ACEO painting - using Acrylic as a Base under Watercolour!

 

The Massive Rhino

Some years ago I joined an art class (for keen amateurs!) and had great fun, trying out new techniques and meeting other like-minded people. 

The one thing our teacher showed us, that has stayed with me over the years, is how to use Acrylic paint as a Watercolour base.  

When using pure Watercolour, it is difficult to portray texture - for us amateurs anyway! To overcome this, try painting a coat of Acrylic paint on first. Let me explain!

In the ACEO above of the Rhino (if you need to know what an ACEO is, have a look HERE)  you will see the rhino has a textured, rough hide. 

To get this effect I sketched in the drawing in pencil and then painted the Rhino only, with a layer of white Acrylic paint. While still wet, I roughed up the surface of the hide, keeping inside the lines, and smoothing and shaping the appropriate areas - keeping the roundness of the animal and particularly the legs, in mind.

Only paint the Rhino with the Acrylic base, leaving the rest of the painting until this base is hard dry.

Then take out your Watercolours and paint in your background as usual, just leaving off the shadows under the Rhino for now.

Next, go back to the Rhino and over-paint the Acrylic base with Watercolour. This is great fun, as the Watercolour sits on top and can be easily moved around, until you get the effects of light and shade and colours, as you want them!

Lastly put in the shadows, under the Rhino feet and body.

This method can also be used in landscape to give texture to rocks and other rough terrain and of course in other animals with rough hide like Elephants and Hippos. 

Hope this is helpful - give it a go and enjoy being creative!