Introduce yourself to the world of painting through your favorite video game, Tetris!

Painting is a wonderful hobby and profession, but for beginners, it can be quite overwhelming. While paint by number kits are a great way to get a feel for painting, another way is to begin with simple, familiar shapes.

If you’re like us, you can easily picture all of the Tetriminos in your head, which is a great place to start. The next step involves trying your hand at a Tetris painting!

Before you head to the craft store to purchase supplies, ask yourself what kind of painting you’d like to create. Do you want to create your own Matrix with various Tetriminos inside, or would you prefer to paint a large image featuring your favorite Tetriminos?

Also, look around your home for a good place to hang your painting, as this will give you an idea of how big the canvas you purchase should be. Once you have a clear idea of what you want to do, it’s time to purchase your supplies. We recommend the following:

• Easel
• Canvas
• Pencil
• Set of Paintbrushes
• Brush Cleaning Solution
• Large Ruler
• Palette
• Paint (e.g., Tempera, Acrylic, Watercolor, Oil)
• Plastic Tarp (Optional)

If you’ve never painted before, a quick rundown of what some of these items are may help. First, you’ll need an easel, which is a stand used to prop up your canvas (the object you paint on).

Next, you’ll need to choose a style of paint. We recommend tempera (nontoxic, washable paint for kids), acrylic and watercolor paints because they’re a bit easier to use for beginners than oil paints, which can be messy and hard to clean up.

When it comes to putting the paint on the canvas, having a palette will give you greater control of how much paint actually ends up on the canvas.

Photo Credit: © irina_timokhina – stock.adobe.com

After you’re done using a particular color of paint, have a plastic cup full of warm water and either a gentle brush cleaning solution or liquid soap nearby to soak your paintbrush. This will help speed up the cleaning process, and will help you keep track of your used brushes.

Finally, you may want a plastic tarp depending on where you’re painting in order to avoid having to scrub paint off the floor. While you’re shopping at the craft or art supply store, consider the price tag. Because you’re sticking with a Tetris painting for beginners, feel free to choose budget options on many of the items listed above.

For example, you don’t need a fancy canvas, nor do you need the most expensive set of paintbrushes. If you’re confused, feel free to reach out to one of the store’s employees and ask for help. They’ll happily point you in the right direction. After you arrive home, you’ll want to set everything up so that it’s ready to go when you are.

Set your plastic tarp down (if you bought one), prop up your easel, place your canvas on the easel, and set the rest of your items down on a table within reach. If you’re worried about getting paint on your table, you can also use a disposable plastic tablecloth to avoid having to scrub off dried paint.

Before you start painting, be sure you know exactly what it is that you want to paint. When in doubt, you can always print out a photo for reference (avoid using your phone for reference when working with paint). Now that you have the image you want in your mind or printed out, it’s time to transfer it over to the canvas.

This is where the pencil and ruler included in the list above comes, as many beginners find it easier to know where and what to paint when there are visible outlines. Rest your ruler against the canvas, and using your pencil, lightly trace out the image you’re looking to paint.

Note, it’s important that you do not press down hard while tracing your outlines, as you’ll leave an indent in your canvas that’s visible through the paint! If you’re planning on doing an image involving the Tetris Matrix, trace out a rectangular shape. If you’re planning on painting one or more Tetriminos, trace out each one on your canvas.

Next, prepare your paint on the palette and use a small brush to paint over the outlines. If you’re using a black color to frame the Tetriminos, use black over the pencil outlines. If you’re using the color of the Tetrimino itself, use that color, then wait to fill in the Tetrimino until you paint over all of your previously created outlines.

When you’re done painting with a particular color, place your paintbrush in your cup of warm water and paint brush cleaner (or soap). If you need to use that style of brush again, simply use a paper towel to gently dry it off. Also, be sure to double check to make sure your brush is dry before using it on your canvas.

After your painted outlines are dry and you have a solid visual of how your painting will turn out, you can switch on your creativity and begin filling out the rest of your painting. This is left wide open to your imagination. Keep in mind that because you’re just starting out, you shouldn’t fret over perfection.

If you’re not entirely happy with the end result, you can try again while learning from previous mistakes. Just like in Tetris, painting is easy to pick up but hard to master. Because of this, you’ll want to practice painting whenever you have some spare time available. The more you work at it, the better you’ll get.

Additionally, there are dozens of videos available online (Bob Ross included) that will help you get a better understanding of painting. So, what kind of Tetris painting will you create?

If your Tetris painting inspired you, click here to play a round or two of Tetris!

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