Rabbit in the Grass
In nearly every landscape painting, there is usually a section of grass. The amount of detail in the grass is up to the artist. Some paintings represent grass as a large green area of paint. In other paintings, nearly every blade of grass is painted in. Before you begin, you'll need to decide first how much detail to put in the painting. An abstract painting will have a different technique for painting than a highly detailed painting.
Abstract Technique
For large grassy areas that are not full of details, a few applications of acrylic paint will work. Start with the areas farthest away and paint in a dark green. At the top edge of this section, drag the paintbrush upward on the canvas to create a ragged edge. The next layer should be a lighter green. Apply this after the 1st layer is dry. Create the same type of jagged edge at the top of the section. If your painting calls for 1 more layer, then paint a lighter layer of color with the same ragged edge. As the grass comes closer to the foreground, it will be progressively lighter in color.
Detail Technique
For this technique, you will need 2 different sized paintbrushes--one large and one fine tipped. Paint a general grass color in the area where you want your grass. Take a different green color and dip the fine-tip brush in the acrylic paint. Take the brush and drag it in the green area on the canvas. Use an upward stroke so that the blade of grass is darker at the bottom and fades out near the top. Paint over the under-painted area until the desired amount of grass blades are on the canvas. Use different shades of paint to add more details.
Scraping Technique
For this technique, you will need a large paintbrush and a paint knife. This technique needs to be done quickly while the acrylic paint is still wet. Once the paint dries, no more paint can be scraped off. Paint a thick layer of green paint on the canvas. Next, take the paint knife and scrape lines through the paint with the edge. Wipe the paint off the knife with a paper towel when it stops picking up paint. Fill the grass area with lined texture. If the paint starts to dry, then spray a light mist of water on the area. If you do not have a painting knife, then use a toothpick or the handle tip of a small paintbrush.
