Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Acrylics
    Acrylics
    Acrylics
    Ebook158 pages41 minutes

    Acrylics

    By Alwyn Crawshaw

    4/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Learn to Paint Acrylics is just one of the top-selling titles in the excellent Collins Learn to Paint series. The book contains thorough yet accessible instruction and stunning artwork by popular TV artist, Alwyn Crawshaw.

    Alwyn Crawshaw demonstrates all the basic methods of painting in this exciting, modern medium of acrylics. Acrylics can be used like oil paint (but without the long drying time), or watered down to look like watercolour – bringing a new adaptability to your painting.

    There are many step-by-step demonstration paintings of a variety of subjects – landscapes, seascapes, boats, flowers and still life.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins UK
    Release dateMay 30, 2019
    ISBN9780008363246
    Acrylics
    Author

    Alwyn Crawshaw

    Alwyn Crawshaw has written over 25 books on art instruction, all published by HarperCollins. He has a huge following among amateur painters and has made 8 successful TV series on Channel 4 and the Discovery Channel, as well as many videos on painting. Amongst other acheivements, Alwyn founded the Society of Amateur Artists, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a past president of the National Acrylic Painters’ Association. He regularly contributes to Leisure Painter magazine.

    Read more from Alwyn Crawshaw

    Related authors

    Related to Acrylics

    Related ebooks

    Art For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Drawing Wild

      Oct 11, 2018

      Drawing Wild
      4 min read

    • Article

      Painting Project

      Aug 6, 2021

      Painting Project
      4 min read

    • Article

      Lessons In The Landscape

      May 14, 2021

      Lessons In The Landscape
      5 min read

    • Article

      7 Lessons From The Impressionists

      Mar 20, 2020

      7 Lessons From The Impressionists
      4 min read

    • Article

      Spring COLOURS

      Jan 21, 2022

      Spring COLOURS
      4 min read

    • Article

      Gouache Flowers

      Feb 19, 2021

      Gouache Flowers
      5 min read

    • Article

      The A-Z Of Pen and Wash Sketching

      Apr 21, 2020

      The A-Z Of Pen and Wash Sketching
      5 min read

    • Article

      Paint Brushes 101

      Feb 8, 2018

      By Sharon Quill Having visions of becoming the modern Monet of water colour? Then you’d know a short handled Kolinsky would be a fine choice. Of course if traditional oil portraiture is more your style, you’d know a longer handled hog is probably a

      6 min read

    • Article

      Art at Sea

      Jun 11, 2021

      Art at Sea
      3 min read

    • Article

      Pen & Wash Sketching

      Jun 7, 2018

      Pen & Wash Sketching
      4 min read

    • Article

      Pen And Wash

      Nov 26, 2021

      Pen And Wash
      5 min read

    • Article

      Paint LIKE SARGENT

      Nov 1, 2019

      Paint LIKE SARGENT
      5 min read

    • Article

      Go Small!

      Sep 3, 2021

      Go Small!
      7 min read

    • Article

      9 Reasons To Gouache

      Dec 27, 2019

      9 Reasons To Gouache
      3 min read

    • Article

      Watercolour Pencil Techniques

      Feb 15, 2018

      Watercolour Pencil Techniques
      2 min read

    • Article

      What’s Around The Bend?

      Oct 19, 2021

      What’s Around The Bend?
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Sketchbook Habit

      Dec 24, 2021

      The Sketchbook Habit
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Art Of The Limited Palette

      Jul 15, 2022

      The Art Of The Limited Palette
      3 min read

    • Article

      Watercolour Textures

      Dec 24, 2020

      Watercolour Textures
      3 min read

    • Article

      Textured DRAWINGS

      Jan 21, 2022

      Textured DRAWINGS
      4 min read

    • Article

      1. Indirect Painting

      Nov 1, 2019

      1. Indirect Painting
      5 min read

    • Article

      Maleny Meadows

      Oct 19, 2021

      Maleny Meadows
      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Acrylics

    4/5

    5 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Acrylics - Alwyn Crawshaw

      Introduction

      Why use acrylic colours? I am constantly asked this question. The answer is that I like using them and they suit my personality. I believe that a painting comes from the inner self and this gives it the mood, the atmosphere, the invisible quality that makes it look alive. If you were inspired to paint a particular landscape and could paint it in, say, three minutes while that urge was there, then the painting would express your uninterrupted feelings on the canvas.

      How Much Longer Have We To Wait? detail on canvas 25 × 25 cm (10 × 10 in)

      Now, three minutes to paint a picture is ridiculous but, because acrylic colours dry so quickly, a certain speed is possible. As one stage of the painting is done, you can overpaint almost immediately without picking up the paint from underneath and consequently you can keep working while the inspiration is there.

      If circumstances permit, you can start a painting in the morning and finish it in the afternoon, as each stage will be dry enough for you to follow on with the next. If you like to put detail in a picture, this can be done as and when you feel it necessary because the paint will dry quickly enough to allow you to work on top of the previous layer.

      This direct way of painting is one of the reasons why acrylic painting suits me. Another very useful factor is that no smell is given off when using acrylics, unlike oils.

      Naturally, as with all painting, there are techniques to be learned and certain disciplines to be acquired before you can master the medium. As the reader of this book, you have taken your first big step. If you are a beginner, curious about painting and wanting to find out more about it, you have selected acrylics as the medium with which to start. If you already paint and are reading this book to learn about the medium of acrylic colour then, whatever other medium you paint in, do start with the basic exercises. Remember, a new medium requires different techniques.

      I will take you through this book stage by stage, working very simply to start with and progressing to a more mature form of painting. If you have some acrylic colours, your desire to try them out will most probably have been stimulated by looking through the book and seeing the variety of images and different methods of working. However, I strongly recommend that you relax and read on before you actually pick up a brush. More haste – less speed!

      If you find some exercises difficult to master, go a stage further and then come back. Seeing a problem with a fresh eye will make it easier to solve. Good luck!

      The Red Boat, Norfolk primed hardboard 25 × 28 cm (10 × 12 in) I couldn’t resist this red boat and all the quayside structures, which I spotted when painting the Norfolk Fishing Harbour scene here. You can just see the red boat at the extreme left of that painting.

      What are Acrylic Colours?

      The paint in the red tube is Cryla Flow Colour. The paint in the green tube is Cryla Colour.

      Acrylic colours first arrived on the market in this country in 1963. Daler-Rowney produce two ranges of acrylic colour which I use, Cryla Colour and Cryla Flow Colour.

      Cryla Colour is very thick, has a buttery texture similar to oil colour and comes in a small tube. Because of its consistency it is used mainly for palette knife work. As with oils, an acrylic painting can be built up to achieve a tremendous amount of relief work (impasto). The immediate advantage of acrylics over oil colours used in this way is that oils take months to dry but acrylics take only hours, even when put on really thickly.

      I prefer to use brushes with this medium. This is where the other type of acrylic colour, Cryla Flow Colour, comes in, as it is better to use with a brush. Unless stated, I have used Cryla Flow Colour for all the exercises in this book. This type of acrylic colour comes in a longer tube. You can add Gel Retarder to slow down the drying time and use Texture Paste for building up heavy impasto. There are also high-quality nylon brushes on the market, which I use all the time and find best for all my acrylic painting, apart from small detail

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1