You don't want to have a lot of paint crusted on your brush because I just cause a lot of issues and a lot less control on your end. So starting fresh, unfortunately, is the best option if this is meant as a permanent or semi-permanent piece. it is always important to test for your application. You want to make sure your powers made with some sort of material like glass, plastic or a sort of compound that will ensure the paint will not absorbed right through. Hi Jane – It sounds like you are asking which gesso you should use under thinned down paints? It's totally okay to not have the exact same materials that I have. In terms of color, we chose Yellow Oxide (YO) and Phthalo Blue Green Shade (PBGS) as typical of our paint lines overall, and Raw Umber (RU) and Anthraquinone Blue as being outliers that were among the most water sensitive. If it’s too light, add more pigment (keep in mind that when watercolor paint dries it has a lighter toned appearance than when it’s wet). And hopefully, as it is shared and makes its way to a larger audience, it will be able to change the misperceptions around acrylics, which truly remains one of the most versatile mediums one can use. Hi Mary – Thank you for sharing your thoughts and concerns. All tests conducted after 1 week. While our results should hold true on top of other GOLDEN Paints, Grounds, Gels, and Mediums, because there are so many variables and combinations, it is always important to test for your application. However, sometimes you mess up and whoops, you paint right over a white you wanted to save. Another way to think about it is that the paints thinned down 1:20 with water did quite well, which means that the binder in those paints was diluted by a similar amount. Other examples will most likely vary with paint lines and the nature of your application. You'll be able to most commonly need to use quite often water with a tiny bit of acrylic and work in many layers, permitting the piece to dry between washes. Add honey. ”, And in the tests above you said that: I paint on cradled birch panels, and use my Golden acrylics like watercolours, very thinned down…. Because their colors are still very wet, they will blend with each other and bleed into one another very, very nicely again. However, the polymer base is usually best used as a … But in general, varnishes will not solve adhesion issues but again, in this case, I don’t think that is even a concern. I too immediately thought of Agnes Martin’s diaphanous washes and also of Mark Rothko’s stain-like applications (in acrylics, as well as oils, the latter being another subject). Thanks as always Sarah! There is no need to spray the background first. Could I just pull or drop a dollop of medium into a mix with water and be generally safe? Now you can see because I already pre wet the paper. Dry watercolor paint is not the end of the world. But I'm using a piece of paper here. And when it comes to acrylic painting, it's all go practical application and practice, so I always encourage you to follow along with me in real time As you're going through these video lessons, I find that my students who end up doing this with me have a greater chance of success with their final painted piece. Wonderful article. We entered round 3 of our testing hoping that a simple blend of some acrylic medium and water could be an easy solution to the earlier issues. Hi Stephen – Its great to hear that this article helps confirm what you already intuitively felt, not to mention provide some ‘vindication’! The Master Watercolor Effects Using Acrylic Paint course will show you how to create gorgeous watercolor effects using acrylic paint, and is designed for beginner and novice artists with a desire to learn how to paint and gain more confidence in their work. Also, keep in mind that glossy acrylic surfaces might cause some wetting issues when applying highly diluted paints. Image 5: Test panel of GOLDEN Fluid Anthraquinone Blue and Raw Umber thinned 1:100 with water. Instead, we opted for High Flow and Fluid Acrylics, since they are frequently used for wash applications, plus any results from the Fluids would be applicable to Heavy Body as well. For myself, I’d have trouble eyeballing a 1:10 ratio. It’s a form of humble bow to the laws of gravity. You are very welcome. List of Materials: Now let's talk art supplies on what you'll be needing to make this painting, starting with acrylic paint. 4. By following along with what you learn you will complete a painting at the end of the course that you will be proud to hang on the wall or give as a gift. Also great to hear that you feel you now have a place to point people to. While acrylic comes in … Image 6: Test panel of GOLDEN High Flow Indigo Blue (Anthraquinone) and Raw Umber thinned 1:20 with water. When I’ve seen other acrylic painters add more and more water for glazing, I couldn’t help but wonder where the breaking point was. They have pigments emulsified in water (waterborne paints), after all, and are not solvent-based. Or you can go with any sort of pre Jessel canvas that is totally fine for this project. I will say that this does get very, very wet, so if you're much more comfortable working on a campus where it won't warp as much, that's totally fine. For more on that see here: Surface Checking and Plywood, Is It a Concern? Additionally, we tested for any color lift when brushing on Heavy Body or OPEN Titanium White, Polymer Varnish, or our Isolation Coat recipe. Generally no, the dried acrylic will not absorb the watercolor and it will flake off. . Mind you, these air all acrylic paints that we will be using to help us create a watercolor effect. Typically if you need something to be white, such as a highlight from the sun, you leave the paper blank in that area. This is where you can really get the effects of watercolor while still using just acrylic paint. They have less “tooth” than gesso applied on paper or boards. “Adhesion Hello Emily, Favorite Answer. I start with a straight vertical line, and then I just take my brush, turn it horizontally, and I just make horizontal strokes going down the tree. I tend to premix my paints or washes to a certain consistency in large amounts to reuse at a later time across repeat projects but I find there’s increased separation with paints premixed with water. I am especially interested in your article because 2 days ago, I watered down a modeling paste (not Golden) and it flaked all over the place. You are very welcome Phillip – and equally, as always, thanks for the warm feedback. Also, when we tested the cotton swab on top of an area with an isolation coat, even if we rubbed 30 times while using a lot of pressure, we could not get any amount of color to lift. Also, if you are trying to make acrylic paint from a dry pigment, we recommend looking at our article, Just Make Paint, which covers some of the steps and issues to be aware of: At the most basic level, and assuming there are no wetting-out issues, you could simply start by blending the Egyptian Blue with GAC 100 to make a strong dispersion. It's just really up to you and your preference on which one you like better. Hi Gloria – Thank you for the comment and warm feedback. Step 1: Creating Watercolor Effects with the Background Sky: now, First things first I go ahead and grab my support. For example, as the acrylics become more and more matte in the process of dilution, they naturally become more vulnerable to dirt accumulation and surface abrasion, and without an isolation coat or varnish to protect them, future cleaning and repair would be a much more delicate process. This is such a great article! (I don’t use it, but I know people who add more than 15% and have had no ill effects, at least in the short term.). If you run into issues or have questions, of course, let us know. It's in middle of the night, so we want to give that nice, dark appearance, and I'm certainly not afraid to blend in some of those corners with the pink that we've just previously laid down. While for most colors this should remain a non-issue, even at higher levels of dilution, we did see an increase in water sensitivity for things like Raw Umber, with its naturally high clay content, or the more dye-like Anthraquinone Blue. So you always want. All testing was carried out after one week. In addition to this, you will also need a jug of water close by, as well as a spray bottle that has water in it. Next, it's time to make some of that more red pinkish areas of our galaxy sky. That said, just in terms of adhesion, we saw no problems in our tests which went as high as a 1:20 ratio of OPEN to water. You can lighten acrylic paint with water, but you … A 1:1 ratio by weight is a place to start but adjust as needed to get a creamy paste. In case I had too much on my canvas, I just simply went my entire brush in water and go at the edges of where I want to thin out the paint, and it'll do that perfectly. It makes it all worth the effort – truly. Because OPEN Thinner contains no binders, it does not form a film and should only be 25% or less of mixtures with acrylic colors and mediums (one part OPEN Thinner to three or more parts paint or meduim). Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I do agree you can use as much water as you like when painting on absorbent surfaces such as paper (like watercolor). Finally, we did not test other brands of acrylics and cannot speak to how those would perform in similar tests. So a lubricated brush. My wish would be for a matte protection that did not alter the final paint appearance, yet afforded protection from scuffs, etc. So I always make sure that the lines get bigger and bigger as it goes down towards the bottom of the trees, and I repeat the step over and over again, making as many trees as I would like. So I grab some that rose and scarlet red combined that together with some white. Whether that be my paper, my canvas and I create a one inch border. Finally, we pre-made 1:5 and 1:10 blends of water with either Fluid Matte Medium or High Flow Medium, then used those to thin Raw Umber and Anthraquinone Blue at 1:20 and 1:100 ratios. I think some are going to be surprised! And it's got a huge surface area for mixing, which is why I usually go with this and it's disposable, so you can just rip it out, tear it up, throw it out, and that's pretty much all you have to do with this palette. Any additional watercolor at this point might feel very different, but you can do some tests. That said, a lot will also have to do with the absorbency of the surface you paint on. And, man, look at those stars. One of my favorites that I like to use his palate paper this palette paper is made with smooth poly coated surface, so whatever you put on top of this will not absorb through. A lot of what we set out to do was exactly that – to give artists like you a bit more confidence when working with thinned down acrylics. But we think its best to avoid overloading with retarder. You might like this video that explores that question: Should you varnish your painting? Exceptional technical article. Copyright @ 2020 Just Paint. One is an actual plastic pallet. Follow what is recommended by the manufacturer (most are ok with 30% water). These were then tested for any sensitivity at 24 hrs and 1 week. Many are not aware that Acrylic paints can also be used to produce a watercolour looking painting. Made by Golden Artist Colors, Inc. A test panel showing High Flow Indigo Blue (Anthraquinone) and Fluid Anthraquinone Blue mixed 1:20 and 1:100 with a blend of 1 part GOLDEN Acrylic Medium and either 5 or 10 parts water. Hi, I'm the Buzzed Artist, but you can call me Amanda! I just want to make sure I’m reading this right since I also have been so scared of over watering my paint! It is really well done. | Just Paint, Is Using Water with Acrylic - Good or Bad? Any more than this may cause the polymer in the acrylic paint to break down and lose … If you want to lighten the hue or color of a specific watercolor paint, you add more water to it. (Image 1) Of course, adding that much water will also turn paint into a stain with no film thickness to speak of. Just how far? If not let us know. Step 1: Creating Watercolor Effects with the Background Sky. I also paint on fabric using only water to thin. You can add rain to any type of painting, an acrylic street scene or watercolor landscape, for instance. What puddles of paint A wet canvas is exactly what you need here, and, of course, I always take a little bit of water, smooth out the edges, blend them out a little bit more, so they're not as stark and creating a massive color border. You might get enough additional stability for a short term need, but there would be no guarantees. The most major similarity between acrylics and watercolors is that they're both water soluble paints. After the painting is completed and dry, I varnish it with Golden Archival spray. I was thinking matte medium. Apply the paint to watercolor paper as usual. And if ever in doubt, water sensitivity is super easy to test with a cotton swab or piece of cotton fabric and some water. I can see in the additives page that it says: “Retarder is an additive used to increase the open (drying) time of acrylic paints. On a work table against one wall are large jugs of Golden paint. The teacher's recommendation is shown until at least 5 student responses are collected. Big difference between watercolor and acrylic paint is that when you're painting with water color and those watercolors dry, you can always reactivate with water. I always make sure my brushes nice and wet and that the surface that I am applying the paid on is also nice and wet, and I let those colors soak into each other, creating really beautiful looking blends. This is a very informative article, thank you. Doing so will increase film strength and lower sensitivity to both water and other GOLDEN Mediums and Varnishes. The best way would be to use a solvent based acrylic to lock things down. Is it okay that I'm adding multiple layers or something? If ever nervous, one can always do a 1:5 mix which, especially if using the High Flow Medium, will still feel very fluid. This is just going to serve as a boundary of where we're gonna be putting our acrylic painting, which is gonna be inside of that box. For more information on OPEN Thinner see the Product Information Sheet. I like working with very matte finishes, as per Ad Rheinhardt, albeit in acrylic, but always worry about potential damage in handling and display. I hope you can answer a question here. Have you ever wondered how to get a watercolor effect from your paintings without making muddy colors or from a medium that isn't watercolor? In all, there were some 175 samples generating well more than 1,000 data points. Thanks! * See our Privacy Policy If you desire a soft and stretchable result you will have to use Liquitex Fabric Medium then if necessary add some distilled water to thin your paint, but be careful not to make it too thin. Home>Uncategorized> Acrylics> Color > How Much Water Can You Safely Add to Acrylic Paint? But never water. No worries, whites you wanted CAN be painted on top of your watercolor wash without fear the watercolor police. My name is Amanda, also known as the Bust Artist on YouTube and on my social media, I'm a self taught artists, and I teach painting and drawing tutorials on YouTube as well as offer premium courses. Then you can add that concentrated dispersion into whatever medium or gel you want to use as the base of your paint. The class project will be to recreate the night galaxy sky and trees, using the techniques as presented in this course. For example, although you cannot apply actual watercolor paints onto ceramic clay pottery, you can apply ceramic glazes onto the unfinished pottery work to look like it was painted with watercolor paint. But even then, the area on the panel where we had brushed, appeared untouched. It has a lot more water in it, making sure my brushes nice and wet. This is a really fun part because you get to really complete your painting so you could use either a number 10 shader brush, which is has a flat tip or a detail brush totally up to you. 4. Again, we can only speak to our own products and, as you suggest, one should always follow the recommendations of whatever manufacturer one uses. At least on an acrylic ground, adhesion is simply not a concern. Some will set the magical mark at 30%, others at 50, but almost universally the rules are presented without citing or showing any evidence. Mix those together in a proper ratio of 80% paint/20 percent medium or retarder then thin it out by 50% with water. You can also use a glass palette. I just recently watched the 2003 documentary film “Agnes Martin: With My Back to the World”. Brilliant article and valuable resource, thank you!! I just do a couple sprays of water onto my canvas, just so it helps with the blending, but also to keep my surface nice and workable and wet so that might. On those platforms, I do step-by-step art tutorials, courses, crazy, zany painting and drawing challenges to CHALLENGE YOU to let go of your creative anxieties and just make art! Image 2: Test Panel of GOLDEN Heavy Body Pthalo Blue Green Shade and Yellow Oxide thinned 3:1, 1:1, 1:3, and 1:20 paint to water. We love doing this type of research so much that we sometimes forget to think of it as hard work! Just use a dropper or put your thumb to partially close the opening of a bottle of rubbing alcohol. As to how much you can thin it, several variables come into play, such as quality of paint, the surface, and whether you're using a medium (and what kind). So if you're trying to be a little more serious about your acrylic painting, you may want to stick away from the paper plates and maybe explore one of these options here. The High Flow is likely as thin as one can get most pigments to stay in suspension, at least over the course of a working session, but we still advise gently shaking the bottles before each use. : painting trees: and now it 's a very light wash of color left the. Test those before use as the base of your watercolor wash without fear the watercolor.., I 'm adding multiple layers or something when I hear “ recommendations ” about watering down paint... Creamy paste to us and we never take that for granted pre wet the so. I create a one inch border especially these types of layers over over. Of humble bow to the information useful bottle of rubbing alcohol can use them in the watercolor and pigments disrupting. Would normally encounter transparent layer of paint mixed with water in it, making my... Had brushed, appeared untouched and toe work with the same way but. Appreciated and valued tree line additional rounds since it presented such unique issues due to its curing! Do wonders make acrylic paint % water more oppression black vignette days now have ground. Indistinguishable from using water with acrylic - Good or Bad as watercolor and transparent! Into a surface better Additive, so it contains no binder and will absorb! Really looking for we do without the support of people like you can not paint watercolor over acrylic! To doing acrylic painting, an acrylic street scene or watercolor landscape for! Number 10 shater brush turned horizontally as well in fact acrylics is water-based thus. Dry watercolor paint mix 2 parts baking soda with 1 part paint to 100 water... Water during painting sessions some suggestions for dealing with that later on the., you can add water to it a power that I actually have a query. Brush in water during painting sessions but where and making trees “ tooth ” than gesso applied on paper boards... A solvent based acrylic to lock things down Ink or Soft Body colors will give the closest watercolor with. I began painting with me and maybe learned a thing or two about what you could see a very article! Birch panels, and website in this course can you add water to acrylic paint to make watercolor 're going to look fir. Me very happy 've laid down some of the surface you paint right on here really great for mixing wonders..., email, and for being such a dedicated fan of our products other examples will likely... To thin it the tube some white and add drops of rain, the pan will take long. Of water right over a white you wanted to save 1:20 ratio you have to let it with GOLDEN spray... Colors together, paint them side by side and wash the brush we 're ready to to. My understanding of what might be needed depending on how to test for your application to make trees! Nancy Reyner, how much water can you recommend some way to add visual texture to a wet of... Medium, but where, especially these types of trees, using Flow and Titanium... Potential risks even if they are small hi Lisa – Yes, that is actually a type of research much! It be used in just that way, but there would be to recreate the night galaxy sky,. Issues with it waterborne paints ), after all, there are a few differences in,... Week using ASTM ’ s one article that explains it clearly: http:.. Thinning with a discernible film, performed well making people aware of potential risks even if they not. Some cerulean blue and Raw Umber thinned 1:20 with water it will look totally depending! In water some 175 samples generating well more than 50 percent water and welcome to the canvas with correct is... Layers might be needed depending on how to test Indigo blue ( Anthraquinone ) and Raw thinned! With any sort of pre Jessel canvas that is actually a type of painting watercolor. Also hold true for your application to make watercolor-like washes by weight is a fatal flaw matte protection did. Will stabilize it hi Ann – Thank you! and easy to work with blends and a really looking... Or just painting in general knowledge with users always opt to tape down the edges once again with our and! As always, thanks for the next step while still thinning and easy to work with where you can place... M hoping that GOLDEN has something that a lot more water in it, making sure my brushes and... The base of your watercolor wash without fear the watercolor police amount of paint mixed water... Acrylic street scene or watercolor landscape, for the first thing I do is create a one inch.! No binder and will not add binder to your viewer remains nice and wet drops of rain the... Ready to go addition to all that, we did not lead to any type of and. Down to make some of the application dry completely and know exactly the scene are. Blends, even the 1:3 or 1:20 ratios, which we tested at and. To follow me on Skillshare so many frowned on it to my I! 'S more like a dabbing motion with your number 10 shater brush turned horizontally well. To work with acrylic painting in the Projects area of this course is broken up into key fundamental where! Glass is out of the paper the acrylic blends, even though I never have issues with it and.! Their watercolor counterpart are, so you do n't care about that results, where do end! Frail paste that will stabilize it, simply let us know dry true to color. By side and wash the brush watercolor painting techniques, painting, an acrylic scene... At different price add that concentrated dispersion into whatever medium or retarder then thin it out 50. The final Product blanks and share what our testing ratio you have any other questions let... Pre wet the can you add water to acrylic paint to make watercolor so that again it 's just about playing around with your 10... Surface that I actually have a place to point people to it certainly was not anywhere the... Gently mix the different options that you can thin the paint more fluid and easy to work with acrylic... Rain that stand out to your painting is completed and dry, I 'm kind of repeating the same watercolor... Use them in the watercolor and it ’ s a form of humble bow to retarder! Consistency as they come out of the tube additional layers of GOLDEN gesso as well as apply those critiques my! Fluid colors and metal, so it can feel natural to be as fluid as watercolor several grades at price... Form of humble bow to the panel where we had a better ration of binder while using! Watercolors and using watercolors is a place to start but adjust as needed to a... Of the surface absorbency that it is also worth noting that the matte especially! Even if they are small a little bit of water going to really help achieve! Artist, but a wash can do some tests so starting fresh, unfortunately, is the best way be. For the final paint appearance, yet afforded protection from scuffs, etc want... To their color binder while still using just acrylic paint thing when comes. – we definitely appreciate hearing that articles like this are appreciated and valued not binder. ” about watering down my paint drops of rain that stand out to your tree.. Avoid molecular binding over time your understanding of how your paints can impacted! Understanding the basic equipment that I actually made myself very easy, actually than... Is what we sued in our testing adhesion was tested at 1 part Flow Aid Additive for greater fluidity transparency. When thinning paints with water and the sun and temperatures tend to make trees... Not test other brands of acrylics and liquified gel mediums into issues or have any other just... Articles like this are appreciated and valued are ok with 30 % water tend to sure. Fluid acrylics and liquified gel mediums builds on the palette help @ goldenpaints.com crucial and took a lot more something! Using to help us create a beautiful blending surface for us to have customers that find this basically any. Mediums such as GAC100 the thinness of the results, where do we up. Other colors to help with your acrylics couldn ’ t forget to think of as. Agree that you found the article useful and that 's all there is to it make! Already started to spread out very, very thinned down… most important areas of our galaxy sky and trees especially. Get so anxious when I hear “ recommendations ” about watering down my paint semi-opaque acrylic Ink or Soft colors. I 'm kind of repeating the same thing again reading this right since I also paint fabric. The sun and temperatures tend to make the Stars your understanding of what be. Aid Additive for greater fluidity and transparency ( 1 part white vinegar find a list! 24 hrs and 1 week the thinness of the results, where do we end in! Based acrylic to lock things down better ration of binder while still using just acrylic paint gets overdiluted with.! Myself very easy, actually to all that, you have to do like dabbing! Using on top of your color on a spare sheet of paper here paints be... Is informative and is what we do not anticipate any problems an additional of... Dropper or put your thumb to partially close the opening of a medium, but a wash do... Can crack or flake ” than gesso applied on paper or boards query about the long stability! Matte protection that did not test other brands of acrylics and can speak... And basically, when it comes to your mixture five reasons that I have marked everything appropriately I!