|
|
Tickled Pink, 30" x 41" (70 cm x 104 cm)Watercolor/Acrylic on Arches 550-lb. (1155 gsm) rough-pressed
|
Acrylics
to the Rescue
A Tutorial by Mary Backer
This painting was basically finished, but I felt the background needed a deeper color. I began glazing with Phthalo Blue, but when I reached the upper right hand area, a large resist spot appeared. I tried everything to get rid of it or disguise it, but it just would not be corrected. After all my work, the painting was ruined. After a sleepless night, I remembered some acrylics that were gathering dust in my paint drawer. I gave it a shot. After covering the background with white acrylic, I laid dowwn a rich blue mixture (Cobalt Blue, Phthalo Blue and Ultramarine Blue) plus matte medium. It took two applications, but it worked. Tickled Pink went on to win awards and is one of my favorite works.
|
|
|
Watercolor is resoluable. Because it lifts so easily, layers of color can mix unexpectedly, creating a muddy statement that lacks punch. Acrylic paints, when applied over layers of watercolor, act like a transparent barrier protecting your underpainting, allowing you to add more paint to a surface that's locked into place. This doesn't mean that you have to give up the look of glowing, transparent watercolor. The watercolor underpainting still shines through. You can also apply acrylics only to portions of your painting for various effects and making corrections that are impossible with watercolor. You can create delicate color harmonies, a vibrant surface and an internal glow of light. You can work layer upon layer to form a painting without lifting the underlying layers.
Text continues below artwork
|
|
|
Before Glazing with Acrylics
Before the acrylics are added, the painting is adequate and accurately rendered, but lacking punch.
|
After Glazing with Acrylics
The watercolor still speaks in this painting but the acrylics add intensity and make it a more successful painting. See enlargement
|
| A traditional watercolor painting is made with layers of pure, transparent watercolor. No white paint, no black paint. Although corrections are possible, there is a limit to what you can do to help your painting if it goes bad. If your colors are dull, flat and unexciting, try adding some punch with layers of acrylic. You can mix washes in a great range of colors the same as in your watercolors, and the tinting strength is excellent. You can build up deep rich color and darks by applying glaze upon glaze. Like watercolor, acrylics can be lifted from the paper while wet. If allowed to dry, they can be partially lifted with a bristle brush, water and a paper towel for blotting. Alcohol can also be rubbed over dried paint to help remove it. You can also paint over a spot that needs correction with white acrylic or white gesso, and then repaint the area, blending it into the painting.
Beating Acrylic's Drying Time
Mixing matte soft gel medium into your color and adding a drop of retarder will enable you to work the acrylic very much like your watercolors. One of the big problems in using acrylic is its fast drying time. Gel medium and retarder slow it down, and the matte finish will dry to a flat watercolor look. This allows a blending of the two mediums. In the finished work, it'll appear to be a watercolor painting.
Visit Mary Backer's Website
|
|
|
Artwork and Demonstration Copyright 2012 by Mary Backer. All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction strictly prohibited without authorization from Mary Backer.
This tutorial is from the book, Watercolor in Bloom: Painting the Spring and Summer Garden, by Mary Backer,
published by North Light Books, an imprint of F + W Publications.
Reprinted with permission of the publisher.
|
|
