Blending with acrylics seems to be utterly intimidating. No matter what you do or what brush you use, you keep running into the same problems: splotchy uneven paint strokes that mix in as a donkey in a dress at a dinner party.
How can you possibly create beautifully blended gradations that work SO WELL together? Is it magic? God-given talent?!
Lucky us, blending art with acrylic paint is easy once you understand the techniques. No magic or mind-blowing talent is necessary.
When it comes to creating smooth blends and gradations with acrylic paintings, you need to keep three simple rules in mind:
. Colours need to cross into one another.
. Both paint colours must be wet (wet-on-wet)
. Layers! Layers! Layers!
Once you master those three rules, you can use this to blend all sorts of acrylic colours to create a beautiful smooth gradient of colour that will form that extra oomph in your painting. So let’s dive into each one and explain it a little further.
1. Blended colours need to cross into one another:
The crossing of colours is a core concept because many artists hardcore struggle with letting go of their painting boundaries. They feel that every colour needs to stay in its respective spot and not cross over into another colour region.
To merge two colours, you need to cross over into one another at some point before the changeover to their colours. For example, if you have a red-painted region but want to blend it into a blue space, you must carry some of that red paint over into some areas of the blue.
By doing this, the remainder of the red paint on your brush mixes with the wet blue painting creating a slight colour change (purple) that lends to the transition colour.
How to create a gradual blend:
I want to draw your attention to be cautious with the amount of paint you load onto your brush when blending.
Blending doesn’t require a lot of paint. Working with a blend does require a bit of finesse and gradual light applications of paint at a time to help create gradual mixes. But what I have seen from many beginners is the opposite. They load a big glob of paint onto their brush, attempt to carry over that huge mass onto the other colour region and start complaining their colour blending is not happening. It just looks like a big splotchy mess.
Well, sure, it looks like a mess. You loaded way too much paint on that brush. That blend never stood a fighting chance. So, please don’t do that. Instead, focus on adding gradually little bit of paint on your brush at a time. Though it may take some practice and self-control, you’ll be surprised at how much easier be to achieve a smoother blend transition.
2- Both paint colours must be wet for optimal blending:
Often referred to (as wet-on-wet), that cannot happen unless both colours you blend are wet. Plain and simple!
Considering the nature of acrylic paint and its drying time, you don’t have much time to blend. It is important to remember!
For example, if you painted a red region on one part of your canvas, worked on another area for 30 minutes, and then went back to that previous area to blend, you won’t be able to set up a smooth evolution because that red layer of paint has already dried.
Paint cannot be blended when dry. The perfect time to create smooth gradations is when the paint is wet. I usually like to work in small areas at a time, ensuring the blends I want to make are appropriate. The thought may require planning, saving myself time, painting, and headaches by working this way.
3- Use multiple layers for more natural, gradual blends.
One of my favourite things about acrylic paint – using multiple layers to create gorgeous smooth-as-silk blends. Yet, creating more than just one layer seems to boggle so many beginner artists.
. Why would you want to create multiple layers?
. Aren’t you wasting paint?
. I already did this part. Why do I need to do it again??
The answer is simple: To create depth and realistic colour blends. Many artists create multiple layers playing off the colours from previous layers to create elegant vibrant colour blends and transitions.
Even if you’re working on a simple gradient, reworking the blended areas with layers is a great way to nail down that transition area. There is nothing wrong with making multiple layers. I encourage it. Let go of those preconceived notions to think about what is best for the canvas and then do it.
Can you use water to blend acrylic paint?
Yes! Thought is the perfect alternative to the knee-jerk reaction of wanting to add globs and globs of paint and smearing it like frosting on your canvas. Using water can both help you regulate the amount of paint you are using and can also help you create much more subtle blends that you can build layer by layer.
Depending on the amount of water you add, you can create varying paint opacities that produce different blending results. For example, let’s say you want to merge between red and blue. If you are working with a semi-transparent colour of red but using a transparent blue pigment, you can water down the red-painted area to dilute it and then carry it over to the blue region. Doing this creates a more subtle blended space.
Opacity blending with acrylics
Are there different rules when using water to aid in blending? Nope, using water still follows the same three rules above; you get the extra benefit of better control.
Are there better colour blends than others? Yes. I believe some colour combinations lend themselves to better blends than other colours. If I were to mix the colours red and purple, I would get a nice, smoother transition than mixing red with blue.
Why is that? Smooth blend transition comparison with two colours: Colours that fall on the same side or near each other on the colour wheel have a more natural-looking transition between one another, thereby creating smoother-looking blends. Trying to create a smooth blend between two colours that are further from one another, while possible, can introduce a muddier mix, which can be a bit frustrating. Use the colour wheel to help you figure out your blends.
So if you’re looking to create optimal gradients that mix ever so gracefully from one colour to another, consider choosing colours close to one another on the wheel.
My final thoughts on blending with acrylic paint: Now that you know the rules and techniques of blending, I recommend you to keep practising. I guarantee you will still make some mistakes, but that’s ok!
Blending does have a bit of a “feel” to it, which every artist eventually learns and masters with practical application. Try painting a sunset background or making various colour swatches in your art journal and take note of what worked and didn’t work, what paints you liked, what blends worked better, etc.
You’ll surprise yourself with what you will learn in the process.
What do you think of my blending tips? Did you learn something valuable? Comment “yes!” below and let me know!
