My Newest Obsession: Acrylic painting on watercolor paper

Before I painted I thought acrylics were the poor artist’s oil paint.

Painting in acrylics has its challenges. Acrylic paint is a fast-drying paint made of pigment in acrylic polymer emulsion, plasticizers, and silicone oils, Most acrylic paints are water-based, but become water-resistant when dry. It dries very quickly but these days there are slow-drying mediums to add to your paint and even slow-drying acrylics. Artists share information about wet palettes and homemade plastic bins and palette boxes with layers of moist sponges to prolong their use. I use a combination of these as I set out to tackle acrylic paintings. And,of course, i simply adjust to the temperament and timing of acrylics.

I started painting with acrylics on canvas because I sometimes envision a piece bigger than my desk area where I usually tackle watercolors and gouache. Canvases take up a lot of room. Now that I have cluttered my closet and a couple of boxes with canvases and I realize the expense of mailing or transporting canvases I’ve tempered this acrylic on canvas practice… a bit.

Acrylic and pastels on gessoed watercolor paper.

Citrus Season

At some point I came across Bill Blast’s youtube video about painting acrylic on paper ( where he specifically describes the preparation of paper, painting on paper, and even mounting on canvas later ) This opened up a whole new world to me. 

The first part of the process involves several layers of white gesso on my watercolor paper or mixed media paper. This preps the paper to take the acrylic better. I love the texture and weight it adds to the paper before I even start painting.

Flowers on Paper. At some point I want to frame these as a set.

Why I Like Painting Acrylics on Paper

By painting on paper I can cut a large piece into smaller pieces, and spend less money than I spend on canvases or boards; I can mail lightweight paintings, or frame them under glass if I want. I have not yet added them on top of canvas with applied gloss but that is another way to make them look more modern and sleek (on canvas with several layers of gloss finish and black-painted edging). I haven’t done that because my whole point was to move away from canvases. The best part for me is that I can store the paintings on paper more easily than canvases or boards. Like my watercolors, they go into drawers, the closet, and a box until I bring them out for show and sale and sort through them.

I’ve even added new storage furniture in my studio to help house my paintings on paper. Designing and organizing studio space in our apartment is a whole other story for another blog! Have Fun. Be Creative. Thanks, Marti

My perspective of paiting acrylics on watercolor paper. Unfinished picture of fireflies in a jar and garden.