Way into Acrylics

Versatile acrylic colours can be used for watercolour techniques on paper and for oil style painting on specially primed paper or canvas.
To help you find a way in to acrylics, try these two simple step by step exercises courtesy of Collins Learn to Paint Acrylics by Alwyn Crawshaw.

Acrylics are the most versatile artists'
painting mediums. You can use acrylics for
just about anything - from fine art painting
to decorative arts and crafts. They're used
in model-making, for interior and exterior
murals, theatrical scenery, airbrushing and
screenprinting.
Until the middle of the 20th century artists
had been working with the same painting
materials for hundreds of years.
Watercolours, oils and tempera.
It wasn't until the early 1960s that the
technology used for industrial coatings was
applied to fine art colours and the first
acrylic colours for artists were launched in
Europe.

Acrylic paints are made by the suspension of pigment in an emulsion of acrylate resin and water to create rich deep colour. Acrylic colours dry more quickly than oils through uniform evaporation of the water in the binder. As the colour dries, the acrylic resin around each tiny particle of pigment fuses to create a flexible water-resistant film. Use them straight from the tube - or mixed with a little water, for impasto and oil style painting. Paint in thin dilute washes of colour for watercolour effects. Acrylics give a water resistant eggshell finish which doesn't fade, yellow or crack. An acrylic painting on canvas can be rolled up and stored without danger of the surface cracking. And, once they are dry, acrylics are light fast and permanent.

Acrylics are water-based so they're mixed with water, which means you don't need to use solvents during the painting process - or for cleaning up afterwards. Yet once they're dry, acrylics become waterproof, so you can use them outdoors - even in wet weather. The rapid-drying characteristic of acrylic colours enables the artist to apply layers of colour in quick succession, and to finish a painting in a fraction of the time it would take in oils. Neat acrylic paint applied thinly will dry in about a quarter of an hour. Allow a day or more for thick layers of impasto. While it's still wet, acrylic resin looks slightly milky. As it dries, acrylic colour tends to go slightly darker and deeper. Because of its fast drying, colour cannot be manipulated on the surface for long periods.
To keep colour on the palette moist, Daler-Rowney developed the Stay Wet palette, specially designed to keep acrylics workable for weeks. Simply soak the absorbent layer in the bottom of the lidded tray, and squeeze your colour onto the disposable paper palette above. When you've finished, throw the used sheet away and replace with a clean one. Acrylics can be used in a variety of painting techniques. For a watercolour style of working, thin the colour well with water and apply layers of dilute colour. As each glaze dries, it becomes insoluble, so you can over paint without the risk of lifting the layer beneath and losing the purity and translucency of the colour. The water resistance of acrylics is a big advantage with other techniques too - like scumbling and dry brush work. For clear bright colour, limit yourself to mixes of only two or three colours, and don't over mix. For fine art, use on stretched canvas, canvas panels, primed board (eg. Tintoretto) and special acrylic painting paper. For decorative painting, use them on just about any surface from wood to plaster.

Apple - in an oil technique.

- Draw the apple first.
- Mix Cadmium Yellow, Titanium White and
a little Bright Green and use No 10 brush
to paint the top left area of the apple.
Make sure all your brush strokes follow
the shape of the apple. This is most
important. 
- Add Cadmium Red and a little Crimson to
the mix and fill in the apple shape.
- Using the same colours but darker, paint
the shadow areas on the apple. Add
Ultramarine to the mix for the darkest
shadows. 
- Finally paint the background in
Coeruleum and Titanium White, and add a
shadow to sit the apple on the ground.

Roll the mouse over the image for the end result!

Mackerel - in a watercolour technique.

- Draw a faint outline in pencil. Use plenty
of water and allow colours to mix wet-onwet.
Starting with the head and working
down to the tail, use a mix of Cadmium
Yellow Cadmium Red, Ultramarine and a
little Crimson. Remember to leave some
white paper unpainted. 
- Now put a pale green wash mixed from
Cadmium Yellow and a touch of Bright
Green over the body. Where it goes over
Simply soak the absorbent layer in the
bottom of the lidded tray, and squeeze your
colour onto the disposable paper palette
above. When you've finished, throw the used
sheet away and replace with a clean one.
Acrylics can be used in a variety of painting
techniques. For a watercolour style of
working, thin the colour well with water and
apply layers of dilute colour.
As each glaze dries, it becomes insoluble, so
you can over paint without the risk of lifting
the layer beneath and losing the purity and
translucency of the colour.
The water resistance of acrylics is a big
advantage with other techniques too - like
scumbling and dry brush work.
For clear bright colour, limit yourself to
mixes of only two or three colours, and don't
over mix.
For fine art, use on stretched canvas, canvas
panels, primed board (eg. Tintoretto) and
special acrylic painting paper. For decorative
painting, use them on just about any surface
from wood to plaster.
the white paper it will look shiny. Where it
covers the first stage wash it will give
more variation of colours and make them
darker. Add a little more work to the head. 
- Paint a dark edge on the top edge of the
fish, add detail to the head and paint the
eye. The result will depend on how the
colours mix together on the paper and
the phenomenon of "happy accident".