How would you like to create landscapes in acrylics that are vibrant and compelling? The sort of landscape painting that grabs attention the moment you walk into a room? Of course we all want to do that. Sadly acrylic paintings often look flat and chalky. Overworked. Lacking the zing that acrylics should be giving you. Well I have experienced those issues myself. That journey resulted in my course Acrylic Painting for Beginners. But there was more to explore. The result? How to Paint Beautiful Landscape Paintings in Acrylics, the Master Series.
Find out more about it below. The Promise of Acrylics Why do many people paint landscapes with acrylic paints? The typical response is that acrylics are safer. Solvents are nasty to work with. Then acrylics dry quickly. That is often perceived as a plus. Finally most of us were given acrylics as children. We feel comfortable with them. But why are artists not offering the biggest benefit of acrylics? The colors. Acrylics are meant to be vibrant, bright and packed with modern colors taht the Old Masters could only dream about. We should then be painting landscapes that pop with color. As mentioned before, this result is often far from the truth. Acrylic paintings often look cold and thin. Yes, I mean skinny and insipid looking paintings. It is a shame. I do not want to knock acrylics. Or suggest that oils are the greatest medium. Although I paint mostly in oils I also use acrylics a lot. I would not use acrylics if they made uninspiring paintings. So the issue is not the paints. For the most part, because there are some very badly made acrylics. But good quality student paints can deliver amazing color if you use them well. With this in mind I set out to create a Master Series to help artists take their acrylic painting to a consistently high level. How to Make Your Acrylic Colors Sing! Your approach to acrylics is important. What I focus on with acrylics is clean color notes, big brush strokes and building up layers of paint. The idea is always to communicate the effect of light. To do this I aim at simplifying the scene so as not to be distracted by details. This approach is fundamentally inspired by the Impressionist movement. But I am not teaching academic impressionism. The subject is the light communicated through color. Acrylic colors can quickly lose vibrancy when combined with white paint, diluted with water or overmixed with other colors. Added to this is the tendency for acrylics to settle into thin layers. You may be seeing the canvas weave showing through a typical acrylic painting. Not a pretty sight is it? Then the tendency to paint too many details with tiny brushes. If the painting looks like an overexposed flash-bulb illuminated photograph then you know what I mean. Watch, Practice and Learn In this Maser Series I will take you through a growing number of landscape subjects. You are encouraged to paint a scene directly after each lesson so that you can consolidate what you have learned. It is practice that opens the door. All I can provide you with is the key. You will learn how to use big shapes to simplify a complex scene. You may already have a good idea how to do this with one subject. But can you apply it to all subjects? I want you to gain confidence so that you can approach any subject with a similar process. Then you are going to love your painting. Paint thick, juicy layers of paint with a big brush and never look back. No more overworked and cold paintings. Growing Series of New Demonstrations This course will continue to grow so that you will learn about more subjects over time. Subjects like fishing boats, street scenes and seascapes are already in preparation. Take a moment to learn more about the Master Series here. |
AuthorMalcolm Dewey: Artist. Country: South Africa Archives
October 2024
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