Let The Past Die | 03 / 100
Acrylic on Paper (98 lb), 7×10 in
Painting Materials
Acrylic Heavy Body Paint:
- Titanium White
- Mars Black
- Vermillion
- Crimson
Other materials:
- White Gesso
- Synthetic paint brushes
- Plastic palette knife
- Painters tape
Composition Details
This painting took 0:47:18 to complete. The painting was finished on 9/8/2026.
I did a single layer of white gesso on the paper, and once it was dry, I taped it down to a piece of cardboard. This time, I put the painter’s tape on my pants first to make it less sticky (which did help prevent the paper from tearing). I then used tracing paper to transfer a simple drawing onto the paper.
For the background, I did a quick, messy layer of white paint to cover the surface, then I mixed equal parts vermillion and crimson for the figure. I then painted the black outline, covering some of the red and white paint which had gone over the lines of the initial drawing. This took the most time since I was trying to make the edges as precise as possible. Afterward, I scraped the leftover paint and ran it down the right side of the page several times to add some interesting texture. This was a fun idea in the moment, so I wouldn’t waste paint, and so there was a bit more going on. I then mixed some black paint with water, and then used a brush to flick paint drops all over the piece.
Reflection
The purpose of this painting was to work on crisp lines and solid colors. Both of which turned out to be harder than expected. Based on how simple the original artwork I based this on was, I didn’t expect this to take me all that long. However, as I was laying down the red, I found it difficult to get the color to spread evenly. Perhaps the paint was a bit too thick, and I didn’t mix it thoroughly. I didn’t focus so much on staying within the lines, knowing that I would come back over it with the black.
I took my time painting in the black, but the process was still difficult. It seemed I never had enough paint on my brush to get a solid edge for long, and then the paint would start to splatter a bit or look blotchy. The larger brushes made it harder to get the inside edges, and the smaller brushes couldn’t hold much paint. In the end, the edge work wasn’t as crisp as I was hoping for. I also painted this in a single layer of each color.
As always, using the palette knife is a lot of fun, and making the texture on the right side of the painting makes me want to experiment with doing a whole painting on a large canvas with a knife to see how it all turns out. Getting better with a palette knife might be a good way to do heavily textured paintings in the future. In my opinion, texture makes paintings interesting, and as I work to develop my personal style, I want to get better at creating texture while maintaining control of the composition.
The most important thing I learned was that I need to practice brush control and mount my paintings on a surface I can turn. I am better at getting an edge when it is on the left side, so being able to turn my painting around would help me improve my lines. Eventually, I will need to get better at painting lines in any direction on a fixed surface.
