ArtsArt
ANSWERS: 5
  • I'm not sure if this will help or not. I'm wondering if you are applying paint on top of a canvas and there is already paint on there? Something I've noticed that happens, if you try to paint on top of wet paint, the 2 colors will mix, if you paint on top of dry paint it will create a new layer of the top color, if you paint on partially wet, partially dry paint that may be causing the blotchiness. And maybe try mixing a little bit of water with the paint and stirring it up enough before applying it to the canvas. If this doesn't help, maybe you just have a bad set of Acrylics.
  • Each color is made from pigment sources that are different materials. Some have different properties and will dry with a different "finish" sometimes. In some cases, this may be desirable. This could be one cause- I don't know a lot of detail from your post- then again, it's not really important because the solution is simple. Apply an acrylic matte varnish to the painting and this will create a flat, uniform finish.
  • sometimes, if you are using a very cheap paint (small amount of pigment, large amount of binder or filler), there isn't enough pigment to cover well. As well, some colors are more opaque than others, in general, oxides (chromium green oxide, red oxide, etc)
  • Painting over partially wet paint could be the problem. If so, acrylics dry so quickly that merely waiting a few extra minutes before applying paint over paint should eliminate the problem. Another possibility is the material you're painting on. Is it canvas or masonite or illustration board? If unprimed (i.e., not sealed with gesso or some other primer to make it waterproof), the material (especially illustration board) can absorb some of the water from the wet paint. This can happen unevenly and might affect the final finish or color. Make sure your ground (what you're painting on) is sealed unless you want a particular effect. By the way, gessoing can severely warp illustration board and even masonite. Priming both sides helps, but I try to stick with canvas, or heavy masonite (>= 3/8 in.) for anything bigger than 14 inches on a side.
  • Are you sure you are drying the paintings the correct way? The drying of acrylic paints occurs in two very different stages, hence drying times must be thought of in two different time frames. The first stage, a relatively short period of time, results in the formation of a skin over the surface of the paint. This is the time that it takes for acrylics to "dry to the touch". At this point, the flow of water towards the surface is no longer sufficient to keep the paint film wet. Very thin films can feel dry within seconds, while thick films may take a full day or more to skin over. The second stage of drying is the time for the entire thickness of the film to be thoroughly dry. That is, the time required for all of the water and solvent (used as freeze-thaw stabilizer and coalescent) to evaporate and leave the film. This is a most crucial time frame, as the ultimate physical properties, such as adhesion, hardness and clarity, do not fully develop until the film is near complete dryness. For very thin films, this time may be a few days, while films of 1/4 inch thickness or more will take months and even years to be completely dry.

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