Acrylic, Research for Presentation

As part of my Masters we have been asked to do a presentation, either solo, with a partner or in groups, exploring advanced techniques.

I am pairing up with Beth Frost to look into acrylic paint. It is something that be both use but in very different ways so we want to explore this. This will hopefully show the group new ways of using acrylic and perhaps inspire some to try it or develop their techniques. 

Acrylic paint is a fast-drying paint made of pigment suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints are water-soluble, but become water-resistant when dry. Depending on how much the paint is diluted with water, or modified with acrylic gels, media, or pastes, the finished acrylic painting can resemble a watercolor or an oil painting, or have its own unique characteristics not attainable with other media.^[1] Acrylic paint is typically used for crafting, or in art classes in schools because it does not require any chemicals, and rinses away with just water.^{[citation needed]} It also is less likely to leave a stain on clothes than oil paint.

Grades[edit]

Commercial acrylic paints come in two grades:

• Artist acrylics (professional acrylics) are created and designed to resist chemical reactions from exposure to water, ultraviolet light, and oxygen.^[13] Professional-grade acrylics have the most pigment, which allows for more medium manipulation and limits the color shift when mixed with other colors or after drying.^[14][15]
• Student acrylics have working characteristics similar to artist acrylics, but with lower pigment concentrations, less-expensive formulas, and fewer available colors. More expensive pigments are generally replicated by hues. Colors are designed to be mixed even though color strength is lower. Hues may not have exactly the same mixing characteristics as full-strength colors.^[14][15]

Varieties[edit]

• Heavy body acrylics are typically found in the Artist and Student Grade paints. "Heavy Body" refers to the viscosity or thickness of the paint. They are the best choice for impasto or heavier paint applications and will hold a brush or knife stroke and even a medium stiff peak. Gel Mediums ("pigment-less paints") are also available in various viscosities and used to thicken or thin paints, as well as extend paints and add transparency.^[16]
  • Examples of Heavy Body Acrylics are Matisse Structure Acrylic Colors, Lukas Pastos Acrylics, Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylics and Golden Heavy Body Acrylics.
• Medium viscosity acrylics – Fluid acrylics, Soft body acrylics, or High Flow acrylics – have a lower viscosity but generally the same pigmentation as the Heavy Body acrylics. Available in either Artist quality or Craft quality, the cost and quality vary accordingly. These paints are good for watercolor techniques, airbrush application, or when smooth coverage is desired. Fluid acrylics can be mixed with any medium to thicken them for impasto work, or to thin them for glazing applications.^[17]
  • Examples of fluid acrylics include Lukascryl Liquid, Lukascryl Studio, Liquitex Soft Body and Golden Fluid acrylics.
• Open acrylics were created to address the one major difference between oil and acrylic paints: the shortened time it takes acrylic paints to dry. Designed by Golden Artist Colors, Inc. with a hydrophilic acrylic resin, these paints can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days, or even weeks, to dry completely, depending on paint thickness, support characteristics, temperature, and humidity.^[18]
• Iridescent, pearl and interference acrylic colors combine conventional pigments with powdered mica (aluminium silicate) or powdered bronze to achieve complex visual effects. Colors have shimmering or reflective characteristics, depending on the coarseness or fineness of the powder. Iridescent colors are used in fine arts and crafts.
• Acrylic gouache is like traditional gouache because it dries to a matte, opaque finish. However, unlike traditional gouache, the acrylic binder makes it water-resistant once it dries. Like craft paint, it will adhere to a variety of surfaces, not only canvas and paper. This paint is typically used by water-colorists, cartoonists, or illustrators, and for decorative or folk art applications.
  • Examples of acrylic gouache are Lascaux Gouache and Turner Acryl Gouache.
• Craft acrylics can be used on surfaces besides canvas, such as wood, metal, fabrics, and ceramics. They are used in decorative painting techniques and faux finishes to decorate objects of ordinary life. Although colors can be mixed, pigments are often not specified. Each color line is formulated instead to achieve a wide range of premixed colors. Craft paints usually employ vinyl or PVA resins to increase adhesion and lower cost.
• Interactive acrylics are all-purpose acrylic artists' colors which have the characteristic fast-drying nature of artists' acrylics, but are formulated to allow artists to delay drying when they need more working time, or re-wet their work when they want to do more wet blending.
• Exterior acrylics are paints that can withstand outdoor conditions. Like craft acrylics, they adhere to many surfaces. They are more resistant to both water and ultraviolet light. This makes them the acrylic of choice for architectural murals, outdoor signs, and many faux-finishing techniques.

-Wikipedia 

I have so far tried Heavy body, medium viscosity and iridescent or interference colours. I have now ordered some acrylic gouaches to try as I have always wanted to try these.

I found a video on techniques of using interference colours: 


After this I went to see what the Uni shop had in to see a bit of the variety.

I've also looked at my own work, focusing on some pieces that differ in their use of Acrylic. 

For Long, Long Trip I watered down the paint a little and wasn't focused on blending, something that I have often done naturally. I wanted to explore a different level to the paint by watering it down. I also chose to outline in paint, something that I usually would do in pen or a similar material but I decided to step out of my comfort zone and I am happy with the outcome as it compliments the rest of the "messy" painting techniques. 

Mary's Immaculate Heart was painted on board, something daily new to me and was painted using no black paint as I wanted the piece to be as vibrant as possible. I used minimal water with the paints so that they would be quite solid and instead relied on whites and brighter colours to pint lighter areas. I also used gold acrylic on this piece as well as spray paint. 

Lemon Tree was painted on an outside wall with System Acrylic paint rather than outdoor paint. I had done research and this seemed like the best paint to use outdoors on this wall but would have to be varnished after. I used Spray Gloss to see this. I have returned to this more than a year later and the colour is still vibrant.

Mont Chaberton is mixed media and is a good example of using both System Acrylic as well as Posca acrylic paint pens. The pink area is the Post pens and the black of the mountain was created by cellulosic the image onto of the pink.

The Great Stone Book is a good example of how versatile acrylic can be. It is here painted onto cardboard. It didn't warp the material and will serve to protect it.

Raccoons n'Shrooms was painted onto cartridge paper with minima water so that the paper wouldn't warp. Acrylic can be well blended but I was trying to explore a more fluid way of working with this as didn't spend much time blanking but instead kept adding layers.

Filling Evert Pore Of Us is one of my most recent finished acrylic paintings using System Acrylics. I want to develop further the technique used in Raccoon's n"Shrooms. I also tried out new ways of using brushes, using bigger, dry brushes to create the mountain layers behind creates this far away, misty feel.

Testing out the Acrylic Gouache paints (in my hand made concertina).

These seem to dry quicker than acrylic and seems to be a bit denser.

Unfortunately I was unable to do this presentation in the end because of a family matter but I have learnt a lot during this process.