What is the best way to do fine lines in an Acrylic painting? For example I want to paint a European style domicile entrance with windows on each side of the stoop. Putting shutters on each side of the windows, I would like to know the best way to define the cascading luvers in the shutters. I can do it with pen on paper, but how can I add the fine lines in acrylic?
Peter
Hello Peter - Try this on a scrap piece of painted paper using a lighter coloured louvre colour to see if any of these methods will work for you - using the back edge of a ruler so that the wood doesn't touch the paper, draw your lines with a fine brush resting against the ruler; or following the ruler line with a broader brushes' knife edge dab on the paint; or try free hand with either and wipe out 'errors' with the underlying colour to get the effect you are after. You can gradate the colours of your louvres after you get the initial strokes down.
Thank you Valerie, I will try that.
Hi Peter
You can draw over acrylic with pencil, so if you have a base color for the shutters you can use a ruler and put the lines in with regular or colored pencil (lightly) and then paint over with the acrylic. I sometimes use painter's tape just under the line to get a sharp edge, if that's what I want. This might not work if you're drawing over really thick paint.
Cheers, Jeanette
It depends if you want fine mechanical lines or a more hand painted look that has expression. I strongly recommend getting a liner brush. A liner brush comes in sizes like 1 maybe 2. The advantage is that it is longer about 1.5 - 2" Even if you don't use the brush for this painting, I think you will like it.
For more mechanical lines, yes use a ruler or use two strips of masking tape to make a mask for a line. Just paint over the exposed area without any concern over having a messy line. Remove the tape only after the area has fully dried. If you do it while the paint is still more flexible it will pull off.
You may also need to mix a bit of medium or thin the paint down so that it is not clumpy.
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I've been wondering the same about achieving fine lines in oil. I guess I could follow the same advice, but I was wondering if anyone knows if there is a problem painting a fine line over a thicker more impasto area? In general my thinner fine lines in oil are clumpy and far from being elegant.
There are quite a few ways to get thin lines with any paint. For many years I was an illustrator and we used a ruling pen.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruling_pen
You would thin your paint so it flows and use a brush to add some paint to the tip. You'll ned to experiment a bit with the tool and It does take some practice but you can pull needle thin lines (or thicker) with it in any medium. Most art stores will have them in drafting supplies. It's an old school instrument. Acrylic needs to be thinned a bit to flow in the instrument and you have to experiment on some scrap to get the right consistency. the tighter you close the gap, the thinner the line and thinner the paint has to be. Some times it doesn't flow and if you press on a scrap and drag it, it will start and then go to your painting. Acrylic dries fast and you need to keep it clean. If it dries, I use an exacto knife and scrape the inside surfaces clean.
You can also use the edge of a pallet knife. If you add a tiny bit of paint on the knife, you can pull it on edge. Once again, you need to practice with it. (the pallet knife like a mason's trowel shape)
I too pull lines sometimes using a straight edge that is suspended off the surface with wood scraps and a fine edge brush. You want to suspend it off the surface a bit. Mine is just straight wood about 2" wide and suspended on small blocks of wood that are attached.
In any style of painting there are just times you need a straight line like sail boat rigging etc. In painting often a few skips in the line adds to the casualness and less mechanized look to the piece and that sometimes just happens.
Dear , try to use fine brand of paints or a bottel with fine sprays to wet the spot you need to blend ,be aware do not spray to much other wise you going to get unwanted flood on your canvas.
M.Aalayi
artist & art teacher
Canada
in terms of fine line try to use a short water colour brush or acrylic colour , I personally use the first one fine lines ,and put asheet of paper uder your hand in order not to dammage the painting , over all ,do not forget to dilute your paint with water on your palette.
to get fine lines without looking that you have ruled them in and them looking quite outof place...try drawing themin lightly with a pencil and ruler....then...paint them in with a fine 'rigger' brush using no ruler. this will give them the hand-done look without it looking like an illustration.
cheers
Mike Barr
I would also like to know an answer for this question - my usual style of painting never used fine lines but now I have some ideas I would like to try.
Years ago I had some Kohinor rapidograph pens that worked very well with techinial drawings. I am wondering if they can be used with Higgins drawing ink? My Cheap Joes catalog says the ink is mixable and can be used with watercolors. Will you be able to cover mistakes with acryclic paint.
Or would you be able to thin a paint enough that it would not clog up the pen? Then there is always the old quill type pens with the inerchangeable nibs. I think with practice using a plastic card (like a credit card) might do the trick rather than using a ruler.
Cheap Joes also has an ad for something called a "color shaper" that comes in various sizes and looks like a brush but i am not sure what kind of material is for the brush part. The ad says its for drawing straight lines. (so much stuff, so little money) Anyone know what a coulor shaper is?
I had this difficulty of drawing fine lines in Acrylic, especially in white. They were always either too globby and coarse or too transparent. I now use a 1.5 inch rigger. I found however that the problem doesn't exist in egg tempera, and I have been able to accomplish much finer detail in that medium. There's no egg tempera forum, and I wonder has anyone here tried it? I usually do acrylics 30 x 40 or 30 x 48 but this egg tempera piece is only 10 x 8, and it has fine detail.
Beautiful Painting.
I can relate to what you're saying. Acrylic doesn't flow as nicely as tempra or even oil while holding the opacity. It seems like if you thin it to a point where it will flow for fine lines, you loose a lot of opacity. Here's a trick I tried. I use a little soap in the water and it helps with the flow. Also try the fluid acrylics. Even though you can thin it yourself, the factory job is better and more even viscosity and flows better.
Jay, Are there any archival issues with the soap?
Here's another way, spray the area you are going to paint with water first and the brush glides over the surface better.
As far as the soap, I really don't know however: I always figure long after I'm gone, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has specialists who can fix any problems with my pieces if that should arise.
Well, I'll just have to get my stuff into the MMA! Thanks for the 'spray' advice.
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