How to Use Acrylic Paint to Paint Light Houses on Canvas
Painting is a fun and therapeutic way to express yourself and there may be no better way of indulging in this hobby than by creating landscapes featuring lighthouses. The juxtaposition of the ocean with the beautiful architectural structure of lighthouses has the potential to create captivating paintings. While oil and acrylic paints are both great to work with, many prefer the more forgiving nature of acrylic paint. If you like your paints to dry fast, for instance, painting lighthouses in acrylic is the clear choice.
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Things You'll Need
- Canvas (any size)
- Paintbrushes
- Basic acrylic paint
- Water
- Rag or paper towels
- Artist palette
- Varnish
Instructions
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Begin by choosing a photograph of a lighthouse that you want to paint. Make sure that the photograph suits your painting skill level; you don't want to pick something too complicated if this is your first attempt to paint a lighthouse.
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Prepare your materials. Sketch out your painting, making sure that everything is proportioned correctly.
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Squirt a nickel sized amount of paint onto your palette. Begin by painting the sky. Make sure that your horizon line is straight and then apply your paint.
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Mix a little bit of burnt umber with your blue to tone down your paint. This gives the sky a more realistic look. You will want a good amount of white as well to work into your blue paint.
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Decide which part of the landscape you want to paint next. It is often best to paint the water after the sky as this guarantees that you are getting color on the larger portion of your canvas. A little bit of green in your blue paint will help to separate the water from the sky and give it that ocean look. Again, you will want a good amount of white on your palette to create waves in the water.
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Fill in the rest of your canvas. Give the structure a round look (lighthouses can really pop if you get the lighting and shadows correctly). Add dark shadows to one side of the lighthouse and then use white to create light highlights. Use variations of yellow to create light coming from the top of the lighthouse.
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Add any finishing touches and details to your painting. Allow the painting to dry for a day.
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Use a separate paintbrush to varnish your painting. It is vital that you varnish your acrylic painting so that it does not crack or gather dust. Lay the painting flat while varnishing so that you do not get drips. Apply the varnish with a large paintbrush and make sure that it is even. Allow the varnish to dry for about 3 hours and then you can give it a second coat.
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Tips & Warnings
To save any unused paint, you can use plastic wrap to cover it; if it gets dry, simply add water.
Study the techniques of Thomas Kinkade and his use of yellow to create light emanating from the top of lighthouses.
If you get paint on your clothing, make sure to remove it and blot it out immediately or it will stain.
If you make a mistake while painting you can use a rag and water to wipe the paint off of your canvas. This technique does not work with oil.
References
- Photo Credit acrylics image by Sirena Designs from Fotolia.com
