Acrylic is a fun medium to use. There is so much you can do with acrylics, from thinning it out with water in order to get watercolor effects, to applying it in a thick manner to achieve impasto effects.

1.      Always start with a damp brush. Soak it in water for a few seconds, shake off the excess.

2.     You can use any brush as long as it’s for an acrylic medium. I like using 1” flat brushes for larger surfaces.

3.     Ok, you have your canvas, take your brush and brush water onto the canvas, this will enable better movement and blending.

4.     Start with your dark color, and paint it on using large strokes from the top of your canvas. Go back and forth across the canvas in a straight line. You will cover about 1-2 inches with this color.

5.     Choose your second color and without cleaning your brush choose the next color and brush it across the canvas under the first color you started with. Move back and forth with the brush, as you move it should blend into the first color. As you move down it will start to lighten up.

         a.   Example: If you are trying to paint a sky, you would start with a dark blue to white acrylic color.

6.     Go back with the second color below the first color, and start painting across the bottom. As you move down you are adding a bit more of the paint. Use this same technique throughout the whole canvas, each time adding more paint and blending it out.

         a.   Example: Add a bit more white to your brush without washing it.  Keep blending down the canvas.

                   Everytime you add more color blend it using broad strokes to the color above.

7.     Finish your piece by cleaning up the bottom with a new color using the same method. Remember to work quickly before the paint dries.

Happy Painting! 😘 💕