A Few Acrylics .. Aug10, 11, 12, 13 of 25

[Enyaw]

All pieces are 9 x 12 inches .. acrylic on paper .. alla prima .. painted this week ..

Really getting my head in a knot with acrylic paint. Bought a few jars yesterday of a no name but one jar was already getting hard .. useless .. should have brought it back but tossed it in the garbage. A second was hard on top but most of the jar was saved. Third was ok. I throw brushes in the garbage at an alarming rate as they get paint in them that hardens and I get frustrated when I'm trying to paint.
Can't seem to get a handle on the retarder and may do away with that as a fixture and keep it for certain passages: not sure yet. The medium is ok but I find it softens the paint more that I like. The marble dust can be mixed in the paint and it becomes putty like if I indulge. That, by the way, is great but the open time is limited and I need better Bristol brushes to spread it. Man, do I hate tossing money in the piss bucket before I get satisfactory entertainment out of it. I did get a couple that I like and I won't say which ones as everyone has different eyes when it comes to art. Back at it tomorrow. That's my rant for the day.

 

[Jade]

Well the end results are stunning, Wayne but sorry to hear it's such a faff. For me, #1 really stands out. I like the pink background, and the same background on #2.

 

[Donna T]

These are all so nice - and I like the first one best too. It’s fun to zoom in and really explore the texture! It’s a bummer that acrylic paints dry up and become useless so easily. How do those artists who do YouTube videos keep that from happening when they’re painting from open jars of regular acrylics? I think it’s awesome that you figured out how to make marble dust work to create the thick paint you’re comfortable with.

 

[Enyaw]

Thank you Jade and Donna. I’ll figure it out, I’m just impatient. I went out and bought a few Bristol brushes and a bottle of glazing medium. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.

 

[Donna T]

Hey Wayne, have you ever tried those color shaper tools? Some have handles like brushes and some are the scraper type. You just wipe the paint off - no brushes to be ruined.

 

[Enyaw]

Never even seen them .. now there goes more money.

 

[Enyaw]

Might as well put this here .. 9 x 12 acrylic on paper .. painted today .. wont call it alla prima as I went over it on two different occasions .. last night and this am .. jade .. oil for most of my life and acrylic this past month plus ..

 

[Jade]

I like this a lot Wayne. So much texture in the petals. So a big change to acrylic after 40 years!

 

[Enyaw]

yes .. it's a different playing field but I do know the basics of painting so it's not light starting out. When you learn light and shadow in your drawings and if you decided to paint you will have that to build on. Of course then you have hue and intensity to add to the mess but it's all learnable. When I started painting I thought you painted with paint out of a tube .. of course I thought I knew it all so I didn't spend enough time studying till later in life.

 

[Jade]

Absolutely. Quite a journey Wayne. As you said the other day, it's the process that really matters rather than the result. Good to try new things too. I often wonder why I haven't drawn for 30 years. It's funny how it goes.

 

[Donna T]

Those yellows and golds are just vibrating next to each other! I love how the dark background and strong side lighting makes the flowers glow. Beautiful painting, Wayne.

 

[Enyaw]

Thanks Donna. The flowers are the exception. The rest is very muted.