How to make a platypus swim - "Afloat" WIP3-5
How do you make a platypus swim? Or how do you make a water animal appear as though it is partly submerged in the water? After fiddling with the background and gel effects (see previous post for work in progress shots), it was finally time to add detail to the platypus in my painting "Afloat". But the question remained - how was I going to make it appear as though the platypus was submerged partly in the water, and swimming along? Reflections and sharp focused 'shiny' highlig
Pebeo linen canvas and impasto gels - "Afloat" WIP1-2
Ever wondered how to layer acrylic gels to get a thick, layered, translucent water-like quality? How do you avoid the previous layer 'coming back up' or 'opening'? What is the difference between the 'heavy' and 'regular' gels? I'm starting a new painting of a platypus to test some new techniques and acrylic mediums, and using for it a photo of a floating platypus which I took at Eungella National Park (1hr drive west of Mackay in QLD, Australia). One characteristic I really w
Wax palettes, acrylic drying time - "Kookaburra mugshot" WIP5-7
How do you overcome the problem of rapid-drying acrylics? What palette should you use with acrylics? It's been a few days, so I thought I should share my recent acrylic painting discoveries as I work through one of my first ever acrylic paintings - "Kookaburra mugshot" (see previous posts for work in progress shots). Acrylics are totally different to what I'm used to with watercolours. You can put out a palette of watercolour paints one day, blend some beautiful neutral colou
Atelier 'titanium white' versus 'tinting white' - "Kookaburra mugshot" WIP
Ever wondered why Atelier interactive acrylics brand has TWO different WHITE colours in their range? Confused by which one you need? Do you need both? How are they different, and how can you best use them? When I bought my Atelier interactive acrylics set I had been confused by the fact they had two white colours, called by different names ("Titanium white" and "Tinting white (Pearl/Titanium)"). If tinting white also has the same pigment base (titanium) in it, then are they a
Blending acrylic paints (1), filbert brushes - "Kookaburra mugshot" WIP1
Ever found you can't get the blended effects you're after with acrylic paints? Perhaps you're using the wrong brushes! I was inspired a few days ago to start a new acrylic painting to test out my new set of Atelier interactive acrylic paints. I took the kookaburra reference photo (see Fig. 1) a couple of weeks ago at one of my base-camping photography/birdwatching weekends at Mebbin National Park (NE NSW, Australia). The kookaburra was a bit of a character - very determined t
