A new twist: loose acrylic painting
Trying something new
Sometimes painting in a new medium allows you a freedom that you don’t have with your normal art materials. I have been painting cityscapes and genre paintings in oil for over twenty years and I’ver never been tempted to switch to another medium. But painting sketches loosely with acrylics has changed my mind.
For point of reference, below is one of my typical sun-drenched cityscapes of everyday life painted with my beloved oil paints.
Shady Sidewalk, oil, 40x40”, © Linda Hugues. Click on the image for more info.
Acrylic painting: outside of my comfort zone
Recently I found myself painting in acrylic paint because that was the suggested medium for an art course I took about developing creativity, Art2Life’s SPARK course. We used acrylic paint on watercolor paper for our assignments to experiment with different aspects of design.
I have never taken to acrylic paint. I do know many people prefer it over oil, mainly because it dries very quickly, allowing for immediate reworking and multiple layers. But I always found that I didn’t like the thin texture, the ultra bright colors, and my lack of control when using acrylic paint.
But for this class, I was game. And I felt that since I couldn’t control the paint as much as I would like, I had no choice but to go for it. So I painted with large brushes and made loose bold strokes. And I didn’t worry about stray marks or colors that weren’t what I planned.
See what happened in the video below.
Loose acrylic painting and sharp black lines
I also decided to have another go with a technique that I’ve always been intrigued with; adding drawn black lines to the painting. I’ve tried this before in different ways with mixed results. But something about the look still appeals to me. So here, after the paint was dry I went back in with a thin black Sharpie pen and sketched in some details.
In the video you can really see how loose I was with my acrylic strokes, and how I worked and reworked sections to adjust the color and value. You can also see where I’ve added the Sharpie lines. I think it adds fun and freshness to the painting.
My two reference photos.
My finished sketch, 12th Street Northwest, acrylic, 12x12”, © Linda Hugues.
A useful tool
So I think I’ll add acrylics to my repertoire, although maybe not for finished works. I do love the thick and smooth feel of oil paint and the way it blends on my canvas. But I’ll keep using loose acrylic painting for sketches because It frees me up and encourages me to paint boldly, which is always a good thing!
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