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Just Add Water

ALL the Acrylics + Sandpaper (winter)

By April 8, 2020February 19th, 2024No Comments

Wednesdays, February 21 – March 20, 2024

 5-week Art Clinic with J. Jordan Bruns– 


Our Acrylic Art Clinic is all about breaking free from your preconceived notions of this amazing and versatile painting medium. We encourage you to take an orbital sander to your surface and see what chance has in store for you! Whether you’re interested in creating abstract or representational imagery, this clinic will guide you through a process that blends happy accidents with intentional techniques. It’s the perfect next step for those who have completed “Just Add Water: All the Acrylics” or for artists with prior experience using acrylics.

Schedule of Classes:

Class 1) February 21 – Overview of acrylic paint as a versatile medium
Types of acrylic paint: heavy body, soft body, fluid acrylics, and high flow acrylics.  We’ll discuss pigment load, viscosity, and color options as well as text the difference between them in class exercise.  Begin collecting collage paper that will be used to build up a surface to later sand down.

Class 2) February 28 –  Demo – “Painting Abstractly from Life”

Mariana will be taking over the class for this week.  She will begin by showing students a technique for creating a surface from collage paper and layered acrylics.  The surface can be sanded down using an orbital sander (provided in the classroom) or just normal sandpaper for a more subtle surface removal so that some of the original paper is visible while some is removed.  The surface end will be used to paint a still life that will be continued next week..  Students should bring paper that they would like to be part of their painting that they will begin the following week.

Class 3) March 6- Still life or non-objective abstract painting 

Students can either work from the provided still life or begin an abstract painting using the techniques from the previous class.

Class 4) March 13 – Demonstration “Painting Mediums”

Before jumping back into the work started the week before, we will go over some of the mediums that can be used with this technique.

Class 5) March 20 – Finish still life or non-objective painting

POSSIBLE Supply List 

Mediums

There is a TON of additives that we can add to acrylic color.  Some add gloss, some thin the paint, some thicken the paint, some make it stringy, some make it matte, some add sandy texture, really the sky is the limit.  We’ll go over a handful of these in class and experiment with what they can do, but if you are starting from scratch, maybe skip out on mediums or do the “Materials Pass.”

Brushes- (suggested)- *Natural Hair Brushes or Synthetic Brushes 

I like “Robert Simmons Signet Natural Bristle” brushes and “Winsor Newton Monarch Synthetic” or Jack Richardson “Grey Matters” brushes, you can use any brand you like as long as they are “oil or acrylic” brushes and have a long handle

Heavy Body, Fluid Brushes (select some, not all)

Rounds- Size 4, size 6

Filberts- Size 8, size 10

Flat- Size 12

Watercolor or High Flow Brushes (select some, not all)

Brush, large rounds (#8 and #16)

Watercolor Brush, large flat or chisel (#14 or #16)

Surfaces

two – three canvas, panel or paper (depending on your type of acrylic) size is up to you, but I’d suggest bigger than you think

 

Acrylic Paint Note:

Any acrylic paint will work for this Art Clinic.  Any of these varieties will work just fine: “Heavy Body”, “Soft Body”, “Liquid”, “Open”, “High Flow” or “Fluid”.  I think GOLDEN “High Flow” and “Fluid” work awesome in mixed media, so I have those colors listed below.  If you have a color palette that is comfortable to your painting approach, please bring what works.  If you would like additional suggestions on a palette that are for Heavy Body Acrylics, let me know and I can send you that list as well but it’s basically the same.

Suggested Paint High Flow or Fluid Colors 4 0z tubes

 Benzimidazolone Yellow Light Naples Yellow

Pyrrole Orange

Naphthol Red Light OR Quinacridone Red

Permanent Alizarin Crimson (Hue) OR Quinacridone Magenta

French Ultramarine OR Pthalo Blue

Phthalo Green BS

Sap Green Hue OR Green Gold

Yellow Ochre OR Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide

Burnt Siena OR Transparent Red Iron Oxide

Burnt Umber

Titanium White (8oz or 160z)

Carbon Black

Not Important but FUN Paint Colors:

Teal

Neutral Gray N5

Permanent Violet Dark

Quinacridone / Nickel Azo Gold

Click HERE to enroll

Materials Pass

is encouraged for “Just Add Water” but is an optional fee that rents out all the materials you would need for your Art Clinic class and provides the specific paper needed.  For this session of “Just add Water” the materials pass is $40.  Please note that with Material Pass, you keep your artwork but are leasing the drawing/painting tools (like brushes and palette).  If you select to pay the Materials Pass, please email Jordan Bruns, to let him know.  You can always email with any questions.