How to Paint Thin Lines in Acrylic on Canvas

[@christygetscrafty]

This is the thing I struggle with the most when it comes to painting. I'm definitely going to try out these techniques. Thanks, Heather!

[@HeatherCashArt]

Christy Gets Crafty Yay! Good luck, hope it helps! 😁

[@Johnbartheart]

@@HeatherCashArt Very helpful, thanks!!😁👍🏼

[@Fink-id6yg]

Same.

[@Proverbs--tx6yr]

Ty for the simplicity you brought to a new painters problems ❤️ sometimes it’s discouraging because we don’t know how to rectify those silly things and keep trying things that don’t work and the line ends up getting thicker and thicker. Ty again ❤️

[@joshbrowngames]

I'm surprised this video doesn't have more views. Very well explained and demonstrated. Keep it up!

[@HeatherCashArt]

Aw thank you!! That's so nice of you to say :)

[@robinheuver1915]

@@HeatherCashArt I just received an an acrylic paint set for Christmas and I am a beginner. The canvas is outlined and I have five .2 oz tubes of paint. What do I squeeze the paint out on? Will a paper plate work? Do I need to go over the entire canvass with water first?

[@HeatherCashArt]

@@robinheuver1915 OMG! I'm so sorry, I just saw this! I like to use a foam plate because then I can just throw it away when I'm done! Or you can use a ceramic plate but then you'd have to wash it after. You don't need to go over the canvas with water first - I never do that, unless I am doing a super large canvas and want my paint to go a little farther.

[@ronward5698]

Robin Heuver I can keep my acrylics from dying out for a week or more by squeezing it onto paper palettes designed to keep the paint moist. (I use stay-wet palettes) You have to keep the paint/paper in an airtight container with a wet sponge. (They sell a whole system but I just make my own) and don’t keep it for too long as the sponge will get moldy

[@ronward5698]

Joshua Brown there are other videos with more views that aren’t anywhere near as good as this one.

[@masud916rana]

I always struggle drawing lines on canvas. Thanks a lot. For making this video. This video deserves more attention.

[@HeatherCashArt]

Thank you! Glad you liked it!

[@bobwilliams3112]

Excellent and helpful video! Picking up the brush after not having painted for about 40 years, I can’t tell you how much does one video of yours has helped my confidence. Thanks!

[@carlswanson8041]

Super job gal. I have not seen a better explained and demonstrated tutorial anywhere and both of my parents (who owned art stores and were excellent artists) taught painting in several mediums. Very well done.

[@laurapalka3685]

This is a wonderful video! Painting lines may sound easy, but it’s the thing that’s vexed me the most, as has painting fine details. You are an excellent teacher, you are thorough but you don’t go too slow. You point out many specifics without assuming the watchers know what to do. You have a new fan!

[@HeatherCashArt]

Aw thank you! You're so sweet! 🙃

[@ronward5698]

Also, try experimenting with the amount of water in the paint. I can get pretty thin lines with inky consistency to the paint, (albeit at the cost of opacity sometimes) but it’s still the best approach for my particular style. Also, thinned our paint is good for filling in those areas that have unclean edges because you add more water to the dryer paint and it lays down better.

[@annansubuga8307]

Using alot of water weakens the paint film so tht the paint doesn't bond properly meaning it'll age poorly , I recommend buying an acrylic gloss medium to replace the water! Also makes layering easier too

[@ddhenley]

Thank you for the tips! I had know idea I needed to refresh my brush 🙃 I only cleaned it when changing colors lol. This should help a lot

[@thesamoanscouttv]

I'm a self taught and still learning painting. Thank you for the tips.

[@HeatherCashArt]

You are so welcome!

[@hollijaques3218]

Thanks for this video!! I'm a new artist and I'll do so great on a painting and paint this beautiful abstract animal.... And then the whiskers look like a toddler did them. I know I need to practice but you taught me so many things here that I've been doing all wrong!! Super happy I found this video!

[@HeatherCashArt]

Aww thank you!! So glad I could help!!

[@shaylagudino5693]

Thank you so much. I have been doing painting tutorials for over a year and this has been my number one struggle. This was very very helpful!

[@HeatherCashArt]

Aw, so glad it helped!!

[@gottaluvlinda]

Thank you so so much! I’m an Aboriginal artist but I really suck at doing the fine lines in my paintings... I always end up using paint pens. I’m reaaaally keen to practice what u just taught me. Great instructions and the first person to show me how to properly fill in the blank spots in the lines. Such a great video 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽🥰😍😘

[@HeatherCashArt]

Yay!! So glad it helped! And the more you do the lines, the more natural and easy it will become. Eventually you'll be able to do it without really thinking about it too much!

[@gottaluvlinda]

I hope so ☺️ I’ve been so busy so haven’t had a chance to practice much yet but I totally still plan to. It’ll help my paintings soooo much. Thanks again for this great video ☺️🥰😍😘

[@youtubeuser1442]

Please suggest me paint pen brands. Plz I urgently need them

[@dragondeeznutts]

@@gottaluvlinda the hell is an aboriginal artist ?

[@gottaluvlinda]

Jose Mejia someone who is Aboriginal... Australian Aboriginal and we have a specific type of art. Google Aboriginal Art and u will see. Most famous is I guess, dot paintings but there are all kinds.

[@malcolmuffelmanjr1748]

Excellent. Deserves a lot of viewers

[@HeatherCashArt]

Aww, thanks so much!!!

[@marycarpenter-burke4604]

Excellent help for someone new to acrylics. Thank you.

[@naomipatrao]

Thank you so much! A very useful tutorial. I had been struggling for years. ☺☺

[@robinruby3156]

Painting lines has always been a big problem for me. My hands shake a bit so just doing a line of any sort in any medium challenging. But you’ve brought up an important point I hadn’t considered and that is globbing on too much paint. I tend to do that. So I’ll give it another go using your tips and suggestions. Many thanks!! 😊

[@hellohoi7492]

I appreciate this so much, thank you! I'm a teen who has been painting for like ten or so years and haven't know this! Thank you, my lines look so much better!

[@HeatherCashArt]

Yay! Glad I could help!!

[@donnovannash2709]

Very informative! Thanks for taking the time out to teach 👍🏽

[@HeatherCashArt]

Aww, you're so very welcome!

[@Golden_Rabbit]

This is such a great information for beginner like me. Thank you so much for sharing!

[@leeashley6891]

Thank you! I’m a beginner trying to paint violin strings on my music abstract. It’s been a mess. Lol. Gotta practice this!

[@mjjeter7169]

Many thanks for this valuable tutorial. I appreciate your lesson and your time.

[@HeatherCashArt]

Aw thank you! So glad you liked it!!

[@Davy.J.Y]

I use a ruler for straight lines , but not in the way you think... Curves are very tricky, i am rubbish at painting circles, i usually have to re paint them. i enjoyed this video, great tutorial :)

[@HeatherCashArt]

Aw, thanks!! Checking out your channel now!! :)

[@AC-ng7cd]

Thanks so much for this. I followed your advice and my lines significantly improved within my first attempt. 🙏🏼

[@komalkhalid7031]

Great job. Nice way of teaching.

[@petercini2022]

Very helpful, these are the kind of explanations that I was searching for, thanks.

[@saharathealpha4742]

Haha thank you so much!! This was so useful and easy to understand!! I'm painting a picture of my mom's dogs for her fiftyth birthday and I am not very good... I want it to be perfect! This helps a ton, as thin lines are where I struggle! Thank you for taking the time to make this totorial!!😁😁

[@HeatherCashArt]

Aw you're welcome! Glad you like it and good luck on the doggy painting!

[@yakobean]

Thank you so much for such a useful video! It's much easier to paint things with lineart now. I'll make sure I mention this video to more people. :)

[@HeatherCashArt]

Aww thank you! I'm so glad it helped!!

[@yakobean]

@@HeatherCashArt No problem! It really is useful.

[@aniketbarve3445]

Excellent tutorial, I am going to try this now. I always struggled with branches

[@jesusonthepiedras]

Explained absolutely perfectly! Thank you.

[@fritzdacat2]

Wow, this is great! Thank you!

[@beardedwoodpecker]

Hi Heather, your tutorial helped me alot ....thank you for sharing it on line All the best Ioannis / Athens ,Greece

[@Sky-bx9mn]

Oh my god this just instantly changed my painting amazingly, thank you!!!

[@HeatherCashArt]

Yay!!! I'm so glad 😊

[@raddii3850]

omg thank you i’ve just been using the no outline style and this is amazing thank you and idc if i’m late

[@Vinterbukser]

Another good tool for slim lines is a 'rigger's brush', which the brush in this video is approaching lengthwise. The rigger's brush is so called because painters used to use it for painting rigging in paintings of ships. As the bristles are so long, they don't transmit the natural shake of your hand to the tip of the brush, so you end up with a smoother line. I have also found that mixing the paint with a little flow enhancer helps a lot as it thins down the paint, making it smoother to apply. Just ask at your craft store where they will probably sell it. The advantage over water is that flow enhancer does not reduce the opacity as much as water. Water will also dilute the polymer particles in acrylic paint which means that they do not bond properly - this will result in a weakened paint surface and possible deterioration of your painting over time.

[@conniegullo6108]

Thank you, very helpful. I want to make super thin crocked lines, I will take your tips into account when practicing. I learned a few thing from you. ☺️ thanks for posting.

[@theenchantedgyspy3657]

I am struggling so much with this and you did a beautiful job teaching me how to fix my bad painting habits!

[@HeatherCashArt]

Yay!!!

[@racine09]

thanks -this was puzzling me for a long time !

[@HeatherCashArt]

You're so welcome!

[@lauradavidson4911]

genuinely very helpful, thank you!

[@franodwyer1427]

this was to the point ...very well explained...thank you !!!

[@Cali4naeh]

If I’m painting a house (lots of straight lines) would you ever use a ruler to guide you? My free hand lines are not as straight as yours.

[@HeatherCashArt]

Hi! I would probably draw them out with a ruler and pencil lightly, and then go over with paint, without the ruler. I wouldn't try to get them absolutely perfect - after all, it is being hand-painted - so I think that would work well. Don't get too hung up on trying to make it perfect! 🙂

[@benbob2008]

Wow, great teaching here -- thank you!

[@HeatherCashArt]

You're very welcome!

[@leigh-annh2544]

Thanks. That’s very helpful.

[@HeatherCashArt]

You're welcome! Glad it helped! :)

[@itsalwaysacoustic]

This is very helpful!

[@unnamedexodus3902]

These are the problems I deal with all the time but they never mention it in tutorials. Thank you.

[@albertog747]

Thank youuu! Will try practicing this.

[@jacobb4077]

Awesome vid, thank you!

[@HeatherCashArt]

You're welcome! ☺️

[@stevegreenwood7837]

Great info thanks l struggled with this ..but now l see !!! ;-) Steve UK

[@HeatherCashArt]

Yay! So glad it helped! Thank you! 💕

[@apina9843]

I need this when I will lineart my Anime painting :Dd

[@heidimccarthy5127]

Great Tutorial!!!

[@HeatherCashArt]

Heidi McCarthy Thank you!

[@burpo]

Great. So useful. Thanks for sharing this!

[@flipperdale51]

Very informative and useful. Thank you.

[@HeatherCashArt]

Aw, thanks! Glad you liked it! 😊

[@byron470]

super helpful! thank you

[@korukiwiarts]

Thank you. I'm always having issues in creating the perfect paint line

[@HeatherCashArt]

Happy to help!

[@boatpeachbed]

Good explanation.

[@HeatherCashArt]

Thank you! Glad you liked it!

[@ozzie8821]

Ty, I am a wood carver and just finished a project and the last step is out lining the letter A in White, that’s all I like to be done and scared to death to mess it up. Thanks for explaining gonna give it a go! 👍👍👍👍😎

[@HeatherCashArt]

Oh wow that's awesome! I would do some practice ones on a scrap piece first 🙂

[@justiceLaw0000]

Thank you!! You explained it so well. Just subbed and hope you make more videos.

[@HeatherCashArt]

Aw thank you!!

[@jcbak]

Great tips.

[@tasnim2243]

Thank you very much That is really going to help me💕

[@manuela9556]

Thanks for the tips this is very helpful

[@HeatherCashArt]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tarahhoxsie3917]

This was super helpful 👌🏼

[@PrincessOfTheSuperMario2001]

That's very helpful thank you. 😊

[@johntawney7525]

Thank you for a great instructional video. It zeroed in on some mistakes I had made drawing thin lines. What was the #5 brush you used?

[@HeatherCashArt]

You're welcome, so glad you liked it! I'm not sure exactly the brand, it was just one of them from the fine arts section of AC Moore or Michael's. Not anything expensive, maybe around $5-6. Hope that helps!

[@sabrinaperrin7068]

So very helpful thank you so much!

[@alanah-dawnsloan8183]

Me: why is my lining so wrong Me: * looks up video * Me after warching: *KNOWLEDGE* 😲

[@HeatherCashArt]

Ha ha! Thank you so much! 😄

[@mywifetheartist]

Thanks for sharing. Great information.

[@HeatherCashArt]

You're so welcome!

[@krishnamistry243]

Thank you ,it really helped me

[@leticiasa2869]

Thanks! Very helpful video :)

[@jeffm3283]

Ahh there's so much to remember in painting

[@HeatherCashArt]

Eventually it will become second nature 🙂

[@th-hannibal]

Good technique for drawing fine lines

[@elliemerc01]

Great tutorial thanks.

[@HeatherCashArt]

You're welcome!

[@renderingrini]

This is so useful 😁 Well explained 👏 👍💕

[@HeatherCashArt]

Thank you!

[@Rashmisharma-rn1cx]

Very nice tips

[@Cissdog]

This was very helpful, thank you! I do wish you had mentioned how/if the paint's consistency should be modified, sometimes. I'm new to acrylics and find that some paints are rather thick out of the tube. What would be the ideal consistency for drawing lines?

[@HeatherCashArt]

Hi! When you make your line, if you get the dots of canvas showing through, then wet your brush and try again. The water in your brush will help thin it out a bit. You do have to keep experimenting and just do it a lot so you get a feel for it. Eventually it will become second nature. Does that help? So basically if you get the dots of canvas showing through, your paint is too dry/thick and get your brush wet to thin it out a bit.

[@Cissdog]

@@HeatherCashArt Oh, wow! Thank you, Heather! I do need to slow down and, as you say "experiment .. and do it a lot". I appreciate your help!

[@simonsayshomeassistant]

Hi Heather, I am just watching the Feb Creator Hub video. I see you also have one video early in your channel that did super well! Any ideas why ? I have exactly the same problem

[@HeatherCashArt]

Hi!! Thanks for visiting my channel!! This video has been doing well since I first posted it!! But most of my painting on canvas videos don't do well. I ended up switching to more of the digital stuff because that's what my audience was asking for an in general it does better than traditional painting videos. This video is just crazy 😂

[@ashantiboo]

thank you so much i struggle doing lines i’m going to practice right now

[@Konic_and_Snuckles]

There were a couple of times you had mentioned rotating the whole canvas to help keep the brush going in the right direction. That doesn't seem feasible if one is painting on an easel (unless they sell rotating easels?) What would be an alternative technique?

[@HeatherCashArt]

I've definitely picked up my canvas off of the easel and rotated it and set it on the easel sideways so that I could paint a line.

[@fe3613]

Great video! Helpful :)

[@NotReallyJas]

This video is super helpful :)

[@chandraprakashtripathi2828]

Thanks a lot 🙏🏼

[@alexshipe9263]

Thank you!

[@kavipritha9669]

Thank you !! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@karintolbert7452]

Thank you much! That really helps. 👍(just subscribed)😊

[@marissalipschutz4730]

Every time I try to fry lines it gets streaky and you can see the canvas

[@judybillar7499]

Very helpful

[@yashodharao6046]

I have a problem everytime I paint a branch. They a too thick and still not as dark I would expect it to be. So, my question is do I need to dip the brush into water every single time I take the paint ?

[@HeatherCashArt]

Not every time, maybe like every 3 time or so. But be sure to dry your brush a bit on the paper towel too. In order to make the lines thinner, try to make sure you're holding the brush very perpendicular to the canvas, and also going very lightly with the brush. Hope that helps!

[@miki931000]

SO helpful!! Thank you. :)

[@colebradley5506]

This is so helpful thank you :)

[@RihuwaMidori]

I am your new subscriber! And I will try to watch ur videos as soon as u upload them!

[@HeatherCashArt]

Aww, thank you! Checking out your channel too!

[@RihuwaMidori]

@@HeatherCashArt thanks ^^

[@Zoya-101]

Thank you for the vid!

[@MargotMugs]

this is by far the most well-explained, helpful video I've watched so far as a novice painter. Thank you SO SO much Heather!

[@HeatherCashArt]

Aww! You're so welcome!!! ☺️

[@s-viv9232]

For heavy body, do you dilute with water and flow aid at all? I find it goops too much on brush and my lines are uneven

[@HeatherCashArt]

Hmm, I don't use heavy body much, but I would try Liquitex matte medium, I love that stuff for thinning down my paints without losing color or quality!

[@s-viv9232]

@@HeatherCashArt yes, that's what I been using lately. It seems a lot of people even use just water with success as well

[@kain0saur]

Thanks! These are going to help me so much! May I ask if you are a bit camera shy?

[@garimasen3371]

I was trying to draw a bow which has a string which very thin like if you add three strands of my hair. It was soo tiresome as I tried all ways but no results.

[@jixxxxer17]

I will practice these techniques good info i know nothing :( just one question what kind of brush would be good for making pencil thin lines ? how thin can you actually go with a paint brush , I know nothing :) Peace !

[@HeatherCashArt]

Hi! You can use a liner brush, they are very thin and have long bristles!

[@jixxxxer17]

@@HeatherCashArt wonderful, thank you very much , Peace !

[@iliyasfareed9174]

The main thing that you need here is Patience

[@HeatherCashArt]

True!

[@portrait4gift535]

Thanks

[@ArtGuruMohitSharma]

Woww great . Sty connectedddd neww here ☺👍

[@SoniJikisha]

Which number brush are using?

[@HeatherCashArt]

I usually use like a 5 round or something similar

[@Freespirit598]

what about really thin lines, thats what i really struggle with, the paint just runs out if i use a small brush. Really thin lines like hair of an animal?

[@HeatherCashArt]

Hi Sandra, you can try thinning your paint down and using a brush even thinner than the one I use in the video. But basically the same principles still apply - the way you hold the brush, the thickness of the paint, etc.