Amylee’s Glazing Technique

How to Make Glazes in Acrylic Painting

Do you stay stone-faced with the mention of glaze? I have an idea to reheat your brushes.
No need to step up your game to be sexy with acrylic paint, bet everything on the glaze, have a light hand and let us glimpse the colour of the layer underneath. You’ll see everytime it’s magic…
Can acrylic painting became glamorous with glaze?

Example : medium red + medium yellow glaze : orange

♦ Glaze Definition:

It is a uniform layer of translucent colour applied on a dry paint layer in order to change its luminosity and its hue. The glaze is not a blend of colours, it is like a “filter”, so it must let the paint underneath show.
Just like the filters used on Photoshop that can be superimposed, it is quite possible to add glaze layers. There are also several types of glazes: the intermediate and final glazes.
Even if it is possible to apply a glaze on a wet painting, I prefer to wait until acrylic paint is completely dry to lay my glazes. I can quickly erase it with a damp cloth if the colour does not suit me.

Example : chromium oxide green + green fluo glaze = green light

♦ Key Features Of Glazes:

• thin layer of coloured and translucent paint
• fast application
• fast drying

Examples : Mauve + cerulean blue glaze = purple lilac
Primary red + lemon yellow glaze = orange light

♦ Why Do We Need Glazing?

• add a coloured “filter”
• change the brightness or a colour of an applied hue
• vibrate or animate a hue (cold or hot)
• give a deeper appearance and relief to a colour
• play with gradations

♦ Materials:

• dry paint layer applied on canvas or on paper (the base of the glaze)
• tube or jar of acrylic paint depending on the colour used for glaze
• soft bristle brush for spreading the glaze
• soft bristle brush to blend traces orCleaning Paper Roll to fine tune them
• white palette to prepare and control the glaze
• If the paint is very opaque, use an acrylic medium to dilute (flow enhancer or glaze medium) or water to loosen the colour.

Notice: There are several types of glaze mediums, which then offer different types of finish: matt or glossy
Find all these products on GreatArt Online or in our new art supply shop in London Shoreditch.

♦ Glaze, Easy To Use:

Transparent paint is a perfect ready-to-use glaze, so it can be used directly out of the tube, without adding water or medium.
To identify if the paint is transparent or not, look at the tube or the jar. The letter T or a small square (sometimes a round) indicates whether the colour is transparent or opaque.

Tip: I often use fluo paint as a glaze. It is easy to give brilliance and vitality to a colour which is too bland.

Right, now you now know how to work the glaze like the Flemish painters. You have the basics, so let’s play with colours!

Information for this article was provided by professional fine artist, Amylee Paris. You can visit her colourful portfolio or follow her on Facebook and Instagram. 

Find all Amylee’s posts published in GreatArt online Magazine by clicking here!

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