Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Textures with Acrylics - How not to use ALL of your paint!

When I started to experiment with painting, my brother, Jerry Piper, an awesome artist (jpiperart) filled my head with so much information due to his great excitement in me pursuing this medium. We would talk for hours, we would facetime and paint, skype and paint, he sent me videos, pictures and magazines. He started me off right out of the gate with textures, and it kinda ruined me :) 

Painting with acrylic is hard to achieve texture without adding something to your canvas. Not like oil, where you can build and build with the layers of paint. That being said, you can goop and goop acrylic paint onto a canvas to build up texture, it takes about a week to dry and it is lovely, but - you have used a lot of paint, and that can be expensive!

"Finger Painting Underwater" Tish McDermott 2014

Here are some ideas to experiment with, to add textures and visuals to your paintings. 

Joint compound. Use this in a thinish layer. As you knife it on, it will roll, and create ridges. Now go crazy! Get a fork, or a chop stick, or stencils, your fingers, anything with a pattern, and roll it around or mash it into the wet joint compound.  Play with it!

You have to take extra care with joint compound. It has to dry completely, about 24 hours, then you have to gesso over it, let it dry completely, then varnish it (clear coat) let it dry completely. So there is some prep time to your canvas. But it is so worth it!

Spackling. I will do a post on spackling soon to show you it as well. There is some FUN things you can do with it!!!



Here I have already prepped my board, with joint compound, made swirls, and applied gesso and varnished it. Added a bit of sheet music with mod podge. 






Tissue paper!! I crumble it up, and place it on the board in a wad. It will loosed up and flatten out as you mod podge it on. If you are going to use tissue paper, in this thickness you have to add extra drying time before painting.




It is hard to see, but there is the tissue paper over the joint compound.



I wanted these paintings to look, old, aged with patina, like a treasure map, so I added this bit of magazine with a turquoise necklace. 




Oh and where else to find treasure, but Santa Fe!

As you paint, choose your colors to accent the peaks and valleys of your designs. It makes a world of difference. You go into the painting with all the depth!

"Treasure Hunt" Tish McDermott 2016 - 14x18 mixed media $126

"Hidden Treasure" Tish McDermott 2016 - 11x14 mixed media $77
 "Frustrations" Tish McDermott 2016 - 14 x 18 mixed media $126

What will you use to texture your next creation?


And as always, Be peaceful, Be kind. 
Remember to explore, create, dream, imagine and discover!

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