American Artist Guide to Painting Techniques

acrylic wet over dry I gouache & ink wash-off I tempera spattering I oil frottage I paintbrush stippling I texture painting sand I oil blending I nailbrush stippling I watercolor feathers I nailbrush stippling I pastels pontillism I watercolor sponge painting I texture painting aluminium foil I nailbrush stippling I brush ruling windows I blotting paper corrections I watercolor wet-in-wet I pastel skin tones I watercolor hair pastel hatching I sponge trees I short strokes broken color I oil blending I wax resist masking I oil toned ground I watercolor feathers

Elizabeth Tate & Hazel Harrison

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Wet-on-dryThe oPPosiTe aPProach To weT-in-

weT, PainTing weT-on-dry means

aPPlying fresh PainT over a

Previously dried color. This

meThod is used in glazing, and for

rendering Precise or sTrongly

modeled forms.

wet-on-dry is the normal method for acrylics because they dry so fast, and exciting results can be achieved by ScuMBling or drYBruSHing over an earlier passage of color. you can do this with oils also, but you will have to wait longer, especially if the paint has been applied thickly.

in watercolor work, wet-on-dry produces the hard edges that are very much a characteristic of the medium. by laying smaller, loose washes over previous dry ones you can build up a network of fluid, broken lines that give a sparkle to the work. but you don’t always want hard edges in every part of the painting, and a combination of wet-in-wet and wet-on-dry is always effective, especially in flower painting. wet-in-wet washes capture the

captUring detailIf the initial wash is allowed to dry thoroughly, very fine hard edge brush strokes for the finishing can be painted wet on dry, without the paint bleeding into the undercolors

see also

drYBrusHing, page 68scuMBling, page 69

creating depthThe wet-in-wet work in the background gives an out-of-focus effect that place it firmly in the distance, while the crisp edges on the cows and grass bring the whole area forward to the front of the picture.

delicacy of leaves and petals in the initial stages, and then further washes, applied over the dried underlayer, add form and definition.

depending on the wetness of the initial wash and the type of paper used, watercolor can take anything up to 15 minutes to dry thoroughly, so the technique does require a little patience; if the overlayer is applied too soon, the colors turn muddy and the crispness and definition are lost.

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combining methodsWith acrylics you can combine two methods. For example, if you wish to paint wet-in-wet over a dry underlayer of paint, simply brush water or medium over the dry paint; the next layer of color can then be softly blended into the wetness.

layering Watercolor1 The artist applies a flat wash of Hooker’s green. When this is completely dry he overlaps it with another wash of the same color to achieve a layered effect. The overlapped wash creates a darker tone. To produce a still darker tone, add a third layer.

drying

You don’t have to hang about waiting for watercolor washes to dry before laying the next ones; simply use a hairdryer—few watercolor painters are without one of these. The same method can be used for acrylics, which are also water-based paints, but are no good for oils.

2 This simple image shows how building up overlapping washes, from light to dark, creates a convincing impression of aerial perspective; the lighter tones look farther away. It is most important to allow each color layer to dry before applying the next one; otherwise the characteristic clarity and transparency of the medium is lost. Remember also that the fewer the overlaid washes, the cleaner and brighter the result. Watercolor tends to become “muddy” with too many superimposed washes.

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UsefUl implements

Almost anything can come in handy for oil and acrylic painting, so keep a stash. Old combs for texturing, credit cards, pieces of board that can be cut to size to make impro-vised painting knives, spoons that can be pressed into wet paint to make textures, and, most important of all, old toothbrushes, which have a myriad uses. Never throw any-thing away before you consider its possible painterly use.

sCRApinG OnThis meThod can be used for eiTher

oils or acrylics. PainT can be

squeezed onTo The surface

sTraighT from The Tube, aPPlied

wiTh The fingers, PuT on wiTh a

PainTing knife or sPonge, and iT

can also be scraPed onTo The

surface.

1 A plastic card is used to drag paint thinly across the surface. A metal paint scraper can also be used, but the flexibility of plastic makes it more sensitive. The working surface is a canvas board laid flat on a table and secured with tape.

2 A darker color is laid over the blue. Although the paint is at tube consistency, coverage is thin enough to reveal the color beneath, and give an effect almost like that of glazing.

3 The greater rigidity of a paint scraper produces thicker, more irregular coverage, a method that is applied in this example to build up surface texture in places.

This latter method—which can be carried out with an improvised scraper such as a plastic ruler, half an old credit card, or with one of the metal-bladed tools used for removing wallpaper—is allied to knife painting, but produces flatter layers of paint, which cover the surface more thinly. it is thus ideal for layering techniques in which transparent paint is scraped over opaque layers or vice versa. you can also scrape lightly tinted acrylic medium over existing color, producing a glazing effect that enriches the color and gives it depth.

5scRApIng on

7 The finished painting shows a variety of effects that would be impossible to achieve with any conventional painting tool. Thin veils of color contrast with discreet semi-impastos and lively edge qualities.

see also

knife painting, pages 50–51

4 Here you can see the effect of the paint scraper (the areas of mountain above the trees at top left) and the transparent overlays of color achieved with the plastic card.

5 The card is pulled downward to create a veil of color that accurately suggests the reflections. The pigment used in this case is relatively transparent.

6 The foliage on the far bank of the lake is built up more thickly. The paint is the same consistency as before, but instead of being dragged across the surface, it is applied in a series of short, interrupted strokes.

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see also

colored grounds, pages 64–65

AmeRIcAn ARTIsT guIde To pAInTIng TecHnIques6

broKen colorThe Term “broken color,” which

refers To any area of color ThaT is

noT comPleTely flaT, covers a wide

range of color Techniques. dry

brush and scumbling for examPle,

boTh Produce broken-color

effecTs, as does dragging a Thin

wash of color over a rough

waTercolor PaPer. in The laTTer

case, The PainT will adhere only To

The raised grain of The PaPer,

Producing a slighT sPeckling.

however, broken-color effects are most often seen in opaque techniques. if you look at a landscape painting in thick acrylics or oils, you would probably see that any large area of sky, sea, or grass consists of many different but related colors. examine a close up of sky that simply looks blue from a distance, and you may be able to identify a wide range of blues, and possibly some mauves, greens and touches of brown as well. These colors all mix “in the eye” to “read” as blue.

broken-color effects are often created by working on a colored ground that is only partially covered by the paint, or by laying down a layer of flat color and working over it with other colors. acrylic is particularly well suited to the latter method, as the first layer of paint will quickly dry.

1 The composition is roughly mapped out with a few linear brushstrokes before the artist begins to apply small, separate areas of color. she is working on heavy medium-surfaced watercolor paper.

2 For the sun-struck white areas of the building, thick paint is used over the earlier thin washes.

3 Although she is building up the painting with a patchwork of colors, the artist takes care to establish color relationships, repeating the blues and yellows from one part of the picture to another (left).

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6 In each area of the picture both the colors and the brushwork are nicely varied, and the contrast between thick and thin paint adds to the lively, sparkling effect.

4 With an architectural subject it is important to maintain correct perspective and straight verticals. A piece of spare paper is used as a ruler, with the brush drawn lightly along the edge.

5 The painting is nearly complete, but the foreground is not yet sufficiently strong. A large soft brush is used to lay washes, or glazes, of thinned paint, which create pools of deeper color.

A comprehensive overview, American Artist Guide to Painting Techniques shows you all the techniques needed to paint in watercolor, oil, acrylic, and pastel. From clear instruction to new painting ideas, this is a four-in-one foundation book for every artist interested in improving fundamental painting skills.

First, you’ll learn 45 painting techniques step by step through photographs and valuable tips. Each technique includes specific details for use in oil, acrylic, watercolor, and pastels. Next, discover how to apply the techniques to subjects of particular difficulty, including landscapes, animals, portraits, still lifes, and more. Beginning painters will love the specifics on the unique properties of each painting skill, while intermediate painters will rely on the tips and reference materials to produce outstanding results.

An easy-to-navigate resource, American Artist Guide to Painting Techniques provides clear instruction, new painting ideas, and inspiration in encyclopedic detail.

H a z e l H a r r i s o n is a practicing artist who studied painting at the Guildford School of Art and the Royal Academy of Painting in London.

e l i z a b e t H tat e is a practicing artist who studied art history at Sheffield Polytechnic, then spent several years painting in Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland, and Germany.

Contents

Foreword

Preparing to paint

Making a start

Ways of working

special techniques

themes

index

acknowledgments

Paperback8¾ × 8¾, 208 pagesISBN 978-1-59668-279-5$19.95Available March 2011

Grab your paintbrush