Paint By Grids
by Kevin Prince
Review by Martha Robinson
Paint-By-Grids Acrylic Kit $49.95 Available from Paint By Grids.
Interested in learning to paint on canvas? The people at GridArt, LLC have put together everything needed to learn the "gridding" technique and paint one picture.
"Gridding" was actually used by renowned artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and "is the artists secret for accurate shape and perspective." The method used with this kit has the student overlay a clear piece of plastic with a grid similar to graph paper drawn on it over a picture no larger than 4" x 6". Using the placement of items within squares on the small picture, one is able to reproduce the picture by drawing in the corresponding squares on the larger canvas. After the picture has been sketched in pencil, a sponge is used to wipe away the grid from the canvas. Then the painting begins!
The "Drawing & Painting Guide" explains the entire method. In the painting section an overview of how to mix the twelve different colors of acrylic paint to achieve the desired effect is included. The pallet knife is briefly mentioned. Pointers about how to achieve different results with paint brushes and information about color (primary, secondary, complimentary, etc.) is also seen in the guide.
Everything needed for the project is in the set. Included are a 12" x 16" gridded canvas, three clear plastic grids of different gauges, twelve tubes of acrylic paint, brushes, a sponge, a pencil, two paper pallets that can be cut from the back of the cover of the set, a cardboard table top easel that is actually a clever part of the packaging, a pallet knife, and the Drawing & Painting Guide.
Recommendation: This is a great kit for teenagers and parents! The grid technique is a proven performer that your student may have already been exposed to in drawing curricula. The Paint-By-Grids Acrylic Kit takes the method one step further with the gridded canvas that allows you to move into acrylic painting in a confident way. At $49.95, the price is reasonable given all the materials included. The instructions are brief but concise and should be sufficient for most families. This would make a fine gift and a treasure for your budding artist.
Note: A visit to Grid Art's Web site is well worth the trip! There you can view demos and clips from their TV commercials. Don't miss the customer gallery! They even have software to help you use the grid-art technique on your digital and scanned photos, or photos from the Web. You can try sketching by grids with this PDF file sample
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