The Impressionists painted outdoor scenes, leaving visible brush strokes on their canvas.
The Impressionists were a group of artists in the 19th century who painted mostly outdoor subjects. To stay ahead of changing daylight, they painted quickly in attempt to capture the scene as it existed in time. The impressionists used only oil paint -- there was no acrylic paint in the 19th century. Oil paint is a slow-drying medium that blends easily while wet on the canvas. Acrylic paint is a fast-drying medium -- it can be dry within minutes of being applied to a canvas. As a result, your acrylic painting may differ slightly from the oil paintings of the 19th century. Acrylic paintings may show more contrast and more color diversity. However, the general painting practice remains the same.
Instructions
1. Choose an outdoor subject and set up your materials somewhere not too breezy, so the wind will not catch your easel or canvas.
2. Thin the paint on your palette by dipping your paintbrush in water, then dropping the water over the paint on the palette.
3. Start to paint. The Impressionists worked in quick, short brush strokes meant to capture the essence of a scene, without spending too much time rendering specific details. This means you will need to pick a starting point and begin painting. Doing this quickly is the key -- don't fret over the details or proportions, and don't spend too much time blending. In fact, the individual brush strokes should still be visible on the canvas at the end of the painting process. Mix colors as necessary, but don't overmix. Allow the individual colors to stand out on the canvas, so that the scene appears to be made from hundreds of applications of individual hues coming together to make one large image. Dip your paintbrush in colors as you decide you need them; wash your brush occasionally to keep the colors from becoming too murky or clouded. Use a medium-sized brush. Leave obvious brush marks on the canvas -- don't try to smooth them out.
4. Spray a fine mist over the canvas to keep the paint from becoming dry.
5. Look for highlights and shadows in the scene before you. Paint the highlights using warm colors like yellow and orange. Shadows should be painted using dark browns, greens and blues -- avoid using black. Use a separate brush for highlights and a separate brush for shadows to prevent the dark colors from mixing with the light colors.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 as necessary until you have built up a substantial layer of paint on the canvas and the areas of light and dark have changed. Once the sun has moved too much and the scene is too different from your starting point, you will need to stop painting. If you need to return the following day, you may do so. However, it may be difficult to recreate the scene on a different day -- it is best if you can finish your painting in one day.
