Have you ever wanted to paint, but the whole process felt too big?
Maybe you only have a short time, and your brain starts thinking about all the steps at once:
The drawing.
The colors.
The layers.
The details.
The finish.
And suddenly painting feels like a GIANT project that's probably best saved for sometime-in-the-distant-future-but-never-really-arrives, instead of something you can actually enjoy today. 😅
For years, that’s how painting felt for me too.
I learned a longer, more classical painting process — and while that worked in art school, it did not work the same way once I had a full life, limited time, and three little kids.
So over time, I simplified my acrylic painting process into 5 clear stages.
This is the process I use to create small, expressive acrylic paintings in about one hour each — without feeling overwhelmed, overworking each part, or getting stuck wondering what to do next:
Why I Needed a Simpler Painting Process
Most painters can spend hours, weeks, or even months on one painting.
And if you have endless time and a wide-open schedule, that can be wonderful.
But if you’re busy, overwhelmed, caregiving, working full-time, parenting, or fitting painting into the margins of your life, that kind of process can start to feel too heavy.
Instead of helping you paint more, it can make you avoid the studio altogether.
Because every time you sit down to paint, your brain thinks:
This is going to take forever.
I don’t have enough time.
I can’t start unless I know I can finish.
I don’t want to add one more half-finished painting to the pile.
That’s exactly where I found myself.
Before I simplified my process, painting felt like a giant commitment. I had learned to plan carefully, sketch, research, gather references, work through many steps, and spend long blocks of time at the easel.
That was valuable training.
But in real life, it stopped working.
After I got married and had 3 babies, my time was no longer my own. I could not always disappear into the studio for long, uninterrupted painting sessions.
So I came to a fork in the road:
Either give up painting because the way I was painting no longer worked…
Or change the process.
I chose to change the process.
My Simple 5-Stage Acrylic Painting Process
The biggest shift was this:
Instead of thinking about the whole painting at once, I broke the process into 5 clear stages.
That way, I could sit down and focus on one small, doable step at a time.
Not the whole painting.
Not every decision.
Not the final result.
Just the next right thing.
This is the process I now use for small acrylic painting sketches that can be completed in about one hour each.
Stage 1: Start With a Simple Drawing
The first stage is the drawing stage.
For small acrylic paintings, I usually begin with a simple pencil sketch on heavyweight watercolor paper. You could also use canvas, Gessobord, or another painting surface.
I like pencil because it is easy.
There is almost no friction.
You can pick it up quickly. You can erase. You can move shapes around. You can start without setting up a whole painting station first.
For a small painting sketch, I usually spend about 10 minutes roughing in the main shapes.
After the pencil sketch is in place, I trace over the main lines with an acrylic paint marker.
This is one of my favorite little shortcuts.
The acrylic marker helps fix the drawing onto the surface so the lines do not smear, fade, or disappear once paint goes over them. It also makes the drawing easier to see through the early layers.
I used to use spray fixative, but that added more steps. I had to go outside, spray the drawing, wait for it to dry, and then come back in.
The paint marker keeps everything more direct.
Here’s what to do:
Start with a light pencil sketch. Then trace the most important lines with an acrylic paint marker so your drawing stays visible as you paint.
Stage 2: Cover the Canvas with a Tone
The second stage is the tone stage.
This is where I cover the white surface with a thin layer of watered-down paint.
I usually like using a warm color because I would rather have little bits of warmth showing through the painting than little white spots from the paper or canvas.
This stage is quick. It usually takes about 5 minutes.
While the acrylic marker dries, I mix my tone color. Then I water it down and scrub it over the whole surface.
This does a few helpful things.
It removes the pressure of the blank white surface.
It gives the painting a warm foundation.
It helps the whole painting feel more connected from the beginning.
Here’s what to do:
Choose a warm color, water it down, and brush it across the whole surface before you begin the main painting.
Stage 3: Block In the Big Shapes
The third stage is the block-in.
This is where the painting starts to come alive.
But the goal is not detail yet.
The goal is to get the big shapes, big values, and big colors onto the surface.
This is the stage where I use larger brushes and keep my thinking very simple.
I’m not asking:
How do I finish this perfectly?
How do I paint every flower?
How do I make every cloud beautiful?
I’m only asking:
Where are the big shapes?
Where are the lights and darks?
What are the main color areas?
This stage helps prevent that overwhelmed feeling of wondering where to start.
Instead of jumping around randomly, you have one clear job: cover the surface with the main shapes.
By the end of the block-in, the painting should read clearly from a distance, even though it is still very simple.
Here’s what to do:
Use a larger brush and paint the main shapes first. Avoid detail. Focus on the big structure of the painting.
Stage 4: Develop the Center of Interest
The fourth stage is the center of interest.
This is where I slow down.
After the block-in, I move from larger brushes to medium and smaller brushes. Then I begin developing the most important area of the painting.
The center of interest will be different depending on the subject.
It might be a bright cloud.
A bend in the road.
A flower.
A face.
A bird.
A glowing patch of light.
This is the area where I want the viewer’s eye to go first, and linger the longest.
For a one-hour painting sketch, I usually spend about 20 to 30 minutes on this stage.
This is where I add more careful shapes, more variety, more edge changes, and more detail.
But I’m still not trying to detail the whole painting.
That is the key.
If everything gets the same amount of detail, the painting can start to feel busy or overworked. So I try to give the most attention to the most important area first.
Here’s what to do:
Choose the main area of focus in your painting and give that part the most care, contrast, detail, and attention.
Stage 5: Finish the Supporting Areas
The fifth stage is developing and finishing.
Once the center of interest is working, I begin moving outward into the rest of the painting.
I like to think of the center of interest as the hero.
Everything else is the supporting cast.
So in this final stage, I develop the clouds, trees, fields, road, background shapes, or other supporting areas just enough to help the hero shine.
Not every part of the painting needs the same level of finish.
In fact, most paintings are stronger when some areas stay quieter and simpler.
For a small painting sketch, I might spend the last 15 to 20 minutes developing these supporting areas and bringing the whole painting together.
Sometimes the painting reaches a natural finish.
And sometimes I simply run out of time and need to go pick up my kids from school.
Either way, this process gives me a clear way to know what to do next and when to stop.
Here’s what to do:
After your center of interest is working, develop the surrounding areas enough to support it — but resist the urge to overwork every inch.
Why This Helps Me Paint in 1 Hour
The point of this process is not to rush.
It is not to make every painting fast just for the sake of being fast.
The point is to remove the overwhelm.
When painting feels like one giant heap of decisions, it becomes easy to avoid (kind of like the laundry mountain I've been avoiding 😂). But when the process is broken into clear stages, painting starts to feel much more doable.
You can sit down and know:
I’m just doing the drawing.
I’m just adding the tone.
I’m just blocking in the big shapes.
I’m just working on the center of interest.
You do not have to carry the whole painting in your mind at once.
That mental simplicity matters. Hear me when I say mental simplicity really matters because it helps you build MOMENTUM.
And momentum creates a positive feedback loop. The more progress you make, the more excited you feel to come back and paint again. 🙌
The “Next Right Thing” Approach to Painting
Recently, one of my daughters was sitting at the dining room table crying over her math homework.
She was not crying because she could not do the math.
She was crying because she was thinking about everything else she still had to do after the math: more homework, chores, dishes, and the whole evening ahead.
Her mind was trying to carry too many steps at once.
So I sat with her and said something like, “Just focus on the next right thing. Just do the next math problem.”
And as I said it, I realized I needed that reminder too.
That is exactly what this painting process does for me.
It reminds me to focus on the stage I’m in, and not to worry about the stages I'm not in.
If I’m drawing, I don’t need to worry about finishing.
If I’m toning, I don’t need to worry about details.
If I’m blocking in, I don’t need to worry about the final tiny touches.
I just need to do the next right thing.
That has brought so much more peace into my painting process. (And it's pretty good life advice too it turns out.)
The 5 Stages at a Glance
Here’s the simple version of my one-hour acrylic painting process:
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Drawing — Sketch the main shapes and affix the drawing with acrylic marker.
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Tone — Cover the white surface with a thin warm layer.
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Block-In — Paint the big shapes, values, and colors.
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Center of Interest — Slow down and develop the most important area.
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Developing and Finishing — Work outward and finish the supporting areas.
You can use this process for a small one-hour painting sketch, or you can stretch these same stages across a larger painting.
The goal is not always speed.
The goal is clarity.
When you know what stage you’re in, painting feels less like a giant project and more like a simple next step.
FAQ: Painting in 1 Hour With Acrylics
Can you really finish an acrylic painting in one hour?
Yes, especially if you work small and use a clear process. A one-hour painting is usually more like a painting sketch: simple, expressive, and focused. The goal is not to include every possible detail. The goal is to simplify the process and make strong decisions quickly.
What size painting works best for a one-hour painting?
A small surface usually works best. Heavyweight watercolor paper, small canvas panels, or small Gessobord panels can all work well. The larger the surface, the harder it becomes to finish in one hour. I like to stick with sizes 6x6" up to 8x10".
Why use acrylic paint for a one-hour painting?
Acrylic paint works well for this process because it dries quickly (for layering the stages one on top of the other quickly), and cleans up easily with water.
How do I stop overworking a quick painting?
Give each stage one clear job. During the block-in, avoid detail. During the center of interest stage, add your most careful work only where you want the viewer to look the longest. During the finishing stage, develop the supporting areas without feeling like you need to make the supporting areas the star of the show.
What should I do if I only have 30 minutes to paint?
Use the same process, but complete only one or two stages. For example, you might do the drawing and tone one day, then block in the painting the next day. A simple process helps you keep momentum even when your time is limited.
Is this process only for acrylic painters?
No. I use this process mostly with acrylic paint, but the same general stages can also work with oil, gouache, or other opaque painting media. You may need to adjust drying time or materials, but the basic structure will still apply.
Want Help With Your Next Painting?
If you’re stuck in the middle of a painting and not sure what to fix next, I made a free checklist to help.
👉 Free checklist: How to Fix a “Bad” Painting
Use it when a painting feels messy, confusing, or unfinished and you need help figuring out what to adjust next.
https://angelaburnsfineart.myflodesk.com/free
And if you want to learn the simple painting process I use to create small, expressive paintings without overcomplicating the setup or spending long hours at the easel, you may love 1 Hour Painter. It's based on this simple painting process we just talked about, but it is the step-by-step, stroke-by-stroke version for 3 paintings.
🎨 1 Hour Painter
Create beautiful, expressive paintings in just 1 hour each — without a complicated setup, overworking the painting, or long hours at the easel.
https://angelaburnsfineart.com/products/1-hour-painter
You can also explore other painting classes here:
🖼️ Explore all classes
https://angelaburnsfineart.com/pages/classes
Hope this was helpful, and happy painting!
Angela