How to get better at painting as a complete beginner

I've been dabbling with acrylics for a few years now and honestly the first month is always rough - you're basically learning how the medium behaves, which is way different from drawing or digital work. The biggest thing that helped me was stopping trying to make finished paintings and just doing studies. Spend like 20 minutes a session painting basic stuff: color mixing exercises, simple shapes with different brush techniques, blocking out values. I know it sounds boring compared to making actual paintings, but your brain needs to build that muscle memory for brush control and understanding how acrylics dry fast and blend differently than other mediums. Most people skip this part and wonder why everything looks muddy or stiff.

For YouTube channels, I'd check out Florent Farges (he's straightforward and doesn't overcomplicate things) and Bob Ross obviously, but honestly the channel that changed how I approach painting was Istebrak - she's way more technical about why things work or don't work, which is useful once you get past the absolute beginner stage. But here's the thing: watch maybe one 15-minute video, then immediately go paint for an hour. Don't fall into the trap of watching tutorials all day without painting. I've definitely done that and it's a waste of time.

Also experiment with your brush sizes and types. I used to use tiny brushes for everything and my paintings looked overworked and tentative. Switching to bigger brushes forced me to be more confident with strokes and it instantly improved how loose and painterly things looked. Give yourself like 3-4 months of consistent practice before you judge whether you're actually improving - it's a slower process than people think, but it's satisfying once it clicks.