Acrylics Cheat Sheets
ACRYLIC PAINTING
Cheat Sheets AUTHOR BOB DAVIES
MAKING AN ACRYLIC PALE T TE M ATERIALS
STE P 1
STE P 2
STE P 3
STE P 4
Acr yl ic pain ts dr y q uick ly, which i s a p ro b l e m i f yo u sq ue e ze t he m o ut o nto a c o nven t i o n a l o i l s - t y p e p a l et te. Commercial acr ylic palettes tha t k e e p t he p ai nt s mo i st are e x p e nsi ve b ut yo u c a n q u i c k l y a n d a t a l m o s t n o cos t mak e your own with a fe w ho use ho l d i te ms. M ate r ials you need are:
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G re a se p ro o f o r b ak i ng p ap e r W hi te sha l l ow t r ay o r a p l ai n whi te p l ate
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K i tc h en towel Wa ter
Step 1: Cut or tear the grease p ro o f p ap e r so i t f i t s t he p l a te. Tak e t wo o r t h ree s h eet s o f k i tc h en towel a n d pl ace on the plate so it covers as muc h as p o ssi b l e o f i t . Step 2 : Add th e water to the k i tche n towe l so i t b e co me s we t , b ut no t f l o o d e d. Step 3 : Place th e greaseproof p ap e r o n to p o f t hi s and smo o t h d own. Step 4 : Add your paints to th e p a l e t te i n yo ur p re fe r re d l ayo ut . W hi te gre ase p ro o f p a p er a l l ow s yo u to ju dge you r co lours as the y com e out o f t he t ub e. Brown b ak i ng p a p e r can b e he l p f u l i f yo u p re - p a i n t yo u r p a i n t i n g s u r face with a pale tint to create a mi d -to ne b ase c o l o ur, as i t re p l i cate s t hi s q u i te wel l. U s e w h a te ver wo r k s be s t for you. I f you need to k eep your paint s mo i st to co nt i nue a p a i nt i ng se ssi o n t he fo l l ow i n g day, c a ref u l l y l i f t t h e gre as eproof paper an d add a l i t t l e mo re wate r to t he k i tc he n towe l s. The n st retc h c l i n g f i l m a c ro s s t h e p l a te and s tore in a cool place. 2
C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
M i x ing G re E N S cerulean blue
P RI M AR Y BLUE
co b a lt blue
ULTRA M ARINE blue
P THALO BLUE
LE M ON Y ELLO W
P RI M AR Y Y ELLO W
C A D M UI M Y ELLO W M E D IU M
Y ELLO W O C HRE
RA W SIENNA
H ere are 5 comm on blues a nd 5 co mmo n ye l l ows mi xe d, i n mo st case s i n ro u gh l y eq u a l q u a n t i t i es to p ro du c e 2 5 green s. Th e lef t h alf of e a ch gre e n i s a st ro ng mi x o f t he t wo c o l o ur s. Th e r ight h alf is a ligh ter mi x wi t h a p p rox i ma te l y 5 0 % t i t a ni um whi te a d d ed to c rea te a t i n t . Simply adjustin g the ratios o f b l ue, ye l l ow and whi te wi l l gi ve yo u l i te r a l l y h u n dreds m o re green s. 3
C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
M i x ing G R E Y S cerulean blue
co b a lt blue
P RI M AR Y blue
ULTRA M ARINE blue
P THALO BLUE
C A D M IU M RE D LIGHT
BURNT SIENNA
BURNT U M BER
RA W U M BER
RE D OXI D E
H ere are 5 blues and 5 co mmo n re d s/ b rowns mi xe d i n ro ug hl y e q ual q u a n t i t i es to p ro du c e 25 gre y s. Th e l e f t h alf of each gre y is a st ro ng mi x o f t he t wo c o l o ur s. The r i g ht ha l f i s a l i gh ter m i x w i t h a p p roxi m a tel y 5 0% titanium wh ite added to cre a te a t i nt . Ad j ust i ng t he r a t i o s o f b l ue, reds / b row n s a n d w h i te w i l l gi ve yo u l iterally hundreds m ore gre y s. 4
C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
M i x ing S K I N C O L O U R S Alizarin CRimson U lt r a m a r i n e b lu e yellow ochre t i ta n i u m w h i t e
c a dm i u m r e d c a dm i u m y e l l o w pthalo blue t i ta n i u m w h i t e
Ju st by usin g three pr imar y co l o ur s a nd whi te, ma ny d i f fe re nt sha d e s and t i n t s o f s k i n c o l o u r c a n b e c rea ted. On th is page, t wo sets of thre e p r i ma r i e s have b e e n use d to cre a te e i g ht d if feren t s k i n to n es. Wi t h t h e a ddi t i o n of titan ium white th ese ca n b e l i g hte ne d to cre a te p o te nt i al l y an i nf i ni te n u m b er o f v a r i a t i o n s. Th e propor tions of red, blue and ye l l ow have b e e n a d j uste d i n e a ch o ne to p rov i de a b i a s tow a rds red, b l u e or yellow. Each colour swatch shows ro ug hl y t he p ro p o r t i o ns o f e a ch p r i m a r y u s ed fo r ea c h to n e b efo re w h i te is added.
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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
M i x ing S K I N C O L O U R S
Raw sienna + burnt sienna
raw sienna + u lt r a m a r i n e blue + burnt sienna
alizarin crimson + u lt r a m a r i n e blue + burnt sienna
u lt r a m a r i n e blue + burnt umber
c a dm i u m red + cerulean blue
burnt sienna + yellow ochre
H ere are some fur ther var i at i o ns usi ng c o mmo n co l o ur s a nd a re use d by m a ny to p p o r t r a i t p a i n ter s. Th ese 6 mixes, plus the on e s o n t he p re v i o us p ag e, can cre a te t he v a st ma jo r i t y o f s k i n to n es yo u’ l l e ver n eed.
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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
COLOR BIAS OF PRIMARIES
All pr ima r y c o lo u r pai nt s ( red s, b l u es and yel l ow s) have a ‘ leani ng’ or ‘ bias’ towa rd s o n e o f th e ot her t wo p r i mar i es. For ex am ple, A lizar i n Cr im son is a red with a blu e bi a s, wh e reas Cad mi u m R ed i s a red w i th a yellow bias. K n owing th e bi a s o f t he col ou r s i n you r p al et te w i ll help you m ix the secondar y a n d ter ti a r y c o l o u r s you w ant . I t w i l l al s o hel p you avoi d m i x i ng m uddy and dull co lo ur s I f yo u wa n t a v i br a n t p u r p l e for ex amp l e, m i x a re d w ith a blue bi as and blue with a re d bi a s. Th a t w ay you are onl y m i x i ng t wo o f the pr i m ar ies ( red and blue) . I f yo u w a n t a d u l l pu r p l e, t hen m i x a red w i t h a b l ue bias and a blue w i th a yellow bia s. Now yo u a re m ix i ng al l t hree p r i mar i es ( red + blue + yellow ) . M i x i ng all th ree p r i m a r i e s re s u l t s i n a m ore neu t r al tone.
YELLOWS WITH A BLUE BIAS
YELLOWS WITH A RED BIAS
H a n s a Ye l l o w L i g h t Aureole Azo Lemon Cadmium Lemon C a d m i u m Ye l l o w Pa l e H a n s a Ye l l o w L i g h t Transparent Bismuth
C a d m i u m Ye l l o w M e d i u m C a d m i u m Ye l l o w D e e p Chrome Indian Naples New Gamboge Raw Sienna Ye l l o w O c h re Pe r m a n e n t Ye l l o w M e d i u m Mars Quinacridone Gold
NB: The l i st s here t ho u g h e x te n s ive, a re n o t e xh a u s t i ve, a s ma nu fa ct u rers i nt rod u ce or delet e co l o ur s o n a co n tin u o u s b a s is.
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BLUES WITH A RED BIAS
BLUES WITH A YELLOW BIAS
REDS WITH A BLUE BIAS
REDS WITH A YELLOW BIAS
Cobalt Cyanine French Ultramarine Ultramarine Pay n e’s G re y Indanthrene, Indigo
Cerulean Pthalo Antwerp Intense, Monastial Manganese Turquoise Cyan Rembrandt Pthalo Prussian Paris Peacock
Permanent Rose Alizarin Crimson Magenta Quinacridone Rose Rose Madder Crimson Lake Opera Rose Scarlet Lake Carmine
Cadmium Winsor Vermillion Perelyne Permanent Light Indian Venetian Pyrrole English Red Oxide
C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
TR ANSPARENT & OPAQUE COLOURS KEY Al l paint col ou rs, regardless of th e medium use d, have v a r y i ng d e gre e s o f t r a nsp are nc y. K n owing how transparen t or opaq ue a co l o ur i s c an he l p yo u whe n p ai nt i ng l aye r s o r g l a ze s. B e a r in mind th ough th at some colou r s may b e cl asse d a s t r ansp a re nt by o ne m a n ufac tu re r and sem i- opaq ue by anothe r a nd yo u c an c he c k t hi s o n t he si d e o f t he pa i n t tu be.
T = Transparent ST = S e m i - T r a n s p a r e n t S = Semi-Opaque O = Opaque
Th e l is ts he re are colours th at are gen era l l y co nsi d e re d t r ansp a re nt , se mi t r a nsp are nt , opa q ue or s e mi o paq ue across th e m ajor i t y o f b r and s.
REDS Alizarin Crimson Light Red Cadmium Red Rose Madder Bright Red Perylene Red Opera Rose Venetian Red Pyrrol Red Permanent Rose Quinacridone Red Indian Red Permanent Magenta Permanent Rose French Vermillion 8
BLUES T O O T SO ST T O ST T T O T T O
Cobalt Blue Cerulean French Ultramarine Indigo Prussian Blue Indanthrone Blue P t h a l o B l u e (Grn Shde) Royal Blue Antwerp Blue Manganese Blue Anthraquinone Blue
C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
YELLOWS ST O T T T T T O T T SO
Ye l l o w O c h re Raw Sienna Gold Ochre Quinacridone Gold New Gamboge B i s m u t h Ye l l o w Aureolin C a d m i u m Ye l l o w C a d m i u m Ye l l o w Pa l e Le m o n Ye l l o w N a p l e s Ye l l o w I n d i a n Ye l l o w H a n s a Ye l l o w L i g h t
SO T O T T O T O O T O T T
COLOUR TR ANSPARENC Y CHAR T t i ta n i u m white
red oxide
raw sienna
c a dm i u m yellow
lemon yellow
yellow ochre
burnt sienna (2) burnt sienna (1)
c a dm i u m red (2) c a dm i u m red (1)
alizarin crimson
c a dm i u m red light
u lt r a m a r i n e blue
cerulean blue
The transparen c y of a colou r can e asi l y b e te ste d by cre a t i ng a char t suc h a s t h i s. On white paper, canvas or b o ard, p a i nt a b l a ck st r i p e d own t he ce nt re, a b o u t 1/ 2” ( 1c m ) w i de. Th e p rec i s e width isn’t cr itical. I f you d o n’t have b l ac k , yo u c an cre a te o ne wi t h a st ro n g m i x o f a b l u e a n d a b row n . Let the str ipe dr y, th en paint a st re ak o f e ac h o f yo ur co l o ur s ac ro ss t he st r i p e a s s h ow n . U s e t h e p a i n t s t r a i gh t ou t of the tube, un diluted. Onc e th e pain t h as dr ied, t ho se t ha t are t r ansp a re nt wi l l b e b a re l y v i si b l e o n t h e b l a c k s t r i p e, s u c h a s h ere with ultramar ine blue and al i z a r i n c r i mso n. O t he r s l i k e ye l l ow o chre and c er u l ea n b l u e w i l l a l m o s t o b l i ter a te the black str ipe, indicatin g t he y a re muc h mo re o p aq ue.
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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
pthalo blue
ho w to make a personalise d colour chart cerulean blue
co b a lt blue
pthalo blue
primary blue
u lt r a m a r i n e blue
c a dm i u m red
alizarin crimson
red oxide
burnt sienna
permanent mag e n ta
c a dm i u m yellow yellow ochre raw sienna lemon yellow raw umber burnt umber dioxazine purple hookers green viridian ivory black
Too many leisure ar tists wo r r y ab o ut hav i ng t he ‘r i g ht ’ co l o ur s, o r t he s a m e o n es t h e y s ee b ei n g u s ed by Ar tTutor in struc tors. I t ’s far better (an d cheaper ! ) to use t he o ne’s yo u have a l re a d y - a t l e ast fo r n ow. Th i s w ay yo u w i l l l ea r n to e x p loit the colours at your d i sp o sa l a nd i t wi l l a l l ow yo u to g o o ut a nd sel ec t n e w c o l o u r s o n l y i f i t b ec o m es re a lly obvious th at you need t he m. For this exercise you are go i ng to g a t he r a l l o f yo ur e x i st i ng co l o ur s a nd m i x a ny t wo o f t h em . Th e res u l t s o f s om e m ixes may sur pr ise yo u and o p e n up yo ur e ye s to p o ssi b i l i t i e s yo u d i dn’t rea l i s e were t h ere. I t ’s a ver y therapeutic exercise as well. 10
C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
STEp 1
I n the char t on the pre vious page I’ve used 20 colours I had at my disposal. You may have less and different ones and that ’s fine. G ather them together now. This char t was produced on a sheet of acr ylic paper about 22” x 16” (40cm x 28cm or A2 size). The first thing to do is to draw a ser ies of boxes in pencil about 2cm x 1cm. The ac tual size sin’t cr itical as long as all the boxes fit on the sheet! Because I used 20 colours, I dre w 10 boxes along the top and 10 boxes down the side. I f you have 15 colours, you could do 8 along the top and 7 down the side, for example. Once you have your boxes drawn, paint a colour in the top row and in lef t hand column as I have done here. This char t is reproduced at a bigger size than the one pre viously, so only the first five boxes across the top and five from top to bottom are in vie w. I t doesn’t matter which colours go where, just place a unique colour in each box. I filled in half of each box with pure colour and the other half mixed with roughly 50% titanium white, to create a tint. 11
C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
STEp 2
I n th e top lef t h and empt y b ox , mi x t he co l o ur d i re c t l y ab ove i t a nd to t he l ef t o f i t . M i x t h em i n ro u gh l y eq u a l qu an tities. You can see th at I’ ve al re ad y f i l l e d i n se ve r a l b oxe s wi t h c ad m i u m red m i xed w i t h yel l ow o c h re, bu r n t sien na and ultramar ine b l ue, i n t hi s c ase. Pain t th e lef t h and side of t he b ox a st ro ng c o l o ur and a d d a b o ut 5 0 % wh i te to yo u r m i x to c rea te a t i n t o n the r ight han d side. Th is wi l l show yo u how t he c o l o ur c hang e s a cro ss d i f feren t s t ren gt h s, w h i c h c a n c h a n ge it quite a lot. R e peat th is for each of the b oxe s.
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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
limite d palette suggestions L i m i ting you r pa lette can really im prove you r acr yl ic paint ing. Not only does h elp to i m p rove col ou r har mony it also mak es the d e c i s ion mak ing process easier - and tha t h e l p s you s tay in the flow. Th e se t wo pal e ttes are n icely balan ced wit h a c ombination of cool an d war m pr im ar ies. Yo u c an mix al mo st any colour you wan t f ro m the s e l imited selec tions and it wi l l s ave you a l ot of m one y on exotic paint s t h a t you r rare l y use af ter you’ ve boug ht t h e m.
L i m ited p alette 1
L i m ited p alette 2
Ultramarine Blue (warm)
Pthalo Blue
Pthalo Blue (cool)
Cobalt Blue
Cadmium Red (warm)
Permanent Rose
Alizarin Crimson (cool)
Light Red
Ye l l o w O c h re ( w a r m )
H a n s a Ye l l o w
Le m o n Ye l l o w ( c o o l )
Raw Sienna
Plus (optional):
Plus (optional):
Burnt Sienna or Light Red
Burnt Umber
Paynes Grey or Indigo Cerulean Blue New Gamboge or C a d m i u m Ye l l o w 13
C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
Ultramarine Blue Raw Umber Viridian
brush / K N I F E marks
rou n d brush
Fo r ma ny ye a r s a c r y l i c a r t i s t s h ave u s ed b r i s t l e b r u s h es si mi l a r to t ho se u s ed by o i l p a i n ter s. H owe ver, over t h e p a s t fe w ye a r s a num b er o f exc el l en t s y n t h et i c a l ter n a t i ves h ave b e e n d e ve l o p e d - s o f ter t h a n h o gs h a i r b u t f i r m er t h a n t h e nat ur al hai r and s y n t h et i c b r u s h es u s ed fo r w a terc o l o u r. Th i s al l ows t he ar t i st to m ove t h e p a i n t a ro u n d, b u t a l s o p a i n t w i t h re l a t i ve l y smo o t h l ayer s, o r to u s e t h e c o a r s er p ro p er t i es o f ho g sha i r to l e ave b u s h m a r k s i n t h e p a i n t . Co m p a re t h e b r u s h ma r ks o f t he t wo t y p es o f f i l b er t b r u s h h ere. I n ad d i t i o n, p a i n t i n g k n i ves gi ve t h e a r t i s t i n b o t h a c r y l i c s and o i l s t he ab i l it y to s p rea d p a i n t t h i c k l y i n a n i m p a s to s t y l e and ma ny p a i nt i n gs h ave b een c rea ted u s i n g o n l y a s er i es o f k ni ve s. The y can b e o b t a i n ed w i t h m et a l o r p l a s t i c b l a des a n d i n a v a r i e t y o f sh a p es to a l l ow m a ny di f feren t s t ro k es to b e ac hi e ve d.
FILBERT brush
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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
The p ho to s o n t h i s a n d t h e fo l l ow i n g p a ge h i gh l i gh t ju s t s o m e o f t he b r ush/ k nife s t ro k es t h a t c a n b e c r a f ted by t h e a r t i s t . Yo u can se e f ro m t h e do o dl es t h a t s o m e o f t h e b r u s h es (e. g. t he ro und a nd t h e f i l b er t ) m a k e q u i te s i m i l a r m a r k s. I n s o m e case s c o l o ur s have b een a p p l i ed over a dr i ed l ayer s u c h a s t h e snow- c ap p e d mo u n t a i n s u s i n g t h e k n i fe, o r o n e c o l o u r h a s b e e n a p p l i e d o n o n e s i de o f a f i l b er t a n d a di f feren t c o l o u r o n t he o t he r si d e. W h en t h e b r u s h s t ro k e i s m a de, a s a t i s f y i n g nat ur al b l e nd o f t h e t wo c o l o u r s t a k es p l a c e.
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This is a ver y basic star ter se t , whi c h c an e a si l y b e ad j uste d, d e p e nd i ng u p o n w h et h er yo u p refer a ddi t i o n a l hor seh air brushes or m ore o f t he sy nt he t i c v ar i e t y. NB: D on’t rely exclusively o n t he numb e r i ng o f b r ushe s a s a n i nd i cat i o n o f s i ze a s ea c h m a n u f a c t u rer w i l l a p p l y d ifferen t standards. S o a No. 8 R o und i n o ne r a ng e co ul d b e t he same a s a N o. 5 R o u n d i n a n o t h er. W h ere ver possible, ch eck si ze s yo ur se l f i n a n ar t sto re o r, whe re t hi s i sn’t p o s s i b l e, s ee i f t h e web s i te p rov i des infor m ation as to th e ac tua l si ze o f t he b r ush he ad ; e. g. . 1 / 2 ” ac ro ss t he m et a l fer r u l e o r 3/ 4” f ro m t h e en d of th e fer rule to the tip of t he b r ush, e tc. The ab ove have al l b e e n gi ve n a gen er a l i n di c a t i o n o f s i ze fo r t h i s re a son, rather than the numb e r b e i ng q uo te d. 15
C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
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I n th is group, I’ ve elimin ate d t he Ho g b r ushe s fo r a n e ve n mo re b asi c st a r ter s et . Th e H o g b r u s h es c o u l d b e ad ded later or you may pre fe r to st a r t wi t h t he Ho g e q ui v al e nt s o f t he S y n t h et i c s I’ ve l i s ted. I’l l leave you to choose your b r ushe s and e nj oy f i nd i ng o ut wha t e f fe c t s yo u c a n a c h i e ve. B u t do h ave a do o dl e! This is n e ver tim e wasted. I t a l l ows yo u to und e r st and how yo ur b r ushe s p er fo r m a n d w h a t m a r k s c a n b e ach ie ved, before you spen d mo ne y o n ne w o ne s a nd se t to o n yo ur ne x t m i n o r m a s ter p i ec e.
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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
MEDIUMS Th e re are a l arg e n um ber of m edium s av a i l ab l e to mak e a cr y l i c p ai nt t hi c k e r, t hi nne r, m o re trans l u ce nt or for special effec ts suc h a s cr ac k l e o r p e ar l e sc e nt . We’ ve c o nce nt r a te d on j u s t thre e to help you get star ted.
G esso Ac r yl ic paint is a versatile m edium that wi l l ad he re to ma ny sur f a ce s, i ncl ud i ng p a p e r, c a nv as, othe r cl o th sur faces, var ious bo a rd s and mo st o t he r p o ro us a nd se mi -p o ro us s u r f a ce s. I t ’s impor tan t th at th e sur face is f i r st p r i me d wi t h a c ove r i ng o f g e sso, whi ch i s e f fe c tive l y a ve r y pigm ent- r ich th ick , (usual l y ) whi te a cr y l i c p ai nt .
R etarder G el Ac r yl ic paint d r ie s fast so you can progres s q ui ck l y t hro ug h yo ur p a i nt i ng wi t ho ut wai t i ng fo r h ou rs or e ve n days, as with oils, for laye r s to d r y. Howe ve r, t hi s mak e s i t mo re d i f f i c ul t to bl e nd s moothly on the paint sur face. Var i o us a d d i t i ve s are av a i l ab l e, such a s Fl ow I m p rove r or R e tarder G el, wh ich k eep the p ai nt ‘o p e n’ a nd wo r k a b l e fo r l o ng e r.
G la z i n g Mediu m G l a z i ng M e d iu m is effec tively colour less a cr y l i c p ai nt a nd a l l ows t r a n sl u ce nt g l azes to be created using w i t h j ust a sma l l amo unt of t he d e s ire d co lour added, to create mo o d and a t mo sp he re, s u c h as an e ve nin g glow. Avoid simply t hi nni ng t he p ai nt wi t h w a te r to cre ate a glaze, as more than ab o ut 2 5 %/ 3 0 % ad d e d to t h e paint mak e s it lose its adh esive pro p e r t i e s a nd i t wi l l d r y a l m os t ins tantl y, m ak in g it difficult to avo i d t i d e -mar ks. Th e se photos s how the effec t of applyin g, (A ) a r aw si e nna g l aze ove r an u l tramar ine blue back groun d a nd (B) cre a t i ng smo k e, s te a m or cl ou d s usin g in creasing amount s o f t he g l a ze -to -p ai nt r a t i o.
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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
A.
B.
PAINT SURFACE GUIDE
Tradition ally, acr ylics is painte d o n p re -p r i me d a cr y l i c p a p e r, canv a s p a ne l s o r s t retc h ed c a nv a s, a s m en t i o n ed on th e pre vious page. Howe ver m ost wooden bo ard s suc h as ha rd b o a rd (maso ni te ), M DF, p l y wo o d a n d c h i p b o a rd c a n b e u s ed, preferably pr im ed with ges so as d e scr i b e d o n t he p re v i o us p a g e. A p ar t f ro m c a nv a s, o t h er c l o t h to o c a n b e u s ed an d e ven wrapping pa p e r o r ne wsp ap e r, i f i t ’s f i r st p r i me d.
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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
colour mi x ing terms p ri m ary c olours se c o n dary c olours tertiary c olours
c o m p le m e n tary c olours
There are three pr im ar y colour s w hich cannot be created by mixin g ot h er colours. The y are: red, blue and yellow
S eco ndar y colour s are m i xed from t wo of the pr im ar i es. The y are green ( blue + yellow ) , or ange ( red + yellow ) , pur ple (red + b lue)
The si x colour s created by m ix ing a pr i m ar y w ith a secondar y i.e. b lue + green to create a b lue - green or t urquoise
Col o ur s opposi te each other on the colour w heel. For ex am pl e, oran g e is op p osite b lue on t h e colour wh eel an d so b eco m e each other s’ com plem entar y colour. Com plem entar y colours are said to en h an ce each ot h er wh en p laced nex t to each other. W hen m ixed w ith each other the y have the op p osite ef fec t , creat in g a d ull, n eut ral ton e. Complem entar y colour s include: O r ange and blue, Yellow and p ur p le, Green an d red
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hue
Thi s i s the br i ghtest, m ost v i v i d ver si on of a pr i m ar y, secondar y or ter t iar y colour. S o red for examp le, wit h n o ot h er col o ur m i x w i th it and undiluted i s a hue. Pai nting only w ith h ues would result in a ver y b r ig h t an d g ar ish p ain t in g.
ti n t
Ad d ing w hi te to a colour to lighten i t, creates a tint of that colour.
shade
Ad d ing black to a colour to dar k en it, creates a shade of that colour. I n acr ylic p ain t in g, ad d in g a colour ’s comp lemen t ar y to i t has a sim ilar effec t ( i . e. adding pur ple to yellow has a similar ef fec t as ad d in g b lack to t h e yellow). You could al s o m ix a black colour by m i x i ng the three pr im ar y colour s to g et h er an d t h en ad d t h at b lack mix to an ot h er colour ( s p ar ingly ) to create a shade.
to n e
Ad d ing back and w hite to a colour, creates a tone of that colo ur. Obviously b lack an d wh ite mak e gre y an d so a ton e i s gre yer ver sion of a colour. These are also refer red to as pastel colours, or n eut ral colours. You’ll use ton es a lot in you r painti ngs because the bulk of any subj ec t m atter i s m ade f rom t h em. You can t h en use sh ad es for sh ad ow areas, t i nt s for hi ghlight areas and a touch of br ight hues w here you really wan t t h e colour to z in g.
VALUE
Thi s is the lightness or dar k ness of a colour. W hile i t m ight seem obvious t h at b lue h as a d ar k er value t h an yellow, a ver y light blue m ight be li ghter than a dar k yellow. The best way to jud g e t h e values in a p h otograp h or p ain t in g is to mak e it back and w hite. Thi s w i ll m ak e it obv i ous w hich colou rs are d ar k er an d lig h ter t h an ot h ers.
C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
Cheat Sheets AUTHOR BOB DAVIES
MAKING AN ACRYLIC PALE T TE M ATERIALS
STE P 1
STE P 2
STE P 3
STE P 4
Acr yl ic pain ts dr y q uick ly, which i s a p ro b l e m i f yo u sq ue e ze t he m o ut o nto a c o nven t i o n a l o i l s - t y p e p a l et te. Commercial acr ylic palettes tha t k e e p t he p ai nt s mo i st are e x p e nsi ve b ut yo u c a n q u i c k l y a n d a t a l m o s t n o cos t mak e your own with a fe w ho use ho l d i te ms. M ate r ials you need are:
• •
G re a se p ro o f o r b ak i ng p ap e r W hi te sha l l ow t r ay o r a p l ai n whi te p l ate
• •
K i tc h en towel Wa ter
Step 1: Cut or tear the grease p ro o f p ap e r so i t f i t s t he p l a te. Tak e t wo o r t h ree s h eet s o f k i tc h en towel a n d pl ace on the plate so it covers as muc h as p o ssi b l e o f i t . Step 2 : Add th e water to the k i tche n towe l so i t b e co me s we t , b ut no t f l o o d e d. Step 3 : Place th e greaseproof p ap e r o n to p o f t hi s and smo o t h d own. Step 4 : Add your paints to th e p a l e t te i n yo ur p re fe r re d l ayo ut . W hi te gre ase p ro o f p a p er a l l ow s yo u to ju dge you r co lours as the y com e out o f t he t ub e. Brown b ak i ng p a p e r can b e he l p f u l i f yo u p re - p a i n t yo u r p a i n t i n g s u r face with a pale tint to create a mi d -to ne b ase c o l o ur, as i t re p l i cate s t hi s q u i te wel l. U s e w h a te ver wo r k s be s t for you. I f you need to k eep your paint s mo i st to co nt i nue a p a i nt i ng se ssi o n t he fo l l ow i n g day, c a ref u l l y l i f t t h e gre as eproof paper an d add a l i t t l e mo re wate r to t he k i tc he n towe l s. The n st retc h c l i n g f i l m a c ro s s t h e p l a te and s tore in a cool place. 2
C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
M i x ing G re E N S cerulean blue
P RI M AR Y BLUE
co b a lt blue
ULTRA M ARINE blue
P THALO BLUE
LE M ON Y ELLO W
P RI M AR Y Y ELLO W
C A D M UI M Y ELLO W M E D IU M
Y ELLO W O C HRE
RA W SIENNA
H ere are 5 comm on blues a nd 5 co mmo n ye l l ows mi xe d, i n mo st case s i n ro u gh l y eq u a l q u a n t i t i es to p ro du c e 2 5 green s. Th e lef t h alf of e a ch gre e n i s a st ro ng mi x o f t he t wo c o l o ur s. Th e r ight h alf is a ligh ter mi x wi t h a p p rox i ma te l y 5 0 % t i t a ni um whi te a d d ed to c rea te a t i n t . Simply adjustin g the ratios o f b l ue, ye l l ow and whi te wi l l gi ve yo u l i te r a l l y h u n dreds m o re green s. 3
C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
M i x ing G R E Y S cerulean blue
co b a lt blue
P RI M AR Y blue
ULTRA M ARINE blue
P THALO BLUE
C A D M IU M RE D LIGHT
BURNT SIENNA
BURNT U M BER
RA W U M BER
RE D OXI D E
H ere are 5 blues and 5 co mmo n re d s/ b rowns mi xe d i n ro ug hl y e q ual q u a n t i t i es to p ro du c e 25 gre y s. Th e l e f t h alf of each gre y is a st ro ng mi x o f t he t wo c o l o ur s. The r i g ht ha l f i s a l i gh ter m i x w i t h a p p roxi m a tel y 5 0% titanium wh ite added to cre a te a t i nt . Ad j ust i ng t he r a t i o s o f b l ue, reds / b row n s a n d w h i te w i l l gi ve yo u l iterally hundreds m ore gre y s. 4
C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
M i x ing S K I N C O L O U R S Alizarin CRimson U lt r a m a r i n e b lu e yellow ochre t i ta n i u m w h i t e
c a dm i u m r e d c a dm i u m y e l l o w pthalo blue t i ta n i u m w h i t e
Ju st by usin g three pr imar y co l o ur s a nd whi te, ma ny d i f fe re nt sha d e s and t i n t s o f s k i n c o l o u r c a n b e c rea ted. On th is page, t wo sets of thre e p r i ma r i e s have b e e n use d to cre a te e i g ht d if feren t s k i n to n es. Wi t h t h e a ddi t i o n of titan ium white th ese ca n b e l i g hte ne d to cre a te p o te nt i al l y an i nf i ni te n u m b er o f v a r i a t i o n s. Th e propor tions of red, blue and ye l l ow have b e e n a d j uste d i n e a ch o ne to p rov i de a b i a s tow a rds red, b l u e or yellow. Each colour swatch shows ro ug hl y t he p ro p o r t i o ns o f e a ch p r i m a r y u s ed fo r ea c h to n e b efo re w h i te is added.
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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
M i x ing S K I N C O L O U R S
Raw sienna + burnt sienna
raw sienna + u lt r a m a r i n e blue + burnt sienna
alizarin crimson + u lt r a m a r i n e blue + burnt sienna
u lt r a m a r i n e blue + burnt umber
c a dm i u m red + cerulean blue
burnt sienna + yellow ochre
H ere are some fur ther var i at i o ns usi ng c o mmo n co l o ur s a nd a re use d by m a ny to p p o r t r a i t p a i n ter s. Th ese 6 mixes, plus the on e s o n t he p re v i o us p ag e, can cre a te t he v a st ma jo r i t y o f s k i n to n es yo u’ l l e ver n eed.
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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
COLOR BIAS OF PRIMARIES
All pr ima r y c o lo u r pai nt s ( red s, b l u es and yel l ow s) have a ‘ leani ng’ or ‘ bias’ towa rd s o n e o f th e ot her t wo p r i mar i es. For ex am ple, A lizar i n Cr im son is a red with a blu e bi a s, wh e reas Cad mi u m R ed i s a red w i th a yellow bias. K n owing th e bi a s o f t he col ou r s i n you r p al et te w i ll help you m ix the secondar y a n d ter ti a r y c o l o u r s you w ant . I t w i l l al s o hel p you avoi d m i x i ng m uddy and dull co lo ur s I f yo u wa n t a v i br a n t p u r p l e for ex amp l e, m i x a re d w ith a blue bi as and blue with a re d bi a s. Th a t w ay you are onl y m i x i ng t wo o f the pr i m ar ies ( red and blue) . I f yo u w a n t a d u l l pu r p l e, t hen m i x a red w i t h a b l ue bias and a blue w i th a yellow bia s. Now yo u a re m ix i ng al l t hree p r i mar i es ( red + blue + yellow ) . M i x i ng all th ree p r i m a r i e s re s u l t s i n a m ore neu t r al tone.
YELLOWS WITH A BLUE BIAS
YELLOWS WITH A RED BIAS
H a n s a Ye l l o w L i g h t Aureole Azo Lemon Cadmium Lemon C a d m i u m Ye l l o w Pa l e H a n s a Ye l l o w L i g h t Transparent Bismuth
C a d m i u m Ye l l o w M e d i u m C a d m i u m Ye l l o w D e e p Chrome Indian Naples New Gamboge Raw Sienna Ye l l o w O c h re Pe r m a n e n t Ye l l o w M e d i u m Mars Quinacridone Gold
NB: The l i st s here t ho u g h e x te n s ive, a re n o t e xh a u s t i ve, a s ma nu fa ct u rers i nt rod u ce or delet e co l o ur s o n a co n tin u o u s b a s is.
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BLUES WITH A RED BIAS
BLUES WITH A YELLOW BIAS
REDS WITH A BLUE BIAS
REDS WITH A YELLOW BIAS
Cobalt Cyanine French Ultramarine Ultramarine Pay n e’s G re y Indanthrene, Indigo
Cerulean Pthalo Antwerp Intense, Monastial Manganese Turquoise Cyan Rembrandt Pthalo Prussian Paris Peacock
Permanent Rose Alizarin Crimson Magenta Quinacridone Rose Rose Madder Crimson Lake Opera Rose Scarlet Lake Carmine
Cadmium Winsor Vermillion Perelyne Permanent Light Indian Venetian Pyrrole English Red Oxide
C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
TR ANSPARENT & OPAQUE COLOURS KEY Al l paint col ou rs, regardless of th e medium use d, have v a r y i ng d e gre e s o f t r a nsp are nc y. K n owing how transparen t or opaq ue a co l o ur i s c an he l p yo u whe n p ai nt i ng l aye r s o r g l a ze s. B e a r in mind th ough th at some colou r s may b e cl asse d a s t r ansp a re nt by o ne m a n ufac tu re r and sem i- opaq ue by anothe r a nd yo u c an c he c k t hi s o n t he si d e o f t he pa i n t tu be.
T = Transparent ST = S e m i - T r a n s p a r e n t S = Semi-Opaque O = Opaque
Th e l is ts he re are colours th at are gen era l l y co nsi d e re d t r ansp a re nt , se mi t r a nsp are nt , opa q ue or s e mi o paq ue across th e m ajor i t y o f b r and s.
REDS Alizarin Crimson Light Red Cadmium Red Rose Madder Bright Red Perylene Red Opera Rose Venetian Red Pyrrol Red Permanent Rose Quinacridone Red Indian Red Permanent Magenta Permanent Rose French Vermillion 8
BLUES T O O T SO ST T O ST T T O T T O
Cobalt Blue Cerulean French Ultramarine Indigo Prussian Blue Indanthrone Blue P t h a l o B l u e (Grn Shde) Royal Blue Antwerp Blue Manganese Blue Anthraquinone Blue
C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
YELLOWS ST O T T T T T O T T SO
Ye l l o w O c h re Raw Sienna Gold Ochre Quinacridone Gold New Gamboge B i s m u t h Ye l l o w Aureolin C a d m i u m Ye l l o w C a d m i u m Ye l l o w Pa l e Le m o n Ye l l o w N a p l e s Ye l l o w I n d i a n Ye l l o w H a n s a Ye l l o w L i g h t
SO T O T T O T O O T O T T
COLOUR TR ANSPARENC Y CHAR T t i ta n i u m white
red oxide
raw sienna
c a dm i u m yellow
lemon yellow
yellow ochre
burnt sienna (2) burnt sienna (1)
c a dm i u m red (2) c a dm i u m red (1)
alizarin crimson
c a dm i u m red light
u lt r a m a r i n e blue
cerulean blue
The transparen c y of a colou r can e asi l y b e te ste d by cre a t i ng a char t suc h a s t h i s. On white paper, canvas or b o ard, p a i nt a b l a ck st r i p e d own t he ce nt re, a b o u t 1/ 2” ( 1c m ) w i de. Th e p rec i s e width isn’t cr itical. I f you d o n’t have b l ac k , yo u c an cre a te o ne wi t h a st ro n g m i x o f a b l u e a n d a b row n . Let the str ipe dr y, th en paint a st re ak o f e ac h o f yo ur co l o ur s ac ro ss t he st r i p e a s s h ow n . U s e t h e p a i n t s t r a i gh t ou t of the tube, un diluted. Onc e th e pain t h as dr ied, t ho se t ha t are t r ansp a re nt wi l l b e b a re l y v i si b l e o n t h e b l a c k s t r i p e, s u c h a s h ere with ultramar ine blue and al i z a r i n c r i mso n. O t he r s l i k e ye l l ow o chre and c er u l ea n b l u e w i l l a l m o s t o b l i ter a te the black str ipe, indicatin g t he y a re muc h mo re o p aq ue.
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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
pthalo blue
ho w to make a personalise d colour chart cerulean blue
co b a lt blue
pthalo blue
primary blue
u lt r a m a r i n e blue
c a dm i u m red
alizarin crimson
red oxide
burnt sienna
permanent mag e n ta
c a dm i u m yellow yellow ochre raw sienna lemon yellow raw umber burnt umber dioxazine purple hookers green viridian ivory black
Too many leisure ar tists wo r r y ab o ut hav i ng t he ‘r i g ht ’ co l o ur s, o r t he s a m e o n es t h e y s ee b ei n g u s ed by Ar tTutor in struc tors. I t ’s far better (an d cheaper ! ) to use t he o ne’s yo u have a l re a d y - a t l e ast fo r n ow. Th i s w ay yo u w i l l l ea r n to e x p loit the colours at your d i sp o sa l a nd i t wi l l a l l ow yo u to g o o ut a nd sel ec t n e w c o l o u r s o n l y i f i t b ec o m es re a lly obvious th at you need t he m. For this exercise you are go i ng to g a t he r a l l o f yo ur e x i st i ng co l o ur s a nd m i x a ny t wo o f t h em . Th e res u l t s o f s om e m ixes may sur pr ise yo u and o p e n up yo ur e ye s to p o ssi b i l i t i e s yo u d i dn’t rea l i s e were t h ere. I t ’s a ver y therapeutic exercise as well. 10
C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
STEp 1
I n the char t on the pre vious page I’ve used 20 colours I had at my disposal. You may have less and different ones and that ’s fine. G ather them together now. This char t was produced on a sheet of acr ylic paper about 22” x 16” (40cm x 28cm or A2 size). The first thing to do is to draw a ser ies of boxes in pencil about 2cm x 1cm. The ac tual size sin’t cr itical as long as all the boxes fit on the sheet! Because I used 20 colours, I dre w 10 boxes along the top and 10 boxes down the side. I f you have 15 colours, you could do 8 along the top and 7 down the side, for example. Once you have your boxes drawn, paint a colour in the top row and in lef t hand column as I have done here. This char t is reproduced at a bigger size than the one pre viously, so only the first five boxes across the top and five from top to bottom are in vie w. I t doesn’t matter which colours go where, just place a unique colour in each box. I filled in half of each box with pure colour and the other half mixed with roughly 50% titanium white, to create a tint. 11
C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
STEp 2
I n th e top lef t h and empt y b ox , mi x t he co l o ur d i re c t l y ab ove i t a nd to t he l ef t o f i t . M i x t h em i n ro u gh l y eq u a l qu an tities. You can see th at I’ ve al re ad y f i l l e d i n se ve r a l b oxe s wi t h c ad m i u m red m i xed w i t h yel l ow o c h re, bu r n t sien na and ultramar ine b l ue, i n t hi s c ase. Pain t th e lef t h and side of t he b ox a st ro ng c o l o ur and a d d a b o ut 5 0 % wh i te to yo u r m i x to c rea te a t i n t o n the r ight han d side. Th is wi l l show yo u how t he c o l o ur c hang e s a cro ss d i f feren t s t ren gt h s, w h i c h c a n c h a n ge it quite a lot. R e peat th is for each of the b oxe s.
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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
limite d palette suggestions L i m i ting you r pa lette can really im prove you r acr yl ic paint ing. Not only does h elp to i m p rove col ou r har mony it also mak es the d e c i s ion mak ing process easier - and tha t h e l p s you s tay in the flow. Th e se t wo pal e ttes are n icely balan ced wit h a c ombination of cool an d war m pr im ar ies. Yo u c an mix al mo st any colour you wan t f ro m the s e l imited selec tions and it wi l l s ave you a l ot of m one y on exotic paint s t h a t you r rare l y use af ter you’ ve boug ht t h e m.
L i m ited p alette 1
L i m ited p alette 2
Ultramarine Blue (warm)
Pthalo Blue
Pthalo Blue (cool)
Cobalt Blue
Cadmium Red (warm)
Permanent Rose
Alizarin Crimson (cool)
Light Red
Ye l l o w O c h re ( w a r m )
H a n s a Ye l l o w
Le m o n Ye l l o w ( c o o l )
Raw Sienna
Plus (optional):
Plus (optional):
Burnt Sienna or Light Red
Burnt Umber
Paynes Grey or Indigo Cerulean Blue New Gamboge or C a d m i u m Ye l l o w 13
C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
Ultramarine Blue Raw Umber Viridian
brush / K N I F E marks
rou n d brush
Fo r ma ny ye a r s a c r y l i c a r t i s t s h ave u s ed b r i s t l e b r u s h es si mi l a r to t ho se u s ed by o i l p a i n ter s. H owe ver, over t h e p a s t fe w ye a r s a num b er o f exc el l en t s y n t h et i c a l ter n a t i ves h ave b e e n d e ve l o p e d - s o f ter t h a n h o gs h a i r b u t f i r m er t h a n t h e nat ur al hai r and s y n t h et i c b r u s h es u s ed fo r w a terc o l o u r. Th i s al l ows t he ar t i st to m ove t h e p a i n t a ro u n d, b u t a l s o p a i n t w i t h re l a t i ve l y smo o t h l ayer s, o r to u s e t h e c o a r s er p ro p er t i es o f ho g sha i r to l e ave b u s h m a r k s i n t h e p a i n t . Co m p a re t h e b r u s h ma r ks o f t he t wo t y p es o f f i l b er t b r u s h h ere. I n ad d i t i o n, p a i n t i n g k n i ves gi ve t h e a r t i s t i n b o t h a c r y l i c s and o i l s t he ab i l it y to s p rea d p a i n t t h i c k l y i n a n i m p a s to s t y l e and ma ny p a i nt i n gs h ave b een c rea ted u s i n g o n l y a s er i es o f k ni ve s. The y can b e o b t a i n ed w i t h m et a l o r p l a s t i c b l a des a n d i n a v a r i e t y o f sh a p es to a l l ow m a ny di f feren t s t ro k es to b e ac hi e ve d.
FILBERT brush
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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
The p ho to s o n t h i s a n d t h e fo l l ow i n g p a ge h i gh l i gh t ju s t s o m e o f t he b r ush/ k nife s t ro k es t h a t c a n b e c r a f ted by t h e a r t i s t . Yo u can se e f ro m t h e do o dl es t h a t s o m e o f t h e b r u s h es (e. g. t he ro und a nd t h e f i l b er t ) m a k e q u i te s i m i l a r m a r k s. I n s o m e case s c o l o ur s have b een a p p l i ed over a dr i ed l ayer s u c h a s t h e snow- c ap p e d mo u n t a i n s u s i n g t h e k n i fe, o r o n e c o l o u r h a s b e e n a p p l i e d o n o n e s i de o f a f i l b er t a n d a di f feren t c o l o u r o n t he o t he r si d e. W h en t h e b r u s h s t ro k e i s m a de, a s a t i s f y i n g nat ur al b l e nd o f t h e t wo c o l o u r s t a k es p l a c e.
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This is a ver y basic star ter se t , whi c h c an e a si l y b e ad j uste d, d e p e nd i ng u p o n w h et h er yo u p refer a ddi t i o n a l hor seh air brushes or m ore o f t he sy nt he t i c v ar i e t y. NB: D on’t rely exclusively o n t he numb e r i ng o f b r ushe s a s a n i nd i cat i o n o f s i ze a s ea c h m a n u f a c t u rer w i l l a p p l y d ifferen t standards. S o a No. 8 R o und i n o ne r a ng e co ul d b e t he same a s a N o. 5 R o u n d i n a n o t h er. W h ere ver possible, ch eck si ze s yo ur se l f i n a n ar t sto re o r, whe re t hi s i sn’t p o s s i b l e, s ee i f t h e web s i te p rov i des infor m ation as to th e ac tua l si ze o f t he b r ush he ad ; e. g. . 1 / 2 ” ac ro ss t he m et a l fer r u l e o r 3/ 4” f ro m t h e en d of th e fer rule to the tip of t he b r ush, e tc. The ab ove have al l b e e n gi ve n a gen er a l i n di c a t i o n o f s i ze fo r t h i s re a son, rather than the numb e r b e i ng q uo te d. 15
C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
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I n th is group, I’ ve elimin ate d t he Ho g b r ushe s fo r a n e ve n mo re b asi c st a r ter s et . Th e H o g b r u s h es c o u l d b e ad ded later or you may pre fe r to st a r t wi t h t he Ho g e q ui v al e nt s o f t he S y n t h et i c s I’ ve l i s ted. I’l l leave you to choose your b r ushe s and e nj oy f i nd i ng o ut wha t e f fe c t s yo u c a n a c h i e ve. B u t do h ave a do o dl e! This is n e ver tim e wasted. I t a l l ows yo u to und e r st and how yo ur b r ushe s p er fo r m a n d w h a t m a r k s c a n b e ach ie ved, before you spen d mo ne y o n ne w o ne s a nd se t to o n yo ur ne x t m i n o r m a s ter p i ec e.
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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
MEDIUMS Th e re are a l arg e n um ber of m edium s av a i l ab l e to mak e a cr y l i c p ai nt t hi c k e r, t hi nne r, m o re trans l u ce nt or for special effec ts suc h a s cr ac k l e o r p e ar l e sc e nt . We’ ve c o nce nt r a te d on j u s t thre e to help you get star ted.
G esso Ac r yl ic paint is a versatile m edium that wi l l ad he re to ma ny sur f a ce s, i ncl ud i ng p a p e r, c a nv as, othe r cl o th sur faces, var ious bo a rd s and mo st o t he r p o ro us a nd se mi -p o ro us s u r f a ce s. I t ’s impor tan t th at th e sur face is f i r st p r i me d wi t h a c ove r i ng o f g e sso, whi ch i s e f fe c tive l y a ve r y pigm ent- r ich th ick , (usual l y ) whi te a cr y l i c p ai nt .
R etarder G el Ac r yl ic paint d r ie s fast so you can progres s q ui ck l y t hro ug h yo ur p a i nt i ng wi t ho ut wai t i ng fo r h ou rs or e ve n days, as with oils, for laye r s to d r y. Howe ve r, t hi s mak e s i t mo re d i f f i c ul t to bl e nd s moothly on the paint sur face. Var i o us a d d i t i ve s are av a i l ab l e, such a s Fl ow I m p rove r or R e tarder G el, wh ich k eep the p ai nt ‘o p e n’ a nd wo r k a b l e fo r l o ng e r.
G la z i n g Mediu m G l a z i ng M e d iu m is effec tively colour less a cr y l i c p ai nt a nd a l l ows t r a n sl u ce nt g l azes to be created using w i t h j ust a sma l l amo unt of t he d e s ire d co lour added, to create mo o d and a t mo sp he re, s u c h as an e ve nin g glow. Avoid simply t hi nni ng t he p ai nt wi t h w a te r to cre ate a glaze, as more than ab o ut 2 5 %/ 3 0 % ad d e d to t h e paint mak e s it lose its adh esive pro p e r t i e s a nd i t wi l l d r y a l m os t ins tantl y, m ak in g it difficult to avo i d t i d e -mar ks. Th e se photos s how the effec t of applyin g, (A ) a r aw si e nna g l aze ove r an u l tramar ine blue back groun d a nd (B) cre a t i ng smo k e, s te a m or cl ou d s usin g in creasing amount s o f t he g l a ze -to -p ai nt r a t i o.
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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
A.
B.
PAINT SURFACE GUIDE
Tradition ally, acr ylics is painte d o n p re -p r i me d a cr y l i c p a p e r, canv a s p a ne l s o r s t retc h ed c a nv a s, a s m en t i o n ed on th e pre vious page. Howe ver m ost wooden bo ard s suc h as ha rd b o a rd (maso ni te ), M DF, p l y wo o d a n d c h i p b o a rd c a n b e u s ed, preferably pr im ed with ges so as d e scr i b e d o n t he p re v i o us p a g e. A p ar t f ro m c a nv a s, o t h er c l o t h to o c a n b e u s ed an d e ven wrapping pa p e r o r ne wsp ap e r, i f i t ’s f i r st p r i me d.
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C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
colour mi x ing terms p ri m ary c olours se c o n dary c olours tertiary c olours
c o m p le m e n tary c olours
There are three pr im ar y colour s w hich cannot be created by mixin g ot h er colours. The y are: red, blue and yellow
S eco ndar y colour s are m i xed from t wo of the pr im ar i es. The y are green ( blue + yellow ) , or ange ( red + yellow ) , pur ple (red + b lue)
The si x colour s created by m ix ing a pr i m ar y w ith a secondar y i.e. b lue + green to create a b lue - green or t urquoise
Col o ur s opposi te each other on the colour w heel. For ex am pl e, oran g e is op p osite b lue on t h e colour wh eel an d so b eco m e each other s’ com plem entar y colour. Com plem entar y colours are said to en h an ce each ot h er wh en p laced nex t to each other. W hen m ixed w ith each other the y have the op p osite ef fec t , creat in g a d ull, n eut ral ton e. Complem entar y colour s include: O r ange and blue, Yellow and p ur p le, Green an d red
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hue
Thi s i s the br i ghtest, m ost v i v i d ver si on of a pr i m ar y, secondar y or ter t iar y colour. S o red for examp le, wit h n o ot h er col o ur m i x w i th it and undiluted i s a hue. Pai nting only w ith h ues would result in a ver y b r ig h t an d g ar ish p ain t in g.
ti n t
Ad d ing w hi te to a colour to lighten i t, creates a tint of that colour.
shade
Ad d ing black to a colour to dar k en it, creates a shade of that colour. I n acr ylic p ain t in g, ad d in g a colour ’s comp lemen t ar y to i t has a sim ilar effec t ( i . e. adding pur ple to yellow has a similar ef fec t as ad d in g b lack to t h e yellow). You could al s o m ix a black colour by m i x i ng the three pr im ar y colour s to g et h er an d t h en ad d t h at b lack mix to an ot h er colour ( s p ar ingly ) to create a shade.
to n e
Ad d ing back and w hite to a colour, creates a tone of that colo ur. Obviously b lack an d wh ite mak e gre y an d so a ton e i s gre yer ver sion of a colour. These are also refer red to as pastel colours, or n eut ral colours. You’ll use ton es a lot in you r painti ngs because the bulk of any subj ec t m atter i s m ade f rom t h em. You can t h en use sh ad es for sh ad ow areas, t i nt s for hi ghlight areas and a touch of br ight hues w here you really wan t t h e colour to z in g.
VALUE
Thi s is the lightness or dar k ness of a colour. W hile i t m ight seem obvious t h at b lue h as a d ar k er value t h an yellow, a ver y light blue m ight be li ghter than a dar k yellow. The best way to jud g e t h e values in a p h otograp h or p ain t in g is to mak e it back and w hite. Thi s w i ll m ak e it obv i ous w hich colou rs are d ar k er an d lig h ter t h an ot h ers.
C o l o u r M i x i n g C h e a t s h e e t s f o r A C R Y LI C s
