Tag Archives: acrylic paint

Painting and Process

Nascence, (Coming Into Being), Acrylic on Canvas, 22" x 30", © 2015, Pamela Atkinson, Pam Atkinson, pamelaatkinson.net, pamelaatkinsonart.com, Painting, Watercolor, Acrylic, Art Workshops and Classes, Riverside CA, Southern CA, Visual Artist, Children's Art Classes, Art Camps

I’ve been known to find artwork from a few years ago and not remember making it. Looking at it, I wonder why I didn’t value it more. Could the answer be that I wasn’t ready to accept the direction it was taking my work? Was I so involved with my current thoughts that I didn’t want the distraction of a new concept?

Making a painting is like going on a long trip; what you discover along the way can surprise and delight, and sometimes dismay, but it’s always exciting, and in the end it’s worth all the effort and that’s why I paint.

I’ve read many books that say you need to plan the composition and value placement so that your work looks cohesive, and as a teacher I believe this. But if I follow this advise it leads to stale looking work; stiff and lifeless. I’ve planned paintings in this way and the work was successful but the painter was bored! Where were the surprises and what about the mystery? The adventurous way, and my preferred way of working, is to see where the process takes me. It’s my belief, that since my paintings come from my thoughts there is a built-in harmony between my various artworks. But I know that to pull this off you need good solid knowledge of art making techniques and time spent experimenting with different materials. Art history is crucial, it teaches you to appreciate what you’re seeing and the people who have come before you. Without all of this you are flailing around with a paintbrush in your hand.

I hope you enjoy my newest painting (above) and that it speaks clearly to all who patiently look. It represents energy in it’s raw form becoming something beautiful and strong. It takes determination and patience to create a painting but the final work is well worth the journey.

I’m always curious about other artist’s creative processes. Please write a comment about your artwork and include a link to your site!

Private Lessons

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Teaching is an active profession. Filling my time in the classroom is never a problem, I’m always moving from one student to the next; fetching supplies, showing new techniques, and discussing what the kids are creating. Sometimes it’s hectic, but I enjoy my students’ creative enthusiasm. It suits me and contrasts nicely with the quiet time I spend making my artwork.

Then there are the private lessons. In the beginning, I had doubts that I could quietly observe and guide only one person. What would I do with all the spare time? It turns out that these hours are some of the happiest of my work week. I’ve gotten to know some wonderful people and share their artistic successes.

Self Portrait, Age 12

Above is a self-portrait by one of my favorite students. She has just turned thirteen and is smart and creative, and we have an excellent rapport. She challenges me but also respects my advice. We first met when she was nine and I’ve been working with her for a little over three years. She may want a career in art and I want to give her a good start; lots of basic knowledge balanced by her interests and curiosity. One of the ways we’re marking her progress is that she periodically paints a horse.

First Horse, painted in the 4th grade.

It was one of the first images she painted with me and repeating it was her idea. She’s serious about her artwork and is willing to take time to build a strong portfolio. This first picture, above, is well composed and the pink horse is delightful. For the latest depiction, I wanted her to create a grayscale painting and use glazes to add the color. It’s an old technique, but the understanding gained was worth all her hard work.

Grisaille underpainting.

The final painting. Glazes of color were used over the underpainting. The musculature of the animal shows through sheer color.

The finished painting. Glazes of color were applied over the underpainting so that the musculature of the animal shows through the sheer color.

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Her lastest painting is a watercolor. It’s a wonderful tribute to a dog friend who passed away. Much love and care went into making this special work.

I’m amazed at how her technical ability has grown over the past three years and I’m looking forward to seeing how her talent evolves. She has the intellect and the drive and her portfolio is off to a good start!

But I Don’t Need Any Paint!

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I’m a paint snob! I only like quality brands and Golden is the only acrylic paint I use. Their fluid acrylics are the best and I can’t do without the Acrylic Glazing Liquid. Depending on the look I want: I paint it on the canvas before I add color, I mix it into the pigment to make it more transparent or to create a glaze, and I use it on top of the paint to blend it. These paints are easy to use and create consistent results and I recommend them to my adult students.

Going to the art supply store is one of the fun things we do on the weekend. It’s a toy store for artists but because my favorite store is 50 miles away, I make sure that my inventory of both acrylic paint and watercolor doesn’t get low. I don’t need paint but Golden has a new line of watercolors called QOR, and I couldn’t resist! I purchased the High Chroma Set of 6 colors which contained Green Gold, Quinacridone Gold, Transparent Pyrrole Orange, Cobalt Teal, Dioxazine Purple and Quinacridone Magenta, in 5 ml tubes. The advertising copy says they are “amazingly brilliant” and its true! I’ve used most of the major brands of watercolors and these react in a different way and the colors glow!

For my basic palette, my favorite brand is DaVinci, the paint is high quality and the tubes are large, 37mL, and like Golden, they have always been helpful when I’ve had questions about a product. Lately, I’ve been using Daniel Smith Watercolors because of all their unusual colors. I’m an artist who prefers to use 5 tubes of paint or less in a painting, so it’s fun to add in colors like Indanthrone Blue and Perylene Maroon.

Most quality brands of paint handle in a similar way, but QOR moves differently on the paper. Gum Arabic is the binder for watercolors but QOR uses a unique product. There is a nice introductory video on the QOR site that explains the difference. I needed to make a couple of adjustments to my technique to get the colors to flow one into another without hard edges. With the QOR colors it took more effort to accomplish the fluid look I want, but once I got used to the way it applied I didn’t have a problem. Watercolors come in transparent, opaque, and granulating which look uneven on the surface of the paper, these qualities give a painting its character. I didn’t use any granulating pigments in the painting below, but the Cobalt Teal (included in the set) is granulating and Semi-Opaque. All the pigments I used were transparent, except Dioxazine Purple, which is semitransparent. The colors are bright and clear and mix well with each other and they all have a similar intensity which gives the painting a contemporary look.

All the Stars int the Universe, Watercolor, 9" x 12", © 2014

I’m looking forward to trying some of the other QOR colors. I like the clean, bright quality of the paint. But I need to remember, that I don’t need any more paint!

What’s your favorite paint? Have you tried QOR? What do you think?

	Pamela Atkinson on Painting and Process
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	Pamela Atkinson on Painting and Process
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	Pamela Atkinson on Painting and Process