Sarah Stanley explores the Hahnemühle Acrylic Paper Block and puts paint to paper with a floral still life painting.
About the Hahnemühle Acrylic Paper Block
The block consists of ten sheets of 360gsm paper, 30x40cm, in the form of a pad.
The paper is glued around the edges and attached by glue to a thick card backing forming a block with a Hahnemühle printed front cover.
The sheets of paper are intended to be used attached to the block and then when dry, can be removed. To do so, locate a corner of the sheet without glue and gently lift by running your finger between the used sheet and block.
The paper has a slight texture and is specially designed for all acrylic painting techniques which I tested out, using heavy body acrylics.
Top features:
- Colours stay vibrant.
- Colours can be softened and blended even when touch dry after a few minutes.
- Large areas of wet paper do buckle but return satisfactorily.
- Good for a variety of acrylic painting techniques.
- Works well with a combination of painting techniques.
Where to buy:
Prices from: £15.10
Available to order from Art Supplies with Painters Online
The tests
1. Using acrylics wet-in-wet on Hahnemühle Acrylic Paper
I found the paper worked well as regards to the flow of the washes. The colours flowed nicely.
When wetting the paper over large areas, the paper did buckle initially, but returned to shape when it was dry.
I found the paper was vulnerable to damage while wet if I scrubbed the paper with a brush, so a light touch and soft brush is required.
2. Combining wet wash and impasto techniques
The combination of a wet wash followed by thick undiluted paint worked very well.
Areas that hadn’t been very successful in the initial wet-in-wet stage could be covered by the thicker paint and created a contrast that I liked.
3. Direct impasto painting
For this test I went straight in with no drawing using undiluted paint. I allowed the paint to dry completely between layers. The colours stayed vibrant and crisp.
4. Blending and mixing colours
I tested with colour swatches to see how well the paint blended on the paper. I applied a layer of undiluted white first. I allowed it to dry for a few minutes and then, applied colours on top of the white and brushed it gently, adding water if necessary. I found that I could create quite good graduated swatches.
5. Glazing techniques
I then tested with colour swatches using pure unmixed transparent washes in layers. I ensured that the paint was absolutely dry before applying the next glaze layer.
For this test I decided to do an accurate drawing with pencil and then build up the painting with thin glazes.
I realised I may need to use an eraser so tested the paper first to see how it affected the surface. I found it disrupted the surface enough that I decided to draw without the aid of an eraser.
I found I was able to build up the layers successfully.
Demonstration: Still Life with Flowers
Step one
With diluted dark grey paint and a small brush, I did a very quick composition outline drawing.
Step two
With a thick brush and grey paint, I blocked in the dark areas.
Step three
I then mixed white paint with the grey to make a medium tone and blocked in the middle tones.
Step four
I mixed and applied the observed colours and lightened some areas by blending white into the existing area. I also softened some edges such as the shadow.
Conclusions
This is a good product, especially if you want to combine different techniques such as thin watery washes, wet-in-wet and impasto. I may explore this further and perhaps include other media such as pastel.
One disadvantage I found was that the surface is vulnerable to damage when rubbed, especially when wet.
I am unlikely to use the paper for my impasto painting methods as I prefer working on a firmer surface such as a canvas board or a wooden panel, but I found it interesting to try something new.
Combining different techniques is not my usual method of painting but I think this product may be highly suitable for those artists who do.
Read Sarah's review of Hahnemühle Velour Pastel Paper and see her pet portrait demonstration by...
About Sarah Stanley
Sarah has been painting on and off for most of her life. She works mainly in oils, pastels and acrylics and enjoys painting still lifes (especially flowers), landscapes, particularly en plein air, and pet portraits in pastels.
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