Wednesday, 1 October 2014

Paintings By An Acrylic Paint Artist

By Karina Frost


Acrylics have not been around that long but have become very popular over the past century due to their versatility and flexibility. Their quick drying time is another benefit, reducing the amount time required to finish a painting, particularly when painting many layers. An acrylic paint artist can use an amazing variety of methods and techniques, allowing for great creativity and fresh approaches to their art.

Acrylics were not originally created for artists but for painting houses. However, artists soon became aware of their interesting qualities and began using them. This caused manufacturers to make changes to their products. Over the years, the quality of these paints has improved dramatically. This has given artists the opportunity of using an amazing array of colors to paint with greater tonality and richness.

Artists use these paints on many different surfaces today. They are most commonly applied to stretched paper or canvas but other surfaces like glass, stone and wood are also being used. Just about any non shiny surface is suitable and artists love to experiment, offering up some interesting results.

Acrylics lend themselves to a variety of different styles. They can be mixed with water and used like water colors. If a thicker texture is desired, they are even applied straight from the tube. Some artists produce abstract works with lots of depth and texture whereas others create more traditional paintings. Subjects are very diverse and traditional landscapes, impressionistic landscapes, wildlife studies and portraits are just some of these.

These paints dry much quicker than oils. Layering is easy as the first layer dries quickly. As it is water resistant, it does not soften when another layer is added. This means that paintings can be finished at a quicker rate. Retarders can be added to slow down drying time if necessary when using techniques like blending.

Many different methods, techniques and tools are used by these artists. They use a great variety of brushes, from a stiff brush for dabbing on paint for more texture to a thin, pointed one to create fine detail and definition. They also use knives, sponges and other tools to add more texture and depth.

There are numerous brands of acrylics being sold today. Every artist has a brand they prefer, largely dependent on style and method used. Some of these paints offer more saturated, intense colors. The drying time too varies from brand to brand. Consistency is also different with some offering more fluidity and others being like soft butter. All of these paints are long lasting and are not subject to fading, yellowing or becoming brittle as they age.

The works produced by artists using acrylics are sold at many galleries and online stores. This has made them far more accessible to the general public than ever before and enabled many more artists to actually make a living from what they are doing. Although certain galleries are still prejudiced against the use acrylics, still believing them to be inferior, this attitude is fast changing.




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