Fluid Details
Sharon May 31st, 2010
Recently I completed this painting with fluid acrylics on ampersand watermedia board. For me, the process of using fluid acrylics is much the same as for watercolor. Because this was such a complex drawing, with lots of almost hidden treasures (snail, toad, butterflies etc) I had to draw the individual elements and add them to the painting as I went.
I found that my watercolor method of painting individual subjects and then masking them before doing a background works as well with the fluid acrylics as it does in watercolor. I painted the mouse on the white ampersand board and then (after the acrylic dried) covered the painted details with pebeo masking gum. When that was good and dry, and I had done the same to many other details in the same area of the painting, I could go back and paint the leaves and mosses behind the subjects more freely. I didn’t have to worry about messing up the details I had already done.
When the background was dry (only minutes with the acrylic) I was able to easily remove the masking but rubbing on it. None of the color or details came off and the results required very little touch up. While I still prefer watercolor on paper for the soft focus backgrounds, the acrylic is just what I needed to put together this complex painting with many of the forest flora and fauna I found in the early spring.
