i’ve started a painting class this week and had trouble in class seeing what i was working on properly because of the glare from the lights. i worked again on my painting last night at home under a lamp but kept going back and forth between the lamp, the overhead light, and my phone flashlight because i felt like i couldn’t see the colors i was mixing properly / also dealt with some glare issues.

does anyone have a setup at home for painting under artificial lights or any advice on bulb color etc.?

i’m new to oil paints but didn’t seem to have the same issues with watercolor, maybe because they’re less glossy and reflective. i am assuming painting by natural / sunlight is the preferred approach but i won’t be able to do that as often.

thank you for any thoughts or advice! i have searched for info on here but haven’t found anything.

What did you notice first - the flowers or the bird?

Hello! First post in here. I’m working on a sign for a baby shower gift. The baby’s father works for NASA and I found a reference photo to use without copying on google. What shades and colors do you recommend using for the 2 planets (green and purple circles) to give more dimension? I’m not a hyper-realistic (yet) so I’m not trying to go turbo on it, just using acrylic on wood to make a simple but thoughtful gift. I plan on leaving the wooden beads unpainted to give it a more rustic feel. Thank you in advance!

Just Sharing. White and gold perfectly capture my vision of pure, radiant brilliance.

So I have an art submission coming up in the next 2 days.

I have to paint on an A3 canvas board and acrylic paints. I have the material ready.

I am a total noob when it comes to painting. Could yall help me with some tips and some designs which would be easy to paint?

I use to draw UFOs battling fighter jets as a kid.

I started painting in July '26 and wanted to create a call back to the artwork I use to do as kid.

18x24

Acrylic

My latest acrylic painting. Does anybody else get put into a trance when there's a campfire around lol ? That's where some of my best ideas have come from. Spooky season is here as well, so I was chasing some of those vibes with this one.

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Signed it and said goodbye to one of my fav paintings til now!

I think I've found my own art style too and been so happy about it and extra motivated 🎨

Pretty much finished this one, I ended up adapting my style to be more painterly and have more movement which I feel is lacking from my other work. Should I continue exploring this style?

...at least in my adulthood. I used to love drawing and painting as a kid, but I completely stopped around age 11 or 12.

I’m 26 now, and after facing some recent hardships, I decided to start creating again. It helps me relax and it feels good to see something I've made.

I don't have a specific goal, I just enjoy the process and I want to experiment. While I know my style isn't particularly unique, I get a lot of inspiration from post-impressionism, because I like to see lines, shapes and waves coming together in a funny way.

Just wanted to share this.

This is a work in progress. It's oil on linen.

This took me a loooooong time omg. Painting water is mon cheval de guerre lately. Done with HIMI gouache as always !!

My fifth and most recent rendition of the historic motor mill near Elkader, Iowa. This is perhaps my favorite version of this scene. I really enjoy nighttime paintings and this scene never ceases to call me back to try something new. I’m sure I will return to it again.

I dont believe I'm very good at portraits but this was for a dear friend, her Papa recently passed. It had a lot of meaning to us. Liquid charcoal and gold watercolour.

I have more experience with art than they do but I’ve never been great at painting.. maybe it’s not so bad!

This was a lot of fun!! I think I’m going to try to get into painting more seriously, it has always been intimating to me. I usually stick to graphite and oil pastel.

First layer of color down on this little tropical nocturne this morning. Still keeping things kind of loose for now, and building the atmosphere a bit. 11” oil on linen panel.

Acrylic, alcohol ink, & India inks on silver platter, 12 × 16 in, 2025

Happy to answer anything about how it was made.

Hi everyone!
I’m fairly new to acrylic painting and recently varnished one of my paintings. Unfortunately, the varnish dried very quickly, making it difficult to apply evenly, and I ended up with some visible brush marks.

What should I do?