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

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