Leisure Painter - UK (2019-06)

42 JUNE 2019 http://www.painters-online.co.uk

H

ow you mature as an acrylic

painter depends on your

taste and the type of pictures

you want to paint, but trying these

simple exercises will give you a basic

understanding of the materials and

techniques needed to succeed.LP

Part 4Nine simple exercises and prompts to help develop your

skills and understanding of acrylics, with Steve Strode

Aspects of acrylics

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

nHow to paint with acrylics

nTry simple exercises to develop

your work

nWork with tone and colour

Acrylics

2 INTRODUCE COLOUR

Move on to three colours and add colour

temperature into the mix by working

with burnt umber, ultramarine blue

and white. This will help you to develop

your sensitivity

to value, but it also

introduces you to

colour temperature,

or the appearance

of warm and cool

colours. Again, the

more you do, the more

your understanding

will develop.

The Church

of St. Dwynwen

Llanddwyn Island,

acrylic on card,

5 x8in. (13x20cm).

Make burnt umber,

ultramarine blue

and white your main

colours, but add no

more than one other

colour if necessary,

such as yellow,

to make green.

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1 KEEP IT SIMPLE

Start by using black and white paint.

Removing colour from the equation

helps concentrate on the importance

of value, or how much light and dark

is included in a painting. Someone

once said that ‘value does all the work

while colour takes all the credit’.

Try interpreting a colour painting

or photograph by reducing it to just

lights and darks. Don’t paint a copy

that renders every detail, but just the

basics. Having several attempts at

these studies will improve your ability

to recognise the underlying value

structure of a painting.

January Afternoon Norfolk,

After Trevor Chamberlain, acrylic

on card, 6x8in. (15x20cm)

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