Title: "The Other Side"
Size: 16" x 20"
Medium: acrylics
Surface: canvas mounted on board
In the past I have used acrylics for color mapping under drawing media but never acrylics alone (except in college many years ago). This time the decision to switch to acrylics was made for me as the brilliant colored pencil pinks and purples I was planning to use were all fugitive. Luminance does offer several lightfast pinks and purples but they are not as vibrant as the colors I was after. Plus, I already had a large selection of acrylic paints in my studio.
I didn’t want to change my style and I was planning, as much as possible, to create a painting that looked like my drawings: colorful, realistic, with hard and soft edges and smooth blending passages. I expected to do much layering but I wanted to try some techniques to minimize it.
I tested a variety of professional, heavy body acrylic brands and I was impressed by their richly saturated pigments, buttery consistency and lightfastness; gone is the plastic look I remember from my college days. Unfortunately, they still present a color shift from wet to dry, some brands more than others.
To facilitate blending I experimented with a retarder, with an airbrush (to keep the paint wet with water on the canvas), and with Golden Open acrylics. I live in Southern California where the climate is usually dry and warm. Golden Open Acrylics stayed blendable for a much shorter time than I expected. They would probably perform better in thick layers and in places with higher humidity and colder temperatures. I didn’t like using the retarder very much as it made the paint too sticky. The airbrush worked well but the water thinned down the already thin layers way too much for my liking.
I will continue to use acrylics for underpainting with colored pencils or with oils and use them alone for small size art. What I liked the most about them is their versatility and how they lend themselves to experimentation. What I liked the least is their color shift from wet to dry. I guess one can get used to it after a while but I really struggled with it.
There are many artists who create incredible art with acrylics. Whether they apply them with an airbrush, rely on optical mixing without blending, or use a mélange of techniques, at the end it’s the result that counts. Art mediums are like people; they come with different personalities, strengths and weaknesses. No matter what medium one is attracted to, a great relationship is only possible after a lot of work and perseverance.
Click here to see how I use acrylics with colored pencils.
12 comments
Gloria Callahan
March 23, 2018
Hi Ester,
Great job with the acrylics. I struggled with the color shifts also, and I find they dry too fast when I Plein Air paint. So unless I take my water miscible oils out (can’t use solvents) I’m the only plein air painter in my group with a battery pencil sharpener!!! On a warm southern day, the CP’s blend almost as much as on my Icarus Board ;))
Ester Roi
March 23, 2018
Thank you, Gloria! There are many artists who struggle with the color shift. I know a local plein air artist who loves Open Acrylics but he uses thick paint layers unlike me. Have you tried them? I’m also allergic to solvents and I’m eager to test water soluble oil next. Haha, I’m sure the sun warms up the pencils like the Icarus board. :)
Gloria Callahan
March 23, 2018
Yes I have tried Open Acrylics and Chroma Atelier Interactive Acrylics which can be reopened to rework an area. But I too use thin layers which makes it difficult with Acrylics. The only issue I have with WM Oils Cobra brand, is they take a long while to dry. Maybe my use of CP has spoiled me, their always ready for me, no brushes to wash or paint that color shifts, or drys too slow or too fast. ;))
Ester Roi
March 23, 2018
I know the feeling, we are all spoiled by CP! :)
Susan R Donze
March 23, 2018
Another beauty, Ester! Whatever the challenges, the result and lessons learned were obviously worth it!
Ester Roi
March 23, 2018
Aww, thank you, Susan! There’s always something new and exciting to learn. :)
Gabi Klinger
March 24, 2018
Dear Esther, thanks for sharing your experiences with acrylics. I prefer CP too, but sometimes I like to use acrylics in very light washes on absorbent grounds with some matte medium, that gives the color al velvety finish. I struggled with water soluble oil colors, that stayed in a way sticky quite a long time. Best wishes for you and your work, Gabi Klinger
Ester Roi
March 24, 2018
My pleasure, Gabi! Aren’t we all spoiled by CP? But acrylic is faster than CP; I love to combine the two! I’ve heard that water soluble oils have their own issues like any medium I guess. Thank you for your input and all the best for you!
Lynn Rank
March 24, 2018
Ester,
So glad we visited you and your place and kitty. Love the way you tell me about acrylics, colored pencils, spraying, and the problems….yes, girl, my life is now real crazy, but I hang on every word!
Well, all this experimenting might take you back to the original….but the word “fugitive”...what does that exactly mean??
Thanks
Lynn
Ester Roi
March 25, 2018
Hi Lynn, I enjoyed your visit too and I still have a great picture of you on my studio swing. Lightfastness is a measure of a material’s resistance to change (fading) when exposed to light. An art medium is fugitive when it fails the test. The Colored Pencil Society of America does its own testing and publishes a lightfastness test result book for their members. It’s important to use mediums that don’t fade if you plan to sell your art.
Linda MacAulay
March 26, 2018
Hi Ester, You know I love acrylics and thanks for sharing your thoughts…great read. I am not a fan of Golden and any sort of longer drying type of acrylics though. I use an Australian brand Matisse Derivan, plein air in a hot and dry environment. My favourite part is how fast they dry lol. The colour shift is the hardest part to manage but I use a tonal scale and pretty much always mix paint a shade lighter than I need. Love your work as always.
Ester Roi
March 26, 2018
Thank you so much for your input, Linda! After experimenting with different brands I agree with you, longer drying acrylics work against their unique advantage, that they dry so fast! I also like that very much. I’ve been admiring your art for a very long time and I had a feeling that one could adjust to the color shift with practice.