24 artistDecember 2019 http://www.painters-online.co.ukACRYLICS
Winter stream
Paul Talbot-Greaves reveals how to use layers of
acrylic to add interest to a featureless landscape, in
five easy stages
T
his month’s scene, being
devoid of features, draws on
the strong ability of acrylic to
utilise multiple layers of semi-
transparent paint to generate shape,
form and interest. I sketched out the
main proportions on a piece of Canson
paper before loosely blocking in the
darkest darks. These didn’t have to be
accurate shapes, in fact the looser you
apply this starting value, the better.
Whilst the paint was still a little damp,
I added water to make a mid-value
and again, roughly applied the paint
in order to block out the white of the
paper. I let this dry before moving into
colour.
Starting at the top of the paper I
applied cerulean blue diluted with
flow improver medium. This is a fluid
medium that is mixed with water and
used when you are thinning your acrylic
to a watercolour-like consistency. The
medium helps with adhesion of thethinned paint. In the land I continued
with washes of colour using varying
amounts of yellow ochre, perylene
violet and burnt sienna, all mixed on
the paper. I continued the colours over
my darks, switching to cerulean blue
then cobalt blue in the stream.
Next I started working on the mid-
values of the subject. I tried not to
paint individual grasses, instead
consolidating the mass into blocks and
shapes of colour. I used a ¾in sable flat
brush and applied structural strokes
of semi-transparent paint, made from
colour with a little matt medium and
water added. This paint mix was a little
thicker than the thin applications made
earlier with flow improver. I worked
quickly using the same colours as the
previous stage, adding ivory black and
titanium white to my mixtures. When I
had roughed in the colours and tones, I
used paint a little thicker, mixed to the
consistency of double cream. With abroad ¾in flat sable brush, I worked the
tones towards the light, leaving behind
the darks that I had placed at the start.
Again, I used yellow ochre, burnt sienna
and perylene violet all mixed with
varying quantities of black and white as
well as the addition of a little water and
matt medium.
To bring the painting to a close, I
used titanium white and cerulean blue
in the water, switching to cobalt blue
then cobalt blue plus ivory black lower
down. In some places I thinned burnt
sienna and glazed areas to boost the
colour. There was really no definite
methodical approach other than to
constantly check that the colours,
shapes and values looked about right.
When I was happy with the basis of the
painting, I splattered some paint from
a size 6 sable/synthetic round brush to
symbolise grasses.Paul Talbot-Greaves
teaches watercolour and acrylic painting
in workshops and demonstrations to art
societies throughout the midlands and
the north of England. He can be
contacted by email: information@
talbot-greaves.co.uk or through his
website: http://www.talbot-greaves.co.ukp STAGE ONE
I drew out the scene in 6B pencil on Canson paper then used a size
14 sable/synthetic blend short lat brush and I roughed in my darkest
darks using neat ivory blackp STAGE TWO
I applied colours thinned with low improver medium to allow
the paper to show through and to give a luminance, like that of
watercolour. I added the colours over the black as even a thin glaze
such as this alters the appearance of the blackDEMONSTRATION Winter Stream
TA