Acrylic on Paper (98 lb), 7×10 in
Painting Materials
Acrylic Heavy Body Paint:
- Permanent Red
- Naphthol Crimson
- Mars Black
- Orange
- Yellow Deep
- Neutral Gray
Other materials:
- White Gesso
- Synthetic paint brushes
- Plastic diamond-shaped palette knife
- Painters tape
Composition Details
This painting was not timed. The painting was finished on 9/3/2026.
I prepared the paper with watered-down white gesso (front and back). Once the gesso was dry, I taped the edges to the back of a clipboard and applied the first layer of permanent red paint. The paint was thick, and I didn’t have enough left to cover the entire page without leaving white spots. After the first layer dried, I applied two more coats of paint using naphthol crimson, which closely matched the original red.
After the red layer had dried, I used a small paintbrush to mark in the tower and the top of the volcano. I used a small flat brush to tap in the shape of the eye using yellow first and then orange. Once this was dry, I completed the rest of the painting with the palette knife. I switched between black and gray, allowing the layers to dry in between. It was a small painting, so I worked on it for only a few minutes each session before leaving it to dry.
Reflection
I learned that watering down my gesso and applying it to the paper before it is taped down significantly reduces warping. Painting on both sides also helped keep the paper from curling, which was an issue I ran into when I first applied a coat to one side. I like the idea of painting on mixed media or watercolor paper. Mostly because it is cheaper than canvas or illustration board, and it is also easier to frame or store in an art binder. I hate the idea of throwing art away, even if it’s not that good. In the past, when I did most of my painting on 16×20 canvas, I quickly ran out of storage space. Since I will be doing 100 of these paintings, storage is a big consideration. However, painting on a gessoed surface is important to me, since I anticipate using it moving forward. So, I will keep testing out how to keep the paper from warping so I can continue to use it moving forward. Once I run out of the paper I have, I am going to test out a few different brands to see if thicker paper with more cotton content will help.
I wasn’t as patient this time around. I might have been a little too eager when I first started, and once I committed, I focused on not adding too much paint and ruining the effects. The eye and top of the tower didn’t come out as sharply as I had wanted, and by the end, I felt like I had covered a bit too much of the interesting base layer texture with the paint since I was using the palette knife.
I do enjoy painting with the knife, and I think I am going to keep practicing with it. I like scumbling techniques, and I want to get a lot better using those effects in future work. One thing is for sure: I have a ways to go before I reach the level I want to be at. So far, these first two paintings have been a lot of fun, and it makes me excited to continue practicing. That is the mentality I am trying to keep with these paintings. These paintings are just practice, and I will slowly become more comfortable with paint mixing, color composition, brushwork, etc. There is no reason to be afraid of practicing. That is how I will get better.
