Paint Like a Pro with Acrylics
Like Duolingo, but for Paint Like a Pro with Acrylics. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
For the part of you with thirty open tabs that never became anything.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Paint Like a Pro with Acrylics
- Placing tools on the side of your dominant hand prevents reaching across the canvas
- Light coming from the same side as the painting hand casts a shadow over the work area
- Keeping the water jar further away than the palette prevents drips from falling on the mixing area
- Positioning light on the opposite side of the dominant hand ensures a clear view of the brush tip
- The painting surface is the primary focus and should be closest
- Understanding light source positioning to eliminate hand shadows
- The water jar is the most 'dangerous' item for spills and should be the furthest reach
- Establishing a consistent workflow through workspace layout
- Insufficient water causes the brush to drag and skip
- Dry paint creates a 'broken' texture rather than a fluid stroke
- Acrylic paint relies on a polymer binder to stick to surfaces
- Excessive water (over 30%) dilutes the binder until it can no longer hold the pigment to the canvas
- Recognizing the visual and tactile signs of paint that is too dry
- Understanding the structural consequences of over-dilution
- Predicting the physical behavior of paint based on water content
- Paint should be worked deep into the bristles, not just the tip
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Paint Like a Pro with Acrylics the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
Picture yourself painting a delicate detail, but your own hand blocks the light. Why is the light source usually placed on your non-dominant side?
Get it right to open this lesson and 29 more in the app.
Where Paint Like a Pro with Acrylics takes you
Skip the messy cleanup and long wait times of oil paint. Learn how to use versatile acrylics to create vibrant art that dries fast and looks amazing on any surface.
- 1
Get Your First Masterpiece on Canvas
- Setting up your workspace
- How much water to use
- The secret to smooth brushstrokes
- Fixing mistakes while the paint is wet
- Cleaning your brushes before they ruin
- 2
Master Color and Texture
- Mixing colors without making mud
- Building layers for depth
- Using sponges and knives for texture
- Blending colors on the canvas
- 3
Choose the Right Tools for Your Style
- Heavy body vs. fluid paints
- Picking the right brush shape
- What makes a good canvas
- How acrylic paint is actually made
- Using mediums to change the finish
- Protecting your art with varnish
3 sections · 15 units · 30 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
You pick the voice
Paint Like a Pro with Acrylics is taught in the The Storyteller style: every lesson is a story. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
More Arts on Tomo
The Odyssey and Why It Still Matters
Discover why a 3,000-year-old poem about a lost sailor still defines our movies, our language, and how we understand the journey of life.
Crafting the Epic Fantasy Series
Master the architecture of high and low fantasy, from the gritty political webs of Westeros to the whimsical environmental storytelling of Albion. Learn to weave multi-book arcs, subvert ancient tropes, and build worlds that feel lived-in and legendary.
Writing Fantasy Series
Transform your imagination into an epic saga. Learn to build immersive worlds, design intricate magic systems, and craft characters that readers will follow through multiple volumes.
The Odyssey: The Art of the Return
Move beyond the monsters to understand the epic's complex structure, the high stakes of ancient hospitality, and the mental agility of literature's most famous survivor.
Fashion and Personal Style
Go beyond just getting dressed. Learn to see the architecture of clothing, master the science of fit, and build a wardrobe that expresses who you are with confidence.
Building Your First Cabinet
Learn the essential joinery and assembly skills needed to turn raw lumber into functional, sturdy furniture.
Start Paint Like a Pro with Acrylics today.
Download Tomo, search Paint Like a Pro with Acrylics, and play your first lesson in under a minute.