Beginner Acrylic Painting Tutorial

For Summer 2021

Please note this painting tutorial is closed. To get access to next FREE painting tutorial make sure to join my mailing list by clicking on the button below!

Get access to this free beginner acrylic painting tutorial by signing up to join my mailing list. I send a free painting tutorial twice a year to my mailing list.

 Enjoy this free beginner acrylic painting tutorial to add some DIY summer art to your walls at home.

 In this free beginner acrylic painting tutorial, you will learn how to paint water lilies.

 I walk you through step-by-step instruction – this free painting tutorial is perfect for the beginner painter who is new to acrylic painting. An intermediate acrylic painter can still enjoy this acrylic painting lesson by learning helpful acrylic painting tips! 

Beginner Acrylic Painting Tutorials You Missed

Take a look at our Spring 2021 Painting Tutorial here!

Take a look at our Winter 2020 Painting Tutorial – Make sure to join my mailing list in the grey box below so you don’t miss another painting video lesson! 

 Is this painting tutorial right for you?

This beginner acrylic Painting tutorial is Perfect For You If:

1. You love art or painting

2. You want more time to yourself to be creative! 

3. You are interested in learning more about acrylic painting and developing your skills

4. You want a fun project to do by yourself or with friends or family (recommended age is 7 and up!)

5. You are a painter or want to give it a try!

6. You are beginner or experienced painter

7. You want to relax and enjoy the therapeutic benefits of painting

8. You want fun, simple and creative ideas to paint

 You can see some lovely examples of student work from last year on my summer painting tutorial here! They did such an awesome job and you can too! 

Not sure what supplies you need to get started with acrylics? Check out this post here!

My YouTube channel Jackie Partridge Art has lots of great free painting resources to help you become a confident acrylic painter. 

YOU CAN CHECK OUT MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE!

So, If You Are Ready To Add Some Creative Fun To Your Life And Become A Better Acrylic Painter…

– sign up below to join my mailing list. I send a free acrylic painting tutorial to your inbox that is an exclusive video that is not visible on my YouTube Channel! 

Enter your email below to get access -so you don’t miss this video or the next one!

Do you struggle with acrylic painting? I will show you the 10 common mistakes beginner painters make and how you can avoid them!

You can download my FREE 16 page guide where I show you the 10 common painting mistakes and how you can avoid them.

Donut Drawing

Donut drawing is a fun end of the year activity to add to your classroom. Drawing a donut can be used in a media art lesson, lesson on pop art, product design, art lesson or more. You can use my donut drawing templates to get students to draw and design donuts if they finish their work early or to decorate a donut that is themed around the holidays.

Donut drawing is a fun activity for middle school students! I don’t know about you but my students sure do have a sweet tooth! 

Donut Drawing

Here are some ways to use it in your classroom:

• If students finish their work early

• To design their own flavour and then write a paragraph about it

• To design their own flavour and create an advertisement like a poster or commercial

• To design their own donut themed around a prompt like the holidays or animals

• To draw a donut with different materials like watercolour or pastels 

• To draw a donut after interviewing a local bakery

• To draw a donut after learning about the artist Andy Warhol and the pop art style

• To draw a donut to celebrate a birthday in the classroom

And so much more! 

You can check out my donut drawing templates here! 

Another great end of the year activity is Drawing a Popsicle. Drawing a Popsicle includes templates to be used in the same way as Donut Drawing.

Students can decorate their own popsicles and then have a nice popsicle treat outside to celebrate the end of the school year! 

You can check out my popsicle drawing templates here!  

Donut Drawing and Popsicle Drawing is a great end of year activity for middle school.

Be sure to follow my Teachers Pay Teachers Store to be informed of new products and new freebies - You can follow me on TPT here! 

Enjoy the drawing sheets in your classroom or at your home! 

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Symmetry in Art

Symmetry in art is a great way to teach realistic drawing skills and math to your students. Or provide extra drawing practice to your kids. Symmetry drawing is fun and easy to do with symmetry drawing worksheets. Symmetry art can help refine art and drawing skills by completing a symmetry line drawing. 

Symmetry in art is everywhere and is a part of nature. Trees, flowers, insects and so much more are symmetrical. Kids can learn about botany and anatomy while drawing the other half of a symmetry in art worksheet. 

All you need is printed or photocopied page of my symmetry worksheets, a pencil and eraser. It’s that easy!

Kids love grabbing a worksheet when they finish their work early. Completing these handouts have helped them to improve their drawing skills and it provides them with a nice quiet and calm activity to do. They are very popular at the end of day or to help students settle after recess!

Benefits of Symmetry Drawing in Art

• improve drawing skills

• improve fine motor skills

• students can learn patience and practice their sketching skills

• rainy day/down time activity

• can teach math through symmetry

• students can learn about botany and insects through different themed symmetry sheets!

• easy math, art or sub lesson plans

Who are symmetry drawing worksheets for?

I recommend using these worksheets with students in grades 4-8. I also have portrait symmetry drawing worksheets for high school.

In a free version of my best-selling insect symmetry worksheets you can download a sample of the product to test it out before you purchase. The insect symmetry handouts are great to incorporate in an insect unit, earth day activity, spring activity, early finisher activity, art or math lesson.

You can download the FREE Insect symmetry worksheets here! 

I have also made an 88 page insect symmetry line drawing package that includes 44 different insects that are on gridlines and some without gridlines. The gridlines make it easier for students to draw because they can count the squares as they draw to make sure their side matches up. These gridline sheets incorporate math and measuring nicely! The pages without the gridlines are a bit more challenging. 

You can check out the 88 page insect symmetry worksheets here! 

To learn about botany I have made an 88 page symmetry trees/leaves drawing pages and an 88 page flower/plants drawing pages.

Save 30% by buying the bundle!

I recommend students in grade 4-8 using these symmetry worksheets. If you like all three (the leaves/trees, insects, and flowers/plants) you can save 30% by buying the bundle - You can check out the bundle here!  

Be sure to follow my Teachers Pay Teachers Store to be informed of new products and new freebies - You can follow me on TPT here! 

Check Out My Most Popular Products

Symmetry Drawing Bundle for Grades 1-3

Symmetry Drawing Bundle for Grades 4-7

Symmetry Drawing Bundle for Grades 8-12

Symmetry Drawing for Grade 1-12

Buy More and Save with the Symmetry Drawing Mega Bundle !

Take a look at the bundle here!

Enjoy the symmetry sheets in your classroom or at your home!

You can follow my TPT store for updates here!

Related Articles

3 Benefits to Symmetry Drawing

Follow my Teachers Pay Teachers Store

Free Symmetry Drawing Worksheets!

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What is Teachers Pay Teachers?

What is Teachers Pay Teachers? TPT stands for Teachers Pay Teachers. It is an online marketplace where teachers and parents can purchase and download free products to help support student education. Resources in all subjects and grade levels can be found and they range in prices from free to $200 with most products being under $5. Find out more about what Teachers Pay Teachers is in this post!

At first, I felt guilty purchasing products on TPT to be used in my classroom. I tried talking myself out of buying a $4 presentation, worksheet and slideshow on a topic I knew nothing about.

When I though about it I ended up saving at least 6 hours to research the topic on early humans, make the slideshow, the worksheet, edit and format everything. The $4 was well spent and I feel a lot less guilt now spending a few dollars to pay for something that is going to make my job as teacher easier!

In my first year of teaching, I was teaching a lot of subjects and grade levels that I was unfamiliar with. Planning units became very time consuming because I was having to research and plan the content before teaching it.  TPT helps build up your bank of lessons, activities and ideas.

TPT is the first place I check before I begin planning because often I can find what I am looking for - for FREE!  Usually, I can’t make something as nice and as pretty either. 

TPT offers a variety of sales throughout the year. It’s a great idea to join their mailing list to get notified when there are upcoming sales. Their sales are often 20% off which means you can save even more on products that are already inexpensive! 

Something that I recently learned about TPT blew my mind! If you leave a review on a purchase you made (not a free download) you can actually earn credits to be applied on future purchases!  It’s a win-win - you help the seller build a trusted reputation and you give yourself a credit to use towards your next purchase! 

In my TPT shop, I am focusing on art resources because that is my speciality! I have products for middle school and high school art! 

Still curious about what TPT is? Visit my shop here and follow me so you can see new resources that I put out!

Check out some of my products here:  Click on any of the images if you are interested in learning more about the product!

Insect Symmetry - free download- click the image to download this freebie!

Check out my Most Popular Products

Symmetry Drawing Bundle for Grades K-3

Symmetry Drawing Bundle for Grades 4-7

Symmetry Drawing Bundle for Grades 8-12

Purchase Drawing Prompts for High School here - 30+ pages!

Even if you are not a teacher and you are a parent TPT is worth the look - you will be able to find activities, worksheets and more to help your child with a topic they might be struggling in!

Here is the link to follow me on TPT and check out my shop!

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Symmetry Art

Drawing Prompts for High School

Donut Drawing

Tips for Painting with Kids

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Free Acrylic Painting Tutorial

For Spring 2021

This painting tutorial is now closed -Make sure you join my mailing list to get the next exclusive painting! you can check out Summer 2021 painting tutorial here!

Join my mailing list here for the next free acrylic painting tutorial!

Learn how to paint the eggs of this tutorial - here!

Get access to this free acrylic painting tutorial by signing up to join my mailing list. I send a free painting tutorial twice a year to my mailing list.

 Enjoy this free acrylic painting tutorial to add some DIY spring art to your walls at home.

 In this free acrylic painting tutorial, you will learn how to paint a bird nest in an abstract farmhouse style. 

 I walk you through step-by-step instruction – this free painting tutorial is perfect for the beginner painter who is new to acrylic painting. An intermediate acrylic painter can still enjoy this acrylic painting lesson by learning helpful acrylic painting tips! 

Take a look at our Winter 2020 Painting Tutorial – Make sure to join my mailing list in the grey box below so you don’t miss another painting video lesson! 

Click the image to download my FREE guide- you will join my list and automatically get my exclusive seasonal painting videos!

Is this painting tutorial right for you?

These Videos Are Perfect For You If:

1. You love art or painting

2. You want more time to yourself to be creative! 

3. You are interested in learning more about acrylic painting and developing your skills

4. You want a fun project to do by yourself or with friends or family (recommended age is 7 and up!)

5. You are a painter or want to give it a try!

6. You are beginner or experienced painter

7. You want to relax and enjoy the therapeutic benefits of painting

8. You want fun, simple and creative ideas to paint

Click the image to pin this for later. Get your FREE painting now! I send them twice a year!

 You can see some lovely examples of student work on my summer painting tutorial here! They did such an awesome job and you can too! 

Not sure what supplies you need to get started with acrylics? Check out this post here!

My YouTube channel Jackie Partridge Art has lots of great free painting resources to help you become a confident acrylic painter. 

See the Other Painting Tutorials You Missed!

Fall 2020

Winter 2020

Summer 2020

So, if you are ready to add some creative fun to your life and become a better acrylic painter…

– sign up below to join my mailing list. I send a free acrylic painting tutorial twice a year to your inbox that is an exclusive video that is not visible on my YouTube Channel! 

Sign up below! Don’t miss out on the next free painting tutorial! 

Enter your email below to get access -so you don’t miss this video or the next one!

Winding Road- Art Installation by Jackie Partridge

Winding Road -art installation from 2016 completed in Montreal by artist Jackie Partridge. Here is an art installation from my archive. Winding Road is an art installation from 2016. It is made from Mylar, ink, and thread. It measures 18’x 3.’ I made this work while completing my MFA at Concordia university in Montreal, QC.

I loved using ink and seeing how it pooled to dry making interesting overlapping line drawings. This artwork was inspired by driving along the countryside and looking out the window. This work later turned into an art book - you can see that here!

I chose to paint and draw on a frosted mylar because I like how it looks foggy and isn’t fully transparent. It has a really nice effect when it is backlit with lights in an art exhibition. 

I later turned these paintings into Fielding Through and Field of Green. For the work Fielding Through I sewed some of these pieces together using white thread and my sewing machine to create an accordion style book that was able to stretch and pull a part. For Field of Green some of the larger pieces were hung on the wall behind the sheet curtain of painted fabric. 

As an artist, I often rework my artwork to add to it or to morph it into new artwork or installations. I like that art is able to change and evolve over time. By taking a look at my current artwork below you will be able to see some similarities between pieces as art is inspired by previous pieces.

To see my current art practice -click here!

Winding Road ink on mylar installation by Jackie Partridge

Detail of Winding Road by Jackie Partridge

Related Articles and Artwork

Fielding Through - inspired by this piece

Field of Green -inspired by this piece

See my current art here!

Check out my shop here!

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How to Get Better at Acrylic Painting

How to get better at acrylic painting is a question I get asked all the time! I want to help you and share some of my tips! Ever wondered how you to get better at acrylic painting? You want to improve but are unsure where to begin and what acrylic painting tips to follow?

Learn from artist Jackie Partridge for how you can improve your acrylic painting fast with these acrylic painting tips!

I am a certified teacher and artist with my Master of Fine Arts. I have noticed common mistakes that beginner acrylic painters to make and want to help you so that you can avoid them! I want to help you improve your acrylic painting and transition you from a beginner painter to a more confident painter!

How to Get Better at Acrylic Painting

Mistake #1 -They use the paint straight out of the tube

By mixing your colours and not using them straight from the tube not only can you show off your colour mixing skills but you can create stronger paintings that have more detail, more colour, more variety and are more interesting.

In a painting, it is good to avoid having large solid areas of a plain flat colour especially if you are wanting a more realistic style or to capture something like a landscape. Think about a small patch of grass -there is more than one shade of green. There is light green with green+white, bright green with green+yellow, dull green with green+red, dark green with green+black and even blue green with green+blue. Make sure you practice and experiment with your colour mixing. Read this blog post on colour mixing!

Mistake #2 -They don’t vary their brushstrokes or types of brushes

Just like practicing colour mixing it is important to practice different brushstrokes. In a painting you can use a different brushstroke in a different area. For example you might want a smooth brush stroke in a sky and a textured brushstroke in the grass or leaves. Check out my YouTube channel for tips!

Although you don’t need a ton of brushes it is good to have options. I recommend starting with 1-2 small detail round brushes for fine details, a 1-2 inch flat brush for the painting large areas like backgrounds and a medium round brush size #6 for painting medium sized areas like tree branches and shading. These are the main brushes I use in my painting and they are great brushes to start with. As you continue painting you can add extra brushes to your collection to experiment with.

Mistake #3 -They buy a ton of supplies they won’t end up using

You don’t actually need a lot of art supplies to get started painting with acrylics. Read this blog post for a list I recommend you to use to get started. By purchasing only what you need, you will be able to save money and not have extra supplies sitting around waiting to be used!

10 Tips to Help You Become a Better Painter - click the image to download now!

If you like these tips I have created a FREE 12 page guide for you to download - that includes a list of 10 common mistakes beginner painters make and how to avoid them! I share a lot of great acrylic painting tips with you in this guide!

You can also check out my YouTube channel - where you can see helpful step by step painting tutorials for beginner painters! Subscribe to my channel here!

Helpful Blog Posts

Read this blog post to help with landscape painting

Read this to help with still life painting!

Learn how to paint better clouds

Try painting coaching to improve your skills quickly!

click the image to download this free guide!

8 Reasons Why I Love Art

Here are 8 reasons why I love art and pursued art as a career. Art can do so many wonderful things and there are so many reasons why I love art! Growing up, I always loved making things, colouring and making crafts and painting on my plastic easel. As I got older, I started to see all the benefits of art and really began to appreciate the talent and skills I had been developing. I think we can always use more art in the world! Here are my 8 reasons of why I love art!

8 Reasons I Love Art:

Art communicates messages

Art has the opportunity to be very powerful and communicate messages that are impacting the world like climate change and social justice. Art has the ability of starting conversations and getting people to really stop and think. 

Art gets us thinking critically

I love going to art galleries and just analyzing and thinking about what the artist is trying to communicate. Why did they choose certain materials? Why did they make the decisions they made?

Art is healing and therapeutic

You can make art on any topic, you can incorporate any medium like writing or journaling where you can really express something that might be difficult to talk about or just hard for you to explain. Through art, you can release situations that have been bothering you and you can begin to feel a sense of peace in your life.

Art is relaxing and meditative

Art has the power to be very calming and relaxing. It is nice sometimes to make art and just zone out. To calm your mind and just focus on keeping your hands busy. Making art like mandalas, repetitive pattern or repetitive marks can help you create a zen feeling.

Art is imaginative and exciting

Art is something that is constantly changing. There are new art supplies being invented and new processes of making art to try. That for me, makes the process of making art really fun and exciting. 

Art is creative and inventive

Making art allows you to be creative and problem solve through the process. Through making art you are creating or inventing. You are developing problem solving skills and decision making skills as you are trusting your intuition, trusting your eyes and figuring out what to do next. 

Without creativity - we would lack so many inventions and our lives would be very different than they are today.

Art is everywhere

Art is all around us. It is on social media like Instagram and Pinterest. It is flowers in the garden, photographs we take, the way the sun dances on an object. Art is sidewalk chalk drawings, graffiti, masterpieces and doodles when you’re talking on the phone. I love going outside on a walk and being able to absorb everything. It’s so nice to really stop and look at something. I think the more time you spend noticing details the more you will recognize that art is truly all around us. 

Art is easy to learn

Now more than ever there are so many ways to learn art. You can learn online and often for free like through YouTube. These educational tutorials and even the ones I do - make learning art so accessible and convenient for everyone! 

Learning art is really playing and experimenting, testing, trying and being able to practice and know that it is okay to make mistakes. Although making art can be difficult. Learning art is easy! It’s important to remember that masterpieces aren’t made overnight and being successful in something does require time and effort. But with time and effort you will get better and so will your art! 

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Why I became an artist
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Daffodil

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My Top 10 List of Favourite Painting Supplies

Here is my top 10 list of favourite painting supplies to help elevate your acrylic painting! Learn what Jackie Partridge likes to paint with. What I love about art is being able to test and try new materials. I love experimenting with art supplies and often make great discoveries that way! New painting supplies can allow you to feel creative again in your art practice. Here is a look at my top ten list of favourite painting supplies! I wrote a basic list of supplies you need to get started with acrylic painting - you can read that here!

My Top 10 List of Favourite Painting Supplies

1.  Besides a different variety of primary colours it can be nice to have special paint like a metallic gold or silver -these can be nice touches in a painting -buying a smaller amount is fine to try if you want. Metallic paint is usually more expensive than regular acrylic paint. I also love grabbing colours that I am drawn to or colours I love using like yellow ochre or different greens.

2. A good easel for painting - I purchased a wooden table top easel from Michaels that folds away, making it nice and compact. I went for wood because it can be more durable than some of the cheaper metal or aluminum ones out there.

3. Posca Pens - I love using Posca Pens in my paintings and to doodle with. You can learn more about Posca Pens in these videos on my YouTube channel: Posca Pen Introduction and Posca Pen Zentangle Technique

4. Golden Acrylic Fluids- I enjoy using these as inks on paper, or to mix with my paint or gel mediums to make it more vibrant.

5. Golden Matte Gel, Golden Modelling Paste and Golden Crackle Paste - with these products you can really enhance the quality of your acrylic paint you can make the paint thicker or crack like broken glass. Although the brand Golden is more expensive it is great quality and a brand I recommend.

6. A great sketchbook- I prefer something smaller that I can carry in my bag. I usually buy mine at Michaels because they often have a BOGO sale. It’s great to have a sketchbook to store ideas of future art projects.

7. A variety of brushes including plastic scrapers -just like having extra paint it is nice to have other options.

8. Palette knives- I love abstract painting and the texture that palette knives allow you to get. You can see my palette knife painting videos here:

   How to choose a palette knife, palette knife painted sunset, palette knife river painting, palette knife painted poppy

9. Watercolour paper and coloured drawing paper- I love painting on paper. It is a nice and affordable option to painting on canvases. Make sure to browse the paper aisle at your local art supply store to find something that calls out to you! 

10. Handmade Paper -It can be really fun and beautiful to paint on you can check out some I have for sale in my shop here!

Want to Grab My FREE Guide with the 10 Mistakes Beginner Painters Make -and how to avoid them?

Make sure to follow me on social media to stay connected for more ideas and inspiration! 

Improve Your Acrylic Painting by downloading this FREE 12 page guide. Click the image to download!

Why I Became an Artist...

Why I became an artist…..I became an artist because I always loved creating things but more importantly I found art gave me freedom. Freedom to express myself - thoughts, ideas, interests and perspective on larger topics like the environment. And of course, freedom to do what I love. I like doing something I love each day and I feel so lucky to be given that opportunity.

Teacher's college was something I did because I knew I loved helping people from volunteering teaching figure skating to spending my summers working at camps. Art teaching, both in the classroom, my Teachers Pay Teachers store where I sell art teaching resources and on YouTube has been a way for me to combine both of my passions of teaching and art.

Teaching allows me to bring in a consistent income and it allows me to focus on my art and not have to worry about money but instead make the art that I want to make. 

There are a lot of stereotypes about artists not making money. As an artist I want to break those stereotypes and prove that I can make consistent money on my art alone.

There are many different paths an artist can take and I like being in charge of that and choosing what applications or opportunities I want to take. Not every opportunity or decision is going to be the best for me or my art.  There is a lot of possibility in store for me and that is exciting! I enjoy being able to teach art in the classroom and online through my YouTube channel.

I have found with consistent work and effort it has been easier to make money as an artist and I know it will get easier and easier in the future. I continue to create more established systems like templates and ways to automate which will save me time and allow me to truly focus on art making.

There are many roles an artist takes on including being a writer, photographer, advertiser, marketer, promoter, teacher etc. I enjoy all the different roles of an artist and being able to do different things each day whether it is making art, writing blog posts, editing photos, updating my website, planning my Instagram posts or applying to art exhibitions. Read the 8 reasons of why I love art here!

With all the areas of my art business to focus on - I need to constantly remind myself that I must continue to make art and apply for opportunities to show my art and reach new people. 

I am lucky to be able to do what I love each day and get paid for it! 

Each day is different, challenging and exciting!

If you would like to support my art practice - You can check out my art for sale here!

If you're an artist I would like to know more about why you became an artist and what you love about it. Let me know on social media so we can continue this conversation! Just click the buttons below ⬇️

1963-1974- Artwork by Jackie Partridge

This is an older work from 2015 called 1963-1974 by Jackie Partridge. The artwork is less than 2’ by 2’.  I completed this artwork during my undergraduate degree at Lakehead University. I created it as part of my art portfolio when I was applying to my Master of Fine Arts at Concordia University in the Fibres and Material Practices Program. 

Polaroids and machine sewing - form a patchwork quilt of memories with old family photos. The photographs are arranged by colour to help the chevron pattern emerge. My grandmother was sorting through family photos and gave me a collection of photographs. I asked if I could cut them and turn them into an artwork and she said yes. There’s something weird about cutting up family photographs and replacing a part of them to form a new memory. I sewed the photographs with a zig zag stitch on my sewing machine in white thread.

Polaroids are such a nostalgic medium and have become trendy again. Working with this medium of found Polaroids really speaks to the time period and the moment that captured the photograph. I love the colours from the pictures and how they have faded over time. Some of the photographs even have my grandmother’s handwriting on the bottom of them. 

I am very interested in quilts, sewing and textile art because when I grew up I had 8 grandmothers including great-grandmothers and great-great-grandmothers. The craft of quilting and sewing are very important to my family heritage and to myself. 

You can see the detail of 1963-1974 below!

You can see my current art by clicking here!

Sewn Polaroids by Jackie Partridge

 To see current artwork you can follow me on instagram @jackiepartridge_

To shop for art by Jackie Partridge - click here!

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Happy Holidays to You!

I want to wish you Happy Holidays this season!

I wish you health, wealth and happiness!

2021 is going to be the best year yet! The best is truly to come! We all know 2020 has been one roller coaster!

This year brought a lot of changes to my art career. With Covid-19, I could no longer offer in person workshops and switched to offering free online tutorials. Exhibitions I had scheduled were also postponed. I landed a full time teaching contract for more stability during these uncertain times.

I appreciate so many of you following and supporting me along the way - whether it was joining my email list, following me on social media, sharing my work with a friend or liking a post. It all truly helped and meant the world to me!

Thank you for…

Thank you for following this blog and sharing these posts! Thanks for liking my posts on Instagram: @jackiepartridge_ and my acrylic painting account @jackiepartridgeart

This summer I started a new YouTube channel. Although I was terrified I have really enjoyed it. I appreciate all the positive feedback and I love seeing the paintings you have made. You can continue to tag me on instagram @jackiepartridgeart or use the #jackiepartridgeartclasses.

Thank you for supporting my new YouTube channel

Every like, share, subscribe truly means the world to me and allows me to help reach more beginner painters who are struggling.

This year I also started a Facebook page as a way to really connect and start to create a community and share my resources with you.

Thanks for those who have followed along: https://www.facebook.com/jackiepartridgeart/

Lastly thank you for purchasing artwork from me, asking for commissions and considering me as an artist to help decorate your walls and make your house a home!

 www.jackiepartridge.com/shop

Thank you for so much love and support this year! As a young emerging artist every like, comment, share, purchase help me work towards my goal of being a full time artist one day!

Have a Safe, Healthy and Happy Holiday Season!

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Related Articles

Why I became an artist

My current artwork

Purchase art in the shop!

My BEST tips for Displaying, Framing and Purchasing Art

My best tips for displaying, framing and purchasing art all in one helpful post! I wanted to make things easy for you and compile my favourite resources about growing your art collection in one place. I have collected my BEST tips and added them here for you! Learn how to frame your art, how to purchase art or get art commissioned and where to display your art in your home!

Deciding to Buy Art for the First Time?

Read this!

If you haven’t purchased art before there are 14 considerations you will want to make to decide which piece of art is right for you. You can read more HERE. If you would like to read more about art commissions or getting a piece of artwork commissioned by me - you can click here!

Unsure About Framing Art?

I can help with that. In this blog post I share about how to choose the right frame to display your artwork proudly in your home. See more HERE.

Not Sure Where to Hang Your Art?

I have added a list of 16 ideas of places to hang art in your home. I also give tips about hanging your art like choosing a gallery wall or hanging art as a pair in a diptych. Read the tips HERE.

Stop Wondering How to Display Art on a Shelf!

Learn how to style your shelf to display your art collection and other meaningful objects like framed family photos, souvenirs and more. Read more here!

Ready to start or expand your art collection for your home? You can check out my shop here!

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Fall YouTube Painting Video Recap!

Check out my acrylic painting YouTube channel >>Jackie Partridge Art<< Here is a list of YouTube videos that were posted to my channel over the last couple months as a little recap. In case you might’ve missed some of my acrylic painting tutorials! There are some great pumpkin painting tutorials and even a pumpkin painting kids tutorial!

You can read the descriptions of the videos before clicking the link to see the video.

You can watch these videos for free at anytime. If you have a YouTube account you can click the clock in the top right corner of the video to save it to your “Watch List” to watch it for later.

Be sure to subscribe to my channel —you can click the bell beside the subscribe button on YouTube to receive notifications of when new videos are added! - I release NEW videos every month!

If you like a video be sure to hit the “thumbs up” to like it or share it with a friend!

Let’s take a look at the videos for this month!

Posca Pen Zentangle

Learn the relaxing art of zentangle and unwind learning about this technique to incorporate into your acrylic paintings. This short tutorial is simple enough for kids to try!

Watch Posca Pen Zentangle- HERE

Video Length: 11 min. 33 sec.

9 Different Brushstrokes for Beginners

I will teach you nine different brushstrokes that you can use to elevate your acrylic paintings. This tutorial is short and easy for beginner painters to try or even kids!

Watch 9 Different Brushstrokes for Beginners-HERE

Video Length: 11 min 52 sec.

Pumpkin acrylic painting for kids or beginners! Perfect art lesson for kids!

Paint a Pumpkin

This is a perfect full painting tutorial for beginners or kids age 7 and up! Learn how to paint a pumpkin complete with a spider and spider’s web. Learn about colour mixing, painting shadows and highlights and more!

Watch Paint a Pumpkin- HERE

Video Length: 16 min. and 11 sec.

Paint an Abstract Pumpkin

In this video learn how to create texture in your acrylic painting using a brush and palette knife. Paint an abstract pumpkin perfect for some fall decor in your home. The perfect Thanksgiving or Halloween art project. Learn about mixing green, orange and grey as well as how to choose the perfect background colour.

Watch Abstract Pumpkin Painting-HERE

Video Length: 25 min. and 32 sec.

If you would like to improve your acrylic painting - sign up to receive my FREE painting guide where I share 10 tips to improve your acrylic painting and the 10 common mistakes beginner painters make and how you can avoid them!

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Paper Making with Recycled Blue Jeans

Paper making with recycled blue jeans is a time consuming process but it also a rewarding process. I love being sustainable in my art practice and using recycled blue jeans to make paper is exciting! I will show you how to make paper with recycled blue jeans in this post! I started paper making in 2015, where I was working as a teaching assistant in a paper making class during my MFA. See some behind the scenes about the process of paper making below!

How to Make Paper Out of Recycled Blue Jeans -What You Need

• a hollander beater

• water

• a vat (plastic tub that is shallow)

• mould and deckle

• felts

• sponge

• jeans that are 100% cotton (they must be 100%)

• Check out this article for other paper making supplies you need!

The Process for Making Paper out of Recycled Denim

Denim Doily -Medium

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You can make paper with found denim as long as the fibres are 100% cotton. In order to make paper out of fabric the fibres need to be natural and not include synthetic fibres. Now a days it can be hard to find blue jeans like that!

Above is an image from the paper making process —> turning denim —> tiny strands of thread —> to pulp —> to paper

Steps for Paper Making with Recycled Blue Jeans:

In order to make the denim paper the blue jeans must be collected rinsed with water (this removes the laundry detergent so the pulp isn’t foamy) and cut into tiny 1cmx 1cm squares. I sort my denim by shade of blue jeans this will get you different blues in your paper. You will have to rinse the jeans in the washing machine with no detergent for a couple cycles to remove any soap residue. If you don’t properly wash the denim you will get lots of foam and bubbles when you run them through the hollander beater. After the squares are cut they are put into a beater that grinds the natural fibres into tiny blue threads.

After the pulp is beaten down to tiny threads (taking around 4 hours or longer). The longer you beat the denim pulp the less threads appear in the paper. The pulp is added into a vat of water and a mould and deckle are used to create sheets of paper. You will scoop the recycled blue jean denim pulp with a mould and deckle in the vat of water and pull a sheet. Then remove the top mould and press the screen on sheets of felt squeezing out excess water. You can also press down with a dry sponge. Layer a felt of the wet sheets of paper. Then place the stack of felts and blue jean paper in a press to squeeze out extra water. Remove sheets of paper and dry them by hanging or in a flat dryer. It will take over 24 hours to dry.

A handful of denim pulp

Here is abaca paper mixed with denim pulp in a mould and deckle (this forms the shape of the paper)

Leftover pulp dries and water can be added to make it pulp again!

I invite you to take a look at the handmade paper I sell in my shop. Check out my beautiful handmade paper art here!

Related Articles

Handmade paper making supplies you need

Remnants Artwork made with handmade denim paper

Sediment -denim paper installation

See current work here!

Learn how to make paper out of plants

How to frame cyanotypes

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Denim Paper-Light and Dark Blue

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Marbled Denim Paper

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Art News Update

Here is my art news update. With a new season it is time to share a new update about my art practice. There has been a lot going on in both my personal life with starting a new full-time teaching job at a private Montessori school and with upcoming opportunities involving my art. Read about some recent art updates below!

YouTube

You can see my most recent acrylic painting tutorials - by checking out my YouTube channel and clicking most recent. Be sure to subscribe and hit the bell to receive notifications of new painting tutorials!

Exhibition

From October 2-January 17, 2021 you can view my art at the Orillia Museum of Art and History in Orillia, ON at the “Carmichael Canadian Landscape Exhibition: Tradition Transformed.”

I have a piece called Establishing Roots which is an altered hand-cut atlas displayed on a pedestal with white gloves. The exhibition is a juried exhibition showcasing the work of a variety of artists in all mediums whose work focuses on the theme of the landscape in some way.

Jackie Partridge -artwork, hand cut atlas

November Art Sale

For all of November I have a sale to save 20% off the art in my shop. You will be able to use the code November20 in the checkout when you make a purchase. There will be a special bonus for people on my email list in the last week of October! I offer free standard shipping to Canada and the U.S. This sale only happens once a year! Join my list here: www.jackiepartridge.com/shop

Publication Features

Patched (select photographs) will appear in Tiny Spoon Ecology (Upcoming)

My work Remnants (photographs) is now available in Tiny Spoon Memory (Spring Issue No. 4) p. 57-59.

To se my current artwork - click here!

Want to stay connected with the latest information- follow me on social media!

3 Steps to Painting Better Landscapes!

3 steps to painting better landscapes - you are on your way to becoming a better landscape painter! Remember you are on a journey and painting is a skill that takes time to develop! Painting landscapes can be difficult but I will show you my 3 steps for painting better landscapes and loads of acrylic painting tips! You’ve started acrylic painting. You’ve watched countless YouTube painting tutorials of sunsets and palm trees. You have tried painting landscapes but it just doesn’t seem to look good as the landscape paintings you have seen on Pinterest or instagram. Ready to learn how to improve your landscape painting? Let’s go!

Here is the help you have been waiting for!

It’s not as hard as it seems. You are only 3 steps away from painting better landscapes! These are also the 3 common mistakes I see beginner painters making in their landscape paintings.

3 Steps for Painting a Better Landscape

Step 1: Colour Mixing 

A grassy field is not the same colour of green. A cloud is not all white. Water is not the same shade of blue. This is the number one mistake I see beginner painters making is that they use the colours of paint straight from the tube. You need to mix your colours and you need to add a variety of colours to make your landscapes look more professional. I wrote a blog post all about colour mixing - you can read that here!

To see what I’m talking about -check out my video on colour mixing and mixing greens. In this video I show you how to mix a variety of greens and talk about where you should place certain greens to create a sense of perspective in your next landscape painting. 

Check out my FREE resource on mixing green and grey here!

Check out the Mixing Greens Video Here! 

Step 2: Try Again

Another mistake I see beginner painters making is that they finish a painting -usually based off a YouTube tutorial and then move on to the next. But you can learn a lot through spending time on your painting and slowing down. 

It’s not a race and there is no need to rush. You will never complete every painting YouTube tutorial out there! 

Take time and look at your painting. Wait til after the painting dries and ask yourself what does it need more of? What does it need less off? And make those changes. 

Sometimes I think it’s easy to forget that you can fix what you don’t like and try again. Acrylic painting is very forgiving; you can easily cover something up with more paint if you don’t like it.

This sounds obvious but the more you practice painting (especially painting the same thing) the easier it will be! 

Step 3: Experiment and Test 

This is the fun step. I’m sure you fell in love with acrylic painting because it’s fun and it allows you to play and be creative. It’s important to let loose. Keep learning new techniques that you will be able to pull from and use in future paintings you do. Again, you can watch a YouTube tutorial and copy every step exactly but that’s only one way of learning. INSTEAD pause the video and add your own ideas - make changes and play! Don’t see your ugly paintings as mistakes. See them as learning opportunities and go back to step two and TRY AGAIN! 

With any new skill you learn it does take time and practice. I know you probably crave those beautiful paintings you see online and keep wishing that ONE DAY you will be able to paint like that too. 

If you are interested in continuing to learn about acrylic painting and improving your skills with landscape painting you can check out more free resources like my YouTube Channel here! 

Click the image to download this FREE Guide for how you can improve your acrylic painting

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Improve your painting skills with painting coaching!

Want to improve your painting ? Learn the 10 common mistakes beginner painters make - and how you can avoid them!

Click the button to download the FREE 16 Page Guide!

Trail - Arm Knitted Installation by Jackie Partridge

Trail detail by Jackie Partridge, arm-knitted lace strips

Trail by Jackie Partridge is a work from my art archive that I made while living in Montreal and going to school for my MFA. This fiber artwork is very performative as I used the knitting process to create it. The act of knitting is very repetitive and labour intensive. It is the same motion over and over again. Learn more about this textile artwork below!

Trail

1’x 20', found lace, sewing and arm knitting, 2016. 

The work was displayed at Ancienne École des Beaux Arts for the end of year MFA exhibition “Maureen” in 2016.

To see my current art practice - click here!

To shop my art collection- click here

This art installation is made by cutting long strips of found lace curtains. The strips of lace were sorted by colour from a yellow cream colour all the way to a pure white at the bottom of the piece. The colour created a nice gradient. The strips were then sewn together to create a very long strip that was then wrapped like a ball of yarn. This process was repeated twice. Like knitting, I used my arms as the “knitting needles” and continued to knit for over an hour to create this 20 foot long installation that was suspended from the top of the staircase. I knit continuously since I used my arms as the knitting needles.

When this piece is lit it produces some beautiful shadows from the design of the white lace. 

I have also displayed this textile artwork outside in the snow. You can see the photograph at the bottom. I liked draping it in the snow and seeing how it dragged across the snow. 

To see my current artwork and art process connect with me on social media by clicking one of the icons below! Or follow me on Instagram @jackiepartridge_ 

Outdoor installation of Trail by Jackie Partridge in the snow

Conceal - Art Installation by Jackie Partridge

Conceal is a project that was inspired my a previous work Trapped this work is from 2017 by artist Jackie Partridge.  In the installation below I use the same hand dyed and hand embroidered dishcloth quilt from Trapped. The dishcloth quilt is made to resemble an aerial view of farmlands. Farming runs in my family as both sets of grandparents and great-grandparents owned farms. I grew up in Wellesley, Ontario, a small town surrounded by farmlands. I watched the land over time develop into subdivision after subdivision. This artwork became symbolic for concealing or covering, protecting and hiding the land. The dishcloths are dyed with inks and acrylic fluids with bright colours of greens, browns, yellows, oranges and pinks to represent the colours and beauty of farm fields. I really wanted to highlight the beauty and vibrancy of the landscape.

I am interested in quilts and fibre art because when I grew up I had 8 grandmothers including great-grandmothers and great-great-grandmothers. So the craft of embroidery and sewing are very important to my family heritage. 

With my art practice I often reuse elements and photograph different artwork outside to change and transform the context of the work itself. I see my art evolving and transforming through time similar to how the landscape is in a constant state of change.

This quilt inspired artwork is draped over rocks at my grandmother’s house in Kinmount, ON. Their property is a special place where I enjoy spending my summer. I find being in nature to be a very inspiring place for my work and me as an artist. Photographed by me in summer 2017.

I see the quilt as a symbol of protection, warmth and comfort. Like most quilts are. 

You can see my current art practice here!

Shop for handmade art -here

Follow me on social media @jackiepartridge_ to see current artwork and to hear about upcoming art exhibitions. 

To see my current artwork >>connect with me on social media - click on one of the icons below!

Printmaking Today -Article Feature for Patched

Patched is a project by Jackie Partridge that has been an ongoing photography series since 2018. My work Patched is ongoing and features nature photography and paper making. I have patched trees in a variety of places that I have lived and spent time in such as; Waterloo Region, Montreal, New York, Vermont, Kinmount, Bracebridge, Huntsville and more. Where I add map paper pulp onto trees where the bark has naturally peeled away. I see the act of patching trees as a form of mending the tree in a poetic way. The work is meditative and calming as I spent lots of time hiking and being in the forests. Forest Bathing is an act of surrounding yourself with nature and being present with the moment. 

Recently my work Patched was featured in Printmaking Today. Chrystal Cherniwchan wrote a beautiful write up about my work Patched. Check it out below!

Let’s Connect

You can see more of my work from the series Patched here! Patched is an ongoing series of photography which I update on my instagram @jackiepartridge_  

you can search the hashtag #patchedproject to see more from this series on Instagram.

Patched Books

You can purchase a hardcover copy of the book Patched that was published in 2018 in my shop. The books are supported by the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund grant I was awarded in 2018. The books are 38 pages and contain a mixture of poems inspired by nature and trees as well as coloured photos of Patched and the process. There is also a PDF Ebook version of Patched available in my shop.

Patched Exhibitions

Connect with me on social media to learn about upcoming exhibitions for Patched - and search the #patchedproject hashtag on Instagram to see more of the project!  Click one of the icons below to follow me on social media!

Patched - Collection of Poems and Photographs (Hardcover Book)

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