Acrylics

I painted the demonstrations in this book with Liquitex Heavy Body Professional Artist Acrylic Colors that come in tubes. I like these paints because they have a good consistency —smooth but not runny —and can either be thinned to a watercolor-type glaze or applied in a thicker, more opaque layer with lots of possibilities in between. They are also permanent and richly colored, and will not crack or yellow when dry. However, there are many brands of acrylic paint available, so experiment and find out what works best for you. The colors I use most in this book include: Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Red Medium, Cadmium Yellow Deep, Cerulean Blue, Hansa Yellow Light, Hooker’s Green Permanent, Naples Yellow, Raw Sienna, Red Oxide, Scarlet Red, Titanium White, Ultramarine Blue and Yellow Oxide.

MIXING ACRYLIC COLORS

Painting with pigments straight from the tube results in garish, unrealistic colors. Most of the colors you use will be a mixture of two or more pigments.

Be sure to mix a large enough quantity of each color so that you have enough to finish the painting. This is easier than trying to mix the same color a second time. Save all of your color mixtures until you have completed the painting. You never know when you may need a color again to reestablish a detail, for example. You can also use a previously mixed color as the basis for a new color by simply adding another color or two to a portion of a mixture you’ve already created.

Acrylic Color Requirements

Here are a few of the acrylic paints I use in this book. The colors required in the demonstrations vary with the subject, some requiring more or different colors than others.

USEFUL ACRYLIC MIXTURES

Here are some useful color mixtures:

Warm black: Mix Burnt Umber and Ultramarine Blue to paint an animal’s coat. This black looks more natural than black from a tube.

Warm white: For painting highlights in animal fur, clouds or wildflowers, mix Titanium White and a touch of Hansa Yellow Light or Yellow Oxide.

Basic green: Mix a basic green for grass and trees with Hooker’s Green Permanent, adding a little Cadmium Orange and Burnt Umber to tone down the green. For darker shadows, mix in some Ultramarine Blue and more Burnt Umber. For highlight colors, add some Titanium White and Naples Yellow or Hansa Yellow Light.

Basic grass: Mix a basic grass color with Hooker’s Green Permanent, Titanium White, Naples Yellow and a little Cadmium Orange.

Bluish green: For distant trees, mix Titanium White, Hooker’s Green Permanent, Ultramarine Blue and a bit of both Cadmium Orange and Raw Sienna.

Natural pink: For noses and white-furred animals, mix Titanium White, Scarlet Red and Burnt Umber or Burnt Sienna.

Bluish shadow color: For shadowed areas in light, mix Titanium White, Ultramarine Blue and a little Burnt Umber or Burnt Sienna.

Blue sky: Create this color with Titanium White, Ultramarine Blue and a touch of Naples Yellow. For a brighter blue, use Cerulean Blue instead of Ultramarine Blue.