• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Acrylic query (1 Viewer)

Mouldy

Mouldy

skywatcher, dragonhunter
Anyone out there use interactive acrylics or have any opinions on them? or got any hints on the best type of acrylics to use to get a flowing watercolour-ish effect on canvas?
Your help would be greatly appreciated as I try to get myself back into proper painting but want to try something different from my usual environmentless watercolour portraits.
Thanks in advance.

Alan M
 
Hi Alan - sorry, I'm not sure what you mean. Are 'Interactive' acrylics a brand name or a new type (consistency) or what?
As you can probably guess by the content of the reply - I have no experience of them, although I'm interested to hear what you think of them.
 
Thanks Arthur,

I’ve had a look at those, just makes me more confused than ever, hadn’t realised there was so much choice.
I also read an article on Amsterdam acrylics in A&I a few months back and they look good as well.

Hi Tim, believe it or not I’m quite pleased you’ve never heard of them, I thought it was just me being ignorant when a mate of mine mentioned them at the weekend.
Apparently these ‘interactive’ acrylics don’t form a skin when they dry like normal ones and are kept workable by spraying with a fine mist of water.
Here’s a link to more info:

http://www.saa.co.uk/artsupplies/at...bon-black-series-1-1-litre-bottle-977809.html
 
Mouldy said:
Agree Mike, reckon I'll invest in a starter set and do a bit experimenting, it's probably the best way of finding out if they suit how I want to work, nowt to lose really.

Alan M
Click to expand...

That's a very interesting tip-off Alan. I'd been toying with trying water soluble oils, but it looks as if these might be a more suitable next step from acrylics.
 
Well done Alan, these sound definitely worthy of buying an' trying! These could be just what I'm looking for - ta!
Ads
 
birdboybowley said:
Well done Alan, these sound definitely worthy of buying an' trying! These could be just what I'm looking for - ta!
Ads
Click to expand...

Just to say that I had a bit of dabble with some of these interactive acrylics over the weekend and they seem like a very helpful step forward at least for the likes of me- they look and feel like "normal" acrylics on the plate but when applied you definitely you just get that bit longer to put a colour on top and blend it into what is underneath. You need a stiffish brush to blend once it starts to dry, but you can resoften it with medium or water. The "slow medium" supplied by Atelier turned out to be quite watery rather than the more gloopy medium I have lately become used to, so one way forward would seem to be to use the medium used pretty much as you would water.
 
Cheers for that snippet Ed, have got a starter set on order from the SAA so will experiment with a few birdy sketch pics when I'm up and running, let you all know how I get on.

Alan M
 
I came across this on another forum - any opinions? (Ed, Alan?)
re - interactives

"I bought a selection along with the slow mediums etc and for the past week i have been experimenting with them.
They certainly do stay wet for ages if you spray them with the slow medium and the colours are clean but they dont like paper (w&n galleria paper or primed watercolour paper) they dry patchy leaving undesirable marks which spoils the painting,they are not to bad on a canvas panel but the paint really does have to be applied thickly.
I do think they are worth a look though and will continue using them,maybe i have to adapt my style,brushwork to suit the paints."
 
timwootton said:
I came across this on another forum - any opinions? (Ed, Alan?)
re - interactives

"I bought a selection along with the slow mediums etc and for the past week i have been experimenting with them.
They certainly do stay wet for ages if you spray them with the slow medium and the colours are clean but they dont like paper (w&n galleria paper or primed watercolour paper) they dry patchy leaving undesirable marks which spoils the painting,they are not to bad on a canvas panel but the paint really does have to be applied thickly.
I do think they are worth a look though and will continue using them,maybe i have to adapt my style,brushwork to suit the paints."
Click to expand...

I've been using them with slow medium mixed in (i.e. slow medium mixed in on the pallette, as you would use water) and no sign of patchiness used that way. But then I never try and paint a smooth, even expanse of colour (leave that sort of thing to yer Chris Roses) so I am not sure I would notice a patch...and if I did, I might like it.

This poster says he/she is using slow medium as a spray, so maybe patchiness is due to the spray not being applied evenly. The slow medium does seem to generate quite a gloss finish and so if used (sprayed) unevenly, that might explain it.

I've been a bit busy with work this week [shock horror] but might get a play with the ineractives this weekend.
 
timwootton said:
I came across this on another forum - any opinions? (Ed, Alan?)
re - interactives

"I bought a selection along with the slow mediums etc and for the past week i have been experimenting with them.
They certainly do stay wet for ages if you spray them with the slow medium and the colours are clean but they dont like paper (w&n galleria paper or primed watercolour paper) they dry patchy leaving undesirable marks which spoils the painting,they are not to bad on a canvas panel but the paint really does have to be applied thickly.
I do think they are worth a look though and will continue using them,maybe i have to adapt my style,brushwork to suit the paints."
Click to expand...

As it happens I'm picking my interactives up tomorrow so am looking forward to getting stuck in soon, and funnily enough was gonna ask what people figured was the best paper type to get the best out of acrylics in general, is watercolour paper just as useable as anything else or is a medium specific paper a better option? or indeed canvas? and should watercolour paper be primed? any opinions or tips gratefully received.
Thanks

Alan M
 
A quick word in case anyone is dabbling with interactives-plenty of positives, at least in my little world, but watch out when varnishing!

If you slap on the varnish a couple of days after painting (as would be safe to do with normal acrylics), bad things can happen.

Obvious now I come to think of it, as they are designed to be ..er.. interactive. But one to watch out for.
 
ed keeble said:
A quick word in case anyone is dabbling with interactives-plenty of positives, at least in my little world, but watch out when varnishing!

If you slap on the varnish a couple of days after painting (as would be safe to do with normal acrylics), bad things can happen.

Obvious now I come to think of it, as they are designed to be ..er.. interactive. But one to watch out for.
Click to expand...

I fear for those gorgeous slav grebes, please tell me they're ok!
 
nickderry said:
I fear for those gorgeous slav grebes, please tell me they're ok!
Click to expand...

How kind of you to ask! I slapped on the varnish and lo and behold the grebes (thicker paint and more recently done than the waves I guess) went gooey and started to lift off- and not in the nice way that flock of geese might start to lift off. Anyway, I left them to stabilise for 48 hours, lightly sanded off the lumps and they are safely repainted...
 
Warning! This thread is more than 15 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

The Robin
Camera advice...R7
Replies
6
Views
1K
paddyluke
paddyluke
M
Bino Advice
2
Replies
32
Views
2K
MurphyLaw
M
yarrellii
IS x2 (...and other amazing things IS)
Replies
5
Views
811
wllmspd
W
S
Hello from Singapore, Binocular help
2
Replies
22
Views
1K
Chris Pringle
C
dwatsonbirder
Compact comparisons: Low end vs high end
2
Replies
32
Views
4K
Rg548
R

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top