Acrylic Painting Techniques

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Acrylic paint is so versatile and there are hundreds of techniques to learn. Some tips are those that a watercolorist may use. Others derive from the oil painter’s bag of tricks. That diversity is what draws so many artists to add acrylic paint to their tabouret.

Glazing

In this technique, you allow the layer of paint to dry before painting over it. This is suited for transparent colors, or colors that have been watered down sufficiently for an opaque color to become transparent. This allows for subtle gradations of color or color changes.

Impasto

Acrylic is great for building up the thickness of paint, as it dries so quickly. Paint should be built up only approximately ¼-inch at a time to allow the paint layers to dry properly. A thickening agent can be added to the paint so it goes on in a substantial layer easily.

Sgraffito

This is more commonly known as scraping. It is the opposite of the impasto technique, but is often used in combination with it. There are two basic theories in this technique. Scraping away to expose earlier paint layers and scraping to build up paint adjacent to the scrape.

In the first sample, an underpainting is done, and allowed to dry. Then paint is applied in a heavier fashion. While this layer is still pliable, it is scraped away, exposing the underpainting. An example of this may be the veins of a leaf.

In the second sample, paint is applied and immediately scraped to cause thicker and thinner areas. An example of that could be heavily textured bark on a close up of a tree.

Pouring

Adding enough water to the paint allows it to be poured directly on the painting surface. Positioning the support at different angles will allow the paint to travel in different directions. Have multiple ...

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...the finished painting, even though other paints may have mostly obliterated the blue. This can be done with flesh colors or any other areas of local color where intensity would benefit with the use of underpainting.

Texture

Additives such as sand or other inorganic material can enhance the texture of the paint. Make sure that the material selected will not act adversely with the paint. Bits of iron shavings would be a very poor choice as rust could bleed into the paint. Organic material like straw would decompose. No one wants a stinky painting in his or her portfolio. That includes both quality and aroma!

One of the wonderful things about painting is that it is a never-ending quest. There are always new tips and tricks to try. Trying new products and techniques is part of the lifelong learning of the artist. In that respect, we are all forever art students.

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