Experiment with these methods
to bring realism, dimension and
texture to your paintings.
Oil &
acrylic
know-how
T
here are many ways to approach a blank surface. Some
artists begin by toning (or covering) it with a thin wash
of colour. This ‘underpainting‘ provides a base for
building colours, and sometimes it peeks through in the
final painting. This process prevents your final artwork from ending
up with unpainted areas and is generally a neutral colour;
warm colours work well for earth-toned subjects, and
cool hues suit most other subjects.
Working with painting tools
The way you hold your tool, how much paint you
load on it, the direction you turn it, and the way
you manipulate it will all determine the effect
of your stroke. The type of brush you
use also has an effect; bristle brushes
are stiff and hold a generous amount
of paint. They are also excellent for
covering large areas or for scrubbing in
underpaintings. Soft-hair brushes (such as
sables) are well suited for soft blends, glazes,
and intricate details.Blending large areas
A hake brush is handy for blending large
areas. While the area is still wet, use a clean,
dry hake to lightly stroke back and forth over the
colour. Be sure to remove any stray hairs before the
paint dries and never clean your hake in thinner until
you’re done painting, as it will take a long time to dry.Flat wash
To create a thin wash of flat
colour, thin the paint and stroke
it evenly across your surface.
For large areas, stroke in
overlapping horizontal bands,
retracing strokes when necessary
to smooth out the colour. Use
thinned acrylic for toning your
surface or using acrylic in
the style of watercolour.Scraping
Create designs within your paint
by scraping away paint. Using
the tip of a painting knife or the
end of a brush handle, “draw”
into the paint to remove it from
the canvas. For tapering strokes
that suggest grass, stroke swiftly
and lift at the end of each stroke.Drybrushing
Load your brush and then dab
the bristles on a paper towel to
remove excess paint. Drag the
bristles lightly over your surface
so that the highest areas of the
canvas or paper catch the paint
and create a coarse texture.
The technique works best when
used sparingly and when used
with opaque pigments over
transparents.Painting knife
Applying paint with a painting
knife can result in thick, lively
strokes that feature variation in
colour, value, and height.Techniques
This extract (© 2014 Elizabeth
T. Gilbert) is taken from The
Art of Painting Flowers in Oil
& Acrylic published by Walter
Foster, Quarto Publishing
Group, £14.99.For more...