Painting Process

My fine art acrylic painting process:

• • Paints

    • I used Liquitex exclusively for a long time. In 2025, I started switching to Golden Open Acrylics. They stay wet longer and are easier to blend.

  • Acrlyc Varnish

    • Liquitex gloss varnish spray. This cannot be removed.  Do not use this.

    • Windsor-Newton UV gloss Spray. This can be removed in the future. Paintings before 2025 didn't do it this way. Older paintings have a matte or gloss layer.

  • Clean dried acrylic paint from brushes

    • Put an inch of 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol in a red cup

    • Add the brushes. Mix the brushes in the alcohol.

    • Set five-minute timer.

    • When the timer goes off, remove brushes and rinse with warm water and soap.

    • Thoroughly rinse to remove any soap.

    • If the brushes are clean, then you are done. Otherwise repeat steps 2-5

    • Dispose of alcohol and throw out cup.

• • Use seven layer painting technique

  • Paint Colors

    • White use Golden Gesso because it is partially transparent

    • Neutral Black: (1) on a paper plate using a palette knife, mix neutral black: equal parts Golden Open burnt umber and Golden Open Ultramarine Blue with a dab of Liquitex dioxazine purple. (2) move neutral black to Sta-wet palette or store in a tin tube.

    • Payne's Gray: to neutral gray (2/3) add more Ultramarine Blue (1/3) and a touch of Golden gesso, which is aa transparent white. Compare to pre-mixed Payne's Gray 

    • Palette: burnt umber, ultramarine blue, quanacrodone magenta, cobalt teal, pthalo green, caddmium yelllow deep, 

  • How to make a wood panel for acrylic painting

  • How to prime a wood panel

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  • Sta-wet palette

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