Drawing with acrylics on paper. Handmade flower extravaganza

And so, the material I promised on acrylic paints. I tried to collect a certain minimal cut so that those who doubt could answer the question for themselves whether it is necessary to deal with these paints, and those who are just starting to have an idea of \u200b\u200bthem as an alternative to our usual oil.

Brief technical information:

Acrylic is a paint consisting of three main components. Pigment, synthetic binder (acrylic polymer emulsion) and water. The latter is especially important for us. Acrylic paint dries as soon as water evaporates from it. That is why, at first, it is difficult to adapt to them - they dry very quickly both in work and on a palette. Pigments - everything here is like oil, but there is a slight correction for the composition. It is worth remembering that when the acrylic paint dries, it becomes about three shades darker, while the oil hardly changes color. That is why the same cadmium, for example, may turn out to be a different color in oil and acrylic paints (of course, I mean the finished work - when the right amount of paint is selected, a thinner is added, and so on).

Tools and materials.

Acrylic paints can be found in jars and tubes. Usually, the paints in the tubes are thicker, but you can also find different markings on them. For example, the "flow-formula" label means that the paints are thinner, and "full-bodied" means thicker.

One of the advantages of acrylic is that in combination with it, you can use a huge number of additional artistic tools. These are a variety of pastes and gels (on an acrylic basis), which can give the work any effect, and various varnishes that are convenient for fixing the paint.
We should also say about thinners. Despite the fact that acrylic paint can be easily diluted with water, it is usually not recommended to do this - there is a risk that acrylic will then lose its properties, it may crack or fade. Therefore, paint manufacturers recommend using special thinners for acrylics. From my own experience, I can add that it is best to buy a thinner from the same company as the paint itself.
There is another important component. Drying retardant for acrylic. When using this component, you can increase the drying time of acrylic up to several tens of minutes (instead of the usual two minutes) or, if desired, days. For what this can be useful, I think everyone understands perfectly well - it is easier to shade, and in general to "secure" in order to have time to remove the paint on time. It is worth stopping here and talking about one more thing important moment - fresh acrylic can be easily removed with water. Dry paint requires solvents (! after working with acrylic, rinse the brushes thoroughly with water! acrylic dried in the brush can ruin the brush forever!).

Brushes.
If possible, buy special brushes for acrylic paints. They come in different shapes, sizes and textures. Most importantly, these brushes combine the advantages of watercolor and oil brushes and are suitable for layering paint. Usually, these are synthetic or nylon brushes. Natural bristle brushes are a double-edged sword. Definitely, you should avoid sable, when working with acrylic paints - from frequent immersion in water, the brush may deteriorate. Everything else is at your own discretion, but it is important to remember that if you use natural brushes, you must be 100% sure of their quality - so that at the most inopportune moment bristles do not fall out of it.

Palette.
Here's an interesting point. In the case of our favorite pastime (I'm, of course, talking about colors), a huge plus of acrylic paints - quick drying - can turn out to be a huge disadvantage. Because, having got used to having one palette for one bouquet, I absolutely don't want paint on it every couple of hours - because otherwise they dry out. How can you avoid this?
You can buy a special palette for acrylic paints. To do this, type in the search engine StayWet and see what you find.
Or you can easily do it yourself.
To do this, take a plastic or metal tray (preferably deep) or a baking dish, put a floral sponge soaked in water down. Close it on top with a sheet of drawing paper, and gently put a sheet of parchment (tracing paper or baking paper) on it - a palette that will be ready to moisturize itself for a long time!
It may not be so. You can take any old plate, glass (with glass it is especially convenient, by the way), a disposable plate, or whatever - so long as the material is not absorbent - you will have to forget about oil palettes here.
And so that the paint does not dry, it is convenient to cover it with cling film - regardless of the type of palette you are using.

Important properties. Generalization and something new.

And so, we have already said that acrylic paint dries very quickly... And this is its big plus.
In addition to this, non-dried acrylic easily removed by water, while dry - he resistant to water. This can be very useful because it allows you to apply a second coat of paint without risking ruining the first.
Acrylic paints let you work in layers - unlike oil and watercolors, the top layer is usually not transparent, and the bottom is not visible - this is convenient when you need to correct some minor flaws. Or, when you need to apply a bright drawing on a background.
Acrylic paints are unpretentious to neighbors. They can be combined with oil and watercolors. And use on almost any surface.
Acrylic does not smell... And in the process of work, it does not emit any vapors that interfere with breathing, as in working with oil. And this is also an important plus))
Acrylic can be applied as very liquid (both watercolor) and thick layer - like butter. Moreover, it will still adhere well to the surface and not spread - this is the reason for its high elasticity.
Acrylic does not crack or tarnish.
Acrylic paints have a lower sheen than oil... And, as I already said, their shine can be reduced or increased due to the mass of aids.
Due to the polymer binders in the composition, color of liquid paint and paint dry may differby about three shades. Of course, the names of the pigments for acrylic and oil are the same, but the paint may look different. This is worth considering.

It is important to note that it is very difficult to predict the exact behavior of paint on your material in a given situation, even if you have a great technical background. If you decide to work with acrylic paints, you need to be ready for independent experiments and some kind of failure. Any material requires that it be tamed)) And 6 of course, it is difficult to understand your method or not without trying it.

Something like that. I promised to write some introductory text on this topic. If it is interesting to someone, it will be possible to continue the conversation about color, for example.

If you have any questions - write, I will try to answer them. If you find any inaccuracies in the text, write too - we will discuss it)

and thanks for your attention)

Despite the fact that acrylic paints do not have the density of oil, acrylic can also be painted in layers. Therefore, the ability to control the transparency of the color becomes paramount.

Simply put, the more layers you apply, the less translucent the paint becomes and the more it will hide the underlying colors and tones. Therefore, it is much more important to understand how to prevent this and master methods that will not completely cover and fill the base coat of paint. For example, scribbling, glazing and highlighting colors.

A perfectly smooth surface is suitable for this method, as brush strokes will stand out texturedly on it. Nothing will interfere with smooth, neat strokes, which is very important for drawing small details.

Depending on how you prepared the primer, you can choose an absorbent or non-absorbent method of work. In this case, the primer is very absorbent. Since we use acrylic paints, this feature especially affects only the first layer of acrylic, since this paint reacts very sensitively to the embossed surface of the object to be painted.

Always wet your brush before immersing it in paint. Water softens the paint and slows down its drying.

The edges of a small acrylic smear dry very quickly, so mixing with a different color or diluting with water is not possible.

If you wet a small area first, you can apply soft strokes ...

And also buy time to add other colors and let them blend.

To improve the spreading and mixing of paints, add a small amount of thickener retarder for acrylics (medium), which dries faster than water.

Colors, mixed with water, fade and lose depth (matt thickening retarder has the same effect)

A worthy compromise: use a mixture of water and gloss retarder to wet the surface or mix with paint.

If the colors are dry and faded, apply a thin strip of the mixture to bring back the shine.

A little bit of color paint mixed with a thickening inhibitor creates a glaze, overflow effect - and adds richness to the color.

A bit of white adds a touch of color to the main color - softness and depth.

A large amount of paint on the brush allows for a greasy stroke or coat of paint.

The edges of a thick smear remain wet much longer, so you can “smudge” them with a wet brush.

Strokes. Adding a thickening retarder to the color adds transparency.

These quick-drying mixtures apply quickly, producing reflections.

Undiluted paint from the tube will shape the brush ...

For glazing. The resulting structure develops as the layers are superimposed.

Dry Brushing - blend the transitions between adjacent areas of different colors using a dry brush;

Feathering - connection of adjacent areas with sharp sharp lines;

Stippling - use the point coloring method to create raised points in the drawing.

Acrylic paints quick-drying, they are distinguished by good hiding power with bright colors that do not fade under the sun and do not fade over time. After drying, they form a durable coating that cannot be removed either with water or any other solvent. Thanks to the wide range of uses of these paints (they can be used to write on paper, cardboard, wood, fabric, ceramics, glass and even metal), they are used everywhere. But in order to start working with them, you need to take into account some features.

Preparation for working with acrylic paints:

• To work with acrylic paints, you will need a separate palette, preferably made of thick plastic or glass. Since dried paint is very difficult to remove even with a spatula. Within 1 hour, the paint can be easily washed off with warm soapy water (ordinary laundry soap or "Fairy" is best for this) You can purchase a flexible palette made of polyethylene or smooth silicone, from such surfaces the paint can be removed with a layer after drying by placing the palette in hot water.
• children will need a uniform (an apron and oversleeves), since it is almost impossible to wash dried paint from clothes (such paint is washed only from dense rubberized fabrics).
• Cover the floor with newspapers or film if you are going to paint walls or a large canvas on a sketchbook.
• Purchase a brush holder in a container filled with water, as rinsing your brushes after use is not always convenient.
• It is better to use harder brushes: columns, bristles, and ideally synthetics. Soft bristle brushes (pony or squirrel) will quickly deteriorate.

Working with acrylic paints:

• Before starting work, it is better to prime the surface (canvas, paper, cardboard, wallpaper): you can use a special acrylic primer or just white paint slightly diluted with water (there are white and black primers). In the second case, you will have to wait 2 hours until it dries completely. If not primed, then the paint is absorbed quite strongly, thereby increasing its consumption. On the primed surface, the paints are brighter and fewer coats are required to obtain a completely opaque coating.
• Smooth surfaces, such as plastic, glass, metal, should be degreased before work, the paint will be applied evenly and the coating will be resistant.
• Acrylic paints darken a little as they dry, I advise you to first paint on a separate sheet in order to understand how exactly the color will look after drying.
• Become familiar with the brand and properties of the paint you intend to work with. Acrylic paints mix quite well with each other, even if they are of different companies, but you need to clarify: whether they have the same properties (paints can be glossy or matte, or have different transparency ("There may be a link to an article on the types of acrylic paints")). It will be much more difficult to fix defects after work.
• If you work with large volumes of paint (when painting a wall), it is most convenient to keep each color in separate small jars, for example, from under yogurt. If the paint needs to be left for a while (overnight), it can be sealed with tape, which will prevent it from drying out, and after the end of the work it will not be a pity to throw it away.
• Acrylic paints should be kept tightly closed, they tend to dry out both in cans and in tubes, be careful!
• Protect your skin! If you work on the wall and the probability of getting dirty is high, then it is better to wear gloves, dried paint from the skin, cleaned off with a pumice stone or a rough washcloth.
• Brushes, rollers and other accessories that you used to work with paint, during breaks in work, should be stored in water (then you can squeeze through a cloth), and after finishing work, rinse thoroughly in warm soapy water.

Thinners and solvents

• Water. Acrylic paints are water-based and therefore water-soluble. It is only possible to dissolve paints with water if you are working on paper bases: canvas, paper, cardboard and in small areas. Acrylic paints diluted with water become more transparent, thinner and take longer to dry. It should be borne in mind that when diluted by more than one third, the dried coating will remain resistant to water, but its resistance to mechanical stress will be lost.
• Most acrylic manufacturers produce own funds for its dilution, as well as giving the coating various properties. There are matte and glossy thinners, which give the coating a glossy or matte sheen, respectively. When using such thinners, the hiding power of the paints changes, and the drying time remains the same (1-2 hours). But, just like with water, the thinner should not be added more than 30% of the paint volume in order to maintain the properties of the coating.
• There are also thickening gels for imparting paste properties to acrylic paints and various modeling agents for creating surfaces with different reliefs and effects.

Drying retarders

For long-term work with acrylic paints, you can use special drying retardants. Drying time on the canvas increases several times (according to the amount of gel added), you can also cover paints on the palette with gel, which allows you to take breaks from work. gives the coating a glossy or matte finish, you should pay attention to this before putting it into work.

Lucky

For the safety and durability of the work, acrylic paints are recommended to be varnished. The varnish protects and fixes paints, makes the color brighter, and also makes the coating matte or glossy, depending on the type of varnish. Varnishes are available in various versions as liquids, gels or aerosols.