Shake Up Your Artwork Every Once In A While

My Shaken-Up Acrylic Paint Drawer

Hi-

I’m painting with acrylic on 300-lb. Arches watercolor paper for the second time. A few months ago I blogged about the first painting I had completed using the same medium and support.

I liked the results then, and I like what I’m working on now even though I have just barely begun to paint.

Why do I like painting with acrylic on watercolor paper?

Well, I like the way the paint flows onto the relatively rough texture of the paper. When you paint acrylic (or oil for that matter) on canvas, linen, etc., it goes on pretty smoothly unless you’re doing impasto or some other thick-paint method. That’s all fine and good, but for some reason it can make my brushstrokes seem hard to control.

With watercolor paper there is just enough drag so that I feel more in control of the brushstrokes. It gives me a sense of controlling the pace of the painting. I may not be describing it very well, but it seems to give me the ability to paint the brushstrokes exactly how I want to render them.

I don’t know many artists' secrets or tricks of the trade. However, I do know that creating art is about being creative, and that includes trying new things— new to me anyway.

As I frequently say, “that’s how we learn.”

If everyone (every artist, that is) painted the same way, we’d all still be rendering primitive, but charming, cave paintings. No?

And where’s the fun in that?

Now, I’m not advocating that you all start painting acrylic on watercolor paper. Every painter has to do his or her own thing.

I am advocating that every painter try something new and different to rejuvenate the artistic possibilities.

Shake it up every once in a while and see what happens.

Are the fine-art-oil-painting purists out there cringing? I hope so. Good.

Until next blog…