BRUSHWORK
APPLICATIONS & TECHNIQUES
Each additive and medium, when mixed into colors imparts specific qualities to paint. These brushwork techniques can be done using one or a combination of the various additives and mediums. The specific additives and mediums chosen will reflect your technique, substrate and studio environment.
COLOR THINNING
Many painting techniques require acrylic colors to be thinned with water. Over thinning with water can result in weakened paint films and poor adhesion. Following these procedures will help to avoid this problem.
- When thinning colors with 50% water or more, add an equal amount of Liquitex Gloss Medium & Varnish or Matte Medium to water. This retains binding quality, flexibility and sheen (gloss or matte) of paint on nonabsorbent surfaces such as gessoed canvas.
- Mix Liquitex Gloss Blending & Painting Medium or Gloss Medium & Varnish into color as a thinning medium to improve flexibility, depth of color and adhesion.
BLENDING: WET IN WET (FLOATING COLOR)
Wet color is applied into wet color on the painting surface. Colors blend together, each color being affected by the color(s) adjacent and underneath. Each brush mark is softened by the wet color it is painted into. Since acrylics dry quickly this method often requires additives and/or mediums to be added to the paint. This slows drying and increases ease of blending.
Helpful Hints
- Control the painting environment. Maintain high humidity and/or use atomizer to spray paint surface while blending.
- It is easier to blend wet into wet using Liquitex High Viscosity Artist Colors. Thick paint applications dry slower than thin paint applications.
- Use Flow-Aid Water mixture instead of water, when thinning paint.
- Add 1 0% Slow-Dri Fluid Retarder to FlowAid Water mixture.
- Apply Slow-Dri Fluid or Gel Retarder directly to painting surface or brush, prior to blending.
Blending Wet in Wet using Liquitex Medium Viscosity Concentrated Artist Colors
Slow-Dri Fluid Retarder:
- Increases "open" time for improved color blending, without significantly altering colors viscosity.
- Can be used in conjunction with Flow-Aid.
Flow-Aid Flow Enhancer:
- Improves blending, smooth transitions and spread of colors by reducing friction of paint surface.
- Large areas of color can be more easily covered by slightly thinning color with FlowAid Water.
- Flow-Aid Water (1 part Flow-Aid, 20 parts water) mixed with paint will have better leveling properties, spread in a consistent manner and dry to a smooth surface with little or no brush stroke.
Gloss Blending & Painting Medium
- Improves blending by increasing "open" time and improves spread of paint.
Gloss Medium & Varnish
- Aids color blending without changing paint viscosity. Colors dry to a gloss finish.
- The more Gloss Medium & Varnish used, the more transparent the color will be.
Matte Medium
- Aids color blending without changing paint viscosity. Colors dry to a matte finish.
- The more Matte Medium used, the more translucent the paint will be.
Gloss Gel Medium and Gloss Heavy Gel Medium
- Aids color blending while increasing the paint viscosity. Colors dry to gloss finish.
- The more Gloss Gel and Gloss Heavy Gel Medium used, the more transparent the color will be.
Matte Gel Medium
- Aids color blending while increasing paint viscosity. Colors dry to matte finish.
- The more Matte Gel Medium used, the more translucent the color will be.
Blending Wet in Wet using Liquitex High Viscosity Artist Colors
Slow-Dri Gel Retarder:
- Mix with colors to increase "open" time for improved color, without significantly altering paint viscosity.
Slow-Dri Fluid Retarder:
- Increases "open" time for improved color blending, while decreasing paint viscosity.
- Can be mixed with Slow-Dri Gel Retarder.
Flow-Aid Flow Enhancer:
- Improves blending of colors while reducing paint viscosity.
Gloss Blending & Painting Medium
- Improves blending and decrease paint viscosity.
Gloss Gel Medium and Gloss. Heavy Gel Medium
- Gloss Gel Medium aids color blending without changing color viscosity.
- Gloss Heavy Gel Medium aids color blending while increasing color viscosity.
- The more Gloss Gel and Heavy Gel Medium used, the more transparent the blended color will be.
- Imparts oil-like quality to blending techniques.
- Colors dry to a gloss finish.
Matte Medium and Matte Gel Medium
- Matte Medium aids color blending while decreasing paint viscosity.
- Matte Gel Medium aids color blending without changing paint viscosity.
- The more Matte Medium and Matte Gel Medium used, the more translucent the paint will be.
- Colors dry to a matte finish.
Gloss Medium & Varnish
- Aids color blending while decreasing color viscosity.
- The more Gloss Medium & Varnish used, the more transparent the paint will be.
- Colors dry to a gloss finish.
DRY BRUSH, SCUMBLING, STIPPLING
A technique where color is unevenly applied to painting surface using a stiff brush. May be done with Liquitex Medium Viscosity and High Viscosity Artists Color. No mediums or additives are usually necessary for this technique.
FINE LINE DETAIL
A technique where color is applied in fine detail. Best results are achieved using Liquitex Medium Viscosity Concentrated Artist Color and a soft, hairbrush. Additives that increase "open" time of paint and decrease surface friction aid in achieving detailed brush marks.
Slow-Dri Fluid Retarder:
- Increases "open" time , thus slowing down thickening of paint on brush and allowing finer detail brush marks. Often used in conjunction with Flow-Aid
Flow-Aid Flow Enhancer:
- Mix with colors for paint that has less drag and better flow, thus allowing for fine line detail.
IMPASTO
A technique of painting with brush or palette knife using thick applications of paint which stand out in relief. Best results are achieved using a Liquitex High Viscosity Artists Color.
Liquithick Gel Medium
- Ideal medium to increase impasto to any viscosity without changing color or opacity. Some shrinkage will occur with high concentrations of Liquithick .
Gloss Gel Medium and Gloss Heavy Gel Medium
- The more Gloss Gel and Gloss Heavy Gel Medium used, the more transparent the brush marks.
Matte Gel Medium
- The more Matte Gel Medium used, the more translucent the brush marks.
Acrylic Modeling Paste
- The more Acrylic Modeling Paste used, the thicker, less flexible and opaque the brush marks.
- Mix 50/50 with Gloss Heavy Gel Medium for thick, flexible brush marks.
