Setting up YOUR painting space at home
So now that you have gathered your supplies and mustered up the courage to put paint to canvas, the next question to tackle is… “How do I set up my space to paint?”
Let’s go over the basics, upgrades, & tips for having a comfortable space to get creative.
Space/Location
Lighting
Supplies
Ambiance
Mindset
Space/Location:
It doesn’t matter if you have a designated space to create or if you have to set it up on the kitchen table for a few hours then put it away before dinner. Your creative space is YOURS for the timeframe you occupy it. Keep your space simple. Part of your space is being free of distractions; turn your phone off, if others live with you ask them to not interrupt you for “set time”, turn off the tv and turn on your favorite music. Have some of your favorite snacks and beverage for an extra treat. This is a space you create for yourself and your creative adventure. If you do this on a regular basis you will start to crave it and realize the benefits of painting.
Upgrade: Dedicated a: space, corner, or box of supplies for your creative journey
Tip: Take it 1 step at a time and have fun!
Lighting:
The best light is natural daylight, try to paint somewhere with a window. You can paint outside, just note that your acrylic paint will dry faster both on your canvas and palette. So paint a bit faster, and embrace a part of the “Plein air” style (FYI- Plein Air = out of doors. The French term Plein air means out of doors and refers to the practice of painting entire finished pictures out of doors, generally landscapes)
You can paint indoors and at night with electricity! Depending on what you are creating, using multiple lights will help eliminate shadows. I generally use 2–3+ lights when painting or filming indoors. It helps to have your lights on tripods so you can move and adjust as needed. If you have a fixed position for a project, you can set that up with more permanent fixtures. For example, my instructional painting videos are all shot from bird’s eye view and I use 3 clip lights that never move. For those that don’t have a dedicated space, feel free to try different places and light sources in your house, you will find your favorite spots and light sources. A few of my apartments received great morning light yet by 12 pm that room turned into a great place to take a nap, and the backroom in the apartment had the best afternoon light. Adjust as you need to throughout the day/week/month.
Upgrade: Easel with clip light on top.
Tip: It’s ok to move your painting as the light changes, adjust to what you need to see clearly
Ambiance:
Ambiance starts with you finding the space/location for your painting time. Then it continues as you turn OFF distractions (phone, tv, housemates, etc..) Then as you set up your space to paint, do you turn on music? Do you have your favorite beverage/snack? Are you breathing deeper and letting out a relaxing sigh? If you are painting on a regular basis are you finding yourself looking forward to your painting time?
Upgrades: Find what you like during your “Me” creative time and keep adjusting. Find regular creative outlets (monthly/weekly/daily)
Tip: Keep it simple: creative supplies, no disturbances, music and snacks/beverage
Supplies:
For the physical basics of painting, you can set it up on a table or anywhere you are comfortable. Cover the table with something if you are concerned about paint splatter. Should you get paint on something clean with soak and water.
The Basic Supplies are your surface, brushes, acrylic paint, you can find more detailed info in this article: Basic acrylic supplies explained. You are going to need a paper plate to use as a paint palette. As well as a cup of water and a paper towel or rag to wipe off the brush.
Optional items: Easel to prop up your painting while you paint, apron or wear an old shirt, optional brushes, and palette knife for more creative exploration
For a simple 1-click shopping — Acrylic painting kit- click here
For an itemized list of basic supplies click here
The setup pictured above: pencil, carbon paper & printout are additional supplies if you need to transfer your pet photo or line drawing to the surface. This helps get your initial composition on the surface so you can focus on painting. I have 2 styles of courses that carbon paper is utilized: Paint Your Pet & Traceable: Master list
Upgrades: Try different surfaces to paint on, try different brushes and tools. Try artist-grade paint 1 color at a time. (Recommended Brands: Liquitex, Golden, Daniel Smith, Winsor Newton) Find what you like and keep challenging yourself
Tip: When purchasing supplies, you can get away with cheap brushes and surfaces, for your acrylic paint you will enjoy the process more if you get better quality student grade paint. Recommended Brands: Liquitex Basics, Blick Student, Arteza
Mindset:
One of the more important tools to focus on, especially in your beginning stages. Your mindset is very important in how quickly you will learn new things. A positive mindset will grow your painting skills and comfort level swiftly. Painting is not about perfection or realism. Painting is about the process, the journey each creator goes through. By keeping a positive mindset in your painting journey your successes become each step of your journey. With each painting you will learn something, even if you throw the painting away, you take those lessons into your next painting and maybe approach it differently. That is creative growth, a creative journey.
As you start out on this journey be kind to yourself, you are learning a new skill. Celebrate your small victories, like mixing a color, better brush control, feeling more relaxed, one step and victory at a time and you will get comfortable with the process of painting. If you feel like all you see is a bad painting, what would you say to a 5-year-old who handed you that painting, find something positive to tell your inner 5-year-old, be kind to yourself. Just like learning to write, ride a bike, drive a car, play an instrument, play a sport, you have to start somewhere and get better from there until you are comfortable with the skill.
Upgrade: Stay positive and just keep growing and finding outlets in your world that make you smile
Tip: Remember to breathe during the process of painting! Find something positive & productive with each step in your journey. I recommend taking progress photos and keeping them, in a year or 5 years from now you can look back and see how much your skills improved. With time & practice, you can do anything.
So get your space set up and start painting!
Your creative adventure is waiting!
Places to find painting lessons from Lovejoy
Free step by step videos to try with your new supplies — “Paint with Lovejoy” Youtube
Learn to Paint Your Pet — for First-time & Beginner painters
PaintwithLovejoy.com — online school
Spreadsheet — list of supplies
*some links are affiliate links, and a small commission goes to Paint with Lovejoy for qualifying purchases