Here are some acrylic methods you will need to paint your garden scenes. However, you will probably soon discover new ways for yourself!

Acrylics can be painted onto canvas, boards, paper, or in pads that have been especially prepared for acrylics or watercolour.

Try these ideas

wet-inwet watercolour technique 2 colour wet-in-wet use masking fluid salt in watercolour paint

Lifting out watercolour scratching watercolour splattering textured paint

palette knife Raised paint textures Underpainting artist texture paste
Top tip

When comtemplating a potential garden setting, don’t confine yourself to your own patch – think about allotments, parks, friends’ gardens and water gardens to visit!

How to mix greens

To simplify the difficult challenge of mixing greens, try mixing ready-made greens such as Hooker’s green or sap green with:

  • Burnt sienna (for a warm, soft green)
  • Violet (for a dark green)
  • Brown – umber or sepia (for an olive green)
  • Yellow ochre (for a sunny, light green)
  • Cerulean blue (for a soft, shaded green).

This will give you a series of natural colours.

Then choose another green and see the lovely varieties you can achieve when you experiment further.

Four ways to paint daisies

 
Number one - masking fluid
Paint a Daisy
  1. Apply masking fluid for the flower head and leaves, allow to dry.
  2. Apply a watery wash before rubbing off the masking fluid and exposing the light shapes.
  3. Wash over with soft greens to lessen the contrast of flower heads and leaves.
Number two - underpainting
paint daisies
  1. Using thick paint, add daisy shapes onto an ochre underpainting.
  2. Add green leaves with thicker yellow paint.
Number three - ink & wash
Paint a daisy
  1. Draw the main shapes using sepia acrylic ink.
  2. Then paint as you would with a line and wash method, using watery, loose paint.
Number four - added salt

Daisy painting

  1. Use masking fluid for the petals then paint with green and blue for the leaves.
  2. When dry, use blue and a touch of green mixed together as a watery wash for the background.
  3. Sprinkle with salt and allow to dry.
  4. Rub off the masking fluid for an interesting background texture.

SEE WENDY'S TOP TECHNIQUES FOR PAINTING RIVERSIDE FOLIAGE

Learn more with Wendy's Top Tips for Acrylic Artists

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