PAINTING: ACRYLIC EXERCISE
NAME:_____________________
LESSON FOCUS:
This lesson focuses on working with acrylic paints using a variety of techniques.
VOCABULARY:
Acrylic: A clear plastic used as a medium for pigments. Acrylic paints can be used on
almost any painting surface without painting a ground first. They dry quickly in glossy or
matte finishes.
Broken color: Using “broken color” means applying paint in small, separate strokes of
pure color, without blending, so that the picture is built up in the same way a mosaic is.
From the appropriate viewing distance, these small strokes appear to fuse, but because
they are fragmented, they reflect more light and movement than blended color.
Crosshatching: In crosshatching, lines and strokes or color are crisscrossed on top of one
another to create a fine mesh of color or tone.
Frottage: The word “frottage” is derived from the French verb frotter, meaning to rub.
The term is associated most often with rubbing on paper over a textured surface so that
the underlying pattern comes through. It is the technique of creating a rich, irregular
texture in wet or semi-wet paint by rubbing a sheet of non-absorbent paper onto an area
of flat, opaque color. When the paper is peeled away it drags at the paint, leaving a rough,
mottled surface.
Glazing: It is a system in which thin, transparent washes of color are laid on successive
layers of dried colors, such as many sheets of colored tissue paper.
Medium: (1) Any material used to create a work of art; plural form, media. (2) In
painting, a liquid added to the paint that makes it easier to manipulate.
Scraffito: The word “scraffito” is derived from the Italian word graffiare, meaning “to
scratch”, and refers to a method of scratching or scraping through a layer of paint to
expose the color or colors underneath.
Scumbling: Scumbling is the rough application of a dry, light, semi-opaque color over a
darker layer of dry, opaque paint. The scumbled layer is applied thinly, creating a delicate
“veil” of color which partially obscures the underlying color.
PROCEDURE:
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Divide a 12”x 18” sheet of oak tag into 6 equal squares that measure 6”x 6” each.
Using the following techniques, fill in each square:
o Crosshatching
 Choose two colors to work with
 Beginning at one end of the square paint using the crosshatching
technique.
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o
o
o
o
o
Gradually add the second color and blend into it using the
crosshatching technique.
Broken Color
 Cover your square with a thin layer of paint (one color) and let dry.
 Load your brush with another color and adding no water, cover the
section using fluid, short, or stippled strokes and let dry.
 Load your brush with a third color and adding no water, cover the
section using fluid, short, or stippled strokes and let dry.
Frottage
 Cover your square with a thin layer of paint (one color) and let dry.
 Cover your square with a thick layer of paint.
 While it is still wet, lay a crumpled piece of paper on top of the wet
paint and rub.
 Peel the paper off to remove some of the wet paint to create
texture.
Glazing
 Cover your square with a thin layer of paint (one color) and let dry.
 Choose another color and apply thinly on top of the first color,
covering half the section, and let dry.
 Choose a third color and apply thinly on top of the other half of the
section and let dry.
Scraffito
 Cover your square with a layer of paint and let dry.
 Choose another color and apply a thick layer on top of the first
layer.
 While wet, use a comb, the end of a paintbrush, and/or a palette
knife to scrape off the some of the second layer allowing the first
color to show through.
Scumbling
 Cover your square with a layer of dark paint and let dry.
 Using a lighter color and a brush, apply the second layer in a
circular motion allowing some of the color from the first layer of
paint to show through
MATERIALS:
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12”x 18” oak tag
Pencil and ruler
Acrylic paints (assorted colors)
Brushes, palette knives, combs
Water container and paper towels
REMINDERS:
A paint that turns into plastic:
Acrylic paints are agglutinated pigments in a polyvinyl emulsion that dry as a result of
the evaporation of water they contain forming an elastic, transparent, and very resistant
film, with a consistency similar to plastic. After it dries, acrylic paint becomes more
flexible.
YOU MUST SCRUB YOUR PALETTE AND WASH YOUR PAINTBRUSHES
THOROUGHLY!!! FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN BRUSHES AND
PALETTES THAT MUST BE DISCARDED!!!!