Tips and Techniques – Underpainting in Acrylic with Cathy Carey

When I am under time constraints, I like to under paint a few layers in acrylic to save some drying time. Then I finish the last few layers in oil. You can paint oil over acrylic, but not acrylic over oil, it would peel. Most canvases are prepared with gesso that is acrylic based. If you buy an oil based gesso prepared canvas you cannot paint on it in acrylic. You can buy tinted gesso and prepare your own canvases. If you want to add texture, try adding sand or glass pebbles to a acrylic ground to give your layers textures. Golden makes mediums with different texture-making ingredients already added for some wonderful effects. You can also add color to the mediums or they dry clear.

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