Put your skills to work and paint a whimsical, simple peony. Use line work and flooding to make vibrant expressionistic petals, and see how to give your floral depth and dimension.
Finally, apply the techniques you've learned to create a larger composition on canvas. Michele shows you how the inks, mediums and application methods all work together to form a stunning abstract piece.
Ahh, summer...full of late sunsets, flickering fireflies and backyard barbecues, where slices of watermelon are fresh and juicy. To freeze time, if only just a tiny little bit, create a watermelon painting. Whether you're a novice painter or a pro with a palette, this four-step process is actually no sweat, and nearly as sweet as the real thing.
You've got your acrylic paint, your work surface is ready to go, and you're really inspired to paint. Now comes the fun part: actually putting paint on paper!
If you've ever painted a room or had a manicure, you already know what it means to prime a surface. Adding primer to a wall, applying a base coat to your fingernails before the polish goes on, prepping a canvas before you paint: It's all pretty much the same concept.
Got paints. Got paper. Go for it. We're never going to discourage free-roaming exploration. But if you want to ground your watercolor play in a little technique, we've got you covered.
Got paints. Got paper. Go for it. We're never going to discourage free-roaming exploration. But if you want to ground your watercolor play in a little technique, we've got you covered.
We know you're dying to get started on a painting, but one of the most important parts of working in acrylic takes place before you ever put brush to canvas: mixing the paints. You have to get this right if you want your work to turn out as beautiful as you imagined.
If you've ever painted a room or had a manicure, you already know what it means to prime a surface. Adding primer to a wall, applying a base coat to your fingernails before the polish goes on, prepping a canvas before you paint: It's all pretty much the same concept.
Splatter painting, the technique made famous by Jackson Pollock, is energetic, unpredictable and a whole lot of fun. It's also a lot harder than it looks.
You thought you'd mastered the tree back in preschool — a brown rectangle topped with a big blob of green. But once you traded in those tubs of tempura for tubes of acrylic, you learned the humbling truth: Trees are actually pretty tricky to paint well, especially if you're going for a bit more realism.
Outdoor watercolor painting is something I recommend to all of my students. When you're out in nature feeling the air and watching the light change right in front of your eyes, you can bring more than just an image of a landscape to your paintings; you can bring a sense of atmosphere and emotion.
Water is endlessly inspiring to artists. There's something deeply compelling about its ever-changing nature, whether in a still, reflective pond or a rushing stream. But water is also one of the most difficult things to paint realistically in acrylic.
