acrylics newb in dire need of assistance.

[gl0gg]

Hey guys, I'm just beginning to take a stab at acrylics, I only did a little watercolor and digital before. I feel all the stuff I do is so coarse and unsubtle (is that a word?) , and I am in desperate need of tips. This is a little stuff I did the last few days, would love critique and tips on ways to improve my technique.

Thank you in advance
/Joel

[gl0gg]

I am sorry the pics are so big, but I thought if you saw my strokes maybe that would help. The last one is reference for the second last one, hopefully that's obvious :)

[Flake]

The first thing I would suggest is not working on a white background as it makes it more difficult to judge values.
If you cover the entire surface in a mid tone, you can easily add darks and lights, effectively you work in both directions at once. (this is how I personally prefer to work, if you prefer not to, that's cool.)

Regarding the "coarseness", if you were looking for beautifully smooth transitions and blending then acrylic is likely not the medium for you, although if you add some drying retarder you'll have more time to blend edges etc. Using a dry brush and scumbling might give you a bit more control over these things too.

These aren't bad btw, especially considering that acrylic is quite a weird medium to get used to.

Just my 2p worth, I'm sure the resident acrylic experts will have more to add.

[Seedling]

Assorted tips:

Tone your surface before painting. White is blinding and hard to work with.

Don’t drive yourself crazy trying to blend. Instead, paint round surfaces as if they are faceted, at least until you get comfortable with the medium.

Don’t let the paint dry in your brushes, unless you want to go shopping for new ones.

Adding water will make the paints dry faster. For a slower drying-time and to thin the paints, use acrylic medium.

The paints do change color slightly when they dry. It’s not your imagination.

Decide in advance of each painting if you want to paint transparently or opaquely, because using some of each can get frustrating.

If you want to start with a drawing, seal your drawing with medium, then go over that with a transparent mix of medium and a little bit of gray or brown – dark enough to tone the surface but light enough to see your drawing.

Drybrushing/scrumbling one color over dry layer of color can be a great way to mix colors. It will wear your brushes out the most quickly, though.

I hope this helps.

[gl0gg]

Hey guys (and gals :)), thanks for the tips!

Toned background sounds like a plan, didn't think of it even though I use it when working digitally, have to start doing that.

I pretty much always want to paint opaquely, what I really would like is an oil-like finish, but I am not sure I have the patience to wait for it to dry. I guess I'll keep on working on them and see if it gets better, gonna try and not bother so much with transitions.

When I talk about the coarseness and subtlety, I refer to the people that are better with acrylics and oil than I am. It feels like if their paintings are cats mine are semi-sedated in a china store if you know what I mean. I suppose that's more of a general skill thing though.

Thanks again!
/Joel

[smellykitty]

hola hola! its not impossible to get smoother with acrylics, though its not an easy process and it will never be as smooth as oils. but it is possible!! :} and hopefully you will find some enjoyment in trying to come over that hurdle. here are two techniques for you to try

Creamy and Smooth
first paint a nice under layer of basic flat colors all over your surface. think of your painting as a map. map out the lights, mid tones and darks. dont worry about blending, dont worry about details, and its ok if the image looks postarized. it helps if you make this under layer opaque and not transparent. remember that you can think of textured things as shapes - like foliage

now that you have all your lights and darks where they need to be, the next layer(s) should go easier. pick an area to start detailing. now mix up every color that you think needs to go in that area. for example, if you are working on the face, MIX EVERYTHING EVERYTHING. the highlights, the mid tones, the pinky colors and the darks. becuase you have already established a 'map' of where the lights and darks are - you only need to place all those colors where they need to be. mix a lot if you are working on a larger area! work fast and smart and use good brushstrokes. I cant tell you what strokes to use from here, but the brush is capable of many different strokes.

I suggest a flat brush with a flat stroke following a semi weave pattern when you blend the colors. this way if you leave brushstrokes it will still be aesthetic to look at

it helps if the paint is a smooth and creamy consitancy, like melting icecream. thicker paint will not paint, it will just sit on top of eachother.

since you are using more colors and getting more in there, your second layer still might look a bit choppy. thats ok. move on and do your second layer all over your painting.

now you can repeat and do a third layer. the trick to Creamy and Smooth is knowing where your lights and darks are and mixing enough colors in the blending process. Mix up too little colors and it will not work or blend incorrectly.

THINGS TO AVOID
Dont try to push the paint. If it is getting tacky, meaning its drying, and you are trying to blend what you are going to get is a glossy waxy look. just let that blob of paint dry and try again in a few minutes. Remeber this isnt oils, in the later stages you can not work all over

THINGS TO UNDERSTAND
The map is fairly important becuase acrylics dry fast. you want to know where to put those colors without question. so let that first layer be your map! work fast when you need to!! And in the later stages work on one spot at a time


Washes
Acrylics dont have to be used thickly or even creamy, you can water them down and turn them into washes. Use layers of washes to lay down your basic colors. The washes creates a looser map that gives you more flexibility in the later stages. It is more transparent and is easier to cover up a mistake in the basic layer. It can however be harder to know exactly what colors you need to mix for the final stages as your map will not be as concrete. However, it is perfectly ok to create an acrylic painting entirely out of washes!

For either technique you dont necessarily have to 'map' out using the colors you think are are going to use. you can map out with the oppisite colors of the final product. but it does help to always establish the placement of the lights and darks as not knowing them will make blending harder.

your acrylics are pretty awesome so far!!! good luck!


you can however ofcourse forget trying to get smoother and just go all out impasto! and there are a lot of yummy acrylic mediums to help you do just that