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Michelle Langley photo
1 Level
9605 Review
6275 Karma

Review on Martin F Weber Master Paint by Michelle Langley

Revainrating 5 out of 5

I'm confident - no experience of painting pictures that I enjoy

Update: Every painting I've tried since posting this review has improved. I am posting another photo of a few more showing growth. A friend gave me this starter kit for my birthday. I've watched The Joy of Painting for many years - back in college I fell asleep watching it - I still watch it - but just last year I watched it and I didn't feel like actually experiencing it. go for you The only real barrier to entry was the equipment, which for me is quite expensive. When my friend gave me this I was overjoyed. I've never painted before, let alone in oils, but I did some research and got the necessary items for this set. If there's a downside to this, you'll need to invest more money to really get started. I bought a Bob Ross unscented thinner (although I wonder if the Mona Lisa brand would work too - you get better bang for your buck there - if anyone knows please comment), have a mallet stand, a bucket, a table easel and stuff like that. extra colors and brushes that weren't included (although I now know you can definitely draw a picture from the DVD with the color included - you just need a basic understanding of color mixing). Here are some of my early experiences and mistakes that may help other beginners: My first painting was wasted because I applied too much liquid white. Later that night I learned from a blog that it takes you just enough to put your finger on the canvas and see a clear fingerprint. I was a bit discouraged, but I wasn't ready to give up - I invested too much money for that. I took another shot that evening and put in a pretty good effort. People (Facebook friends and family members) seemed impressed and thought it was great (I've attached a picture). Still working on palette management and don't waste paint. It takes a few drawings before you see the trend in which colors you use most often. I use (in order of most commonly used) Titanium White, Cadmium Yellow, and Van Dyke Brown. I would recommend getting the 150ml tubes - this set contains 37ml tubes - you can buy them individually for $6-$10 (depending on colour) for a 37ml tube. So far I have found that 150ml tubes are much more economical. They usually cost between $12 and $17 at Revain. I calculated about 4.04 37ml tubes for each 150ml tube. It's not a problem - you no longer have to buy tiny tubes. Also, when painting, be sure to shake off all the thinner from the brushes when cleaning. I was too soft and learned the hard way that solid paintings on canvas can be turned into a liquid watery substance. When I really knocked the devil out, the whole game changed. I would say that my first 3 images were affected by this bug. I've included my very first painting (the one I actually finished) and my most recent paintings (#4 and #5 respectively in the same photo) as encouragement for those who want to start painting with no experience. I think the improvement I've seen with images 1 through 5 is reassuring - especially to me - for someone with no experience or formal teacher. It can be done - don't give up - let the mistakes teach you and there are always more tips online that can help you. improvement is imminent. This starter kit is a fairly affordable buy to try and see if you want to go ahead and grow wet on wet. Overcome the mistakes (ahem, happy accidents) and move on. Happy drawing and God bless!

Pros
  • Includes Oils, Landscape Knife, Landscape Brush, Background Brush, Fan Brush, Liner, DVD and Instructions
Cons
  • There are other interesting options.