How to Add Texture to Acrylic Paint

Many beginning and seasoned artists like to play with texture when they work. Art stores sell a variety of gels and pastes you can add to your paint to make it thicker, smoother, glossier or more translucent. These products can often cost more than the paint you’re using, though. If you are interested in adding some texture to a painting, here is a simple and cheap way of going about it.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Acrylic paint or pigment
• Tile grout or adhesive
• Palette knife
• Mixing bowl or palette

1. Decide how much texturized paint you need for your project.

2. Place this amount of tile grout or adhesive into your mixing bowl or onto your palette.

3. Add a small amount of your chosen paint color or pigment.

4. Mix the two together with the palette knife, adding more pigment if necessary.

5. Apply mixture to painting with a palette knife.

Tips & Warnings

• This works well for getting a raised effect with your paint or for creating dramatic smears.
• Tile grout and adhesive can sometimes dull the color and gloss of the paint. You can always paint over the texture with only acrylic paint, or apply a gloss spray to the finished product.
• Tile grout and adhesive dry quickly once they are exposed to air. Mix your paint only when you are ready to use it. If you need to leave it for more than 10 minutes, cover the mixture with plastic wrap to keep the air from drying it out.