By Ruthie V
If I wanted to paint solid, flat, even areas of color without visible brushstrokes I would:
- Start with a pre-gessoed smooth panel, or apply your own gesso and wet sand between coats.
- Use a soft brush, like a synthetic squirrel tail. (Hint: You’ll need to use thinner paint with a softer brush)
- Soft brush still too brushy? Don’t use a brush. Try a spray, roller, squeegee. No? Try pouring the paint or apply cut outs for flat shapes.
- TryGolden fluid acrylics instead of heavy body paints.
- Choose colors that are opaque, not transparent.
- Practice your brush strokes so you land the brush softly, and lift just as smoothly, as if you were landing and taking off in plane. Hard stops and starts leave a lot of brush stroke marks.
- Add a medium that improves the flow of the paint, like Golden Acrylic Flow Release.
- Try an acrylic paint extender (slows drying time) and a paint leveler (smooths itself out) like Golden’s Self Leveling Gel.
- Try using house paints instead of artist paints (less pigment power, but can be very “flat”)
- Apply the paint in several light layers, instead ofone thick one.
- Lightly sand between coats
- Alternate brush stroke directions
- Didn’t solve the problem? Consider switching to enamels, or dang it all and painton a computer.
Image above: Paul Reed, Barcelona 1969
You’re reading a V. Note, written by Ruthie V, the director of the Seattle Artist League. The League is an art school for the busy nurse, tech geek, and mom with a long lost art degree. We offer engaging online classes in drawing and painting. Join us! Find your class: https://www.seattleartistleague.com/product-category/d-online-classes/
