Painting Glazing Over Oils and Acrylics

In simpler terms, painting glazing over oil and acrylics refers to "thinning" a paint color with the use of a gel glossy or matte medium, thus creating multiple layers of glaze.

Glazing is can be done with both oil and acrylic paints. But although almost acrylic paints are water-based, it is not advisable to use water to make the color look transparent, as this only creates a cloudy effect.

The technique of glazing is very useful when making rich and luxurious paintings. These steps involve getting finishing touches to paintings before being presented.

The first step to painting glazing over oils and acrylics is to choose a paint color. When choosing a color to glaze with, you should avoid using cadmiums and titanium white. Instead, use colors like crimson, hansa yellow, alizaron or phythalocyanines. If you desire for a white glaze, you might want to use zinc.

Then, squeeze acrylic paints onto a palette. You can also use plastic containers instead of palette if you want to. Acrylic paint glazes can be stored and mixed in a plastic container with a lid. At first, begin with a small amount of paint then add a little more once the glaze has been mixed.

Once you have the paints in place, add the acrylic glazing gel medium. Gel mediums give acrylic paints richer dried appearance than water so they are much desirable to use. Depending on how transparent the glaze is going to be, the amount of gel medium added must be varied.

Afterwards, mix the paint and the glaze it all together with a palette knife. You can add a little more medium or more paint until the color is already translucent.

The next step in painting glazing over oils and acrylics is to paint onto a semi-complete painting, depending on the glazing technique being used. One of the most effective techniques is to create an entire painting using glazing. This can be accomplished by building up several layers in between drying. This is best for acrylic paintings, since they are easier to dry.

Use the glaze to add clever color blending to the painting. Do this by blending the glaze over a flat color to create an outstanding color. For an instance, adding a rosy white glow to human skin can be done by using glaze. But make sure that the base color is richer with glazes. Do this technique only by adding layers of mixed glaze, starting with the original color.

Another technique to finish up your art piece could involve glossing oil paintings to give it a finish that you desire.