How to Abstract Paint with Oil & Acrylic on a Canvas

Produce interesting results when alternating acrylic and oil layers.

There is a simple reason why acrylics and oils do not mix: one medium is oil based and the other is water based. Attempting to mix these two types of paints will result in a gooey mess, but fortunately you can utilize their differing appearances in layers to produce an interesting result. By creating an "underpainting" with acrylic and the final coating in oil, your painting will attain a texture and form that lends itself strongly to abstract works.

Things You'll Need

• Acrylic paint
• Oil paint
• Canvas
• Turpentine
• Pencil

Instructions

1. Sketch out your abstract painting with a pencil.

2. Put a "wash" over the canvas. A wash is a diluted mixture of paint and water. Mix acrylic and water and spread evenly over the canvas.

3. Paint the "underpainting" using acrylic paint. Do not make the details overly specific, since another layer will be going on top, but consider the final abstract product. If parts of the acrylic underpainting will be visible, increase specificity accordingly. Let dry overnight.

4. Use turpentine to thin oil paints. Put the first layer of oil paint on thinly, acting as an extension to the underpainting.

5. Paint a minimum of three layers on top of the acrylic underpainting, with each oil layer being diluted with less turpentine until none is used for the final coat. You can add more or less layers depending on your abstract goal, and expose the underpainting accordingly to let your vision shine through. Let dry 1 to 2 weeks.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure your paints are dry before applying another layer. Painting before they dry will create sloppy results in addition to causing the paint to bleed.

References

• Art Show: Painting Techniques
• Elfwood: Acrylic Painting