I always wanted to be a painter or artist but my family wants me to be a doctor. It's very stressful studying to get into college and I don't have time to paint, but just watch your video made me relax and feel calm, you teach very well. I hope to paint at least 1/100 of what you paint when I graduate and have time for a hobby. Congratulations, you're a great artist (and very handsome).
I did this painting twice, the first time just like the video, and the second time I substituted green for the back drop and a red apple instead of yellow. Your knowledge and excellent videos are greatly appreciated. Thanks Will.
This is without a doubt a wonderful tutorial for a beginner. I love that you detail the brushes when and where you change them. The camerawork is excellent. We can see exactly what you're doing, when you turn brushes, how you apply them. Thanks from a very very beginning painter.
Isn't it great that these videos don't just disappear in time! I've been taking painting classes for several years at a local senior center and for the life of me, my shadows look like big black balls and I couldn't understand why the table should be lighter regardless of the explanations from my teacher. This was so clear and easy to figure out the whys and wherefores of what you were doing - by watching you do it. I loved watching the color choices and blending process as well. Very instructive. Thank you. This was very helpful. I'll keep watching.
As someone who has never been any good at any form of visual art, it amazes me to watch people pain or draw. You guys can think of something, picture it in your head, then MAKE IT! It's absolutely mind-blowing. I hope that I'll be able to do something like this some day. I'm an author and want to design the covers to my books, so I'm following several series like this to learn different techniques for getting the idea for my covers into a physical form.
I've sketched for most of my life but just recently started painting with acrylics. Your tutorials are the best I've found. The toned ground technique is especially key to getting good results. So far, I've painted the Apple, the pitcher and the cherry and they turned out pretty well. I'm learning how to mix colors and create form. It's a lot of fun!
Such an ‘ordinary’ item: “the humble apple” (through the eye of an artist - nothing ordinary at all) and you have made it special - and that’s a gift. Great tutorial, Will. Thanks. So beautiful ... I love it.
Mr. Kemp, this was the first painting video I fully viewed (multiple times lol) when I first felt a draw (no pun intended) to creating art/images with acrylic paint. I had been drawing my whole life, but had no experience with any brush applied medium. 10+ years later, I am still painting. Im not famous (lol obviously lol), Im not wealthy, I dont even sell paintings, I only create for personal satisfaction. My point is simple, ur initial guidance fueled that spark & sent me down a path that gave me so much more than material wealth or recognition, u gave me joy. Thank u & wishing u all the best!!!
Absolutely amazing process. I've been trying to teach myself by trial and error for a couple of decades. Should have tuned in a long time ago! What a great service to make this available to the public. BIG Thanks!
Thanks for explaining the color choices throughout the process. I've only been a graphite and charcoal artist, but was craving to work in color. It is a whole new world for sure, but I am loving it despite being confused most of the time! These tutorials are really helpful!
I've only recently started painting again after a (really) long hiatus & I'm learning more from your videos that 4 years at Uni. Thank you Will, these are great. I have them on "autoplay" in the background as well as watching them directly. Lovely stuff.
Thank you for making this. I haven’t painted in 15 years and was nervous to pick up a brush. This was the perfect way. Really appreciate the video and for helping me get back to painting. I’ll be continuing to watch your videos! Thanks will!!!
I'm stuck because I've been trying to take up oil painting for the past months but finding it quite challenging. This video made me want to go back to acrylics and keep the oils for another time! Thank you!
I so enjoyed this video. I copied what you were doing and am just thrilled with how my apple and shading turned out. It's nowhere near as professional as yours, but much better than I could have possibly done w/o this video. And now to do it again as to get more practice and confidence. Thanks!!
Hi Will! Thank you so much for the comprehensive tutorial! I'm just getting back into painting and used this to practice with my god daughter. We had so much fun. Wish I could send you a picture or our process. What makes your video so great is I could see how you mixed paint, applied it, brush technique. All of that detail goes a really long way! Gonna need to find a way to support you after I type this because this video was immensely helpful. Cheers!
You have to be one of the best youtube art teachers out there! So many of our online A Level & Foundation diploma students studying from home benefit from your tutorials, thank you:)
Its so great to see Will paint, I remember him walking into my gallery as a kid. He seemed eager to learn and I taught him everything I knew, and just look where he is today! ;):P;):P
Hey! Thanks for your free tutorials, the way you explains the process makes it very easy to understand. I love the way you use colors and shadows. I have learn a lot from this videos, thanks!
here is how to speed up your learning of light. Just watch. Just observe every light curve. Every line, every shade. Just sit and watch and study and paint when you feel you understand. This is one of our great gifts of the mind; To see before hand. And it works for almost everyone almost all the time :)
This is great I never finished my highschool however I focused on art when I went. I missed out on classes going more in depth with shadows and perspective. This is fantastic thank you!!!
Wow! I watched this video a couple of years ago when I first started getting interested in painting and I was kinda lost and couldn't follow it - ended up realizing I needed to brush up on my drawing skills anyway and did that for a couple years... I ended up finding your website kinda by accident last week and ordered your Absolute Beginners Acrylic course - I did one video from it and ended up ordering nearly all your other courses right afterward - it was perfect! Tonight, I finished the last video in the Beginners course and I'm very happy with what I learned. I didn't know how to handle my paints or keep them from drying out and I have quit every other painting tutorial I've tried to follow out of frustration - especially since the ones I tried at first had me trying to paint very specific objects like rocks or trees by watching the instructor paint a rock or a tree with no photo reference for myself. Your courses are really well organized and it's the perfect combination of art theory and ease of use. I love being able to paint along and look at the same photo you have to work from. I'm very please so far and I can't wait to follow along with this video now after all these years now that I'm much more comfortable handling the paint. Thanks WIll!
Hey Luci, happy new year! so nice to hear from you and thanks for your lovely comment. So pleased that you enjoyed the course and found the lessons easy to follow and work along from. Cheers, Will
Such a helpful demonstration to help demystify painting depth. This has been a difficult technique for me to grasp. Many thanks. I will continue watching and maybe find a biscuit here in the US!
Thank you for this, I had missed my art class because I was feeling sick so I didn't know how to use my acrylics yet. This helped me with the background coloring they were doing that day :D
Hey Will, thanks so much for all your videos! I'm just getting into acrylic painting as a hobby and your videos are extremely helpful and I've learned a lot!
Thank you for a great lesson. I tried following your tutorial, with so many thick layers of paint it felt more like oil painting not acrylics, but without the mess, the smells , and the long time needed for drying ! Thanks a lot.
Yay I need this I’m going through a rough patch and painting or doing anything with my hands really helps me get my mind centered and focused! Thank you definitely going to do this! 🤗
I am just learning to use acrylic, coming from an oil painting background. I did not realize you could use such a washy consistency of the paint. I was under the impression it made for a weak surface or weakened the paint surface. Thought you had to use glazes and such. I am learning so much watching your videos. Thank you.
As long as you're working on an absorbent surface the paint will adhere well, this is from Sarah Sands, Technical Services Supervisor from Golden Paints: "The cautions against thinning acrylics beyond 30% (or some similar figure) is common to run across and is something we often find ourselves having to correct, at least in regards to our own paints. We cannot, of course, comment about other manufacturers’ products, where performance can differ. So the following is really only about our brand and is not a blanket statement.The first thing to note is that our Fluids and Heavy Body acrylics can easily be thinned up to one part paint to one part water, or a 1:1 ratio, and maintain excellent adhesion onto absorbent surfaces. In fact, even when testing this on a non-absorbent material like Plexiglas, the paints still formed good films with no adhesion failures after being allowed to fully cure. To add even a little more comfort beyond that, we can share that the adhesion onto Plexiglas remained solid even when thinning with one part paint to two parts water, or a 1:2 ratio. Which would feel like a fairly fluid wash for most people.' You can read more about the absorbency of your paint surface here: willkempartschool.com/getting-started-how-to-choose-what-to-paint-on/ Hope this helps, Will
OMG!!! Where have you been? I have been doing all these other tutorials that each have such different info I can't decide what is the correct way or not. Then I find YOU!! I am going to LOVE learning from you!! THANK YOU!! So much!!!
So simply explained and shown!!! Beautiful tutorial!! Really empowering!!iam an absolute beginner, never painted in my life, but now gonna give a try!!
Hello Will. This video is very well done! Your voice is pleasing to the ear, also i like it that you leave much space between your talk, as well as the choice of the background music. A real pleasure to watch clips like these. Cheers!
Very nice painting! I like your comprehensiveness in explanations, so thank you very much for uploading all your videos and helping others to learn! Keep it up!
Wow like this is so helpful to making my painting skills better thank you for making these its videos like this that really make the difference to helping me understand what to do and how to blend properly.
Absolutely wonderful-- Will, you are friendly, professional, knowledgeable, and talented! I thoroughly enjoy your videos. A big thanks from this Canadian amateur! :)
Wow, I really like this technique, it's exactly how I like to paint... Sometimes it gets out of control though and my OCD can't accept the non-covered part of the painting... :D
at 3:33 when you show the water I was like how is that water defying gravity. I then realized you are not painting on a table but the canvases are placed on a stand. :)
Fantastic video. Informative, well filmed and everything explained. Thanks you so much. Have only tried painting with acrylics a couple of times but you make me want to do more. Thanks again ❤
This is a great instructional video. Your teaching and instructions are so helpful. I learned a great deal watching this. Very instructive and inspirational. I was struggling to make my paintings look more three-dimensional and this has helped. Thank you!
Amazing how it all comes together. I imagine if I tried it, my apple might look more like a giant smudge of...well...smudge. But thank you very much for the tips. Practice, practice, practice is what I keep telling myself.
I'd love to hear your reasoning for the color changes in the foreground and background as you are making them. Excellent tutorial though.....Loving it!
+Charla Pickerel Thanks Charla, the colour changes are just to balance the composition to the viewers eye so you have a balance of colours and tones. Cheers, Will
It looks so simple and amazing! I would love to do it as you. Thank you for these videos, I really appreciate it, just hope I´ll find enough courage to start. :)
Great valuable lesson, i'm a beginner to paint and this is so relaxful. I just want to understand better the color/theory and the medium for painting: acrylic, gouache, oil... I don't know what to pick.
I have started watching your videos in order to understand the techniques and the reason behind them. I want to learn to make my paintings look professional and not amateurish and flat, lacking any kind of depth or feeling. For example, any beginner - like myself - would see that in the photograph the background is grey. Their first impulse would be to paint the background grey and for some reason or other this would probably make the painting flat and meaningless - the painting is not evoking any kind of response. What impressed me with the completion of your painting, shown in Part 2, was how your brush strokes with the grey and yellows in the background was as important as the apple itself! The background flowed with the subject matter so that all was in harmony. The whole painting was communicating. I like that. This gave movement and mood to the whole painting. This is what I am trying to capture and what makes the difference between a professional and an amateur. Any amateur would have immediately painted first the grey in, solidly. I want to understand the idea, philosophy or process behind it all. Apart from the coloured ground, you first painted the background using Raw Umber and then moved towards the grey. This is what I need to learn was why you chose Raw Umber first and not grey? I have just taken a photo of a silver metal espresso coffee pot with a white cup on its side. To contrast with the cold grey metal of the coffee pot I felt I needed to have as contrast to all that grey metal a warm background so I placed a wooden board behind it and the coffee pot is on a wooden table. I took the photo. Now I have a very warm orange-yellow background, This is where I am trying to decide what my coloured ground should be. Do I make it grey because the coffee pot is metal and the grey would cool down and be a contrast to the warm orange-yellow that the background is to be painted on? These are questions that suddenly come up. This is why I am trying to learn what is the philosophy behind the choice of colours. Sorry for this length - no need to reply. I am just trying to learn to get away from simple amateurish painting. By the way, two painters I have come across in whose painting style I admire are Tibor Nagy and Jeremy Mann. These are two painters I admire the style of - I love the style of realism combined with abstraction.
wolf727 Pleased you've been enjoying working through the lessons, have a look at the warm/cool jug exercise willkempartschool.com/how-to-paint-a-warm-and-cool-still-life-painting-using-only-2-colours/which builds a warm brown jug on a cool base.
willkempartschool Sorry. I have a question I forgot to ask you. You used Yellow Ochre for the coloured ground. Then you painted again the whole background canvas with Cadmium yellow light, as if you were giving it a second coloured ground. Why did you paint Cadmium yellow light as the second background colour on top of Yellow Ochre? What was the reason behind that? You already have Yellow Ochre, so why the Cadmiun yellow light? Or you painted Cadmium yellow light in the background because that was the initial colour of the apple and you wanted to harmonize both the background with the apple?
wolf727 I often use yellow ochre as a coloured ground so had this canvas in my studio, then when looking at the subject decided it could handle a bit more 'glow' in the yellow of the apple so added another layer of colour. Hope this helps, Cheers, Will
Hey Will! Thanks a lot for putting these free videos, they really come in handy... but I am planning on getting your online courses next month! Im really excited about it! :) Again, thank you. :)
I love it. Very simple yet precise. Good video close ups. How do you keep the heavy body paints from drying before you're finished blending on the palette and on the canvas?? I'm a real newbie!
I'm 73 now and it is 7:15 AM, You have warmed up my day with your helpful guidance. Don.
So pleased you enjoyed it Don.
I always wanted to be a painter or artist but my family wants me to be a doctor. It's very stressful studying to get into college and I don't have time to paint, but just watch your video made me relax and feel calm, you teach very well. I hope to paint at least 1/100 of what you paint when I graduate and have time for a hobby. Congratulations, you're a great artist (and very handsome).
Did u manage to become a doctor by now?
always chase your dreams not everybody else's. its your life and you choose how you want to live it!
I did this painting twice, the first time just like the video, and the second time I substituted green for the back drop and a red apple instead of yellow. Your knowledge and excellent videos are greatly appreciated. Thanks Will.
Thomas Pike Great to hear it Thomas, and nice that you've been adapting the techniques to your own works, good one.
Will
This is without a doubt a wonderful tutorial for a beginner. I love that you detail the brushes when and where you change them. The camerawork is excellent. We can see exactly what you're doing, when you turn brushes, how you apply them. Thanks from a very very beginning painter.
Linda Lee Harper Thanks Linda, so pleased you found it helpful for your progress as a painter!
Cheers,
Will
I'm not even a painter. This is just relaxing to watch
Pleased you've been finding it relaxing Andrew.
Cheers,
Will
"grab a brew and grab some biscuits"
Just the instructor I've been looking for!
Isn't it great that these videos don't just disappear in time! I've been taking painting classes for several years at a local senior center and for the life of me, my shadows look like big black balls and I couldn't understand why the table should be lighter regardless of the explanations from my teacher. This was so clear and easy to figure out the whys and wherefores of what you were doing - by watching you do it. I loved watching the color choices and blending process as well. Very instructive. Thank you. This was very helpful. I'll keep watching.
So pleased you enjoyed it Sandarah.
As someone who has never been any good at any form of visual art, it amazes me to watch people pain or draw. You guys can think of something, picture it in your head, then MAKE IT! It's absolutely mind-blowing. I hope that I'll be able to do something like this some day. I'm an author and want to design the covers to my books, so I'm following several series like this to learn different techniques for getting the idea for my covers into a physical form.
You look sort of like Vincent Van Gogh! That's cool
Reptarsaurus I think it's cool too!
I've sketched for most of my life but just recently started painting with acrylics. Your tutorials are the best I've found. The toned ground technique is especially key to getting good results. So far, I've painted the Apple, the pitcher and the cherry and they turned out pretty well. I'm learning how to mix colors and create form. It's a lot of fun!
So pleased you've been finding the lesson helpful Janet.
Cheers,
Will
Such an ‘ordinary’ item: “the humble apple” (through the eye of an artist - nothing ordinary at all) and you have made it special - and that’s a gift. Great tutorial, Will. Thanks. So beautiful ... I love it.
You're very kind Victoria, pleased you enjoyed it.
Will
I was worried that people would be afraid to do a vid like this for fear of boring the audience but this is exactly what i wanted to see thank you
Mr. Kemp, this was the first painting video I fully viewed (multiple times lol) when I first felt a draw (no pun intended) to creating art/images with acrylic paint. I had been drawing my whole life, but had no experience with any brush applied medium.
10+ years later, I am still painting.
Im not famous (lol obviously lol), Im not wealthy, I dont even sell paintings, I only create for personal satisfaction. My point is simple, ur initial guidance fueled that spark & sent me down a path that gave me so much more than material wealth or recognition, u gave me joy.
Thank u & wishing u all the best!!!
That’s so brilliant to hear, glad the lesson was helpful in bringing your drawing skills to paint.
What a great, educational video. I like that you're really passionate about this and it shows. Thanks so much for posting this online!
+Jay S Pleased you enjoyed it Jay.
Cheers,
Will
Absolutely amazing process. I've been trying to teach myself by trial and error for a couple of decades. Should have tuned in a long time ago! What a great service to make this available to the public. BIG Thanks!
My pleasure Mike, glad you've been finding the lessons helpful.
Cheers,
Will
Thanks for explaining the color choices throughout the process. I've only been a graphite and charcoal artist, but was craving to work in color. It is a whole new world for sure, but I am loving it despite being confused most of the time! These tutorials are really helpful!
So pleased you've been finding them helpful
I've only recently started painting again after a (really) long hiatus & I'm learning more from your videos that 4 years at Uni. Thank you Will, these are great. I have them on "autoplay" in the background as well as watching them directly. Lovely stuff.
Pleased you're finding them helpful David.
Cheers,
Will
Every time you say "hello class" or " grab a couple of biscuits" I smile so much. You have such a calming and positive way about you. :)
Morning Jasmine! that's great to hear, so pleased you've been enjoying the lessons.
Cheers,
Will
You are a truly amazing instructor. Just from this short video I learned so much about layering. I'm sold!
So pleased you found it helpful.
Cheers,
Will
As always, you are an amazing teacher. I love that you show us beginners the color mixing. We learn so much from watching you paint. Thanks!!
Thank you for making this. I haven’t painted in 15 years and was nervous to pick up a brush. This was the perfect way. Really appreciate the video and for helping me get back to painting. I’ll be continuing to watch your videos! Thanks will!!!
Good one Anne, glad you enjoyed it
@@willkempartschool Thanks Will!
I'm stuck because I've been trying to take up oil painting for the past months but finding it quite challenging. This video made me want to go back to acrylics and keep the oils for another time! Thank you!
I'd just try them both, each medium can help you learn skills you can us ein al your paintings so no experiments are wasted time. Keep going.
Being self taught can be a pain at times but videos like this definitely help. Glad I already knew to keep a brew on hand, though.
Excellent vid!
Pleased you enjoyed it Steve, brew at the ready!
Will
Been working with oils and acrylics forever and found this very straightforward and helpful. You're a very good painter! Thanks for the demo.
Rose Thanks Rose, really pleased you enjoyed it.
Cheers,
Will
I so enjoyed this video. I copied what you were doing and am just thrilled with how my apple and shading turned out. It's nowhere near as professional as yours, but much better than I could have possibly done w/o this video. And now to do it again as to get more practice and confidence. Thanks!!
Hi Will! Thank you so much for the comprehensive tutorial! I'm just getting back into painting and used this to practice with my god daughter. We had so much fun. Wish I could send you a picture or our process.
What makes your video so great is I could see how you mixed paint, applied it, brush technique. All of that detail goes a really long way!
Gonna need to find a way to support you after I type this because this video was immensely helpful. Cheers!
You're very welcome Conrad, so pleased it was helpful.
Will
You have to be one of the best youtube art teachers out there! So many of our online A Level & Foundation diploma students studying from home benefit from your tutorials, thank you:)
OCAD Arts thanks very much, pleased you're finding the lessons helpful.
Cheers,
Will
Its so great to see Will paint, I remember him walking into my gallery as a kid. He seemed eager to learn and I taught him everything I knew, and just look where he is today!
;):P;):P
Hey!
Thanks for your free tutorials, the way you explains the process makes it very easy to understand. I love the way you use colors and shadows. I have learn a lot from this videos, thanks!
Dalia Alcantar Great to hear it Dalia, pleased you enjoyed the tutorial.
Cheers,
Will
Thank you Will. it's just great to understand the blend of shades in a simple but yet difficult painting. Thank you for your time to make such videos.
My pleasure Talha, really pleased the lesson helped.
Will
I have painted my first ever picture in acrylics. Thank you so much for the instruction! I can't wait to learn more. :)
So pleased you enjoyed it PaShia Lor!
Cheers,
Will
skipping straight to digital painting has robbed me of the ability to mix colors. and the ability to paint really. help i've been robbed!
here is how to speed up your learning of light. Just watch. Just observe every light curve. Every line, every shade. Just sit and watch and study and paint when you feel you understand. This is one of our great gifts of the mind; To see before hand. And it works for almost everyone almost all the time :)
This is great I never finished my highschool however I focused on art when I went. I missed out on classes going more in depth with shadows and perspective. This is fantastic thank you!!!
Pleased you found it helpful Alex.
Cheers,
Will
What a great way to explain, you really go step by step. I have a while painting, but I can always learn from this kind of material
I'm a professional painter and I learned so much from this video! Thanks for sharingg Will!
Cheers Tida, really pleased you found it helpful in your paintings.
Will
I love watching you paint and speak during it..you've got such a pleasant voice :)
This put me to sleep in the best way possible, so relaxing and beautiful ....also my God you are skilled
I’ve straight up forgotten how to paint from getting bored of it 6 years ago n now I really want that skill back so this is v useful
thank you so much for these free lessons. I really appreciate it.
I am not a beginner painter. But I would definitely recommend this as a way to brush up on realistic shading! Very informative!
Thanks Bunna, really pleased you found it helpful.
Will
Wow! I watched this video a couple of years ago when I first started getting interested in painting and I was kinda lost and couldn't follow it - ended up realizing I needed to brush up on my drawing skills anyway and did that for a couple years... I ended up finding your website kinda by accident last week and ordered your Absolute Beginners Acrylic course - I did one video from it and ended up ordering nearly all your other courses right afterward - it was perfect! Tonight, I finished the last video in the Beginners course and I'm very happy with what I learned. I didn't know how to handle my paints or keep them from drying out and I have quit every other painting tutorial I've tried to follow out of frustration - especially since the ones I tried at first had me trying to paint very specific objects like rocks or trees by watching the instructor paint a rock or a tree with no photo reference for myself. Your courses are really well organized and it's the perfect combination of art theory and ease of use. I love being able to paint along and look at the same photo you have to work from. I'm very please so far and I can't wait to follow along with this video now after all these years now that I'm much more comfortable handling the paint. Thanks WIll!
Hey Luci, happy new year! so nice to hear from you and thanks for your lovely comment. So pleased that you enjoyed the course and found the lessons easy to follow and work along from.
Cheers,
Will
Such a helpful demonstration to help demystify painting depth. This has been a difficult technique for me to grasp. Many thanks. I will continue watching and maybe find a biscuit here in the US!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for this, I had missed my art class because I was feeling sick so I didn't know how to use my acrylics yet. This helped me with the background coloring they were doing that day :D
Really good tutorial videos. This is definitely one of the best painting channels I've found on YT.
thatorange08 thanks very much,
Will
Great video! I'm painting a bunch of carrots on a canvas using acrylics and this really helped! Maybe an Apple will be next! Great work
Good one, pleased it helped.
Will
willkempartschool
Portraits with acrylics
Hey Will, thanks so much for all your videos! I'm just getting into acrylic painting as a hobby and your videos are extremely helpful and I've learned a lot!
+Isaac Sunseri You're more than welcome Isaac, really pleased you're learning lots from the tutorials.
Cheers,
Will
I like your skills and explanations but also your accent and good mood! Always a pleasure to watch your tutorials Mister!
Fabrice Willmann Thanks Fabrice, kind of you to say so.
Cheers,
Will
Thank you for a great lesson. I tried following your tutorial, with so many thick layers of paint it felt more like oil painting not acrylics, but without the mess, the smells , and the long time needed for drying ! Thanks a lot.
Glad you enjoyed it Prabha.
Will
Yay I need this I’m going through a rough patch and painting or doing anything with my hands really helps me get my mind centered and focused! Thank you definitely going to do this! 🤗
Really pleased you enjoyed the 'mindfulness' painting session Lola.
Cheers,
Will
Great instructor! My apple turned out amazing with my own limited experience. Thank you Will. Looking forward to more tutorials.
Great to hear Jennie, glad it turned out well.
Will
i have learned much more in this one video than I have in the past 2 months of my painting class
That's great to hear Victoria.
What a lot of hard work, you must be very busy painting that picture and you must be proud of yourself
I am just learning to use acrylic, coming from an oil painting background. I did not realize you could use such a washy consistency of the paint. I was under the impression it made for a weak surface or weakened the paint surface. Thought you had to use glazes and such. I am learning so much watching your videos. Thank you.
As long as you're working on an absorbent surface the paint will adhere well, this is from Sarah Sands, Technical Services Supervisor from Golden Paints:
"The cautions against thinning acrylics beyond 30% (or some similar figure) is common to run across and is something we often find ourselves having to correct, at least in regards to our own paints. We cannot, of course, comment about other manufacturers’ products, where performance can differ. So the following is really only about our brand and is not a blanket statement.The first thing to note is that our Fluids and Heavy Body acrylics can easily be thinned up to one part paint to one part water, or a 1:1 ratio, and maintain excellent adhesion onto absorbent surfaces. In fact, even when testing this on a non-absorbent material like Plexiglas, the paints still formed good films with no adhesion failures after being allowed to fully cure. To add even a little more comfort beyond that, we can share that the adhesion onto Plexiglas remained solid even when thinning with one part paint to two parts water, or a 1:2 ratio. Which would feel like a fairly fluid wash for most people.'
You can read more about the absorbency of your paint surface here: willkempartschool.com/getting-started-how-to-choose-what-to-paint-on/
Hope this helps,
Will
Thanks for clarifying that for me.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! I really appreciate that you made such a high quality tutorial video and post it online for free! This will help me so much :-)
+Martin Kohoutek You're welcome Martin, hope your painting goes well.
Cheers,
Will
Thank you so much for this lessons. I learn so many things on how to paint with light and life. And i love your paintings : pure simplicity !
4everfab You're welcome, so pleased you're finding them helpful.
Cheers,
Will
Best instructions and best video I have ever watched on acrylics.
OMG!!! Where have you been? I have been doing all these other tutorials that each have such different info I can't decide what is the correct way or not. Then I find YOU!! I am going to LOVE learning from you!! THANK YOU!! So much!!!
So glad you enjoyed the lesson.
Will
that subtlety is amazing. im really hard time doing those. really nice
Kev Ard Pleased you enjoyed it Kev.
Cheers,
Will
Neatly done Will, now I know the technique when painting a still life painting.
Thanks for your generosity and time, you have helped many of us!
My pleasure Katsdeelite, so pleased you found the tutorial helpful.
Cheers,
Will
This helped me a lot to finish one of my paintings. Thanks for the amazing content
Great to hear!
This looks really beautiful. It inspires me to paint more and more
Jessica Britto Great to hear it Jessica.
Cheers,
Will
Excellent video. Just the perfect subject for me as a beginner. Great explanation and examples to follow. Thank you! LuAnn
So pleased you enjoyed it LuAnn.
Will
Your "morning class" makes my life so fulfilled.
That's great to hear!
So simply explained and shown!!! Beautiful tutorial!! Really empowering!!iam an absolute beginner, never painted in my life, but now gonna give a try!!
Glad you found it helpful Nancy.
Cheers,
Will
A Legit artist without faking it's work of art.
That was mesmerising. I've only recently found an interest in art and this was a very good video for starting out. Thanks!
Pleased you enjoy it Mo Pa.
Cheers,
Will
Hello Will. This video is very well done! Your voice is pleasing to the ear, also i like it that you leave much space between your talk, as well as the choice of the background music. A real pleasure to watch clips like these. Cheers!
Ambraduna Thanks very much, so pleased you enjoyed the video, hope your painting turned out well!
Cheers,
Will
Very nice painting! I like your comprehensiveness in explanations, so thank you very much for uploading all your videos and helping others to learn! Keep it up!
sakartvela1 Thanks very much,
Will
Wow!, this is the most amazing still life tutorial I've ever seen. I would like to see part 2. I'm learning a lot. Thank you. I'll keep watching.
Betty Diesner Great to hear you're enjoying it Betty,
Cheers,
Will
Just discovered your videos and i have to say these hooked me! Love the way you greet your students 😃
Pleased you've been enjoying them Agness.
Cheers,
Will
Wow like this is so helpful to making my painting skills better thank you for making these its videos like this that really make the difference to helping me understand what to do and how to blend properly.
Retro Dolly Pleased you found the lesson helpful.
Cheers,
Will
Absolutely wonderful-- Will, you are friendly, professional, knowledgeable, and talented! I thoroughly enjoy your videos. A big thanks from this Canadian amateur! :)
Stephanie Eckert Thanks very much Stephanie, kind of you to say so, so plesed you found the lesson helpful.
Cheers,
Will
Wow, I really like this technique, it's exactly how I like to paint... Sometimes it gets out of control though and my OCD can't accept the non-covered part of the painting... :D
at 3:33 when you show the water I was like how is that water defying gravity. I then realized you are not painting on a table but the canvases are placed on a stand. :)
I admire how your pallet is vertical instead of flat... very clever.
Fantastic video. Informative, well filmed and everything explained. Thanks you so much. Have only tried painting with acrylics a couple of times but you make me want to do more. Thanks again ❤
Thanks so much, really hope you find it helpful and your painting turns out well!
I can do this,. I got the right instructor I have the right materials . Now I can learn at my own phase. THANK YOU!!
Glad you enjoyed it Longis, Cheers,
Will
This is a great instructional video. Your teaching and instructions are so helpful. I learned a great deal watching this. Very instructive and inspirational. I was struggling to make my paintings look more three-dimensional and this has helped.
Thank you!
Mary Kate MoranThanks Mary, really pleased you enjoyed the instruction and teaching.
Cheers,
Will
You teach so well ! Your explanation makes it feel so easy. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us and creating this course 🙂
You are so welcome Denise.
Will
Amazing how it all comes together. I imagine if I tried it, my apple might look more like a giant smudge of...well...smudge. But thank you very much for the tips. Practice, practice, practice is what I keep telling myself.
+Rana El-Khatib Thanks Rana, I think you might surprise yourself, pleased you enjoyed the lesson.
Cheers,
Will
Thank you for lovely tutorial... made me paint my first acrylic painting 😊
Good one Sadhana, really pleased you enjoyed it.
Will
thanks for these lessons... I've already painted the cherry and now the apple, and I think I'm improving from one to the other.
Great job Sarah, pleased you've been enjoying them
Will
Your one helluva teacher, your stuff is brilliant. You have caused me to pick up a paint brush and have a go..... thanks...!
+Julian Sinclair Thanks Julian, so pleased you're feeling inspired to pick up the paint brush! hope the painting turns out well.
Cheers,
Will
I'd love to hear your reasoning for the color changes in the foreground and background as you are making them. Excellent tutorial though.....Loving it!
+Charla Pickerel Thanks Charla, the colour changes are just to balance the composition to the viewers eye so you have a balance of colours and tones.
Cheers,
Will
this is great! ive been looking for something like this all my life!
I finished the apple! I had a great time painting this and happy with the results.
+Julie Bishop Good one Julie, really pleased you enjoyed the lesson.
Cheers,
Will
you teach sooo much more than my school.
tysm , you're a blessing to all gcse art students! :)
Hope it's helped with your GCSE's Bowen.
Will
Thank you! This was useful. I painted an apple today and I am looking forward to watching your other videos!
So glad your apple turned out well Apelsine.
Will
i really appreciate the way you explain every step thank you !
My pleasure Sandra, really pleased you enjoyed the tutorial.
Will
It looks so simple and amazing! I would love to do it as you. Thank you for these videos, I really appreciate it, just hope I´ll find enough courage to start. :)
Great valuable lesson, i'm a beginner to paint and this is so relaxful. I just want to understand better the color/theory and the medium for painting: acrylic, gouache, oil... I don't know what to pick.
Beautiful , beautiful yellow apple I'd ever seen ^^ Thanks for sharing your good talent.
Thanks Sung
I have started watching your videos in order to understand the techniques and the reason behind them. I want to learn to make my paintings look professional and not amateurish and flat, lacking any kind of depth or feeling. For example, any beginner - like myself - would see that in the photograph the background is grey. Their first impulse would be to paint the background grey and for some reason or other this would probably make the painting flat and meaningless - the painting is not evoking any kind of response.
What impressed me with the completion of your painting, shown in Part 2, was how your brush strokes with the grey and yellows in the background was as important as the apple itself! The background flowed with the subject matter so that all was in harmony. The whole painting was communicating. I like that. This gave movement and mood to the whole painting.
This is what I am trying to capture and what makes the difference between a professional and an amateur.
Any amateur would have immediately painted first the grey in, solidly. I want to understand the idea, philosophy or process behind it all. Apart from the coloured ground, you first painted the background using Raw Umber and then moved towards the grey. This is what I need to learn was why you chose Raw Umber first and not grey?
I have just taken a photo of a silver metal espresso coffee pot with a white cup on its side. To contrast with the cold grey metal of the coffee pot I felt I needed to have as contrast to all that grey metal a warm background so I placed a wooden board behind it and the coffee pot is on a wooden table. I took the photo. Now I have a very warm orange-yellow background, This is where I am trying to decide what my coloured ground should be.
Do I make it grey because the coffee pot is metal and the grey would cool down and be a contrast to the warm orange-yellow that the background is to be painted on? These are questions that suddenly come up. This is why I am trying to learn what is the philosophy behind the choice of colours.
Sorry for this length - no need to reply. I am just trying to learn to get away from simple amateurish painting. By the way, two painters I have come across in whose painting style I admire are Tibor Nagy and Jeremy Mann. These are two painters I admire the style of - I love the style of realism combined with abstraction.
wolf727 Pleased you've been enjoying working through the lessons, have a look at the warm/cool jug exercise willkempartschool.com/how-to-paint-a-warm-and-cool-still-life-painting-using-only-2-colours/which builds a warm brown jug on a cool base.
willkempartschool Sorry. I have a question I forgot to ask you. You used Yellow Ochre for the coloured ground.
Then you painted again the whole background canvas with Cadmium yellow light, as if you were giving it a second coloured ground. Why did you paint Cadmium yellow light as the second background colour on top of Yellow Ochre? What was the reason behind that?
You already have Yellow Ochre, so why the Cadmiun yellow light? Or you painted Cadmium yellow light in the background because that was the initial colour of the apple and you wanted to harmonize both the background with the apple?
wolf727 I often use yellow ochre as a coloured ground so had this canvas in my studio, then when looking at the subject decided it could handle a bit more 'glow' in the yellow of the apple so added another layer of colour.
Hope this helps,
Cheers,
Will
Hey Will! Thanks a lot for putting these free videos, they really come in handy... but I am planning on getting your online courses next month! Im really excited about it! :) Again, thank you. :)
You're welcome Allyssa, pleased you've been finding them helpful.
Cheers,
Will
Great painting and thank you for making the video. You're pleasant to listen to and learn from.
Cheers Caprise,
Will
I love it. Very simple yet precise. Good video close ups. How do you keep the heavy body paints from drying before you're finished blending on the palette and on the canvas?? I'm a real newbie!
Love this vid and how you are teaching/explaining it all. I wish I'd started here 1st!
Thanks very much, so pleased you enjoyed the lesson.
Will
Its peaceful watching you paint. Hope I can paint one day.
Glad you've been enjoying the lessons Minh.
Will