Although I am not a formally trained painter by any means, I think acrylics as a medium are very accessible through activities like Wine and Canvas (and similarly named types of businesses). In addition to in person instruction, virtual tutorials are great for a date night or other quiet night in (especially fun during pandemics). Acrylics are natural to learn for a few reasons: 1) They dry quickly, so the experience is fast and mistakes are easy to paint over 2) They blend well/naturally so mixing is easy and fast, and 3) They are relatively inexpensive (as compared to a fine watercolor or oil paint set, for example) so they’re nice to try out to see if you enjoy painting as an experience without making a huge investment. I have a basic acrylic paint set and it covers all my novice needs. I recommend starting with a paint night type event to see how you like the experience first before investing in supplies.
The essence of Wine and Canvas is to have fun! Drink a little wine, play with color, and don’t take anything too seriously. Acrylic painting usually starts with a background (which can be a solid color, gradient of color, or other use of color) and moves on to figures in the foreground). Measurements are simple, using the paint brush or your fingers as reference for how big to draw things. The color palette is also curated to the piece of interest. Once you get comfortable with these basics you can start painting your own pieces. I also recommend taking progress pics from blank canvas to finished product and putting them together into a gif so you can appreciate the progression of the work you created.
When working on my own ideas for art, I really like using mini canvases because I can paint quickly on them and my room is already so filled with art that going small makes sense for me. I am planning to do a border of mini paintings around my living room. For my own paintings outside of fun and pretty Wine and Canvas, I like to paint feelings. My inspiration is often an almost impressionistic capture of a moment in time: a quote someone says, a dream, a season, an emotion, anything ephemeral that I want to capture in paint.
I find painting very calming. It helps me process my emotions and gives me an avenue for creating something beautiful even when I am injured as I am this month. I love art history and a lot of my pieces have a lot of influence from the classics (like Monet’s water lilies or Dutch still life). If you haven’t given painting a try but have toyed with the idea, I say go for it! Here’s to new and beautiful experiences in 2021!
Millennial's Delight 
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