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Students hard at work.

This student is working on her layout.  The background of her painting is a passionate red.  There is a circle in the center that she created using a masking technique.  When dry, she was able to glaze over the shape keeping it lighter than the rest of the painting.

This student used a masking technique to section off painted areas using torn frisket paper.  This created the rough edges he desired for his underpainting.

This student is building color layers using an interesting texturing technique she discovered – brushing paint through a ribbon.

This is her finished painting after all layers were completed.  She ended up with a great painting that didn’t involve any use of collage at all.  It was  ready to hang as is.

This student was working with a theme that involved listening.  Her collaged circle was created using a large collection of ears, in various sizes, found in several magazines the class provides.  Her composition was inspired by mandalas.

This is a finished minimalist painting.  It utilizes strengths in the use of complimentary colors and lines of direction to pull the eye through the composition.

Creating Depth with Acrylics:

Have you ever been dissatisfied by a painting you’ve been working on because it seems to be lacking depth; everything appears to be on the same plane and has the same intensity? Here are some techniques that will help you produce the appearance of depth while also creating a more dynamic painting:

1.   Work with glazing. You can achieve a rich quality in your painting by starting with a background that has a neutral color wash (this can be warm like burnt sienna or cool like raw umber). Then shapes and forms can emerge from there already having a nice mid-tone established. This works better than trying to start your painting on an all white background.

2.   Work the classical way. Build your painting up from dark to light saving the highlights for last. In addition to creating depth this will help you add dimension to your forms.

3.   Work lean to fat. Build your painting in layers. Saving the thickest applications of paint for the final layers. This adds a nice juxtaposition of textures, makes the highlights really “pop” and works best for the process of drying (as the thicker paint will take longer to dry).

4.   Remember that certain colors, like purple, recede in a painting while other colors like yellow, come to the foreground.

Experimenting with some of the technical devises I described should help you create a combination that works best for your painting needs.