Using Glazes to Make Your Acrylic Paintings POP!

 June1, 2021

"Glow, Sinking Fast," 9X12, acrylic on canvas board.

I'm having so much fun using glazes to add depth and interest to my paintings. A glaze is an acrylic medium to which you add a bit of acrylic paint, and it turns the paint extremely transparent. Then you can brush a thin wash of the glaze to make subtle (or not so subtle) changes to a painting. 

It makes the colors deeper, richer, and simply more interesting. 

This landscape progressed in three stages: painting the base painting, which was sweet but hardly spectacular (if I do say so myself) although I liked the overall colors and composition. But its ordinariness didn't bother me because I designed it with glazing in mind. 

Take a look at the finished base painting: 

Once this stage was completed, I spent some time staring at the painting, considering different ideas for the glazes. I know I wanted to add some color and "oomph" to the clouds. I also knew, from prior experience, that I could easily take a perfectly lovely, sweet scene and possible ruin it completely. 

But it's just a piece of canvas, after all. And you know what they say: no risk, no reward.

So I threw caution to the winds, put a pile of glazing liquid on my palette, added some water and some paint... and had at it!

(By the way, glazing liquid comes in gloss, matte, or satin. I'm using Satin Glazing Liquid here by Golden. You can also use gloss gel medium and create the same effect.)

Here's the same painting after glazing with a wide variety of colors:

The glaze changed the whole mood and time of day of this piece. I was quite happy with it. Then, I spent some time staring at it again. When I finish a painting I like, I get a strong feeling of fulfillment and I just want to enjoy my work. I'm not and never have been one of these artists who never likes or is satisfied with their work... if I was I would have given up on painting a long time ago.

I enjoy really studying the piece, frequently with an eye to see if it needs anything else. Sometimes I will adjust a shape, darken or lighten an area, or change a color. I call this process "finessing" and it's actually one of my favorite parts of the painting experience. So while I was studying this glazed painting, an idea struck me -- what if I was to put in a setting sun, setting the clouds alight. Hmmm... should I leave alone a painting I already really liked, or risk wrecking it to try my new idea?

Of course you know what I chose! The final version, "Glow, Sinking Fast," is at the top of the page. Which version do you prefer?

Click Here for more information on this painting, and thanks for visiting my blog.