http://www.painters-online.co.ukPRACTICAL
artistApril 2016 39
A
lthough technically an opaque
medium, acrylic can also have the
transparent qualities of traditional
watercolour. The fun part is working the
two together in overlapping layers to
generate myriad effects.
Working from the darkest darks through
to the lightest lights is a recognised way
of operating with an opaque medium
such as acrylic, and best suits this
medium when the paint is used thickly
throughout the picture. Start with black if
necessary, then gradually add colours,
making them brighter and lighter as you
go by adding white where required.
Although it’s fine to use heavy
applications of paint in this way, I find
subtle blends and mixes can be difficult
to achieve when acrylic is used like this.
Colours are very blocky and simply cover
over under layers without much finesse,
so use a medium such as matt medium to
generate a little transparency.
Alternatively, use a limited amount of this
method and combine it with a more
delicate, light-to-dark approach.Working from light to dark
Working from the lightest values towards
the darkest is the process used in
watercolour and this works pretty well
with acrylic, especially when combined
with stronger, more opaque applications
elsewhere in the painting. Watercolour
paper is the natural support for this
starting point, but you could work on
canvas or gessoed board, providing youWhen you begin a painting the first elements to look
for are the general shapes of the scene. Paul Talbot-
Greavesadvises how best to tackle the values and
colours within those shapes and sets this month’s
painting exercise
Paul Talbot-Greaves
has been painting for over 20 years and
teaches watercolour and acrylic
painting in his home county of west
Yorkshire. He also runs workshops and
demonstrates to art societies
throughout the north. Paul can be
contacted by email: information
@talbot-greaves.co.uk or through his
websitewww.talbot-greaves.co.uk.4 Explore acrylics
Creating dark values
The darkest values are
created with thicker
applications of paint.
However, really thick
applications of acrylic block
light from reflecting through
the paint and, therefore,
occasional colours such as
some of the blues, greens
and violets look black until
they are diluted, or white is
added. Again, this versatility
allows you to play with
colour in a very free way. If
working on watercolour
paper I dilute my darks to the
consistency of yoghurt with
a little flow improver. In this
way the colours appear very
strong but nuances of other
colours, shapes and values
from underneath can
sometimes be seen. If I need
to block an area, I mix thicker
colour with a small amount
of matt medium, which
keeps the paint thick but
adds some transparency.Creating light values
Light values can be created
in two ways, either as thin
transparent colour, allowing
much of the surface to show
through, or by adding white
paint in a thicker paint mix.
Using the method of thin
colours will only work when painting on a
white or light ground. On a darker base
you need to use heavier colour mixed
with white. Which white to use is mainly
down to preference and you may already
be aware that two types are available in
the form of mixing white and titanium
white. Mixing white is a slightly weak,
transparent white that allows you to
subtly change the values of colours
without making them solid and chalky.
Traditionally this is known as zinc whiteadd a flow-enhancing medium. Begin by
thinning colours with flow improver to
the lightest values of the picture and
washing them onto the paper
watercolour-style. Work through the mid-
values, progressing towards stronger,
opaque applications of rich colour. Acrylic
gives you the freedom to go back and
work lighter values over the darker ones,
which makes this a versatile two-way
process as opposed to the one-way
process of watercolour.Opposites create
grey shadowsMixing shadows for darker values
Violet or its
neighbours of blue-violet and red-violet create brighter shadowsOpposites of burnt sienna and ultramarine create
a dark grey shadeAlternatively, burnt sienna mixed with dioxazine purple creates a
much more colourful shade