A Wisconsin Waterfall in Acrylic (3/4)
or, How to Paint an Oil-Like Acrylic Piece That Will Fool 'em All!
Author: Larry Seiler, Contributing Editor
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In step three (to the left), I finally reach for my first brushes. I brush in the suggestion of blue in the water that will reflect sky. I block in thinly the rock that will appear to show bright in the sun's light, but will build thicker layers to suggest texture of rock later.
I mix Liquitex "Matte Opaque Extender Gel Medium" (formerly called Gelex), (and this is key) with my paint now...which is a thick color free medium that will give thickness to the acrylic and an oil-like drag. When dry, much of it will give an impasto thickness to the paint that will fool others that oil was the medium used. I mix about half gelex...half color paint. |
| After blocking in some sky color, water and the bright rocks...I go to my next smaller painting knife, and start dabbing and pushing paint into the canvas to suggest foliage. I take some sky color and start poking through foliage to begin some sense of trees. I have gotten away from my tedious detail rendering of years and years because I have and am yet learning to use negative and positive shapes or elements against each other to suggest. The sky being a negative space as compared to the foliage, light against dark marks in the water...cool juxtapose against warm, etc.
Using the knife...I block in the shadows in cool tone of the rushing water. What will finish this painting off will be carefully and strategically placed thick warm white paint to resemble the effects of the sun. I need a layer of thin cool shadows to build that on. Already, I am beginning to anticipate bringing the painting to some conclusion. |
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In the image to the left, I am continuing to build up warm and cool colors in the foliage, playing them as well as values against each other to suggest detail. |
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| Note however in this phase's close up (image above), how simple dabs of sky color effectively work to suggest the shape of trees. Squint your eyes at the finished work, and you can sense the near realistic presence of trees. I have thus painted trees...without painting trees. I have not labored to worry about the trees being an oak or maple or popple. If I just faithfully respond to light poking through the mass of the general shape I'm seeing, that problem will work itself out. |
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