This was a trial run on paper before I try it on canvas. I painted it in acrylics following a video that I happened to find by JM Lisondra. The water reflections were hard because the acrylics dried so quickly on the paper. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to make my leaves on the water look like they are floating? Mine look like they are falling off the page.
16/4: I have altered the painting after some great advice from Sunnylady about the fallen leaves in the water. Please see inset picture.
First of all it looks very nice with acrylics on Paper! I have no experience how you can let the leaves flow, but I could imagine that you have to provide each sheet with an extra shadow and light reflection. This is just an idea and certainly extremely elaborate. Maybe someone in the forum has more experience with it. Greetings from Germany 😎🇩🇪
Looks very good Barbara, well done!
This is so beautiful Barbara! So peaceful and I love the colors. I have zero experience with acrylics but Marc (Hammipaints) is the expert with acrylics. He recently did an extensive article on the wet-on-wet technique with acrylics. Maybe you can find something in there to help with the speed of your paint drying too quickly. I'll find the link for you.
As far as your leaves on the water... Bob always says that if something looks like it's floating, just add a water line. Not sure how to create that effect without doing it on each leaf. 🤷🏻♀️. But that would be my guess on how to make them appear they are on the surface of your pond.
Here is Marc article:
https://www.twoinchbrush.com/articles/painting-wet-on-wet-with-acrylics-an-extensive-guide
Barbara, very nice depth created and wonderful birch.
You can give layer of “gesso” to the paper before going in with acrylics so water is not that crazy adsorbed.
Regarding leaves check this one, if it is what you look for I will tell how I did it. https://www.twoinchbrush.com/originals/Sunnylady/fall-1
I love it!
Beautiful job! Looks super!
How strange, I saw this online today and saved it to paint later, this is an excellent version of it, good job.
This is beautiful Barbara! It’s hard to believe that it’s on paper but then I have never tried to paint with acrylic or anything other than oils. Again very pretty scene!
Thank you everyone for your comments and recommendations - very helpful.
Nancy, thanks so much for the article. I will definitely read it. It looks very useful.
Sunnylady - yes, I would really appreciate knowing how you did the leaves in the water please. Yours looks like what I was trying to achieve. Thanks.
@Barbara- thanks for confirmation. Most important is not to pain individual leaves. They would form masses on the water. Solution is to use horizontal strokes only. In my landscape I used pallet knife ( slim one, I think number 93). Keep the bottom of the mass horizontal as it will show it sits in the water. Further the mass is more squeezed it is to look like a line.
Pardon, pallet knife number is 61.
Here is the link: https://www.jacksonsart.com/en-au/rgm-palette-knife-no-61
@Sunnylady - Ah, that makes so much sense. Thank you so much for that explanation. Very helpful. thanks too for the palette knife link.
Absolutely beautiful Barbara :) I love the color of the leaves and your birch trees are great!
Thanks, Happyisland. Much appreciated. I have redone the leaves in the water using Sunnylady’s excellent suggestion of using short horizontal lines instead of blobs and also buried the leaves in the grass more. Much improved thanks to this forum.
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That is one beautiful painting! No help on the leaves issue.