Final acrylic work for week 1.
I’m happy with the results and learned a lot this week as I try painting in acrylic after working for so long in watercolor. Admittedly, the first day in my acrylic challenge was frustrating.
I’m so used to working in watercolor where:
- A little paint goes a long way
- Water lightens color
- Paint goes on the paper so easily, especially wet paper with a wet brush
- You need just a cup or two of water for brush cleaning
- One paper towel is all you need to occasionally dry a brush
Day 1 with acrylics:
- The paint wasn’t going on smoothly
- I was brushing off paint and creating messy clumps
- I had to change out my cups of water frequently
- My paint mixes were so dark I had to mix in a lot of white
Lessons learned the first day:
- Mix in a little water for smoother brushing (helpful site: www.artisfun.com)
- Perhaps apply gesso prior to painting (recommended by above website)
- Let layers dry to avoid brushing off paint and creating clumps
- Have lots of rags handy!
Day 2 with acrylics:
- Mixing in a little water helped. Paint went on smoothly.
- When I want to create a fade in watercolor, I apply the color and then use water to fade it out. Doing this in acrylic, adding too much water, creates a strange look and I worry it will rub off.
Overall, I was proud of my progress on Day 2.
Day 3:
- Similar struggle with how to fade colors (without too much water)
- Struggled with mixing the right color for the sand
Lessons learned on Day 4. (I combined painting with watching instructional YouTube videos.)
- Fading colors. This video was very helpful regarding fading:.
- How much is too much water? This video answered my question on mixing in water. 80% paint, 20% water max.
I’m still trying to figure out the right color mixes, especially sand, which is ironic because back at the beginning of my blog (2014), I was painting in acrylic and trying to figure out what color sand is! Overall I’m happy with my progress and am looking forward to learning more next week!
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I am taking a community class with my friend, who works in acrylics, and I in WC. I appreciate your struggle! She asks me questions on how to achieve something, and it is a lot different between the two mediums. You’ve got this, my friend!
Thank you Carol! I figure if I stick with it – I should see progress. 😂
Lovely, Eileen, you’ve made great progress!!! One thought about the thing about creating a fading effect with water – you might want to try a product called ‘Matt Medium’ (Windsor and Newton make a good one in their Galeria series, you can buy off the shelf in AC Moore) Basically you can use it to thin the paint, without using water and it means the paint won’t ever become flakey, no matter how much medium you use (because it has the same bonding agents as the paint) It took me ages to discover the stuff – and now I can’t be without it, its so useful for glazes and blending! 🙂 Keep up the good work!
Thanks Hilda, I appreciate the advice. I have a tube of gel medium – I wonder if it’s the same thing?
Hmmm, I don’t really know, but, I suspect it might have a thicker consistency than the matt medium I use…. good to try it out and see what you think, since you have it already, though! 🙂
Nicely done Eileen!
Thanks Sharon