Acrylics are wonderful to paint with because of its' versatility, durability, vibrant colors and ease of use. It's a great choice for the novice to the professional painter. I love how they dry quicker and allow for so much layering of colors. I also like how acrylics can be mixed with a lot of different art mediums, like colored pencil, charcoal, paper and so on, creating some spectacular and original works. However, it does have some disadvantages, such as drying too quickly at the worst time. It can be a real pain when you're wanting to blend colors in larger areas of your canvas and find the paint has already set. So, here are some tips below that I've found...
WHAT DO I DO WITH THE BACKGROUND? Have you ever gotten to a point where you just can’t decide on a background? Should you add more details, use one color or two or even create some abstract design back there? Here are some ideas for you when deciding on what to do in your background. KEEP IT SIMPLE Keep the background simple. Do not add too many details in the background, because having too much “stuff” will distract from the focal point. The focal point area should always be the most detailed while the outer edges are softer and more blurred. Your viewer will want to focus on the more detailed part and give the eye a resting spot. COLOR CHOICES Use only...
Here are a couple of questions from acrylic painters who struggle with color: “I get so frustrated when color mixing and it doesn’t turn out what’s in my mind’s eye. How am I ever going to get it right without wasting paint?” “Is there an existing resource somewhere for how to mix specific paint colors?” “How do I know what color’s work best with each other?” Can you relate? I sometimes have these same issues even after painting for years and years. Here are some tips that have helped me: COLOR MIXING KNOW-HOW: If you want a great resources for helping you mix the color you want, here is a wonderful book: Color Mixing Recipes for Oil & Acrylic: Mixing recipes...
Thumbnail sketches are quick little drawings that help generate ideas. They are not meant to be perfectly drawn but to simply get the ideas out of your head and onto paper. These sketches should be small, gestural and general. During this process, you’re able to relax and focus on composition, deciding what to put in and what to take out. Oftentimes, when I’m trying to come up with a new painting, I will always draw out small compositions in my sketchbook. Each little drawing will have similar elements but parts placed in different areas in the picture plane, trying to create a strong arrangement. Besides using my sketchbook, I’ll also draw on my iPad using the app Procreate. Here...
Five Tips for Acrylic Painters I have always loved watercolors but twenty years ago I switched to acrylics and have learned so much about the medium since then. So, here are five tips about acrylics that I wish I had known from the very beginning. Tip 1: Acrylic paint will dry darker, the opposite of watercolor It took me a long time to figure this one out. I would get the perfect color mixture on the palette and then later the color dried way too dark in the painting. It was frustrating because then I had to add more white on top and then the painting appeared chalky or flat looking. So I took my watercolor technique of...
