Lisa Shearing tests out Winsor & Newton Galeria Acrylics and finds they deliver 'professional results'.
Winsor & Newton Galeria Acrylics are high quality paints which deliver professional results. Available in 60 colours they are made using the same, or similar, pigments to their professional range but in lower concentration. This makes them easy to use with, or transition to, artists' grade paints when a wider choice of colours and high pigment strength is needed.
Price: From £20.90 for a set of 10x20ml tubes
Where to buy: Art Supplies with Painters Online
Top features:
- Fluid
- Smooth texture
- Easy to mix and blend
- Rich colours
- Could be mistaken for Artist quality
- Paint well on canvas
- Good colour range
- An extensive range of colours can be mixed
- Value for money
Colour mixes showing the range of colours which can be achieved
Putting Galeria Acrylics to the test
Demonstration one - Last Days of Summer
Last days of Summer, Galeria Acrylics, (10" x 8") on deep edged canvas
Stage one
I began by covering the canvas in white as a base to paint on.
I then blocked in the sea/sky while the ground layer was still wet, then added a mix of cerulean blue and ultramarine with a touch of white.
I liked how thick the paint was, I was able to create a ridges with the paint which I wanted for the sea edge.
Stage two
Further layers of ultramarine were added over the sky area.
For the sea I mixed a dash of yellow ochre mixed with cerulean and white which I brought down to the beach area to blend in.
I then mixed a soft neutral grey by adding burnt sienna to ultramarine and white which I blended into the sand while damp for the wet areas of sand.
Stage three
A touch of phthalo green was added to the sea with ultramarine to give some colour strength to the sea.
Stage four
I built up the beach area with various neutral mixed browns and greys.
Stage five
I roughly painted the figures with burnt umber.
The paint was still fairly wet at this stage which makes it easy to change and re-work the painting.
Stage six
Highlights to the stones were then added.
Stage seven
I added some colour to the figures, mainly ultramarine for the shadow areas of the white clothing and some brighter highlights, but I wanted to keep them mostly silhouetted in the sunlight.
With a few more flicks and strokes of blues and yellow ochre (mixed with white) on the beach area and the painting is finished.
Demonstration two - Meet at Sunrise
Meet at Sunrise, Galeria acrylics, (6"x 6") on deep edged canvas
Stage one
I started with a layer of cadmium yellow mixed with a little white.
Stage two
Then, whilst the initial layers were still wet, I added permanent rose to top and a layer of raw umber at the bottom for the beach.
I mixed various shades of orange using white, lemon yellow, cadmium yellow and permanent rose.
I enjoyed mixing these colours as they really show off the vibrancy of these paints!
Stage three
I then covered the sea area with white, with a little ultramarine blue and a touch of cerulean blue.
Finally I added the swimmers with raw umber and used small dabs of Pebeo fluorescent paints for the swim hats.
FOLLOW ANOTHER SWIMMER DEMO BY LISA HERE
Conclusion:
I found the Galeria acrylics easy to mix and blend and I acheived some bright vibrant colours which were a joy to use.
The paints went on thickly and smoothly allowing me to create a range of different textures. They also stayed wet long enough to allow for changes to be made throughout the course of the painting.
These value-for-money student grade paints could easily be mistaken for artist quality - I will definitely be using them again!
About Lisa Shearing
Lisa is a self-taught artist who paints mainly in acrylics but loves trying something new.
She is available for commissions by emailing, [email protected] and a variety of swim-related greeting cards, art prints and a few original paintings can be purchased from her Etsy shop, www.etsy.com/shop/lisasart66
See more from Lisa in the Painters Online gallery by