Acrylic Painting Techniques for Beginners
Updated: Feb 17, 2022
Rad Educators is a 1-year program intended to help beginner artists learn step-by-step techniques from professional artists across different mediums. This is in no way sponsored or promoted by any particular Art Brand.
Prajakta Bhosle is Rad Educator for Acrylic Landscape.
Below are the few simple painting techniques that you can try in your paintings to provide a better texture.
1) Dry Brush Technique
When you use a color straight out of your color palette or color tube and apply it on the surface, it is called the dry brush technique.
2) Washing technique
For this, you need to dilute your color in water or any other diluter. It leaves behind a smooth texture and makes your painting beautiful.
3) Palette Knife Technique
For a 3-D effect, the palette knife technique is used. Apply a thick coat of color on the surface and smudge it according to the pattern you need.
4) Dabbing
This is one of the children's favourite technique. You can use a paper, cloth tissue, or a sponge which gives a texture that of a dab.
5) Splattering
Use a fairly wet brush that holds on some color and simply splatter the paint on the surface. This technique can be used to create a starry night or a landscape.
6) Blending
It is done with a flat brush. IT is basically the merging of two colors right in between to give a smoother texture. It works well when the paint on the surface is wet.
7) Stippling
It is nothing but to paint dots using a round brush. Try different combinations, sizes to create interesting textures. Hold the brush perpendicular to the paper for a fine dot.
8) Layering
This technique generally refers to applying layers of paint one after another. This is a good technique to paint sky or ocean.
9) Detailing
This is used to create intricate and minute parts of the drawing using a fine brush. You can make any pattern using the finest lines. This comes after lots of practise.
10) Wet on Wet
Mixing the colors on the surface instead of the palette is called wet on wet technique. It is preferably used for watercolors.
11) Cross-Hatch
Mixing the colors on the surface instead of the palette is called wet on wet technique. It is preferably used for watercolors.t gives you a cross-hatch texture.
12) Painting in Blocks
This is mostly used by beginners. You can trace the drawing that you want to make and simply add paints to the empty spaces of the blocks.
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