Acrylic is one of the most popular painting media today. It is very forgiving, and will yield beautiful paintings if done correctly. When you understand how to mix and match Artists gain varying levels of Acrylics to experiment with.
Acrylics are a medium that allows very flexible working spaces. Because it is so soft, it does not require white areas to reflect, which can be problematic in some settings. It does not dry quickly either, so you must have a way to get the paint out of the container or artist quick.
Many Artists use different brands of acrylic for different works.
Load your brush with color
When painting a paintstroke, do not let the paint dry before applying another one! It will create air pockets and fall-out. If the paint doesn’t bead or stick, change the angle of your brush or brush more pressure.
The harder the paint you use, the more color you will get done. We recommend using at least a soft fine-medium leaded pencil for this project. You can also use some thick cardboard or paper as your canvas if that is more comfortable.
If you use a heavier paintbrush, make sure to pack it very firmly to get those solid color coats. If you use a softer one, take those same sized brushs out of the water and give them less pressure to escape the mixture before painting so they are soft enough to blend with the landscape.
Remember: no paint or pigment is too thick or too thin.
Start with the sky
The first painting you do after getting your Acrylic on is starting with a sketch. The sketch gives you a base to start on and helps you determine which flowers, terrain, and birds are present in your landscape.
To create your sketch, you use a piece of paper as your guide. You mark areas with lines and spaces to represent the ground, trees, buildings, and other features in your landscape.
Then, you dip the paintbrush in some water and start painting. You let the paint dry before starting another picture on top of it to increase the amount of time spent on each piece.
When painting skies, do not worry about them appearing gray or cloudy. That is how they look when they are really dark underneath.
Paint the horizon
When painting a landscape, you need to pay attention to the horizon and how it changes as you go.
Some landscapes are designed to be seen from a distance, while others do not require it. If your landscape is not meant to be viewed from a distance, then make sure your paint is thick enough to hang on.
If you need a little help distancing your painting, use some wood paneling or other neutral material in your home to help create the illusion of distance. If you want more detail, use stronger paint layers or take thicker paper into consideration.
The thickness of the paint must match the thickness of the paint layer. Take for example of watercolor paper that is three times the thickness of regular paper. The watercolor will lose quality because of the difference in thickness!
If you are trying for a more soft or abstract look in your painting, try using less strong paints or using less detail coverage.
Paint the trees
Once you have chosen your paint, it is time to paint! Many people suggest beginning with the base layer of the tree. This is the colour that will form the base of your canvas. This is the colour that will add depth to your painting.
You can either draw a line along the bottom of your tree or follow some of the other directions that they give you. Both of these tips work and give you great looking trees.
The ones that do not extend below the level of the ground or those that are glossed look less natural, but you can still try them if you want to.
Paint the ground
When painting a landscape in acrylic, you have to consider how the ground looks. If it is grey, white, or very bright coloured, it must be painted over!
If the land is darker coloured, you can leave some of the colour behind. The easiest way to do this is to use a dark primer on top of the acrylic paint and then add your other colours as desired.
The last step is to paint over it to complete the picture. It is important to take your time in this process, as you want it to dry completely before moving onto the next layer. Once it does, you can add more paint without worrying about stopping because of lack of moisture!
Paint any cracks or exposed areas carefully so that they do not look dry or fake. You would not want your audience to notice that some parts were less successful in painting than others.
Add some sunlight
When painting a landscape, there are a few rules to keep in mind. One of the biggest ones is to add some sunlight to your painting.
It can be tough to find enough light in stage lighting or paintings in back alleys or shops rarely. You need some!
Luckily, landscape painting is not too hard if you know your light source. You just use that extra light to paint more foliage and some sunrays!
There are several ways to paint sunlight in a canvas. One way is to use softbox or speedlight units embedded into the canvas. The other is to use warm up lights or strobe exposures.
Neither of these methods require changing the size of the canvas so that it looks darker or brighter. Both require knowledge of how much light you want, though.
Add some shadows
If you are planning on painting a very light color scheme or a very soft shade of cream, then you should consider adding some shadows to your landscape.
How to do this is by adding some shades of dark red, burgundy, and brown in your composition. These colors will create some nice contrast in the landscape you are painting.
These colors will create great contrast to the white or warm-toned landscapes you are painting. When mixing these colors together, be careful not to get any of these colors mixed together and ruin the effect. You can use gesso-based thinners for this purpose so it does not affect the paintability of the canvas.
Finish everything off
Once your acrylic paint is dry, it is time to add some texture. This can be done by painting some goulets on top of the paint or adding some spray paint or chamois to complete the look.
Both of these methods require a bit of practice and skill to get right, so do not feel bad if you make some substandard attempts at this. Once you get the hang of it, you will be painting amazing pictures!
You can also use solvents such as benzoyl peroxide or alcohol vapors but these are harder to control and may not be necessary if your picture does not need extreme cleaning. Either way, finish off with a coat of clear varnish to protect the wood from further damage.