How to Paint Smoothly in Acrylics with Ali Kay
Not all painters want to be texture painters. Many artists aspire to achieve a smooth, texture-free finish in their acrylic paintings.
Some media, like watercolor, are quite suited for thin layers. But what about if you paint in acrylics?
Ali Kay (Ep.61) says you’ve got some good options for keeping everything smooth.
Kay points out that there are two main places you’ll want to limit your texture.
The first is your paint itself and the second are the surfaces you’re working on.
Put it to Practice:
When it comes to acrylic paint, you can control the thickness of your acrylic paints themselves.
Acrylic paints run from heavy body (toothpaste) to soft (thick yogurt) to fluids (heavy cream) and high flow (water).
The difference between these paints is not how strong they are. When you’re working with professional grade paints, the viscosities will all be what’s called highly pigmented. A fluid acrylic is NOT a heavy body pigment watered down. It is only a change in the thickness of the paint.
If you prefer smooth-looking paintings, try working with fluid acrylics to see if that gives you the (lack of) texture you’re looking for.
The other place you can affect the final texture is the surfaces you’re painting on. Look for surfaces that don’t have much texture to begin with including wood.
Canvas, with its small grooves, will add a bit of texture to a painting.
If wood panels or cradled boards are too expensive, Kay recommends that when you’re first getting started, you can find wonderfully smooth (and inexpensive) surfaces in the hardware store.
Get a big sheet of Masonite (also known as hardboard), and have them cut it down to different standard sizes of board.
Bonus: You’ll have a dozen inexpensive surfaces to get started with. By keeping the cost low, you’ll also lower your pushback to wasting materials and you’ll paint more.