| Acrylics have been around since the 1950s/60s. | | | | off. As some of the canvas texture is still |
| They are made from fine -- ground pigment | | | | exposed, when it is given a light wash or coat of |
| particles suspended in water and bound with a | | | | paint, the texture as well as the thicker texture |
| form of plastic. Have a read of the tips below and | | | | of polyfilla will give interest. |
| maybe you'll find that you want to give them a | | | | I choose three colors for the sky. You can |
| go. They're so easy to use and I love them. If I | | | | always add something else for highlighting later. I |
| can use them, so can you. You don't need to | | | | would choose a light color such as cream, medium |
| spend a fortune to get started. You can find | | | | blue and a darker blue, for example. Next I would |
| cheap ranges in art shops, but I find the Galeria | | | | put an amount of the lighter hue at the bottom |
| range are good for starting off with. Use heavy | | | | of the sky, medium blue above it and two or |
| duty watercolor paper or canvas, although you | | | | three dollops of the darker hue at the top. |
| can paint on wood or canvas boards. Well, here | | | | This next bit is IMPORTANT. As the paint will dry |
| goes: | | | | quickly, you want to blend it as quickly as you |
| * I find it an advantage that the paints dry very | | | | can. Don't use your brush for this. Take one of |
| quickly. It means that if you make a mistake, you | | | | your cloths and wet it completely. Squeeze it out |
| can paint over the layer of paint underneath | | | | till no water is dripping and gently start at the |
| without it mixing with the new paint. | | | | bottom of the sky blending the cream from left |
| * Make sure you keep a large container of water | | | | to right as you go across the canvas. Don't be |
| nearby (ice cream containers are ideal). You will | | | | shy about it. It doesn't matter if you make |
| need to make sure that you wash you brushes | | | | mistakes. |
| regularly or keep them in water because if the | | | | You may need to wet your cloth a bit more, or |
| paint dries on them, they'll be ruined. Another | | | | you may not need to. You'll soon get to know |
| bonus is that as acrylics are water -- based they | | | | how wet it needs to be. Keep on going left to |
| only need to be cleaned with water and not turps | | | | right across the sky and blend in the colors as |
| and there is no smell. | | | | you go. You should find that there are no brush |
| * Acrylics come in tubs or tubes. You can use it | | | | marks and the sky will begin to look interesting. If |
| straight from the tube or you can mix it with | | | | you have parts where the canvas hasn't been |
| water to thin it. Only put out paint in quantities | | | | covered in the sky, wet your cloth a bit and with |
| that you think you will use because it dries so | | | | a tiny bit of paint on it, just rub it in. |
| quickly and you don't want to waste it. You can | | | | You'll find that the sky might need highlighting in |
| always squeeze out more. | | | | places. You can use a brush and blend in with your |
| *As the colors in acrylics are quite vivid, I | | | | cloth, but if using a pale color, make sure you |
| sometimes use emulsion paint as well. As this is | | | | don't use a cloth covered in blue paint. Make sure |
| water based, I can add more water to give a | | | | you keep washing out your cloths as you go, to |
| wash effect, or to perhaps add to skies, seas, | | | | keep them usable. |
| etc; it gives a more subtle hue. | | | | You might find that you want to add a bit of |
| *Brushes and palette knives can be used. Sable | | | | purple or a green/grey tone in places. The |
| brushes are good quality but are expensive and | | | | possibilities are endless. You could use part of a |
| can be easily ruined. You can get different shapes | | | | wet sponge to give a mottled effect. You can put |
| of nylon and bristle brushes from art shops which | | | | on a color very slightly with your cloth so that the |
| work really well for acrylics. I find that cheap, | | | | color below is showing through in places, for |
| bristle brushes bought from DIY stores for home | | | | interest. Be bold and imaginative. Make sure that |
| decorating work really well. They don't leave any | | | | you paint the sides, top and bottom of your |
| brush marks. | | | | canvas. This means you can hang it without |
| Let me go through the process of one of my | | | | framing it. |
| seascapes as an example. | | | | *When you're ready to paint the sea, take off |
| *First of all gather your things; canvas or | | | | your masking tape and reposition it with the |
| watercolor paper, acrylic paints, large pot of | | | | bottom of the tape on the horizon. |
| water, brushes, clean washing -- up cloths, kitchen | | | | The same method applies here. Find your three |
| paper and any emulsion paints (match pot sizes | | | | tones of blue/green/grey for the sea. Each |
| are fine) if you wish to use them. | | | | seascape is different. You may have a beach to |
| * I buy ready -- primed canvasses with block | | | | put in. If this is the case, do that part first and |
| edges but I need to give them texture for | | | | then when you paint the sea, remember that the |
| interest. I use some ready -- mixed polyfilla and | | | | sea will be more transparent by the sand, so you |
| water it down a little bit. Because I am painting | | | | will need to thin your paint and rub it in gently, |
| the sea, I need to determine the horizon. I | | | | letting you see the beach underneath. Then work |
| measure down from the top of the canvas and | | | | upwards. |
| draw across with a blue watercolor pencil. I | | | | If the whole canvas shows the sea and no beach, |
| position a strip of masking tape along the horizon | | | | the darkest, deepest colors will be nearest you at |
| and round the edges with the top of the tape on | | | | the bottom of the canvas, so with your brush put |
| the horizon line. | | | | a few amounts on to the canvas at the bottom, |
| Now I take a rubber spatula and spread the | | | | and then as you go further up, add some dollops |
| polyfilla along the sky in places but still leaving | | | | of lighter tones. Then taking your wet cloth and |
| some canvas bare. Try to imagine this as a sky. | | | | with a left to right movement, start to blend the |
| Try to think of how a sky will look. I always paint | | | | paint in. You need to do this as quickly as you can |
| the sides of my canvases and in large ones the | | | | and remember you can wet your cloth more to |
| width of the sides can be wider and I think these | | | | blend in if needed. You might need a little bit of |
| look good textured too, so I carry on around the | | | | paint on your cloth to fill in any tiny gaps not |
| sides, although with small canvases I might not | | | | painted. Imagine the movement of the sea. What |
| texture those edges. | | | | shade the horizon will be. If it is misty will you |
| When this is dry, I take off the tape and then | | | | need a wash over the horizon (made from |
| position it so that the bottom edge is on the | | | | watering down a small amount of emulsion paint)? |
| horizon line. This enables me to texture the rest | | | | You can highlight some of the textured parts with |
| of the canvas, (i.e. the sea and beach.) Now, if | | | | white or cream to look like waves and add any |
| you are doing this, use your spatula to try to | | | | more touches you might want to. |
| create texture which is going to resemble the | | | | Voila! You have finished you canvas, although you |
| movement of the sea. You can have great fun | | | | may want to varnish it. Varnish comes in matte |
| with this. Again though, once you start, you have | | | | or gloss finish. Are you pleased with it? You should |
| to finish because the polyfilla will dry soon and you | | | | be. Even if you're not, don't throw it away. All you |
| don't want to be left with something looking like | | | | need to do is paint over it, or change the texture |
| anything but the sea! | | | | with polyfilla and give it a coat of emulsion |
| *You can add mediums to acrylic paint which | | | | watered down and start on something else. You |
| make it do different things. | | | | have your new texture then. |
| Impasto gel comes in a tube and can be added to | | | | That's just the beginning. You could paint a series |
| the paint to give it thickness. You can create | | | | of related themes. If you want to sell your |
| fantastic movement in the seas that you paint. | | | | paintings, search for ideas. Do some research to |
| Just imagine stormy seas tossing boats about, or | | | | see what is selling. Look at online galleries, look in |
| creating the thickness of flowers or leaves or | | | | magazines and notice what designers are coming |
| grasses in the fields. | | | | up with. Are certain color schemes with abstract |
| A glazing medium makes the paint more | | | | designs going well, so that they fit in with |
| transparent and thins it. | | | | contemporary furnishings? |
| A retarder slows the drying time of the paint. | | | | What kind of traditional themes are selling? Are |
| *I always start painting the sky. Position your | | | | animal paintings popular, or portraits? You'll enjoy |
| masking tape across the horizon so that the top | | | | getting ideas and visualizing what your paintings |
| edge of it is touching the horizon. The trick is to | | | | can look like. |
| build up the paint gradually and thinly to start with | | | | Have fun. |
| because it is easier to add paint than to take it | | | | |