Painting with acrylic colors can be a very rewarding skill that can make you stand out significantly. However, it is also an equally frustrating skill that can end up making you feel stressed if you don’t do it right. There are tons of mistakes you can make which can end up with you thinking; why do my acrylic paintings look flat?
There’s no need to blame yourself if your painting ends up looking a bit dull. In reality, acrylic paint
can be very difficult to handle. You can easily create a big mess when working with such acrylic paints.
However, we intend to help improve your skill by introducing you to some of the most common mistakes painters tend to make when trying to execute acrylic painting.
Table of Contents
6 Reasons Why Your Acrylic Paintings Look Flat
Below are 6 of the most recurrent issues artists face when using acrylic paint. Keep on reading to know more about them and how you can avoid them in the future and give your art a glossy finish.
Cracks in Acrylic Paints
Acrylic paints cracking up is one of the most bothersome mistakes novice painters make in acrylic painting. It has high visibility and sticks out from the canvas excessively.
These mistakes typically occur when artists put a thick layer of paint into the paper, causing the surface to dry faster and leaving the bottom wet. Applying opaque colors too thinly can also cause this same issue.
You will have to get the acrylic paint ratio just right to avoid cracks from developing on the smooth surface of the painting. Avoid using cheaper paints and don’t dilute them with water. Instead, opt for a proper pouring medium. This problem can also be solved by mixing the color by adding gloss medium.
Color Failure Mixtures
Many people don’t know it, but there’s quite a bit of science when working with acrylic paint. Proper brush strokes, adding gloss varnish, and accurate color mixing are just as vital to making a good painting as putting the final varnish.
Just buying artist-quality paint won’t be enough in this regard. You will have to keep notes of ingredient proportion to ensure that there is consistency in the vibrancy of your color.
One effective method of avoiding this mistake is going for trial and error. When you initially try your hand in acrylic painting, it’s best to observe your color mixtures first. Use a soft color to spread the opaque paint around. Make sure you note your preferred shade to ensure consistency in the future.
Development of Lumps
Lumps are a major reason behind why an entire painting can seem dull. Using old acrylic paint typically causes this problem, and you cannot avoid it even if you combine it with satin varnish. The development of lumps can further lead to blemishes which even the most premium paint film or acrylic binder can’t help hiding.
If you want to stop lumps from dulling your painting, then strain the solvents out before mixing the paint. Not only will it solve this problem, but it also makes fluid acrylics shine on canvas. Although most paint manufacturers don’t mention it on the label, running the color through a strainer can greatly amplify its quality.
Lack of Color Cells
In painting, color cells are a welcome addition as it really helps to elevate its overall aesthetics and make it more attractive. However, most painters fail to get them up on the canvas and struggle even when using heavy body paint. Creating cells are difficult by generously mixing silicone with the color over a long painting session.
However, there is a subtle ratio to this mixture too. Mixing the silicone to the paint and mixing them too much can lead to small particles, which won’t compliment the painting well. It’s always best to add a bit of silicone to the student-grade paint if you want the color cells to pop out properly and pair well with acrylic polymer.
Colors Becoming Muddy
A huge problem many artists seem to face while dealing with acrylics is the painting becoming muddy. It can happen to anyone despite what their color wheel preference might be or even if they apply two coats.
A good practice is necessary, which involves mixing primary colors in different ways to reduce muddiness and dullness from paint.
One of the first things to avoid in this regard is to not mix all three primary colors at once. It would help if you had a thorough idea of color combinations and which shades go perfectly well with different acrylic mediums.
Once you figure out the complementary colors, your student-grade paints will shine beautifully on canvas and have a gloss to them with a matte finish. Be sure to always use a soft brush to avoid glittery colors like golden acrylics getting muddy.
Dust Particles on Painting
If you’re a collector of old paintings, then you’ve probably seen a coating of dust on the canvas. Dust particles tend to develop on paints and ruin the gloss and varnish if it’s kept on display for a long time.
Over time, the quality of the acrylics becomes flat and unimpressive compared to the once brilliant colors. You won’t even be able to recognize your own painting if this happens despite giving it a gloss finish.
Keeping them clean is an effective measure to ensure that dust particles do not ruin your acrylics. Using a damp cloth to wipe the dry paints routinely is a great way to do it while maintaining the quality of light acrylics and heavy body acrylics. An isolation coat or matting agent also helps to keep the paint quality intact.
It all depends on your personal preference regarding which option you want to choose in this regard.
Final Words
Now that you’re done reading our article, we’re sure you know the answer to the question; why do my acrylic paintings look flat?
All you need to do is follow the advice we mentioned here, and your acrylics won’t seem inconsistent even in dark areas. Whether it’s on a matte surface or a white surface, the paint will pop out beautifully in all circumstances!