- Create a Wet Palette: Keep your acrylics moist for longer by using a wet palette—a shallow container with a layer of water beneath a semi-permeable membrane.
- DIY Texture: Add texture to your paintings by mixing sand, sawdust, or even coffee grounds with your acrylic paint for a unique effect.
- Misting Bottle: Keep your palette and canvas moist with a misting spray bottle to prevent acrylics from drying too quickly.
- Double-Dip Technique: Dip your brush in water before loading it with paint to increase fluidity and create smoother brushstrokes.
- Aluminum Foil Palette Liner: Line your palette with aluminum foil for easy cleanup and to preserve leftover paint for the next session.
- Hairdryer Drying: Speed up the drying process by using a hairdryer on low heat to set layers quickly.
- Stencil Spraying: Place stencils on your canvas and use a spray bottle to mist water over them. Remove the stencil to reveal interesting textures.
- Plastic Wrap Texture: While the paint is wet, press plastic wrap onto the surface and lift it off to create a textured effect.
- Palette Knife Magic: Experiment with palette knives for creating bold textures and knife painting effects.
- Use Matte Medium for Transparency: Mix acrylic paint with matte medium to create translucent glazes for layering and depth.
- Glad Wrap Blending: Place glad wrap on wet paint and gently press down for a unique blending effect.
- DIY Spray Varnish: Mix equal parts water and varnish in a spray bottle for an affordable DIY varnish to protect your finished paintings.
- Tape for Clean Edges: Use painter’s tape to create clean, straight edges and protect areas you don’t want to paint.
- Sandpaper for Texture: Gently sand dried layers to create interesting textures and smooth out any rough surfaces.
- Impasto with Gel Medium: Mix acrylic paint with gel medium to create impasto effects and build up textured layers.
- Sponge Techniques: Dabbing a natural sea sponge on your canvas can create interesting textures and patterns.
- Compressed Air for Texture: Spray compressed air onto wet paint for unique splatter and texture effects.
- Palette Cup for Water: Use a palette cup with a screw-on lid to keep water clean and prevent spills.
- Drybrushing: Remove excess paint from your brush and lightly drag it over the canvas for a drybrush technique that adds texture.
- Ink and Acrylic Combo: Experiment with combining acrylic paint and ink for mixed media effects with vibrant colours.
