Use sand to add a tactile quality to your paintings.
Sand is an inexpensive and viable way to introduce texture into your paintings. Painters like Georges Braques have used various paint admixtures like coffee, tobacco or sand, in addition to collage and other techniques. Sand introduces a tactile element to the painting and makes the painting's texture more complex. It also makes the paint itself stiffer. This means manipulation of the paint isn't as smooth. You can get around this by using acrylic medium.
Instructions
1. Squeeze colors from their tubes onto your palette. Smear the colors together with a palette knife. You can leave the colors less than fully blended if you want a variegated effect.
2. Pour sand equal to about one-quarter of the amount of the paint into the paint; use more sand for a more pronounced texture.
3. Blend the sand-and-paint mixture with your palette knife. Some of the sand will not incorporate right away. Scoop it up and keep blending. Sand not fully incorporated can fall off the painting.
4. Apply the mixture directly to your painting using the palette knife.
5. Pour a few drops of acrylic medium on the sand-and-paint mixture for a more workable mixture. Blend well and apply it to the painting. Continue to add and mix medium until you achieve the consistency you seek. Apply the mixture with the palette knife or a brush.
6. Clean your brush with soap and water afterward so the sand-and-paint mixture does not gum it up.
