Tips For Using Acrylic Paints

Acrylic paints are very useful for painting the weekend crafts that you and your kids create in your wood shop over the weekends. In dealing with acrylic paints, here are some tips to help you get the most out of your experience in dealing with them.

The nice thing about acrylic paints is that, unlike ones that are oil based, they are fast drying. This means that you can cover your bird house, knick knack, or other craft in the morning and by afternoon it is dry and ready to be used. Of course, since the acrylic is fast drying, it means that you should work with it quickly. Once you open the tube, work with it as quickly as you can to avoid having it dry out before you can cover your target piece.

Acrylic products are among the most versatile of paints in that they can mimic the other two major styles of coverings - water and oil based. For example, by diluting it with water or other substances, you can give the color a slightly washed out look that closely resembles water color. By adding acrylic gel or media, you can mimic the look of an oil painting.

Those who are tight on funds and have never used acrylic products before, may want to start with a lower grade product. Some manufacturers sell what is known as student grade acrylic coatings. These products have a lower pigment concentration and a few other differences that make them less expensive and more affordable for those who can't quite afford the premium paints. And then, as you become more comfortable using acrylics, you can make a seamless transition to the more expensive grades.

If the acrylic container has been previously opened, you may find that some of the moisture has evaporated making the paint thick and hard to handle. In this case you need to thin it out. The easiest way to do this is by adding plain water to it. When the covering dries, it will still provide a water resistant layer to the piece you have painted.

A part of acrylic paint maintenance is caring for the paints that you use. When you are finished painting, clean the caps on your acrylic paint tubes. Clean threads as well. If you don't, you may find it difficult or impossible to reopen it the next time that you are ready to use it.
Article source : EzineArticles

What Are The Best Paint Schemes for Your Home's Exterior?

Figuring out what color to paint your home may be a tricky thing to do. You might imagine how a certain color will look in your head only to find out that it's far from what you imagined when you see it in reality. There are several different ways in which you may choose to go when painting your home, but when it comes down to it, make sure that you carefully consider the choice.

If you're home is old and you want to maintain its historical integrity, try to determine what the original paint color was. Old photographs from previous owners, if you know them, or asking the neighbors may be a good place to start. If you'd like to keep a tone similar to your neighbors, try to pick colors that do not clash with houses in the area. In a neighborhood full of muted earthy tones, choosing that psychedelic green may not be the best choice unless you're trying to get your neighbors to quit pestering you with friendly small talk.

Also consider the landscaping and natural setting of your house. Are you by the ocean? Then a collection of blues and lighter colors might do you just fine. Are you surrounded by trees and bushes? Natural, green and brown colors might be a good choice.

Don't forget about your roof's color, either. It doesn't have to be a perfect match, but make sure that you don't paint your home's exterior a color that clashes with the color of your roof. The same goes for brick houses. The bricks probably won't be painted, so you'll want to make sure that you choose a paint color that goes nicely with their color.

If you're trying to make your house seem larger, choose lighter colors. Light colors tend to make a house appear larger, while darker shades tend to make it appear smaller. Don't shy away from dark colors if you're trying to accent recesses, this may work quite well.

One of the most important things to remember is not to achieve a balance with your color scheme so that one area does not stand out too much.

Article source : EzineArticles

The Best Paint Colors For Small Rooms

Are you dealing with a small room and wondering what the best paint colors are to make it look larger? If so, we're going to go over a few options you can choose from that will give you the look you want.

Consider the following choices to open your space up...

Option 1) Use a (Light) Cool Color. If it's not yet obvious (light) cool colors are said to be the best colors to go with because they trick the eyes into thinking they are further away than they really are. If you're wondering what colors classify as cool colors, cool colors are considered to be...


blue
green
purple

Putting an example to them, you can think of the colors of the ocean or sea, sky and trees.

Option 2) Use a Gloss Finish. If you want to go a step further consider using a gloss finish. Paint experts at Behr.com have said that using a gloss finish can also contribute to making a small room appear larger. The best ones to use are said to be an eggshell finish, satin finish and semi-gloss finish. You'll want to stick witch using a semi-gloss finish for the kitchen and bathroom. For bedrooms, living rooms and other rooms of the house a more subtle approach is best--the satin and eggshell finish being great choices for those rooms.

Option 3) Use Monochromatic Colors. A monochromatic color scheme is simply using colors that are close in tone so that when the eye moves around the room it is uninterrupted and tricks you into believing there's more space than there really is. A simple way to go about using a monochromatic color scheme is to use colors from the same palette, such as light blue, medium blue and so forth.

Lastly, after discovering that cool colors are the best colors in principal, you still might want to consider another choice.

Option 4) Compromise with a Light Warm Color. If you're wondering what warm colors are, they are yellow, orange and red. Putting them into an example, warm colors are the colors of heat. You can think of the sun and fire as good examples.

Generally, warm colors get the opposite results that cool colors get. That is, they make a room feel smaller because they appear as though they are coming toward you. However, they also make a space feel cozy, which means it's sometimes worth the sacrifice to pick a warm color, especially if you love it.

Remember, you'll be the one living in your home day in and day out. You want to be certain that the colors you pick are colors you can enjoy. If you can't enjoy the selection of cool colors then it might be best to you to pull from both worlds...

That way you'll still be getting something light but warm at the same time. Choosing a light warm color will then ensure that your room will feel fairly bright to you, but also offer you that intimate feeling that you couldn't deny yourself.

So keep in mind not to only choose what's best for your rooms but also what's best for you...

After all these are choices you'll have to live with every single day.

by Tameka Norris .
Article source : EzineArticles