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Flow medium for acrylic paints
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Message
Posted
I often use acrylics when painting, especially in life classes. Acrylic paint doesn't spread well on paper, it tends to be absorbed in a few seconds. Putting on a base coat of acrylic gesso helps a little bit.
Would flow medium help?
I think it is used mainly for covering big areas with a thin wash, which isn't the style I use. Could anybody advise me. Also is it a gel you add to the acrylic mix on the palette or is it added to the water container?
Posted
This rings a bell. Have you put this question before Keora? Perhaps you didn’t get an answer.
I don’t think there is one. I use acrylic medium, but not flow medium. The idea is that they are mixed with the paint. Mixing with the water would dilute it to the point of useless I think (unless it’s some form of homeopathic flow medium!)
There are two or three people in the life drawing group I attend, that paint in acrylics. They don’t use anything in the paint. I find myself wondering if you are maybe employing a watercolour(ish) technique and if so may I be so bold as to suggest that you look to adapting the techniques to the materials and circumstances?
Posted
Thank you for the advice, and for reminding me that I asked a similar question a year ago - I'd completely forgotten about it. I don't use acrylics in a watercolour style. Although I mix the acrylics with a little bit of water on the palette, the mixture is still fairly thick rather than runny.
Posted
Same answer as last year, Keora!
One, prepare your surface with gesso, if possible; it'll help a bit. Two, use a free flowing acrylic like System 3. Three, use water to thin it - no medium is likely to help much. Four, maybe switch to watercolour or gouache for these studies, or use Chromacolour acrylics, which flow better than most. Acrylic will always sink in to untreated cartridge paper to a greater or lesser extent - mind you, so will any other water-based paint, but acrylic is that much more resistant to flowing smoothly in the way you want it to. You could switch to inks, of course..... messy, mind you, if to be used as you want to use them.
Posted
I didn't really understand the question.
There is acrylic medium, which makes your paint go further, produces more of a glaze.
Then there is flow improver, which reduces the viscosity; this is usually diluted and added to the palette or the water: The bottles will tell you how much to use.
Then there is retarder - the stuff to lengthen the time the paint will stay wet.
Best not to use an absorbent surface to paint on with acrylic - too much water will ruin the structure of the paint and stop it sticking together.
Gesso helps or use acrylic paper, which often has a woven texture.
Hope this helps.