I've done another acrylic painting. Not really happy with it. The composition and drawing are ok, but I feel I have a long way to go with the techniques of using acrylic paints.
I used an old canvas that had already been used for an unsuccessful attempt at acrylic painting some years ago. I think this was a mistake as the painting ended up with too many layers of paint, to the point that the canvas weave couldn't even be seen in some places.
I used an old canvas that had already been used for an unsuccessful attempt at acrylic painting some years ago. I think this was a mistake as the painting ended up with too many layers of paint, to the point that the canvas weave couldn't even be seen in some places.
I mixed all the colours from five base colours - Ultramarine, Phthalo Blue, Cadmium Yellow Medium, Crimson and Titanium White. I used the two blues to balance each other as the Ultramarine is too purple and the Phthalo Blue is too green.
For the clouds I mixed a nice nearly neutral grey, then tinted with white. The yellows of the boat are from the base yellow either tinted with white, or dulled with a violet made from the blue mix plus crimson.
I tried to mix a similar grey for the water, but it ended up quite brown. Not too much of a problem because the actual Kuching River is very brown. I had a lot of trouble getting the reflections right, and even then they only look right from a distance. Close up I think they look amateurish.
I think for any future water paintings I need to use a flow medium, and perhaps also a glazing medium, to smooth out the ripples and reflections. Also need to get a wider range of brushes - I used just a large and small filbert but I think I need some flat brushes as well.
I'm using Chroma Atelier Interactive paints, which can be worked for a long time just by spraying with water. They are supposed to be easy to blend, but I haven't figured out exactly how to do it.
I still have a lot to learn about acrylics. I'll just keep plugging away.
Next on the agenda is some black and white drawings. I have just sold one at Ngaio Fine Arts and apparently the buyer is keen for at least one more. Also Artrium Gallery has expressed interest for an upcoming exhibition.
For the clouds I mixed a nice nearly neutral grey, then tinted with white. The yellows of the boat are from the base yellow either tinted with white, or dulled with a violet made from the blue mix plus crimson.
I tried to mix a similar grey for the water, but it ended up quite brown. Not too much of a problem because the actual Kuching River is very brown. I had a lot of trouble getting the reflections right, and even then they only look right from a distance. Close up I think they look amateurish.
I think for any future water paintings I need to use a flow medium, and perhaps also a glazing medium, to smooth out the ripples and reflections. Also need to get a wider range of brushes - I used just a large and small filbert but I think I need some flat brushes as well.
I'm using Chroma Atelier Interactive paints, which can be worked for a long time just by spraying with water. They are supposed to be easy to blend, but I haven't figured out exactly how to do it.
I still have a lot to learn about acrylics. I'll just keep plugging away.
Next on the agenda is some black and white drawings. I have just sold one at Ngaio Fine Arts and apparently the buyer is keen for at least one more. Also Artrium Gallery has expressed interest for an upcoming exhibition.
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