HOW TO BLEND ACRYLIC PAINT on Canvas for Beginners 🎨

Summary

In this video, the artist shares essential do's and don'ts for blending acrylic paint to create seamless gradients. They demonstrate the correct paint consistency, the importance of keeping the brush damp but not dripping, and how to avoid streaks and see-through effects. The video also offers tips on blending dark and light colors, managing paintbrush pressure, and using slow-dry products. A time-lapse of a sunset on a lake painting illustrates the techniques, and the artist emphasizes the importance of preparing more paint than needed to avoid running out mid-blend.

Takeaways

• 🎨 Use the right paint consistency for blending: not too thick like pudding, not too thin like soup, but like thick gravy.
• 💧 Avoid using too much water as it can make the paint see-through and create streaks.
• 🖌️ Keep the paintbrush damp but not dripping wet to facilitate blending without creating droplets.
• 🧽 Have a rag or sponge handy to blot the paint and remove excess water.
• 🚫 Position water jars to the side to minimize the chance of droplets falling onto the canvas.
• 🖉 Choose a softer brush for easier blending and to avoid streaks caused by stiff bristles.
• 🌑 When blending light and dark colors, start with the light color and gradually add the dark to prevent it from overpowering.
• 🧼 Clean the brush often and thoroughly when blending to avoid mixing unwanted colors.
• 🖼️ Pay attention to the pressure applied by the paintbrush to create a seamless gradient.
• 🕒 Use products like 'slow dry' to extend the drying time of acrylic paint for more blending time.
• 📦 Always prepare more paint than you think you'll need to avoid running out and having to redo sections.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video script?

The main topic of the video script is blending acrylic paint, focusing on techniques to avoid common mistakes and achieve seamless gradients.

What is the first 'don't' mentioned in the script regarding blending acrylic paint?

The first 'don't' mentioned is using too much water, as it can make the paint see-through and create streaks.

What is the ideal paint consistency for blending according to the script?

The ideal paint consistency for blending is like a thick gravy, not too thick like pudding nor too thin like soup.

Why is keeping the paintbrush damp recommended in the script?

Keeping the paintbrush damp helps with blending colors into each other, but not too wet to avoid creating droplets and streaks.

What should one do if a droplet falls onto the canvas during blending?

If a droplet falls onto the canvas, one should gently blot it right away and work the area specifically to make it seamless.

Why is it advised to keep water jars on the side of the painting instead of in front in the script?

Keeping water jars on the side of the painting reduces the chances of water droplets falling onto the canvas.

What type of brush is recommended for blending acrylic paint according to the script?

A softer brush is recommended for blending acrylic paint as it's easier to achieve a seamless background effect with softer bristles.

Why is it better to bring a light color into a dark color when creating a gradient?

It's better to bring a light color into a dark color to create a gradient because dark colors are overpowering and can quickly make a light color too dark.

What is the importance of pressure when blending with a paintbrush as mentioned in the script?

The importance of pressure when blending with a paintbrush is that it requires adjusting between heavier and lighter pressure to work the colors into each other without creating streaks.

What product is suggested in the script to help with blending when painting realistic subjects?

The product suggested in the script to help with blending when painting realistic subjects is 'slow dry' by Liquitex, which extends the drying time of the paint.

What is the simple but important tip shared at the end of the script regarding blending acrylic paint?

The simple but important tip shared at the end of the script is to always make more paint than needed to avoid running out and having to redo areas of the painting.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Mastering Acrylic Blending Techniques

The speaker begins by expressing their intent to demonstrate the art of blending acrylic paint. They aim to share their experiences to help viewers avoid common mistakes. A time-lapse video of a sunset on a lake painting is promised to illustrate the blending techniques effectively. The speaker emphasizes the importance of paint consistency, cautioning against using too much water which can lead to streaks and transparency. They suggest that the ideal paint consistency is akin to thick gravy, and keeping the brush damp, rather than wet, is crucial for smooth blending. The speaker also advises against using stiff brushes, recommending softer ones for a seamless blend. They discuss the challenges of blending dark and light colors, suggesting that starting with the light color and gradually introducing the dark is more effective. Attention to brush pressure is highlighted as essential for creating a seamless gradient, adjusting it according to the blending needs.

05:01

🖌️ Advanced Blending Tips for Realism

In the second paragraph, the speaker offers advanced blending tips, particularly for realistic subjects like portraits or skin tones. They introduce 'slow dry' products that extend the drying time of paint, allowing more time for blending. The speaker shares a personal tip about preparing more paint than anticipated to avoid running out mid-blend, which can lead to noticeable color discrepancies once the paint dries. They stress the importance of this practice to maintain consistency in the artwork. The speaker also encourages viewers to watch more of their painting tips videos, promising weekly uploads, and invites viewers to subscribe for more content.

Keywords

💡Blending

Blending refers to the process of smoothly transitioning from one color to another in painting, creating a gradient effect. In the video, blending is the central theme, as the artist discusses techniques to achieve seamless color transitions, particularly when painting a sunset on a lake. The artist emphasizes the importance of paint consistency and brush dampness for effective blending.

💡Acrylic Paint

Acrylic paint is a fast-drying paint made of pigment suspended in water. It is the medium used by the artist in the video. Acrylic's quick-drying nature can pose a challenge for blending, which is why the artist offers tips on how to manage it effectively, such as using the right amount of water and pressure.

💡Gradient

A gradient in art refers to a gradual change from one color to another. The artist in the video discusses creating seamless gradients, like transitioning from a light to a dark color, to achieve a realistic sunset effect. The script mentions blending a light color into a dark color to avoid overpowering the lighter shade.

💡Water

Water is used to thin out acrylic paint, which can affect the blending process. The artist cautions against using too much water as it can lead to streaks and see-through paint. Water is essential for achieving the right paint consistency but must be used judiciously.

💡Paintbrush

A paintbrush is the tool used for applying paint to a canvas. The artist discusses the importance of keeping the brush damp for blending but not too wet to avoid droplets and maintain control. The type of brush, such as a softer one, can also affect the blending outcome.

💡Consistency

Consistency in this context refers to the thickness of the paint. The artist explains that the right consistency is crucial for blending; too thick and it's hard to blend, too thin and it creates streaks. The artist uses the analogy of pudding, soup, and gravy to describe ideal paint consistency.

💡Droplets

Droplets are unwanted water marks that can ruin a painting's blend if they fall onto the canvas. The artist advises blotting them gently to prevent altering the color or lifting the paint, illustrating the need for careful handling of wet brushes.

💡Pressure

Pressure refers to the amount of force applied while painting with a brush. The artist mentions that adjusting the pressure can help avoid streaks and achieve a smooth blend, highlighting the nuanced control needed for blending.

💡Retardants

Retardants, specifically 'Slow Dry' mentioned in the script, are additives that extend the drying time of acrylic paint. This is useful for blending, as it gives artists more time to work on their paintings before the paint sets, allowing for more seamless transitions.

💡Seamless

Seamless in the context of the video means a smooth, uninterrupted transition between colors. The artist's goal is to create a seamless gradient, which is achieved by careful blending techniques, proper paint consistency, and attentive brushwork.

💡Pigment

Pigment refers to the colored matter used in paints to give them their color. The artist discusses creating gradients and blends with pigments, emphasizing the need for sufficient pigment to avoid see-through areas in the final painting.

Highlights

Blending acrylic paint can be challenging, but there are do's and don'ts to avoid common mistakes.

Using too much water can make the paint see-through and create streaks.

The ideal paint consistency for blending is like thick gravy, not too thick or thin.

Keeping the paintbrush damp helps with blending but too wet can create droplets.

Droplets can ruin a painting, so blot them gently and work the area to maintain seamlessness.

A softer brush is easier for achieving a seamless background effect.

Blending dark colors into light colors can be problematic as dark colors are overpowering.

To blend light and dark colors, bring the light color into the dark and clean the brush often.

Pay attention to the pressure of your paintbrush when blending to avoid streaks.

Washing the brush often and thoroughly helps achieve a seamless gradient.

A quick time-lapse of a sunset on a lake painting demonstrates blending techniques.

For realistic subjects like portraits, use paint with drying retardants to extend blending time.

Adding too much drying retardant can make the paint more liquid and translucent.

Always make more paint than needed to avoid running out and having to redo areas.

Having insufficient paint can lead to see-through areas in a gradient after it dries.

Subscribe for more painting tips and tutorials.

Transcripts

today I want to show you how to blend

acrylic paint I know it can be a

challenge sometimes I'm gonna go through

the list of do's and don'ts to avoid all

the mistakes that I made I'll also show

you a super quick time-lapse of this

painting that I created

it's a sunset on a lake it's super

blended so you'll see an example of

blending techniques that hopefully will

be helpful to you when I think about

blending tips and especially when I want

a seamless gradient of two colors

instinctively I would think of a thin

paint that would kind of seamlessly

blend into each other and one way to do

that would be to use water have the

paintbrush super wet the surface wet and

the paint super thinned out with water

that's on my list of don't using too

much water is an ideal the paint will be

see-through it'll create a lot of

streaks the best way to start a gradient

is to have the right paint consistency

so if it's too thick it's gonna be hard

to lay in the canvas and blend into each

other the different colors and if it's

too thin as I said it's gonna create

streaks and it's gonna be see-through I

paid that it would be too thick would be

kind of like a rich pudding you know

what I mean and I've paint that is too

thin would be kind of like soup and the

perfect consistency would be like a nice

thick gravy yeah keeping the paintbrush

damp really helps blending colors into

each other but having the brush to wet

like dripping wet is gonna be super hard

to work with first of all it's gonna

create droplets which is I know no

droplets are the enemy once a droplet

falls onto your canvas you have to kind

of start over in that specific area

because if you blot it it it lifts the

paint and if you leave it to dry it's

going to alter your color so if there's

gonna be that droplet mark even if it's

faint it's gonna be visible for droplets

I would blot it gently gently right away

and kind of like work that area

specifically so that it's seamless right

away I like to keep a rag on hand or a

sponge so that I could blot my paint

and remove any excess water keeping the

brush damn is good keeping the brush wet

isn't so good and they keep those pesky

water droplets at bay I keep their water

jars on my on the side of my painting as

opposed to in front there's less chances

of it happening and I'm saying this

because it happened to me hundreds of

times I was telling you that too much

water will create like a streaky kind of

effect another thing that might create

that effect is if the brush is too stiff

so some brushes have very thick and

stiff bristles that might create those

streaks so a softer brush not too soft

you want a brush that can still hold

paint but on the softer side it's a lot

easier to achieve like a super blended

and seamless background effect with

softer bristles there's no hard rules in

art right you can do whatever you want

but I've noticed that when I try to

blend a dark color into a light color I

usually get problems dark colors are

very overpowering a little bit of a dark

color can make a light color way too

dark really quickly so when blending two

colors together especially a very light

color in a dark color to create a

gradient as a seamless gradient it's

better to bring the light color into the

dark color and the way to do that is to

clean the brush super often what I would

do is either use two separate brushes

one for a dark color and one for our

light color create my background the way

I want it and when I get to the point

where I want that seamless blend I would

wash out one of the brush super well

remove the excess water then dip it into

the lighter shade first and bring that

light shade into the dark shade I've

done the opposite so many times and

created a mess where my gradient would

like move into the light shade way too

much and kind of overpower everything

where I had only a sliver of why

at the end just because dark colors tend

to take over everything and as you're

blending one thing to do is to pay

attention to the pressure of your

paintbrush especially in that gradient

where the two colors meet sometimes

it'll require a heavier pressure to

really work the colors into each other

but sometimes it's gonna require a very

light touch so that it doesn't create

streaks it's kind of like give-and-take

and adjusting as you're seeing things

evolve on the canvas paintbrush pressure

is a thing also I just want to repeat

that in order to get a seamless gradient

one of the best things to do is to wash

the brush often and thoroughly and

really dab the excess water so that when

you go on canvas that want me blobs of

colors where it doesn't belong trust me

on that it'll make your life a lot

easier okay

I have another tip it's a simple tip but

it's super important and it's something

that we tend to neglect before I tell

you that tip I want to show you that

painting that I was talking about it's a

super quick time lapse over about a

minute and I'll give you my tip right

after that

[Music]

[Music]

if you're looking for blending technique

for more realistic subjects especially

for like portraits or skin tones

I know sometimes the paint dries a lot

before you have time to blend a seamless

skin tone there's paint with our date

terms retardants I mean to say is that

there's a product like this called slow

dry by liquitex that you can add to your

paint that will extend the drying time

so you'll have a little bit more time to

blend whatever you want on your canvas

before it fully dries on the bottle it

says not to add more than 25% of your

solution I found that I had to add quite

a bit in order for it to make a

difference but one thing to note is that

the more you add the more liquid your

paint will be and the more translucent

it'll be but by far what's helped me the

most and my blending and gradient

technique was when I realized that I

should always make a lot more paint that

I think I will be needing stay with me I

know it sounds obvious but it's not I

usually would mix the colors I wanted

and sometimes it would take a lot more

color for a specific area for whatever

reason I would run out and obviously you

can never make the same exact color

twice so by the time I had done another

mix I have more colors my paint would be

dry on my canvas and I had to repaint

that entire area or else I could see the

difference so having more paint than

needed is obvious to some it's so easy

to forget and really really helpful the

worst thing that can happen is to paint

a perfect gradient and see that some

parts of it is kind of like see-through

that there was an enough paint and you

found that out after the paint dried and

you have to start over completely don't

don't do it if you like another painting

tip you can go watch this one it's a

really good one and I'll be seeing you

very

soon I post videos every week so

subscribe and hit them out I would love

to have you back thanks for watching

[Music]