Negative Acrylic Painting
Hey Ya'll! Lately, it seems on Pinterest I am seeing a ton, and I mean a ton, of negative acrylic paintings floating by in my stream and I decided I would try my hand out at it. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this type of technique, you basically pull an object or image out from the background by covering the background colors to 'reveal' the image in the foreground. Lots of mixed media pieces are using this technique on canvas and in art journals too!
Because time was an issue with me, isn't it always?, I decided to give myself two parameters before trying this out. 1. I chose to paint small....really small, 4" by 4" on canvas board. 2. I only allowed myself 20 minutes from start to finish (after the background was dry.)
With that in mind I went at it, slinging paint on my little canvas in hues that appealed to me being careful not to 'mix' the paint but rather fill in with it. Once I was happy, which was didn't take long, I let the background dry. Once it was dry, I set the timer and began covering the background with layers to reveal the vase and table. I did use a Derwent Watercolor Pencil just to add some contrast but I simply painted quickly and loose. Once the dinger went off I stopped.
(second painting)
This process was a ton of fun. I could see working like this in large format with reckless abandon! After my little 'mini-shot' was done, I went ahead and did some research about negative acrylic painting and found several videos by Robert Burridge using this technique. Below is one showing his method of making a vase with flowers. He paints much bigger and looser than I do, but viewing the video showed me how I could change my approach, especially when I move up to a larger paper. I am really intrigued by him, his teaching style, and plan to spend some time tinkering with some ideas he shares.
I do hope you consider trying out negative acrylic painting for yourself! Of all the processes I have learned to date, it is was one of the most fun and rewarding! I also am planning on sharing this in a Google+ hangout soon!
Because time was an issue with me, isn't it always?, I decided to give myself two parameters before trying this out. 1. I chose to paint small....really small, 4" by 4" on canvas board. 2. I only allowed myself 20 minutes from start to finish (after the background was dry.)
With that in mind I went at it, slinging paint on my little canvas in hues that appealed to me being careful not to 'mix' the paint but rather fill in with it. Once I was happy, which was didn't take long, I let the background dry. Once it was dry, I set the timer and began covering the background with layers to reveal the vase and table. I did use a Derwent Watercolor Pencil just to add some contrast but I simply painted quickly and loose. Once the dinger went off I stopped.
(second painting)
This process was a ton of fun. I could see working like this in large format with reckless abandon! After my little 'mini-shot' was done, I went ahead and did some research about negative acrylic painting and found several videos by Robert Burridge using this technique. Below is one showing his method of making a vase with flowers. He paints much bigger and looser than I do, but viewing the video showed me how I could change my approach, especially when I move up to a larger paper. I am really intrigued by him, his teaching style, and plan to spend some time tinkering with some ideas he shares.
I do hope you consider trying out negative acrylic painting for yourself! Of all the processes I have learned to date, it is was one of the most fun and rewarding! I also am planning on sharing this in a Google+ hangout soon!
