of paint. Using my reference photo as a color guide, I add a small amount of yellow to my resting mixture to lighten it a little in value and then I add that to the edges of the wings in a zigzag brush technique to make it look like the pattern in the wings that I see in the photo. For the butterfly's body, I mix a little more red and blue and add it to that rust color, again, darkening it in value. [MUSIC] The body is larger at the top and tapers towards the bottom. [MUSIC] Don't forget to add the little tiny head. I'm also adding this color to the edges of the wings and on either side of the body. [MUSIC] If your body needs to be a darker value, add more blue until your color is almost black. Add this everywhere you see dark using your reference photo as a color guide. [MUSIC] When using your filbert brush, use it on the side to paint more of a line and flat when you need to fill a larger area. [MUSIC] Now change to your Number 3 round brush and mix a light yellow using white and yellow. You can also add a tiny amount of red for a more realistic color. [MUSIC] Add this around the eyes using your reference photo to guide the color placement. [MUSIC] If the color you're putting down is mixing too much with the color that's already on your canvas, you can completely dry your butterfly and then paint. Sometimes when you're painting wet paint to wet paint, you get a little color mixing that you don't want. The best way to avoid the mixing and getting a different color is to dry it completely first and then add your new color. [MUSIC] Now, without cleaning out your brush, go ahead and mix that color with the rusty brown color you originally had and it will make a beautiful color for the edges of the wings. [MUSIC] I'm not sure this is quite bright enough for my taste, so here I'm making a yellowy orange, leaning more toward yellow than orange, and I'm going to make that a little more pronounced. I'm going to use zigzag motion to create that texture that's in the wings, using the edge or the very tip of the brush to create that same texture. [MUSIC] You can see me starting at the outer part of the wing and pulling in and up and it tapers the stroke. Then I add a little red to that yellow mixture that I made and it turns it a little more orange, and I'm just blending that yellow into the center where the wings are and just working here with my brush so it blends it more. [MUSIC] Here I'm using straight yellow right out of the tube to add some of the yellow areas. If you look very closely at the photograph, you'll see that there's bright yellow near the top of the wings. I'm taking artist license and doing it a little bit brighter. I feel like having more contrast makes it more 3D. Here I'm filling in any areas where the background still shows through and I'm also cleaning up the edges so they follow my guide, my chalk line, a little bit more accurately. [MUSIC] Now I mixed a very dark red by just adding a little bit of blue to my red and I'm going to use this as a shadow underneath the wing to separate the two wings and also on the edges of the wings, so they'll stand out from the background. [MUSIC] For the blue that you see in the center area of the eyes, I'm mixing blue with a little tiny amount of white and just tapping that color in each eye center, again, using the reference photo as my guide. [MUSIC] I also see a bright red, so I'll tap that in as well. [MUSIC] Next, I'll enhance the red color in the center of the wings by adding pure red [MUSIC] and moving around a little bit to blend it softly. Here I'm making black by mixing a lot of blue, half as much red, and a tiny amount of yellow, until I see the paint turn black. I call it colorful black because it's created by using all three primary colors. If you don't want to mix your black, go ahead and use a tube of black if you have that. [MUSIC] Using the tip of my brush, I tap and dab, and gently add this black to every place on my canvas where I see the color in the photo, mimicking the pattern as precisely as I can. [MUSIC] This darkest value will create the contrast I need to make this flying creature look as if it's landed on my canvas for a brief rest and will soon take flight for its next adventure. [MUSIC] Now I'm switching to my smallest brush, a Number 1 liner brush. I'm adding a little bit of water to thin the paint. [MUSIC] I'm also going to use this ruler to stabilize my hand. I don't want to be shaky and this will help me position myself exactly where I need to be to get a perfectly lined stroke. [MUSIC] I use this brush perpendicular to the canvas, as I pull to where I want my stroke to go. I'm adding these black details to everywhere I feel I need more contrast. [MUSIC] This will make the butterfly appear more 3D. [MUSIC] I'm also adding the pair of antennae that are usually straight, but I'm going to give them a slight curve. At the very outermost tip they're a little thicker so I'll add that detail as well. I just tap at the very top and pull towards the stroke I just made. [MUSIC] Here I'm just outlining the wings slightly more and you can see how much it brings out the butterfly. [MUSIC] Now for those of you that like a lot of detail, meet me in the next section and I'll show you even more. [MUSIC] 9. Adding Extra Details - Step 6: [MUSIC] At this stage, you could easily call it done. However, adding a few white highlights adds to the contrast, thus making the butterfly stand out even more. [MUSIC] Here I'm adding pure white with my number one liner brush, to all the areas on my butterfly that need to be highlighted, using the color photo as my guide. I want enough detail to make it very realistic, but also still remain painterly. [MUSIC] Now, I mix yellow with a tiny amount of red and add that near the eyes. [MUSIC] In this class I've been showing you here, how I interpret the image I see, and when you paint this, it'll be your translation. We all see differently with everything really, and that's what makes life so interesting. [MUSIC] When you finish your project, upload it to the create project area, and we'll all be able to see each other's interpretations of the same subject. [MUSIC] I'm going to call this done. Dry it completely then meet me in the next lesson, where I'll give you some tips on how to sign your artwork. See you there. [MUSIC] 10. Signing Your Artwork - Step 7: [MUSIC] Everyone who paints a painting should sign their work. Your signature is your brand and it identifies your work as your own original. It's your mark of ownership. Like your signature on a document, use the same one on every painting. Make it legible so people will be able to identify you as the artist. Also choose a color that complements your painting. Here I mixed a little blue with white just to make a light blue. I used my Number 1 liner brush to write mine and I thin the paint a little with water so it glides over the canvas with ease. If you make a mistake, quickly wipe it off with a moist cough and dry the canvas before you give it another go. Just like how I did the antennae on the butterfly, using a ruler will help steady your hand if you're shaky and give you a better angle to position your brush. Consider how your artwork maybe framed. If your signature is too close to the edge, it may be obscured by sometimes the frames. Probably the most common place you see signatures on art is on the bottom right, like I'm doing here. However, if that doesn't seem like the best place, signing on the left is a good place too. It takes a lot of practice. There's some days I have to wipe it up multiple times before I get it looking right. I like the challenge of writing with a brush, but if you don't, using an acrylic or oil paint pen works really great for acrylic paintings. Some of my students like to date their paintings. I would just suggest putting the full year next to your name. Claude Monet did this. He was very famous, just a thought. Once I dry this completely, it'll be ready for a frame. Meet me in the next lesson and I'll show you an easy, budget-friendly framing idea. See you there. 11. Framing Your Artwork: [MUSIC] A great way to protect your artwork and give it the treatment it deserves is to frame it straightaway. I like to frame a great deal of art so I find affordable ways to do it myself instead of having a professional custom framer do it for 10 times as much expense. Now if I'm giving my art as a gift or I intend to show it at gallery, of course, I'm going to spend the big bucks and earn it up for a more quality frame. But just for me, these pre-made photo frames will do just fine. For a nine by 12 Canvas an 11 by 14 photo frame works great. I just bring my painting to the store, usually a large craft store like Michaels or Hobby Lobby, where they have a large selection of pre-made frames available, and many times they even offer 50% off when you're purchasing a regular-priced item. I then select the frame that looks best to me. In this case, I wanted something traditional to go with the antique-looking colors and also to go with the realistic classic painting style of my focal point, the butterfly. If it doesn't come with a mat, I look for a pre-made mat board. If they don't have a mat board that's complimentary to my art piece, I usually inquire to have one custom cut for me because they usually have a framing department in those large stores. Many times they even cut it while I wait or while I browse the store for more art supplies I don't need. Once I have what I need, I just take it apart and then clean the glass very well with Windex and a lint-free cloth. [MUSIC] Then I have fixed my art to the background or to the custom-cut mat board with sticky putty. Try to find the kind that's expressly for gallery-quality artwork as you do not want to have any solvent-based putty to affect your artwork over time. I use removable putty because I change all my artwork and do not want to permanently fix it to the background. Also, if I get it a little crooked, I can remove it and reposition as many times as I need. If you want to make it more permanent, you can use a hot glue gun instead. This putty also works for hanging it directly on the wall without a frame. I do this sometimes when I just want to hang it temporarily until I have a frame available. [MUSIC] After it's securely on the mat board or the backing paper, I put it all back together and it's ready to hang. As a side note, many of my beginning students feel as if their artwork isn't worthy of a frame but I tell them that's a bunch of hooey; frame it anyway. Here's the reason. To me it's like putting on a suit to a very important interview. You may feel like you don't have the experience, but your goal is to look the part; same with your art. What's the harm in it? If you use the putty like I did, you can always switch out your painting each time you take a class and improve your skills. Well, I hope at this point you're holding your finished piece and you're deciding where to hang it for maximum enjoyment for all who have the privilege of seeing it. Finishing is a feat in of itself, so congratulations. Meet me in the next section and I'll wrap it up. [MUSIC] 12. Conclusion : [MUSIC] Thanks for being here and giving this a go. I hope you had a lot of fun and learned a bunch of new things. Each class in this acrylic painting series, we'll go over some of the same brushstrokes and techniques, and color mixes and I'll introduce you to more as well. Follow me here on Skillshare to be the first to know when I publish a new class. Expect at least one per month going forward. Let me know how you did by uploading your project to the project gallery. I'm looking forward to meeting you through your art. If you want more classes by me straightaway you can subscribe to my YouTube channel called Creatively B. You can also catch up with me on Instagram and Facebook. The links are on my Skillshare profile page. Before I let you go if you have an extra minute or two I'd love to hear what you thought of this class. You can leave a review under the review tab below this video. It's very helpful to know how I can help you learn more about this wonderful medium. Well, that wraps it up. Until next time happy painting. [MUSIC] 13. Blooper!: [MUSIC] Sorry buddy, I'm not sure they wanted to do that technique, plus it would have been nice to know if you were going to show me that a head of time. I'll have you paint a different picture next time.