Here is a summary of the techniques in this section with terms defined.
Peer into a river or the ocean to see gleaming and glowing pebbles and seashells. Take them home and when dry their colorful glow disappointingly turns to gray. The water added refraction, intensifying colors. A coat of gloss acrylic layered over paint will do the same thing. Multiple coats of clear acrylic applied between layers of color will enhance the effect even more. Pouring gloss layers adds a thicker coat offering more refraction. (See Techniques 5, 25–31, 41, 44, 46 and 47.)
How would the world appear viewed through a veil? Cloudy, foggy, muted, blurred, with forms receding farther into the distance than in reality. Veiling describes a process that mutes or blurs underlying colors to create this visual illusion. Veiling can be as simple as lightly rubbing or drybrushing a small amount of white paint over other colors. Veiling is also accomplished by adding a cloudy overlay. It is also used to replicate wax or encaustic effects using acrylic pastes and matte gels. (See Techniques 16, 17, 20, 24, 32 and 45.)
The natural glow of white paint, especially when polished smooth can be used to eye-catching effect in paintings. White pastes and thick applications of interference paints can also glimmer while adding special effects. Just like painting on high quality white paper, colors are enhanced. (See Techniques 21, 24, 40, 42 and 50.)
Paint by itself with its glossy binder will gleam and glow (see Technique 39). Modern paint colors have a different ratio of pigment to glossy binder than mineral colors (see Section 1 for more on pigment types) and being naturally glossy, refract differently than the more matte mineral colors. Some paints such as iridescent, interference, fluorescent and phosphorescent paints have built-in luminosity, see Techniques 13, 14, 21–24, 34, 42, 43, 48 and 49.
Gold and metal leaf, glass and plexi can all be used as surfaces or incorporated into artwork to add reflective qualities. (See Techniques 1–12 and 44–47.)
Glazes of Iridescent Silver are layered for a pearly reflective effect. Black ink is added to wet acrylic medium and moved around to create organic forms and shapes.
GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE
Bonnie Teitelbaum
Acrylic on two panels
40" × 36" (102cm × 91cm)
The shaped panel on the right uses a dark glaze over a textured molding paste surface along with iridescent paints (see Technique 3). A dirty-mix pour (see Technique 26) is used on the left panel. In person, the surface is quite eye-catching, textural and reflective.
COPPER CONUNDRUM
Sandy Keller
Acrylic on panel
22” × 20” (56cm × 51cm)