acrylic painting techniques?

Question

what's a good technique to use when painting around stuctures? sometimes the background color is much lighter right next to the structure because i paint the objects before the background. here is an example of something i painted a while back:

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c60/death_cab_for_justin/100_0565.jpg

see how right around the flower the crimson color is considerably lighter?

Answer 1

The red paint you're using is transparent, and so it shows some of the layer beneath it. Check your paint tubes, if you're using a good quality paint it will specify if the pigment is transparent, semi-opaque or opaque. Some paints (like Golden brand) show a swatch on the tube that is painted over black stripes - if you can see the stripes, the paint is transparent.

Two ways of fixing this - paint your entire background the same colour as you've used around the objects before you painted over it - this way the background colour remains the same beneath the final coat of red.

Or - if you want red to cover in one coat, you need to use a good quality paint that contains a true Cadmium Red (not a HUE) or Pyrrole Red that is marked OPAQUE on the tube. These are the only reds that are truly opaque (and some Pyrroles are transparent.)

Answer 2

To answer your question about the paint being too opaque try using a medium that will make the paint more transparent. I like using the polymer gloss by the brand Golden. Also, if you like blending the paint then i recommend using Golden's retarder, it will extend the drying time. I can't really help you improve in painting. It's all about experimenting. I'd suggest looking up artists and seeing what their process is.