ACRYLIC PAINTING: OBJECT - STEP 2

For the second part of our acrylic painting project we are going to learn about the importance of applying a wash and why artists do it. Below are two instructional videos to guide you through the process of taping the edges of your paper (if you choose to do so) and applying a wash to your paper.

A wash is simply a small amount of acrylic paint with about 25% water added to it, and it looks very similar and has the same consistency as watercolor paint. The goal of your wash is to be transparent, so that you can still see your pencil lines through it. A wash is designed to give a middle ground value to a painting, which provides a surface for you to begin building the acrylic paint on. I apply washes to canvas, watercolor paper and even wood panels when I paint with acrylics.

How do you decide what color wash to apply? Well, to be honest it really doesn't matter but here are some things that I consider. Do I want a warm wash or a cool wash? Or perhaps, like my apple painting I chose a complimentary color and washed my paper green to make the reds of the apple pop more. You could even do a grey wash (black with water) so it's neutral. Brown washes are great too. One important thing to note is never add white to your wash color, it will make it too light. Only lighten and make it translucent with water. 

View part one here.