Acrylic Painting Section
Acrylic painting is one of the newest painting mediums, being introduced as 'recently' as 1955.
These paints have come a long way since then, with an ever-widening range of paints and associated art supplies.
If you've ever painted the walls of your home with latex or emulsion paint, you'll have used a very close cousin of the these paints. In fact I use white matt emulsion, tinted with yellow or brown, to put a base coat on the canvasses I prepare for some of my acrylic painting work.
The acrylic painting technique offers both the new and experienced artist a very versatile method of painting.
It's a water-based medium and the usual texture and consistency is similar to oil paints. However, unlike oils, you can get acrylics in a wide variety of densities (or 'viscosity' as it's sometimes called).These range from a very thin, ink-like consistency able to be used in airbrushes through various degrees of 'flow' to the consistency of soft cream cheese.
This allows really heavy 3D (impasto, or paste) effects. And you have the choice of either mixing the paints with the additives to create a solid color throughout the impasto, or letting the impasto dry, then painting over it.
Various substances are available to be added to the paint to create all sorts of textures. Or you can use your own, such as plaster or sand, for a further variety of textured effects.
All the brands and thicknesses can be thinned back down using water. Some artists actually use thinned down acrylic in a pure 'watercolor' style.
Acrylics, although similar in style and finish to oils, gives subtely different but important qualities to your work. Probably, its biggest benefit is its speed of drying.
But hold on!
I'm getting ahead of myself here...
Click on the links below to find a series of articles on paints, brushes, surfaces and additives. Each page is packed with tips that will help the newcomer to acrylic painting get off to the best start.
I'll tell you as well how you can save time and money, by using household items instead of searching for those 'must have'expensive accessories the manufacturers would love you to buy!
Acrylic Painting Articles & Videos
Getting Started With Acrylics
Acrylic paints offer both the new and experienced artist a very versatile method of painting...
How to paint grass in acrylics
It's easy to produce convincing looking grass with just few simple tools -find out how easy by clicking here....
VIDEO TUTORIAL - Acrylic Painting Basics Part 3 - Finishing Touches
In the final part of the series we add the finishing detail and highlights...
VIDEO TUTORIAL - Acrylic Painting Basics Part 2 - Adding Color
In the second part of this video series we paint the sky and begin to add color and contrast to picture...
VIDEO TUTORIAL - Acrylic Painting Basics Part 1 - Tonal Sketch
In the first part of this mini video series I begin painting a habour-side scene. As you'll see, the first step is the tonal sketch and underpainting...
VIDEO TUTORIAL - Getting Started with Acrylic Painting - Set Up & Equipment
This video introduces you to the wondeful world of acrylic painitng. It starts with the basics covering various types of paint, brushes and how to make your own special palette...
Choosing and Using Acrylic Brushes
Get the information you need about selecting the best acrylic brushes for your acrylic work...
Choosing and Using Acrylic Paints
Acrylic paints are one of the newest painting mediums, being introduced as 'recently' as 1955. They have come a long way since then, with an ever-widening range of paints and associated art materials....
All You Need to Know About Canvas
Using canvas panels or boards for your acrylic painting is as easy as with oils. Learn more here...
The Best Mediums & Additives for Acrylics
Acrylics are even more versatile with the mediums and additives now available. Find out more...
Using oil and acrylic paper for your paintings
Don't dismiss the various types of oil and acrylic paper available to the artist as being just for practice work...
What Acrylic Tips & Advice Can You Share With The Rest of Us?
If you like to paint with acrylics, you’ve almost certainly discovered some handy little hints without even realising. It may seem insignificant to you but don’t underestimate how your experience can help others...
Maybe you have some great tips for color mixing? Perhaps you're good at capturing realistic water? Or it could be something as simple as "how to preserve your paints".
By sharing your experiences and tips, it will help us all to enjoy this wonderful past time even more! Here’s how to do it...
See Acrylic Painting Tips From Other Visitors
Click below to see acrylic painting tips from other visitors...
washing your brushes
Don't wash your brushes in the sink. Acrylic paint clogs the drains. Thanks for your great site.
Sheena.
(Good point. It's always best to clean excess ...
How to clean a brush that has dried hard with acrylic paint
Soak in acetone. When brush is starting to soften gently coax the bristles apart with a pointed object such as a darning needle. Soak again and repeat ...
a cheap and effective palette which cleans easily
Buy one of those enammelled plates from your ironmongers or better still, try to get an old enamelled butcher's tray from a junk shop.
When you have finished ...
Blending with Acrylic paint as easily as with oils
when I'm painting in a sky that will have alot of clouds or sunset coloring, I first spray my canvas with a small amount of water. Blot off excess, then ...
chromacolour paints
I would recommend using chromacolour paints to anyone. For painting fine detail they cannot be beaten. This is the only acrylic paint I have found that ...
paintbrush-aboriginal handmade traditional
I don't work with acrylics, but am planning to (I use oils) but I also live around the Aboriginies up the top end of Australia.
Their art work is ...
Tips when using Acrylics
To preserve your brushes use a straw cut into different lengths, use to store brushes. To clean brushes when using acrylics use washing up liquid. To ...
Medium to Use for Sand Effects
The Australiam aborigines here use lumps of sandstone and other rocks found on gravel tracks.Then with a coarse rasp, grate rock in a collector bowl. Bag ...
Using Underpainted Grounds
To Improve Paint Flow And Blending
Particularly noticeable when employing Alla Prima(direct wet into wet Impressionist) style painting.
Acrylics can be pushed around the canvas and ...
Saving Tube Paints
Having trouble getting the top off a tube of paint because paint has dried on the thread? Try holding the top under running hot water for a few minutes,...
Blotting with a tissue, great effects!
After painting an area over an already dry one, wait until the layer is just barely dry. Spritz very lightly with water, then lay a tissue over the wet ...
MAKE YOUR OWN ACRYLIC PAINT
If you haven't got any acrylic paint, you can make your own by adding PVA glue to ordinary poster paint. Give it a mix, and get painting! The paint goes ...
Care of Brushes
I wash rinse my brushes as I use them but when I am done painting for the day I use the same gentle moisturizing soap on my brushes that I use on my skin ...
silhouette it first
With most of the pictures I paint I always paint the main subject, wether it be an animal,ship, bridge or whatever as a black or very dark silhouette. Take ...
How to achive longer blending time using acrylics.
I find that if I use super heavy gesso instead of white acrylic paint and water, that I am able to blend colors together. The drying time is slower. I ...
Keeping Your Acrylic Paint Wet
There are expensive pallets you can buy -
there are pallets you can make using wet kitchen paper towels on a small tray under a pane of glass (which works ...
TREE LEAVES
HI EVERYBODY, WELL I LIKE TO PAINT GUM TREES AS SOME OF YOU KNOW,WELL I WAS SHOWN A NEAT TRICK,ALLS YOU NEED IS SOME GLAD WRAP THAT YOU KEEP YOUR LUNCH ...
blending acrylic metallics
I've been painting murals in a Mexican restaurant, and playing around yesterday discovered (almost by mistake) a neat effect!
In a little cup I mixed ...
Protecing while correcting your work
If you have an uncertain spot on your almost finished painting and you want to try and correct it but you are afraid of ruining the rest of the area, give ...
Study Habits
I keep a book of the lowest priced canvas paper I can find. Before I work on the real painting, I try to acquaint myself with the instructions on the various ...
Keep your acrylic colours wet for weeks, months..
I tend to use alot of mixed colours,that i have made for spesific colour scheme, or even murals.
For murals, i find the best way to store large amounts ...
Some tricks with acrylics, watercolour and pastels
If you want to paint realistic church window glass, paint the colours (i.e. red, blue, green, yellow, purple) then draw in the black leading then melt ...
Another good way to keep paint from drying out too quickly
I find that using an empty Huggies wet wipe travel box is excellent! It is quite flat and has a lid which of course keeps those wipes moist for a long ...
A great way to stop the paint from drying on your Pallette
When real life interrupts my painting I hate to lose the paints that I have put onto, and mixed on, my pallette.
However, by accident, I came across ...
Step by Step for a Perfect, Realistic Skin Tone with Highlights, Lowlights, and Depth
Here is the secret to creating a REALISTIC SKIN TONE!!!
1.) FIRST, LOOK AT YOUR SUBJECT'S FLESH.
-NOTICE all the different shades and tones of your ...
Acrylic Ink Painting
Start with a watered down canvas. Spatter and drip liquid acrylic ink all over the canvass. Lay on top cling film in different bunches. Crinkle a bit,...
Choosing Acrylic Paints
I am an art student and this year I began to use Acrylic paints for the first time. As a beginner, I wasn't sure which paints to buy but I knew that my ...
How to give texture to your acrylic paintings
Just add a little pinch of sand to your paints to give a great effect for rocks, caves, beach etc etc.
How to get Acrylic and Latex Paint From Your Clothes
If you get to the spots soon enough, Vodka will remove them. I tried it.........I get paint on everything....it works, but you can't wash it first.
Colour your ground.
When preparing your canvas, add some paint to the final coat of gesso or use a coloured gesso. Your coloured ground is now into a tonal range rather than ...
Bright colours
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I have painted for years in acrylic and I find that using too much water will fade the colour and at the same time dull your painting. Try using paint ...
Keeping Acrylics from drying out
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Does anyone have any tips on stopping tubes of acrylic paint getting dried up?
I keep mine in a dark cupboard in a cool place, but if anyone has any ...
Mix Your Own Color Palette
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One of the many mistakes I made in my new enthusiasm for learning to paint with acrylics was not mixing my own color palette. I had to think back when ...
Painting over Acrylics
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Hey there. One thing I noticed is the fact that if you make a mistake with acrylics it's easy to go over.
However, I noticed darker colours are harder ...
Acrylics on cardboard semi-gloss
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I started experimenting with white cardboard and acrylics. It gives you a lot of different textures and can be erased with water if you make a mistake....
Care of Brushes
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When you buy brushes never ever replace those plastic caps they sometimes come with . They will bend the hairs. However when it comes to liner brushes ...
Buying Tips
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Buy a little kit and make sure that acrylic painting is what you really want to do...then you need to buy a lottttt of white. You will use this a lot ...
Advantage of Acrylic.
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All my Abstracts work were painted with acrylic. There are some tips and tricks to paint with acrylic and I would like to share with you.
I little ...
Ideal for Mixing Acrylic Paints
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I have just started acrylic painting and I have found that I can use water bottle tops, soda bottle top, milk jug top to mix my colors in and when your ...
