techniques

Experimenting with by

Acrylics
the Editors of
American Artist

S
ince acrylics were introduced in the 1950s, a
wide variety of mediums and additives have been
designed. Experimenting with these materials in
conjunction with acrylics can often lead to new ways of
working and produce a variety of effects that give a fresh
look to your paintings.

The range of materials for acrylic painters to experiment

Above:
Raft, by David Newton, 1993,
stucco and acrylic on canvas, 18 x 18.
Collection Michelle Weisman.
Opposite page, above:
Temptation, by Katherine Chang Liu, 1996,
mixed media, 30 x 50. Collection Hansen,
Jacobson, Teller & Hoberman.
Opposite page, below:
New Cycle, Same Spin, by Katherine Chang Liu, 1995,
mixed media, 34 x 34. Collection Hong Kong University of
Science and Technology, Kowtoon, Hong Kong.
with continues to grow. In addition to the mediums and
pastes discussed in the previous article, artists can mix a
variety of additives with the paint, including fluorescent pig-
ments, iridescent glazes (made with mica chips to give the
appearance of shifting color as you walk by the painting),
marble dust for texture, or glass beads to add reflectivity. If
this weren’t enough, one can apply acrylics with anything
from traditional brushes to palette knives to spray guns and
even cake decorators, with their wide assortment of icing
nozzles.
One artist who loves to experiment with acrylics is
Katherine Chang Liu of Westlake, California. While her
paintings are generally abstract and based on personal
ideas and reflections, she sometimes depicts a recogniz-
able object. “When I first started painting, I worked in a land-
scape tradition with watercolors,” says Liu. “Then as I began
to build up more layers in my paintings, I thought acrylics
would better fit my method and personality. Now, I work
in acrylics mixed with water or acrylic mediums to achieve
thinner or thicker layers of paint.”

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The initial lay-in. I establish the large shapes as well as the
rough value and color relationships without bothering with a
preliminary drawing. At this point, I step back and see if the
composition satisfies me before going ahead.

I complete the painting by gradually adjusting shapes and

refining. I arrange the easel so I can look back and forth
from the scene to my painting with minimal effort.
 s u b j e c t m at t e r

Plein Air Acrylics: by

One Artist’s Methods Marcia Burtt

E
ven in the 1950s, when I was a high-school stu-
dent taking my first summer painting course, I
resisted working in oils. I felt more comfortable
with watercolor and pastel, so I thinned the oils as much
as I could to make them dry faster. By the time I started
graduate school, acrylics had arrived on the scene, and I
took to them like a duck to water. They dried fast and thin,
enabling me to continually rework areas without losing
the paint’s freshness. If my first thin wash worked, I could
leave it alone, enjoy its brilliance, and have it almost pass
for a watercolor. If I wanted to rework or adjust shapes—a
more common occurrence—I could immediately paint over
the dry layer and treat it as an underpainting.

I’ve now been an acrylic landscape painter for nearly fif-

teen years and am still crazy about the medium. In order
to adapt to the requirements of painting on location, I’ve
devised a simple paint- and time-saving system for success-
Above: fully working outdoors in acrylics.
Evening From the Ridge, 1993, acrylic, 20 x 20. Collection
Rosemary and Bernard Parent.
M at e r i a l s
There are five elements I focus on in respect to materials:
paint box, spray bottle, easel, palette, and substrate. My
paint box is a three-tier fishing-tackle box with molded divid-
ers to hold my colors (I use one compartment for each
color). The molded dividers are important because paint
can leak from one compartment to another if the divid-
ers are the slip-in kind. I squeeze enough color into each

Opposite page, above:

Spring Light at the Wilcox Property, 1995, acrylic, 24 x 20.
Collection the artist.

5
 color

Mixing Acrylics: by

Triads Bonnie Brown Fergus

Chart 1

A
crylic paint is a very flexible medium to work with,
but in order to use it more effectively, I’ve devel-
oped my own system of mixing the primary colors
to create other hues. My method of working relies on color
charts I experiment with to help me map out the colors I
need for a given painting.

Chart 2
The Preliminary Steps
To begin, I prime both sides of a sheet of Arches 300 lb
watercolor paper with two coats of soft gel matte medium.
While doing so, I also prepare a small 8" x 8" piece to use
as a color card for the painting. This essential tool helps me
maintain an accurate record of the various colors I’ve used
in my paintings and remember unusual ones.

After the priming is dry, I sort through my slides to find a

Above:
Chart 1.
This color chart shows how the three primary colors,
when mixed together in equal amounts, produce a
neutral tone.
Chart 2.
When two primaries are mixed together, the result is a
secondary color. This chart shows the three pairs of
complementary colors (red and green, blue and orange,
and yellow and purple).
Opposite Page:
Michigan Memories (detail),1995, acrylic, 25 x 25.
Collection Mr. and Mrs. Jack Myers.
subject. I take all my own photos and often combine two
or more for the final composition. For Summer Song, for
example, I chose an arrangement of
flowers and a vase. I first projected
the vase onto the primed paper and
then carefully rendered it in graph-
ite, making sure to capture all the
details of the intricate pattern. Next,
I projected the flowers. Because I
used two different slides, I made
sure the flowers appeared to fit into
the vase. (Sometimes this means I
must adjust the projections so the

7
 contents
Basics:
• History and Development of
Acrylics
• The Characteristics of Acrylics that
Appeal to Artists
• Iridescent and Interference Colors
• Acrylics: Gels & Mediums, Methods
& Materials
Techniques:
• Carey Parks Schwartz: Gaining
Confidence With Acrylics
• Hugh Greer: How to Layer Acrylics
• Ellen Rolli: Painting Coach
• Maximizing the Versatility of Acrylics
Subject Matter:
• Plein Air Acrylics: One Artist’s
Methods
• The Contents of Your Drawer
• Interiors and the Versatility
of Acrylics
• Finding Your Own Way in Acrylics
Color:
• Mixing Acrylics: Triads
• Stephen Quiller: Color Choices
that Improve Watermedia Painting
• Creating Vibrant Color with
Acrylic Glazes
Learn Acrylic Painting
from the Masters!
T
he well-known artist-instructors featured in American Artist
magazine have come together to teach the techniques, tips, and
tricks for creating stunning acrylic paintings! Inside you’ll find:
• Painting advice from the pros, including Cary Parks Schwartz,
Christopher Williard, Hugh Greer, Bonnie Brown Gergus,
Harvey Gordon, Marcia Burtt, and more.
• The fundamentals of acrylic painting, beginning with the
history and development of the medium, as well as the
basic techniques.
• Acrylic’s unique properties and a detailed comparison of water-
based paints such as egg tempera, casein, and gouache.
• Step-by-step demonstrations of unique techniques that explore
the versatility of acrylics.
• The fundamentals of selecting and mixing colors, including
basic color theory and creating a personalized color chart.
Perfect for both beginning and experienced artists alike, American Artist
Guide to Acrylic Painting thoroughly explores the joy of working with the
medium.
American Artist magazine has been a widely read and well-respected
resource for over 70 years; an essential tool for artists, both professional
and beginner. Every issue is filled with step-by-step demonstrations, techni-
cal Q&A, in-depth artist profiles, and more.
Paperback, 8½ x 10¼, 128 pages
ISBN 978-1-59668-268-9, $24.95
Available September 2010