Painting Surfaces for Acrylic Paint

Painting with acrylics allows for versatility and creativity because of the many surfaces for acrylic paint. Acrylics dry quickly and with the use of acrylic mediums the drying time can be extended. It also can be used to add weight and texture to your paint. Painting with acrylics allows for the freedom to paint on almost any surface. It will not permanently stick to plastic or water-resistant surfaces but can be applied permanently to almost anything that a creative mind can concoct.

Surfaces for Acrylic Paint

 

Wood – plywood, MDF, hardwood

Canvas – canvas treated with gesso paint, raw bare canvas

Masonite

Thick Paper – watercolor paper, poster paper, thick card paper, papiermâché

Fabric –  treated fabrics, bare fabric, cotton surfaces

Tin

Terracotta – pots and clay

 

Painting with Acrylics on a Raw Canvas Surface

One of the least talked about acrylic painting techniques is painting with acrylics on raw bare canvas or cloth. Usually when an artist paints they prepare their canvas to except the paint by applying gesso. Gesso is a white mixture consisting of a binder mixed with chalk which is used to coat canvas cloth or Masonite boards. The acrylics will bind to the surface of the gesso Paint.

Painting with acrylics on canvas does resemble watercolour painting techniques. Instead of staining a fibrous watercolor paper you are staining fibrous fabric cloth. The paint soaks through the fibers leaving a stain. As you continue to paint the layers of acrylics start to seal the fibers and some paint will remain and create a top coat.  You have to work quickly and purposely to get the watery effect of the stain in the planned areas.

While I was painting the Golden Path I throw paint onto the canvas and picked up the canvas cloth to move the paint where I wanted it to land. I then mixed the top layers with an acrylic medium so it would not soak through the fibers and my detailed work would remained visible on the painting.

More Ideas – Surfaces for Acrylics

Surfaces for acrylics are almost endless. You can paint on a pain of glass, an old canvas shoe or a broken guitar. There are many unique surfaces sold in crafts stores that are ready for acrylic paint such as wooded boxes, ornaments and sculptures.

Artist Trading Cards

The latest fad in the arts and craft world is to paint or create artist trading cards. Artists develop a series of small paintings on card sized paper to exchange at fairs or exhibits.