Acrylic paints are easy to work with because of their light nature. However, they may not produce the high-quality painting you want, especially because they dry too fast and give you no time to add details to it. If you prefer to use acrylic paint, you may want to create a professional-looking painting that can bring you good returns for your work. But, how do you make acrylic paint look professional?
You can use different techniques that allow you to create an acrylic painting like a professional. For example, you can use acrylic paint thickeners to delay drying time so that you can work on your piece without hurry. You can also paint in layers, with each layer adding some detail to it.
While oil paints tend to blend well and appear professional from the first attempt, acrylic paints will require a little more effort on your part. It doesn’t have to be too complicated because you can use a few easy-to-do techniques that will give you the perfect finish. This article will discuss a few methods you can employ to make your acrylic paint look professional.
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How To Make Acrylic Paint Look Professional
Professional art has a level of appearance and specific effects that define it. These could be because of the details added to the painting, paint brushes used, and other techniques used while painting. Let’s look at some of these techniques:
Thickening The Acrylic Paint
As mentioned earlier, acrylic paint is quite light, and that’s why it dries within seconds while painting. This is unlike its counterpart oil based, which is thicker and takes much longer to dry. The good news is that you can thicken the acrylic paint to give it a thicker feel.
As a thicker paint, it will give you the flexibility you need when painting such that you can take your time on one spot creating more details on it. Also, since it will dry slowly, it will blend with the canvas to give it a smooth finish at the edges.
There are many acrylic paint thickeners in the market, and you can choose one that suits the finish you prefer. For example, you can have a matte finish on your painting or a glossy finish depending on the art you create and the message you want to communicate.
Also, acrylic paints allow you to use DIY pastes for thickening. If you are using acrylic paints for the first time, you may need to use paint thickeners so that you can maximize the paint on the canvas.
Blending The Acrylic Paint With Other Colors
This is where you blend with other colors in order to create beautiful color tones. Normally, this technique is easily used in oil paints because they blend into other colors excellently. However, you can do it with acrylic paints and improve their appearance.
The first step is to thicken the acrylic using gel mediums. You can choose any medium that resonates with the finish you want in the painting. Also, pick a soft brush of any shape and use it to blend the colors.
There are two approaches you can take about this. The first one is where you paint a layer of different colored paint on one that is not dry yet. It’s commonly called Alla Prima or wet-on-wet technique. It has to be done fast and spontaneously so that the colors swirl up together and give a beautiful appearance.
Since you have a slow-drying paint combination, you’ll have enough time to work on the painting. If the painting doesn’t go as you hoped it would, you can scrape it off using a palette knife and start again until you get the excellent painting you want.
It’s important to note that you can blend the paints in the palette or on the canvas as you paint. Your decision depends on the details you want and how fast you are on your painting.
Applying The Acrylic Paint in Layers
As mentioned earlier, acrylic paint is light and creates a thin layer on the canvas with the first round of application. Also, the fast-drying aspect of the acrylic paint will not allow you to include any detail on the painting you make. Therefore, you can take advantage of the light paint and paint in multiple layers.
There are different techniques you can use for layered painting. These include blocking in acrylic painting and underpainting.
The blocking technique covers the white canvas background so that your finishing colors can become bolder. For example, if your painting incorporates some green vegetation, you can use a brown color tone for blocking. In this case, the green vegetation will appear bolder, authentic, and more professional.
Blocking is effective and gives excellent results. However, you must be careful when choosing the colors to use for blocking so that you can achieve the results you desire. Otherwise, the wrong colors will give a color tone that doesn’t resonate with what you are painting.
On the other hand, underpainting involves spreading a thin layer of water-thinned paint in order to form a monochromatic layer that acts as a mid-toned ground for easy painting. When an artist paints on this monochromatic layer, they are able to match and relate colors easily.
Glazing The Acrylic Paint
If you are looking to create detailed paintings that look realistic, then glazing is a technique that will be good for you. It involves applying thin layers of transparent paint over another color so that you can alter the color of the first color. This works similarly to how you would add filters to photos.
One way of applying glazing paint is to warm the canvas area you want to modify. This will allow the paint to adhere better to each other and have a well-blended and unified appearance on the canvas.
In most cases, glazing paint is used to create a deep tone for any color tone, especially those used in shadow portraits. Also, you can use it when you want to create a striking contrast on the colors of your painting so that each detail can come out clearly.
For example, if you have fine details like fine wisps of hair on the skin on the painting and you want them to be seen clearly on the painting, you can use glaze paint to create them. The preferable color for glaze painting is the semi-transparent or transparent option.
Create Pouring Painting Using The Acrylic Paint
Pouring acrylic paint creates an incredible piece of art that is always satisfying to anyone who sees it. It’s also easy to work with, and you’ll get results in no time. With pouring paint, you’ll be sure to get the professional look you want on your paintings.
To use pouring paint, you’ll need to have the paint of different colors in separate cups well mixed with your preferred pour medium. The medium improves the paint’s thickness so that you are able to use it without being too runny.
Once you have everything ready, you can pour the paint on the canvas as you prefer. If you notice air bubbles on the painting, use a heat gun to eliminate them.
Working with acrylic pouring paint can be messy, especially if you have to mix the colors on the canvas. If you are new to pouring paint, it would be best to mix the colors before pouring them. This will reduce the mess and still give a great-looking painting.
Paint Using An Airbrush
The airbrushing technique is superior and allows the painter to control the colors as he pleases. The end result is excellent, realistic, with very fine details. This is because the painter is able to use different color grades to create the art.
Mostly, the paint is mixed with an airbrush medium which makes it light enough to come out of the airbrush nozzle without blocking it. For best results, you can use an airbrush with a nozzle of 0.2 mm or more.
Ensure that you don’t use too much pressure while spraying the paint so that you can have clear edges of your painting. Use a pressure of between 25 and 50 psi.
Using an airbrush is considered an art, and so you have to keep practicing until you perfect the art so that you can always create professional-like art using your acrylic paint.
Use The Splattering Technique
So, you are creating a landscape painting and want to have excellent details but don’t know what approach to follow. Splattering is a simple technique that can give you a beautiful outcome with only one step to it.
Splattering is where you soak the paintbrush in the paint and then flicker it on the canvas so that you can achieve a pattern that matches the kind of landscape you want. For example, drawing the sky with the stars on it can be a little challenging to draw each one of them.
However, you can achieve perfect and unevenly distributed stars if you use this technique. Additionally, your painting will be neat and have a professional look.
Do Professional Artists Use Acrylics?
Artists can choose to use oil or acrylic paints depending on their preference and the outcome they want. However, there are others who use acrylic paint due to different reasons. For example, a beginner painter may want to use acrylic paints for practice mainly because they are cost-friendly and more flexible than oil paints.
Some of these reasons include:
Acrylic Paints Are Flexible And Easy To Modify
When using acrylic paints, you can choose to use it as it is or make it thicker using mediums and other thickeners available in the market. These thickeners vary in their texture and finish so that you can choose one that suits you.
These additives improve the acrylic paint such that it has a longer drying time and therefore allows you time to work on your painting.
Acrylic Paints Dry Fast
As an artist, you want your painting to dry fast so as to reduce the possibility of anyone tampering with it and messing up your painting before it dries. Acrylics are known for their fast-drying characteristics – within seconds after painting.
When painting with acrylics, it’s advisable not to put a lot of paint in the palette because it’s likely to dry up before you even use it. Other things to consider with the length of time it may take for it to dry, is the elements you decided to paint first and then second
.
Acrylic Paints Are Economical
Acrylic paints are cheap, and you can get them locally from stores. Also, you’ll not need to add any turpentine or other chemicals that could be harmful to you. Other options are also quite expensive, and you may not have the money to spend on them.
Acrylic paints are mixable with water and work perfectly. This is part of what makes it more economical and cost-friendly, especially for beginner painters.
Acrylic Paints Are Easy To Clean
You know how messy paints can be and how hectic it is to clean up after you have finished painting. If you are using acrylic paints, you’ll be able to clean with only soap and water. That means it’s easy to clean without using other chemicals.
Acrylic Paints Can Be Used On Different Surfaces
Painting is dynamic and should flow with creativity. So, at times you may want to paint on wood other than on the canvas. Acrylic paint adheres well with other surfaces so that you can have an excellent painting on whichever surface you choose.
You can use acrylic paint to paint on wood, paper, rocks, canvas, and other materials that you’d like to try out. This allows for versatility and flexibility in the use of acrylic paint.
Final Words
Creating a professional painting using acrylic paint only requires you to know the right techniques to use and apply them correctly. Even if the materials are not the best there are ways to solve some problems like a palid look, or it is looking uneven. Your creativity also goes a long way to ensure that you create a painting that matches your interest.