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Work in Progress - Having a bash at Acrylic painting.
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Message
Posted
I've had another go at glazing.
On the left, the acrylic glazes over my monochrome. Slightly different colours washed over everything, lights and darks. Just one glaze. I can see that more glazes would improve things. On the right I've tried watercolour glazes over the acrylics. I was not expecting this to work, but it has. I need take this no further, it was never intended to be a 'finished' picture...just a try-out. Hopefully, as I grow used to acrylic I may not need to use watercolour and coloured pencil over it. But it's nice to know I can, as I find pencils easier to use.
On the left, the acrylic glazes over my monochrome. Slightly different colours washed over everything, lights and darks. Just one glaze. I can see that more glazes would improve things. On the right I've tried watercolour glazes over the acrylics. I was not expecting this to work, but it has. I need take this no further, it was never intended to be a 'finished' picture...just a try-out. Hopefully, as I grow used to acrylic I may not need to use watercolour and coloured pencil over it. But it's nice to know I can, as I find pencils easier to use.
Posted
Great job; there 's really not a lot you can't use in combination with acrylic, and no shame in using other media to get a picture where you want it to go.
By the way, you can use acrylic medium with watercolour - some hues in watercolour are more delicate and transparent than even the best acrylics, so - why not ? If using watercolour and water though - best put your picture behind glass, with a traditional mount, for that added protection.
Posted
Lew , if you dilute acrylics down to watercolour consistency you can use them just like watercolour for glazes or washes. Take a look at this landscape ( one of mine) :
https://www.painters-online.co.uk/gallery/andrewr3/2024/477674/
The whole background hills and fields were painted using acrylics, but originally the colours were too strong. I wanted to create a misty effect so I just diluted some titanium white down with lots of water and overpainted the background with a big brush. I think I used a couple of really thin coats of white here before I was happy. The foreground and beach were done using watercolour.
Whatever gets you the result you want is ok in my opinion.
Edited
by Andrew Roles
Posted
Lew - yes, it would in effect turn your watercolours into acrylic paints if mixed with acrylic resin; but because watercolour is more finely ground, there would be gains in transparency. You could adjust the amount of medium with water - depending on what medium you used you'd find a consistency which could perfectly suit you; it's not entirely risk-free as a technique, but it's certainly feasible.
Posted
That's really interesting Andrew, it works so well in your picture. I will give the watercolour effect with thin acrylics a go, on one of the pictures I've just done I went too far with thinning the acrylic. It's just a matter of getting used to it.
Robert, I couldn't resist giving mixing watercolour with acrylic medium a go, it's one thing to know it, but better to try it. On a scrap of paper I drew this cartoony giraffe and painted it with a watercolour/medium mix.
This was just a very quick test, don't think I'd paint a proper picture that way. But why should I need to? What it has taught me is that there well come a time when using it this way could help. It certainly produces a fixed image, when it was dry I slapped some thickish acrylic onto the giraffe and was able to wipe it completely off with a damp rag. Can't do that with watercolour. So...a useful bit of info that may well have its uses.
This was just a very quick test, don't think I'd paint a proper picture that way. But why should I need to? What it has taught me is that there well come a time when using it this way could help. It certainly produces a fixed image, when it was dry I slapped some thickish acrylic onto the giraffe and was able to wipe it completely off with a damp rag. Can't do that with watercolour. So...a useful bit of info that may well have its uses.
