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Starting Acrylics
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Message
Posted
Well I opened my parcel of shiny stuff (see another thread) and had a good think...what have I done? etc.
I decided that the first paining I would tackle was another version of my watercolour "Good Friday procession of faith", not because it's perhaps the best for acrylic but because I sort of know the piece and so it makes a good comparison. Anyway, last night I drew it on a sheet of A2 and today I set to painting it. It is a VERY different experience from watercolour, and at the moment not terribly enjoyable. The watercolours are cleaner and gentler somehow...but we shall stick with it. I'm not leaving the paints in the tubes!!
Its a bit messier than my watercolours - my hands are now blue stained... The big brushes took some getting used to as did the quantity of paint I use, big wodges squeezed out! I find that despite my hefty collection of brushes (I didn't think it that big, but Syd made me think... It's only a couple of rounds and a couple of flats!) I am missing a fine round for details like eyes etc.. I had to break out a softer unused water colour brush.
That all sounds negative but there's a massive positive I am only just discovering: the picture needs to be painted as seen from afar, because that's what it is for and also how I'm seeing the world. My eyes aren't bad, but I think I see in ideas and concepts (as an amateur writer I find my task is to place ideas into the mind of the reader, not detail. That's a technical authors job). So I have for example just painted a face onto a member of my painting. Close up it's rubbish, but from the other side of the room it's a face!)
These are my thoughts so far and I'd appreciate feedback. I'll try to post the WIP later...I'm about done for today I think!
David
Edited
by DavidG4YVM
Posted
Well done you getting stuck in . I think these pillars are working so much better than in your watercolour painting. Try using mixing white to lighten your colours , your brollies so jewel like in the other version are looking a bit “ heavy “ here. It is a whole new ball game and completely different from W/C . But the big fun of acrylic is if you have f d it up you can just wait till it’s dry and repaint , or if still wet scrape it off . I do hope you bought a lovely palette knife with your multitudinous purchases . Looking forward to your progression. 😉
Posted
Good start David I like the brollies and the face . The background between the pillars is very black. Photos usually turn darkness into black .Peer into the photo can you see some shapes in the darkness ,like the doors to the place for instance . Now we know that the pillars arre not blue so why not try to match the photo colour near enough. remembering they are round with a sshadow area on the left side. I presume you have established the source of light which in this case is from (daylight) the right . The source of light is very important to a painting and without correct shadows it doesnt look right . look for the shadows and paint them......Syd
PS You should be using water with the paint it should be workable and creamy , certainly not wodges and dip your brush in the water and wipeoff excess before you put your brush in the paint as it helps to keep the paint out of the ferrule .Acrylics are water based and you are using water to spread the acrylics......No wodges please ......Syd
Edited
by SydEdward
Posted
I'm concentrating on acrylics at the moment. They are hard to get used to especially if you have come from water colours, and it is very easy to make the painting look muddy if you try the layering whilst still wet. (Yup i tried this 😂) I have found tho some very good positives to acrylics. You can speed up the drying process with a hairdryer, without the paint shooting everywhere. You can get a lot more texture into a painting with it by watering it down, adding the paint to a wet surface, using it thickly with a pallet knife or adding it to a paste etc. It works wonderfully with oils over the top, pastels, markers, inks or mixed media paints. Im in a process of playing at the moment with them. Not taking it serious but seeing what they can do, how to make good marks, and learning what style using these wonderful paints suits me. Continue to play and im sure in a few paintings time you will start to like them. I have!