Acrylic Painting Accessories
There is a wide range of accessories that can be used for acrylic painting, and what you will need depends on the acrylic techniques you employ.
Primer is a paint that you apply to a raw surface, making it more suitable and receptive to acrylic paint. It also helps the acrylic paint adhere to your surface by making it more absorbent and provides a tooth for the paint to grip to. Although the gesso dries hard, it still has some flexibility.
Gesso is usually white, but can come in a variety of colours. White gesso is useful to artists who use a bright undercoat, where as coloured gesso is suited for artists who like painting on toned backgrounds.
You can buy canvas and boards that are already pre-primed, which is ideal for beginners. However, as you gain more experience, you get to know how much gesso you like on your surface, so you may decided to apply a few more layers of gesso on. It is important to know that it is not necessary when using acrylic gesso/paints to ‘size’ the support by applying a thin coat of glue before you apply the primer.
Loxley Varnish is designed to give paintings a quality finish as well as protective layer to prevent dirt and moisture getting into the paint. The varnish can be used on a wide variety of paints including acrylic, oil, alkyd and watercolour and can be applied to most surfaces giving a clear non-yellowing flexible coating which can be removed when restoration work is required. Supplied in a 200ml handy aerosol making it easy to apply in thin coats without getting build up from overspray.
Apply only once the painting has completely dried in a well-ventilated area spraying in light even layers and allow to dry between coats.
This product is also available in Matt, Gloss and Satin finishes
Loxley Acrylic Modelling Paste has been developed for 3-D effects and impasto techniques in acrylic painting. The modelling paste can be mixed with acrylic paint or used alongside it. There is minimal colour shift from wet to dry when mixed with the paint. The modelling paste can be easily shaped with a palette knife or brush and when dry can be over painted or carved.
Acrylic Thinner increases the flow and velocity of acrylic paint whilst retaining its strength of film and depth of colour. This product is great for painting washes and large areas of colour evenly and when dry it forms a flexible, stable finish with minimum brush marks.
Loxley Acrylic Gel Medium increases transparency and gloss of acrylic paint whilst maintaining its composition and stability. The medium has great adhesive properties making it great for college and craft projects. This product can be used as a transfer medium for transferring print onto artwork.
Loxley Acrylic Gloss Varnish gives maximum protection and gloss sheen to acrylic paintings. It can be mixed with the acrylic paint or applied as a top coat when the paint is dry. It provides a permanent, flexible and durable gloss covering. It can also be used on 3 dimensional artwork and modelling materials.
Palettes
It is important that you choose the correct palette, when using acrylics as they are fast drying and permanent. The best palette surfaces for acrylics are either plastic or paper, not wooden palettes. As, acrylics dry so fast, it is important to keep the paints moist. This can either be done by regularly spraying them with water or by using a moist palette (‘Sta-Wet’ Palette’). These ‘Sta-Wet’ Palettes are designed specifically for acrylics.
The Masterson Sta-Wet Handy Palette keeps acrylic paints moist on the open palette for hours. The palette measures 213 x 175 x 25mm deep (8.5 x 7 x 1″ deep) and has an air tight lid, cellulose sponge, five sheets of Sta-wet palette film and full instructions on how to prepare and use the palette. The special palette film is used as the mixing surface. Once the lid is closed the paints will stay in a workable condition for days, even weeks. The unique cellulose sponge and special permeable palette paper provide the paint with a constant source of moisture ensuring the paint does not dry out. This is the smallest of the three Sta-Wet palettes available in the Masterson’s range so it does not take up valuable studio or luggage space, whilst being an ample size for most needs. There are also film and sponge refills available to ensure this is your go-to palette for many years.
Also, there is the Masterson Sta-Wet Super Pro Palette, which is not only designed for acrylic artists keeping their paints moist on the open palette for hours, but can be used for watercolour and oils too. The palette measures 390 x 290 x 40 mm deep (15.5 x 11.5 x 1.5″ deep) and has an air tight lid, cellulose sponge, five sheets of Sta-Wet palette paper film and full instructions on how to prepare and use the palette.
Palette & Painting Knives
Palette knives and Painting knives are useful tools when working with acrylic paint as they can be used for mixing paint or to apply thick paint directly on to the canvas.
Palette knives are very useful for mixing paint and many artists use them to paint with. You can either buy stainless steel palette knives which are ideal as they do not rust, or plastic palette knives, which are made specifically for acrylics.
Painting knives are used to apply paint to the canvas. They come in different shapes and lengths, allowing you to create a range of strokes, marks and unique effects. The three different areas of the blade allow you to use the tip for detailed work, the flat surface for broader, wider strokes and the edge for lines.
