ACRYLIC
Acrylic is a uniquely distinctive medium, with unparalleled versatility. While it has its own look and feel, it also beautifully mimics other media, such as watercolor, oil, and even pastel. Acrylic paint dries quickly like watercolor but is as permanent as oil and as vibrant as pastel. You can thin acrylic paint with water to create luminous washes, or you can use it straight from the tube to build up thick layers. And because acrylics are water-based, cleanup is as simple as soap and water.
ACRYLIC PAINT
Acrylic paint, which is made up of pigment and acrylic polymer, boasts a number of positive qualities that make it a viable competitor to oil and watercolor. First, you can dilute the paint with plain water (no harsh solvents needed), but once it’s dry, the paint is waterproof. Second, you can apply the paint in thick or thin layers, imitating either oil or watercolor, respectively. Third, acrylic is resistant to cracking and fading. Fourth, unlike oil, acrylic dries quickly so you don’t have to wait long between applying layers.
TYPES OF ACRYLIC
Acrylic paint comes in tubes, tubs, jars, and squeeze bottles. Tubs and squeeze bottles typically hold thinner paints, whereas traditional tubes contain thicker paint with more body. There are several distinct consistencies (or viscosities) of paint available, from thick and heavily bodied to thin and fluid. Manufacturers also produce paints with sheens that vary depending on the light and your viewing angle.
Basic Acrylics
The most common acrylic for fine artists has less body than oil paint but much more than watercolor washes. The gel-like consistency forms soft peaks and offers a great middle ground for artists who desire more control than fluid paints without the bulk of thick, heavy paints.
Heavy Body Acrylics
This thick, buttery paint with a high viscosity retains brushstrokes and allows artists to form stiffer peaks of paint. It is a great choice for highly textured work that uses painting knives, coarse brushwork, and impasto techniques.
Fluid Acrylics
Fluid paint has a low viscosity, with a consistency that lies between ink and basic acrylic paint. Fluids settle to a smooth finish and do not retain brushstrokes or peaks. You can achieve wonderful flowing, drippy effects and expressive spattering with this paint.
Acrylic Inks
Also called “liquid acrylics,” these extremely fluid inks are the thinnest acrylics available. They work well with watercolor techniques such as spattering and glazing. Because they are waterproof, you don’t have to worry about disturbing previous layers once dry.
Iridescent Acrylics
These paints contain mica, which gives them a metallic shimmer. Iridescent paints are very reflective and can provide exciting accents that add depth and variation to a work.
Interference Acrylics
Interference paints are transparent paints that, depending on the light and your viewing angle, shift between a bright, reflective sheen and its color’s complement. This paint works best mixed with or glazed over black or dark colors.
ACRYLIC MEDIUMS & ADDITIVES
A vast array of acrylic mediums and additives allows you to experiment endlessly with the consistency, sheen, and behavior of your paint. These liquids, gels, and pastes are sure to breathe new life into your painting sessions and encourage creativity. Below are the most common types of additives and mediums, followed by the most common products available to artists today. Note that it’s best to add paint to a medium, rather than medium to paint.
Liquid additives change the behavior of paint without adding binder to the mix. Often just a small amount of additive is needed.
Gel mediums are colorless substances made from the same emulsion as acrylic, so they mix into the paint seamlessly. They are excellent tools for extending and diluting paint colors, and you can also use them as collage adhesives. Manufacturers offer them in a range of viscosities and sheens to suit your needs.
Pastes are opaque mediums with fillers that allow for interesting textures. They do not dry clear as gels do, so consider this when using the pastes as a mix-in.
Flow Improver
This liquid additive increases the fluidity of paint by breaking the surface tension. Unlike plain water, flow improver helps preserve the strength of a paint color.
Retarder
Retarder is a liquid additive that slows the drying time of acrylic paint. Because acrylic paint dries quickly, artists use retarders to extend their working time, minimizing wasted paint on the palette and allowing for more blending on canvas.
ACRYLIC GELS & PASTES
Gels and pastes are the “secret” ingredients that will allow you to take your creative ideas and explorations to new heights. There are many gels, pastes, and grounds that can be used alone, together, or layered in any combination and mixed with any of the paints; therefore, the opportunity to explore countless avenues for personal expression is right at your fingertips. Finding “your voice,” artistically speaking, has never been so easy and so much fun.
These materials are all made of the same ingredients: water and acrylic polymer solids. For you, this means creative freedom. You can mix, layer, and combine them in any way you wish to create endless variations and spectacular effects. The fast dry time lets you “layer up” to your heart’s delight. Unlike oils, which have oppressive rules and dry times, acrylics allow you to follow your musings without fear of improper application techniques.
Gels can be thought of as colorless paint—they are made from binder but contain an added swelling agent to give them a heavier viscosity. They are offered in gloss, semi-gloss, and matte sheens and in viscosities ranging from light and (almost) pourable (like yogurt) to extra heavy (like peanut butter). Pastes are gels with solids added (marble dust, calcium carbonate, glass beads, etc.). This gives them body, which results in interesting textures and sculptural effects. Mediums are a low-viscosity polymer that you can use to thin paint for a better flow and to create glazes.
Light Molding Paste
Clear Tar Gel
High Solid Gel (Matte)
Coarse Pumice Gel
Regular Gel (Matte)
Crackle Paste
Coarse Molding Paste
Extra Heavy Gel (Gloss)
Clear Granular Gel
Fiber Paste
Coarse Pumice Gel
Fiber Paste
Molding Paste
Coarse Molding Paste
Light Molding Paste
Glass Bead Gel
Heavy Gel (Gloss)
Extra Heavy Gel (Matte)
Soft Gel (Matte)
Clear Granular Gel
Clear Tar Gel
Self Leveling Clear Gel
ACRYLIC TECHNIQUES
There are myriad techniques and tools that can be used to create a variety of textures and effects. By employing some of these different techniques, you can spice up your art and keep the painting process fresh, exciting, and fun! The examples on these pages were completed using acrylic paint.
FLAT WASH This thin mixture of acrylic paint has been diluted with water (use solvents to dilute oil paint). Lightly sweep overlapping, horizontal strokes across the support.
GRADED WASH Add more water or solvent and less pigment as you work your way down. Graded washes are great for creating interesting backgrounds.
DRYBRUSH Use a worn flat or fan brush loaded with thick paint, wipe it on a paper towel to remove moisture, then apply it to the surface using quick, light, irregular strokes.
THICK ON THIN Stroking a thick application of paint over a thin wash, letting the undercolor peek through, produces textured color variances perfect for rough or worn surfaces.
MASK WITH TAPE Masking tape can be placed onto and removed from dried acrylic paint without causing damage. Don’t paint too thickly on the edges—you won’t get a clean lift.
SCUMBLE With a dry brush, lightly scrub semi-opaque color over dry paint, allowing the underlying colors to show through. This is excellent for conveying depth.
SCRAPE Using the side of a palette knife or painting knife, create grooves and indentations of various shapes and sizes in wet paint. This works well for creating rough textures.
STIPPLE Take a stiff brush and hold it very straight, with the bristle-side down. Then dab on the color quickly, in short, circular motions. Stipple to create the illusion of reflections.
LIFTING OUT Use a moistened brush or a tissue to press down on a support and lift colors out of a wet wash. If the wash is dry, wet the desired area and lift out with a paper towel.
DRY ON WET Create a heavily diluted wash of paint; then, before the paint has dried, dip a dry brush in a second color and stroke quickly over it to produce a grainy look.
IMPASTO Use a paintbrush or a painting knife to apply thick, varied strokes, creating ridges of paint. This technique can be used to punctuate highlights in a painting.
GLAZING
Glazes are thin mixes of paint and water or acrylic medium applied over a layer of existing dry color. An important technique in acrylic painting, glazing can be used to darken or alter colors in a painting. Glazes are transparent, so the previous color shows through to create rich blends. They can be used to accent or mute the base color, add the appearance of sunlight or mist, or even alter the perceived color temperature of the painting. When you start glazing, create a mix of about 15 parts water and 1 part paint. It’s better to begin with glazes that are too weak than ones that are too overpowering, as you can always add more glazes after the paint dries.
GLAZING GRID In this chart, transparent glazes of 13 different colors are layered over opaque strokes of the same colors. Notice how the vertical opaque strokes are altered by the horizontal translucent strokes.
APPLYING AN UNDERPAINTING
An underpainting is a thin wash of color that is applied to the support at the beginning of the painting process. An underpainting can be used to simply tone the support with a wash of color to help maintain a desired temperature in a final painting—for example, a burnt sienna wash would establish a warm base for your painting; a blue wash would create a cool base. An underpainting can also provide a base color that will “marry with” subsequent colors to create a unified color scheme. You can also use an underpainting to create a visual color and value “map,” giving you a guideline for applying future layers. An underpainting can help provide harmony and depth in your paintings. Experiment with various underpaintings to discover which colors you prefer.
Magenta
Burnt sienna
Purple
Phthalo violet
Underpainting for Temperature
In the example at left, the flower has been painted over two different underpaintings: magenta (left) and light blue (right). Although the final flower is painted with identical colors on both sides of the canvas, the underpainting color greatly affects the appearance of the later layers of color. Notice that the left half of the flower appears significantly warmer in temperature, whereas the right half has a cool blue undertone.
PAINTING THINLY AND THICKLY
PAINTING THINLY
Acrylic paint is generally described as an opaque medium, but you also can use acrylic as you would watercolor—in thin, diluted layers of color, or glazes. You can lighten the value of an acrylic wash by adding more water to the pigment, which in turn allows more of the support to show through the color. This gives the paint a luminous quality. You also can layer thin washes of acrylic paint to build up rich color. Because acrylic is waterproof when dry, you can layer new glazes over previous ones without lifting the initial pigment.
DILUTING ACRYLIC PAINT The transparent properties of thinned acrylic paint are perfect for depicting delicate, colorful subjects, such as the clear and reflective surfaces of glass and the fragile, soft curves of flower petals shown here. By thinning acrylic with generous amounts of water, you can achieve the airy quality of watercolor with a greater degree of control over your washes, as demonstrated in this light-filled painting of a vase of roses.
PAINTING THICKLY
To create a rich, buttery texture like frosting on a cake, apply thick layers of paint to your support using your paintbrush or a palette knife. Use the paint straight from the tube, or consider adding a paint-thickening medium, such as gel. Called “impasto,” this technique allows you to create ridges and peaks of paint with quick, short strokes from varying angles and directions, adding physical dimension and texture to your painting. Don’t overwork the paint—just keep your strokes loose and fresh.
USING IMPASTO This technique is ideal for creating foamy water, as shown.
EMPHASIZING HIGHLIGHTS Punctuate the highlights in your painting (such as the white areas of rippled water shown here) by layering thick applications of paint over the highlighted areas.
DABBING AND TEXTURING
DABBING
To build up color in soft dabs, load the tip of your brush with paint and dot on color in a jabbing motion. This technique builds up layers of paint to create the illusion of depth and dimension, also adding an airy, impressionistic look to your painting. It’s best to work from dark to light when using this technique, as you’ll want to apply the lightest areas and highlights last.
BUILDING UP LAYERS Layering dabs of several different shades of green and yellow gives fullness and dimension to foliage, as shown in this example.
BUILDING UP TEXTURE Add interesting textures to your paintings by randomly pressing a balled-up piece of plastic wrap into the wet paint. The mottled texture that results (shown here in the beginning stages of a painting) will create visual interest wherever it shows in the finished painting.
TEXTURING
Because acrylic dries quickly, this medium lends itself to a variety of physical texturing techniques. Besides applying thick impasto applications to your support, you can mix in additives, such as painting mediums, sand, or eggshells. Or you can press bubble wrap, plastic wrap, coins, or fabric into wet paint to create interesting patterns and textures.
SHAPING WITH SHADOW
Pastry chefs can create frosting flourishes with a flip of the wrist. With just a little practice, you’ll be able to paint them with the same ease. The trick is to focus on the shadows. When you learn to place highlights and shadows appropriately, subjects take on dimension and a lifelike appeal!
STEP 1 Work out this fairly simple composition directly on a 8" × 10" canvas using a ¼" flat brush. To establish the color scheme, use yellow ochre for the cakes, mix in burnt sienna for the cup, and apply alizarin crimson and ultramarine blue for the frosting.
STEP 2 For the background, work from top to bottom, starting with a mix of ultramarine blue and titanium white. Transition to burnt sienna with a bit of alizarin crimson for the lower half.
STEP 3 Using the same brush, paint the cakes—including what will be the liner—starting with mostly yellow ochre on the left, facing the light, and gradually adding more burnt sienna on the right as the cakes move into shadow.
STEP 4 Next add highlights to the top of the cake on the left (see detail). Define the paper liners with the ¼" flat brush. At the top of each paper ridge, I apply a mix of yellow ochre and titanium white.
STEP 5 You have two options for the frosting. (See here for an alternative approach.) Here, with the ¼" flat brush, each swirl is painted individually. Begin with a medium-tone mix of ultramarine blue, alizarin crimson, and titanium white. On top of this, apply shadows, using less white in the mix. Then define highlights, using white with a touch of ultramarine blue.
STEP 6 When you’ve finished frosting one cake, move on to the next. Try approaching the frosting on the cupcake in the foreground with individual swirls and the frosting on the cupcake in the background as a whole. Both methods yield frosting that looks good enough to eat. All we need now is sprinkles!
STEP 7 Dot each sprinkle into place with a medium-tone mixture of alizarin crimson and titanium white, using a small, round brush. To give the dots shape, add shadows and highlights.
STEP 8 The sprinkles aren’t the only decorations that cast shadows; the frosting also casts a shadow on the top of each cake. Return with a little yellow ochre mixed with burnt sienna to add these. To finish, emphasize the shadows cast from the cupcakes on the table, layering on alizarin crimson mixed with burnt sienna and a little titanium white.
GRADUAL TRANSITIONS
Ocean waves are dynamic, full of motion, light, and beautiful color transitions. You need to be able to paint wet-on-wet to create gradual transitions from one color to the next. In order to do so, be sure to mix enough paint on your palette. If you do not have enough paint and need to mix more during the process, the paint on your paper will dry too fast.
STEP 1 First create a composition drawing. You can do this on any drawing paper, and then transfer it onto your watercolor paper or canvas.
STEP 2 Next emphasize the most important compositional lines with very thin mixtures of cerulean blue and Hooker’s green.
STEP 3 Start painting the background waves, using Hooker’s green and ultramarine blue for the water and titanium white and cerulean blue for the lighter reflections on the waves.
STEP 4 Next use a very light mixture of titanium white, cadmium yellow, and Hooker’s green on the bottom of the falling part of the wave, making this mixture darker as you move up toward the top of the wave.
STEP 5 Mix titanium white, cadmium yellow, and Hooker’s green to paint the top of the rising part of the wave. As you work closer to the bottom of the wave, darken the color by adding more ultramarine blue to the mix.
STEP 6 Next paint foam trails on both the rising part and the edge of the crashing part of the wave. For this step use mostly midtone and darker mixtures of blues and greens. Remember that the foam in the shadow of the falling wave should be much darker than the foam on the top of the wave or in the foreground.
STEP 7 Mix titanium white with a little cadmium yellow. Then follow the spattering technique, using a toothbrush to create the foam splashes on the crashing wave.
STEP 8 For the final step, use the same mixture from step 7 to emphasize the highlights on the tops of the waves and the sunlit foam. Try not to overdo in this step; otherwise you may lose your focal point, which is the crashing wave.
POP ART
Zebras are fun to paint, with the pattern of stripes and the play of light-and-dark values. You can choose to put variations of color in the darks and keep the lights white or you can create flat, dark-valued stripes and put color in the lights. You might even want to try painting the zebra stripes in multiple colors in chromatic order!
STEP 1 First sketch the subject, marking the black stripes. Note that if you fill the stripes with dark pencil on the canvas, your color might end up muddy as it picks up the graphite.
STEP 2 Block in the darks with dioxazine purple using #6 and #2 brights, depending on the size of the stripes. Purple will function as the black in the stripes. Paint it on thick for the dark stripes. Thin it with a little water around the muzzle and ears, where there is more variation, to denote texture and form. Highlights and shadows can be suggested with very little effort. A good value underpainting creates a helpful foundation for the rest of the project. Use paper towels to mop up any drips.
STEP 3 Use cobalt turquoise to block in the shadow side of the whites, as well as the reflected lights in the darkest darks. Start to fill in some of the white stripes with bright aqua green, and work on the next lightest darks by highlighting the nostril, blending the hair in the ears, adding creases in the velvety muzzle, and adding to the soft edge in the cobalt turquoise on the shadow side of the neck.
STEP 4 Use cadmium yellow light to fill in most of the rest of the white spaces, as well as the edges of the ears. Go over a few of the aqua stripes and in the ears to create a more vivid green.
STEP 5 Use titanium white, thinned with water, to add highlights on the sunny side of the face and to create form. Add touches of white on the cheek, neck, and mane, as well as around the eye and the lip. Then warm or cool the stripes on the shadow side of the face. On the aqua stripes, apply a thin layer of yellow. On the yellow stripes, apply a thin layer of aqua. This creates both color variation and harmony in the face. Using a dry brush, use powder blue to lightly add dimension to the mane. Then touch a little more powder blue here and there around the face to relate it throughout the painting. Paint the eye aqua green with a white highlight. Then paint the lashes on the light side by drybrushing aqua with yellow on top; on the shadow side, highlight the lashes with aqua.
STEP 6 Add a background, using colors that you used in the zebra: powder blue, a mix of powder blue and aqua green, and aqua green with a bit of cobalt turquoise. Wet-brush over one corner for visual interest. Then paint a graphic white line around the zebra to punch the shape of the subject out from the background. Make sure all the details are complete, and then set the painting aside, coming back to it later to see if any additional finishing touches are needed.