Scarlet Crimson with a Twist

Posted bydebirileyPosted inart, inspiration, painting, photographyTags:, , ,
Scarlet Crimson Acrylics with a Twist, debiriley.com

Flinging paint with a Twist!  This past year’s fun adventures in Watercolor with a Twist course is over. The course is under renovation. Out with the old, in with the new!

Scarlet Crimson Acrylics with a Twist, debiriley.com
Scarlet Crimson Acrylics

 

 

Abstract Painting Design

The painting has an abstracted design with a strong dominating arched curve.  This ‘twist’   curves radically from top right to lower right guiding the viewers’ eyes in that direction.

There is plenty of movement.

Through the flinging of the pale buff titanium as the final touch; through the softer paler blue on the lower right corner – leading upwards; and through the Twisting design itself.

 

 

Acrylic Paint Colors

I’ve used Permanent Alizarin Crimson, Indanthrone Blue and Buff Titanium.

Alizarin and Indanthrone are ‘Stainers’   and  the Buff Titanium is an Opaque paint category. I’ve been a steadfast huge fan of genuine,  Indanthrone Blue.

Real Indanthrone is spendy, but a dab goes a long way and it is exquisite.  Extremely Versatile,  makes the cost very acceptable.

And these days I do not willy nilly just go buy whatever takes my fancy, but thoroughly do a ‘cost justification’ analysis.

Genuine Indanthrone Blue PB 60   passed my criteria.

 

 

 

Abstract Twist Technique and Approach

For this painting I chose to use a watercolor approach.

I wanted the acrylic paints to run, to shoot forth, and to create variations in their tones. So, I needed to dampen the paper ahead of time, in order to prepare it to do so.

This was on a full sheet of 100% cotton 300 gsm Cold Press Arches paper.  A full sheet size is 22 x 30 inches.

 

 

 

Pitfalls and How I Sidestepped them

Acrylics are notorious…

for becoming way too dark, all over, when not enough white paint is mixed in with the colors as you go.   With the final result being flat, depthless, too dark.

 

By using a lot of water, and a watercolor approach, I can eliminate that problem.  Or if I was using the acrylics with a knife, in a thicker more impasto method, I would need to use a lot of white mixed in with nearly all my colors used.

 

A good rule of thumb for acrylics is about 3:1   in other words  3 times more white is used than the 1 part of color.  Acrylics are that powerfully Dark!

Paintings will fail, if you do not have a clear, evident sufficiency of tonal values:   Light tone, Mid tone, and dark tone.

In the painting featured… I sidestepped the problem, by using a watercolor technique wet into wet.

 

acrylic crimson detail abstract, debiriley.com
acrylic detail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Detail,  illustrates the intensity of acrylics.  The image was Salvaged,  rescued with the use of the flinging of the Lighter, pale Buff Titanium to provide the required ratio of Light, Mid, Dark tones.

 

 

News Alert,   Readers!   

I’ve been working on some  Fabulous art sites on Pinterest –   head to  pinterest.com/debijriley for a look at an eclectic  range of stunning art showcasing encaustics, photography, creative drawing ideas, printmaking ideas, Australian art, watercolors, plus more.  Quite a number of the images are mine, but the site is appropriately balanced with others work.

 

 

Published by debiriley

The act of creation, in any media is a fascinating and magical process. I simply love to create. Expressing in color, line, tone, texture - as if, they were words upon a page. Creating a uniquely me, interpretation. Enjoy More of my "one-of-a-kind" expressive art at society6.com/debiriley and, redbubble.com/people/debijriley/shop

27 thoughts on “Scarlet Crimson with a Twist”

  3. The Buff Titanium floats nicely over the cool blues–3D effect.
    Layering is another way to lighten acrylics, transparent glazes over impasto white applied with a palate knife. Yes, to the importance of tonal contrasts. I was getting too little contrast until I began to consciously work on it. A good test for W.I.P., is to take a photo, and in Picasso or your photo program of choice, look at it in black & white.
    Another cool way to use that… is to view in reverse colors. Sometimes enough to get an idea for another painting–using that color array.

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  5. … whoops… didn’t mean to end that comment. That was a clear retinal after-image effect! I SAW that image, closing my eyes, as buff over blues… reinforced by the idea that, of course, the cool colors would recede. But no… you make the warm reds recede! How did I forget that this was about Aliz Crimson?

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    1. hi Jay, my pleasure; and thank you for stopping in and for your feedback on the painting! It is always great to hear others thoughts on the processes and their feelings evoked! cheers, Debi

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    1. Thank you Amy! I’ve decided this year to do more abstracts, which is my real love. Not as much trying to balance out ‘the representational’ with my abstracts. Abstracts are a niche – I know this. So thank you Amy for your timely, comment 🙂

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