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Acrylic paint is popular because of how easy it is to use.
Unlike oils, there are no long drying times or special tools needed to clean your brushes.
This makes acrylics perfect for traditional painting, but they also lend themselves to adorning objects and mixing media.
Photo:Liquitex
Acrylics are versatile, but they come with some drawbacks.
One is that they dry quickly.
Another shortcoming is that the pigment can look flat once it dries.
Photo:Liquitex
Luckily, acrylic paints have a not-so-secret weapon to give them special qualities.
What is an acrylic medium?
A medium is a substance that is added to paint to change one or more of its properties.
Mediums are bought in addition to paints.
In doing this, the paints properties are diluted which can cause uneven coverage.
Try swapping water forgel medium; it will thin the pigment while keeping a buttery consistency.
Gel medium comes in two different consistencies:liquidandheavy body.
Liquidincreases fluidity and transparency.
Heavy bodyfocuses on paint consistency.
It will make the paint thicker and brushstrokes visible.
They can be mixed in with the paint and spread over the canvas.
Of the texture mediums,modeling gel(ormodel paste) is the most commonly used.
Its a heavy white gel thats great for building 3D textures.
To use it, first apply it to your surface using a paintbrush or palette knife.
Wait for it to dry and then paint it using like you would a conventional acrylic painting.
If youre looking to tryacrylic staining or pouring, flow medium will make it easier to achieve that aesthetic.
It doubles the drying time so that you’re free to try someoil-painting techniqueslike blending colors on canvas.
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