Painter Blog

10 Tips for Painting in Acrylic Paint

Acrylic is a very quick drying paint so it is important that if you plan on blending colors either paint very quickly overlapping with different layers of color or combine colors on a single brush to create a more vibrant effect.
All you need is one stroke. The more you go over a brush stroke, the more shambled it becomes. The change of direction and the rapidity of the paints drying process will leave the surface of the canvas less visually pleasing and full of brush marks.
The secret to a smooth finish is to mix your paints. Mediums are a great way to create a less concentrated but equally brilliant color that glides on more easily that straight from the tube. A cheaper alternative to mediums is plain old water which may create a paint that is more opaque but adds the same smooth quality as a medium.
A cheap way to get more use out of a tube of paint is to mix it with medium or water. Not only dose it create a smoother paint but it also extends the area it can cover since straight pigment can be quite pricy depending on the color.
Just when you think you’re finished, look over your painting for any spots you might have missed. Hold your work up to a window to see the light shin through the painted canvas. This will allow you to see any discrepancies and fix them up before putting it up on display such as groves of the canvas that your brush might have missed.
Don’t over work things. If you are not happy with something at first, take a step back and let your mind rest. When you come back to your painting it will be easier to see it from all angles once you’ve taken a break. If you’re still unhappy with something, let the paint dry and paint right over. The joy of acrylics is that they are fast drying and contain strong enough pigment to cover up almost anything.
Gesso your canvas. Most canvases come pre-gessoed if you buy them form an art supply store but if you’re making your own or buy a raw canvas, gesso is important. It creates a smoother surface for you to paint on and it will increase the lifespan of your painting.
White paint is a must. Some pigments such as cadmium yellow pale can be difficult to get good coverage without any visible streaks of opaqueness. One trick is to mix it with the slightest amount of white, but not enough to change the color of the pigment. This gives your color a more solid look on the canvas and less opaque while still presenting the color that you want.
When using complementary colors in a painting, there are a few rules you must follow. When creating something in red and green, the colors must be presented approximately 50/50, when using blue and orange, there should be slightly more blue that orange and when using purple and yellow, there should be much purpler that yellow. These combinations will create the most visually pleasing appearances without over powering the eyes. Getting to know the color wheel is one of the most important things an artist can do to improve.
Invest in a good paintbrush. The last thing you need is to be picking a bristle out of a perfect brush stroke and with a good quality brush, it will almost never happen although they do ware with time. Take good care of your brushes by washing them after every use so they stay soft. Never just let them sit in water either because this loosens the glue that binds the bristles to the brush and your good paint brush will be just as bad at leaving behind bristles as your 2$ one.

Were They The Same Model?

It has come to my attention as I have been analyzing Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” and “La Primavera” that he may have had a favorite when it came to the leading ladies in his masterpieces. When a professional painter such as Botticelli was pleased with one of his models, he would often ask them to return for any other important works they were commissioned for in the future. Being a model is not an easy task when you are holding a pose for hours on end so when an artist found one that could do their job without fidgeting, they were almost guarantied another if they wanted it. The figures of Aphrodite in “La Primavera” and Venus in “The Birth of Venus” are strikingly familiar with their narrow rib cages, wide hips and tiny breasts.

Their long wavy hair and very similar facial features such as shape, bone structure, nose, eyes and lips are so much alike that unless Botticelli was seeking to completely idealize these women, they could not be seen as separate models.

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