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Basecoat - This is the initial
layer of color applied to an area of your project. Use as
large a brush as possible and apply with long smooth strokes so you
don't leave any ridges.
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Float Shade - Float shading is
probably the most difficult technique to master in acrylic painting.
If your brush is too wet, color will spread across the width of your
brush and leave an unwanted edge. If your brush is too dry,
the floated color won't spread properly, leaving a very stark strip
of color. The only advice I can give is practice and keep trying.
You'll find that within a short period of time you'll automatically
know how wet your brush needs to be to get the desired shaded effect
you are looking for. It will just "feel" right.
How to Float Shade: Make sure the basecoat
is completely dry before you float shade. Dip brush into
water, then lightly blot on a paper towel to get rid of the excess
water. Dip the corner of your brush into paint and stroke your
brush back and forth on your palette to blend the water and paint
together. Then apply the shading to your project.
As you can see in the picture at left, color is very intense on one
side of the brush and floats out to clear water on the
other side of the brush. Float darker shades of your basecoat
to SHADE; float light hues to HIGHLIGHT.
Float shading adds depth and dimension to your finished painting
and gives it a nice rounded effect.
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Stipple or Stippling - This
technique is used for apply color to cheeks of faces and to
sometimes highlight areas of a painting. Special
stippling brushes can be purchased for this, or you can use those
old, worn out, flat brushes that aren't flat anymore.
How to Stipple: Dip a dry brush into paint,
bounce it on paper towel to remove excess paint, then bounce it up
and down on your project.
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Drybrushing - This works well to
highlight areas of your painting. Dip a flat brush in paint.
Rub it back and forth on a paper towel to remove most of the paint.
Drag your brush in one direction across the basecoated area.
The idea is to end up with just a hint of paint across your
basecoat...like chalk on a sidewalk.
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Stripes - thin your paint with
water to an ink-like consistency. Use a liner brush (the size
depends on what size stripes you want). You'll achieve
straighter lines and have more control if you start at the top of
the area to be striped and pull the brush downward.
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Dots - You can use a #1 round brush
or the end of the handle of a brush. They also make dotting
tools just for the purpose of making different sizes dots.
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C-Strokes - Using a
liner brush, start as if to make a dot, then lift up on your brush
as you continue to curve out the remainder of the stroke. This
is fun! * *
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Cat Stripes - Using a liner brush
and your paint thinned to an ink-like consistency, "squiggle" in the
stripe as if scribbling with a pencil. Start at the widest
part and squiggle down to a point.
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