Top Tips for using Acrylic Paints – Number 10

Use Acrylic Mediums to Extend the Range of Effects

Adding an acrylic medium to the paint allows you to create a further range of effects.

For example – the glaze medium can help to produce watercolour effects. Glaze mediums are available in both gloss and matt finishes which will give different results to the final picture. A good idea is to use a gloss medium on the highlights, especially on water, for a lovely finish.

There are also gel mediums and texture paste which will give extra body to the paint for three dimensional effects. Rather than use a lot of paint to achieve a 3D look you can add the gel medium to the paint and it will bulk it up, this is a lot cheaper than using straight paint.

When using the texture paste is easiest to apply the texture paste to the painting surface and let it dry. Then paint the colour you want on top of the dried texture paste. You can add a darker colour to the ‘valleys’ to add to the textural look too.

Using 'Light Reflecting' Paint

The How to Paint Abstracts for Pleasure and Profit report discusses how to use water-based paints to make your own unique artwork. This free report is available using the link above to the free report on painting. In the report I talk about how to use the same paints (that were used for decorating the room) in the painting so that your final picture will be a perfect match.

I’ve found that mixing different types of water-based paint works well. I usually seal the final picture with a thin coat of matt acrylic varnish or acrylic medium. This will ensure that the artwork can be wiped with a damp cloth to remove any household dust.

A New Paint

I recently discovered a Dulux paint called Light & Space. They say it “reflects up to twice as much light around the room using our unique LumiTec (tm) technology. It’s an amazing effect …”

I wondered what effect it would have in a landscape painting. Could it make the light glow and add to the impression of the reflections on the water?

What I Did

I bought a tester pot in Pacific Breeze (tm) - they seem to have trade marked all the names! I painted this (quite roughly) in the centre section of a stretched canvas. Hoping to be amazed I let it dry and then took it indoors to see the effect. ;-)

To be honest it isn’t a huge effect but there is a little more light reflected in certain low light levels. I was hoping for more but decided to carry on with the painting in any case.

Limited Palette

I like limited palette painting - that means just using a few colours and adding white and black to get the range of tones.

In this case I wanted a subdued blue. I mixed some ultramarine blue with some black in a small container. This was my main colour and I only added white and black to the main colour for this painting.

Technique

With this technique it is best to mix up a good amount of the main colour so that you don’t run out and have to remix your main colour. Trying to match the original colour can be a real nuisance.

The Result

There is a difference in the water and the cloud areas where the original Light & Space paint is still visible. In low light levels it gives off a slight glow, and I think this is what keeps you looking at the painting. It is not an obvious effect but it is something that seems to catch your eye.

Why not invest in a tester pot and try it yourself? You could use it in an abstract painting too if you wanted.

Top Tips for Painting with Acrylic Paints – Number 9

Using thick paint

Try applying acrylic paint thickly to get an effect similar to oil painting. Applying acrylic paints thickly will give a textural oil paint look.

Use it for foreground definition

The closer a part is to the foreground of the picture the more detail you can see. So put more detail in the sections in the foreground of your painting to help this illusion.

One way to do this is to use the paint thickly in the foreground of a picture for texture and increase the detail. The painting will look more interesting too.