Add a touch of water to the mix, so it’s got a little bit more fluidity to it, and then paint onto the surface to create an even tone using a flat brush (see: How to paint a coloured ground.
Understanding Light and Shadows: Enhancing Your Paintings with Contrast
As an artist, one of the most fundamental and crucial elements you need to grasp is the interplay of light and shadows. Mastering this concept can elevate your artwork to a whole new level, adding depth, dimension, and realism to your paintings. The key to achieving this lies in the skillful use of contrast, which can be beautifully executed with acrylic paints and brushes. In this article, we will delve into the art of understanding light and shadows, explore how to use contrast effectively with acrylic paints and brushes, and provide practical tips for your artistic journey.
Light and shadows are the yin and yang of visual art. They work in tandem to create the illusion of three-dimensionality on a two-dimensional canvas. Without them, your paintings would appear flat and lifeless. Light defines the form and structure of objects, while shadows add depth, drama, and mood.
To fully grasp the concept of light and shadows, it’s essential to study how light interacts with objects in the real world. Observe how light sources cast shadows, how they change in intensity and direction, and how they create highlights and reflections. This observational skill will serve as the foundation for enhancing your paintings with contrast using acrylic paints and brushes.
Understanding Contrast
Contrast is the difference between light and dark in your artwork. It is the range of values that exist between the brightest highlights and the deepest shadows. Contrast can be created through variations in tonal values, color, and texture.
There are two main types of contrast that you should be aware of:
- Value Contrast: This type of contrast deals with the variation in the intensity of light and dark areas in your painting. Strong value contrast creates a dramatic effect, while subtle value contrast can add nuance and depth.
- Color Contrast: Color can also be used to create contrast in your paintings. Complementary colors, for instance, can enhance the vibrancy of each other when placed side by side. Warm colors like red and yellow can contrast with cool colors like blue and green.
Using Acrylic Paints and Brushes to Enhance Contrast
Now that we understand the importance of light, shadows, and contrast, let’s explore how to use contrast effectively in your paintings with acrylic paints and brushes.
1. Start with a Strong Composition
Before you even pick up your brushes, it’s essential to establish a strong composition. Your composition should guide the viewer’s eye through the painting and provide a sense of balance and harmony. Once you have a solid composition, you can use acrylic paints and brushes to emphasize focal points and create depth.
2. Study Your Subject
Whether you’re painting a still life, a portrait, or a landscape, take the time to study your subject closely. Observe how light interacts with the objects, how it creates highlights, and how it casts shadows. With acrylic paints, you have the advantage of layering, so you can build up the tonal values gradually.
3. Experiment with Acrylics
Acrylic paints are versatile and fast-drying, allowing you to experiment with different techniques to create contrast. You can apply thin glazes to build up transparent layers, use impasto techniques to create texture and depth, or mix your acrylics with various mediums to alter their properties. Try different brush strokes and thicknesses to see how they affect your painting’s texture and contrast.
4. Create a Range of Values
To achieve strong value contrast, it’s crucial to create a full range of values in your painting with acrylics. Start with your mid-tones, then gradually add the darkest darks and the lightest lights. Acrylics allow for layering and adjusting values easily, enabling you to build depth and dimension in your artwork.
5. Don’t Overdo It
While contrast is a powerful tool, it’s essential to use it judiciously, especially when working with acrylics. The fast-drying nature of acrylics means you need to work efficiently. Avoid excessive contrast that can make your painting look overworked and unnatural. Instead, aim for a balance between light and shadow that enhances the overall composition.
6. Use Color to Enhance Contrast
Incorporating color contrast can take your acrylic paintings to the next level. Experiment with complementary colors, warm and cool color schemes, and subtle shifts in color temperature to create visual interest and depth. Acrylic paints offer a wide range of vibrant colors that can be easily mixed and layered to achieve the desired effect.
7. Practice, Practice, Practice
Like any skill, mastering contrast with acrylic paints and brushes takes practice. Don’t be discouraged if your first attempts don’t yield the results you desire. Keep painting, experimenting, and learning from your mistakes. Over time, you will develop a keen sense of how to use acrylics effectively to enhance your artwork with the mesmerizing power of contrast.
Want to add depth and dimension to your paintings? Try glazing!
Glazing is a technique where you add a transparent layer of paint over an existing layer. It’s a great way to add depth and dimension to your paintings and bring out the colours or form underneath.
To glaze, you’ll need a glazing medium and a brush. Mix the glazing medium with your paint to create a transparent layer. Then, apply the glaze over your base layer, using smooth brushstrokes to spread the paint evenly. You can build up multiple layers of glaze for even more depth and richness.
Remember to let each layer dry completely before applying the next.
You can download the reference image below to work along from, so grab a brew (maybe a couple of biscuits) and let’s get painting!!…
Downloading the reference photograph
The photo below can be ‘right clicked’ and ‘Save image as’, so you can print it out and follow along with the video above.
Materials you will need for Glazing:
Brushes
- Flat ‘Brights’ Golden Synthetic, size #10 (10.1mm x 14.2mm) Series 302 Rosemary & Co
- Small round nylon brush about 5mm diameter (any brand will be fine)
Acrylic Paints
I use a mix of Golden Acrylics and Winsor & Newton Professional Acrylics, previously called Artists’ Acrylics.
For the Coloured Ground
- Raw Umber (Golden Paints)
- Titanium White Acrylic (Golden Paints)
For the Main Painting
- Titanium White (Winsor & Newton or Golden)
- Raw Umber (Golden Paints)
For Glaze with acrylics
- Phthalo Blue – Red Shade (Golden Paints)
- Permanent Alizarin Crimson (Winsor & Newton)
- Raw Sienna (Winsor & Newton)
