Acrylic Paint

Note: This post has links, but as of today I don’t get anything for linking it to Amazon. Simply because I haven’t taken the time to figure out how to set it up yet. This will most likely change in the future.

For the month of July (and now into August), I decided that I am going to paint, paint, paint and I settled on working with acrylic paint. Acrylic paint is water based so it is easy to clean up when wet. It also dries quickly so if you made a mistake or want to change the drawing, you can paint on top of it. And you can sand it back if you don’t like what you have done or if you want to introduce a new texture.

Early on I thought I would do random paintings on random surfaces—anything from panel, to paper, to record covers. But then I had a great idea for another Virtual Art Exhibit.

I enlisted my husband to make art panels and came up with a cool idea for homemade frames. I don’t want to give too much away here, so I will keep my comments to what I have learned from working in acrylic paint in the last few weeks.

1. You can make changes in Acrylic Paint quickly and easily. I should have already learned this, but I learned it again. I found that I can use a pencil on top of the acrylic paint to show where to make the changes. If the paint I am changing is dark, a white jelly roll pen works but I like a white stabilo pencil even better. It is like a thin white chalk line that you can sort of sweep away and it is water soluble. Making changes is best done in a sketch or a color study, but if you make a really bad mistake, you can change it after you have put paint on board.

2. You have to learn how to color match exactly. This is not actually specific to only acrylic paints, but I have an anecdote about it. My 10 yo daughter was watching me paint my really big board and she asked if I had to mix the exact color when I ran out. Sadly, yes. But that also gives you opportunities for happy accidents. Maybe you’ll find a better color, or perhaps the slight variation in color will give some much needed variety in an otherwise flat area.

3. You save paint when you use a Sta-Wet Palette. It has a thin sponge and a piece of palette paper that allows water to pass through it. When I use it, my paint doesn’t dry out while I am painting. In fact it stays smooth and easy to use. I tried it once with Golden Fluid Paint and it made the paint super thin. I recommend full body paint on the palette because it gets softer but will stay put. Note: It is normal for the color to be transferred to the sponge.

4. Large paintings take a lot more paint and time. Ok, this one isn’t just specific to acrylic paint. Any large painting will take more paint and time. I just happened to learn it for myself while I was painting in acrylic paint. The painting in question is my largest board and measures 27 inches by 38 inches. I’ve spent two days painting (4-6 hours each day) and I probably have 3 or 4 more full days left to take it to a finished state. There is still naked board in some spots and I will need to fix mistakes and put finishing details on it. Fortunately, the 14 in by 28 in board is even further along and I have only spent 1 day (4-6 hours) on it so far.

5. Clean your brushes with soap every day. When I miss this step, my brushes become more stiff. I think it is because while I rinse the color out, I don’t get the little bits of acrylic out and then it dries in the spaces between the bristles and isn’t as nice to work with. I use “The Masters” Brush Cleaner and Preserver.