How I Use Sanding & Glazing in My Work

In this week's video, I demonstrate how I use sanding and glazing to add texture and depth to my paintings. These techniques can be used with acrylic paintings on board - on paper or canvas you would have to be more careful with the sanding!
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[@nicolawhitworth3589]

I have just finished the free FYJ course and stayed up painting til 3 am finally finding it! I really love your generosity and kindness Louise , thank you

[@dnet5788]

Thank you for sharing! I started painting abstract acrylic and watercolors. Your teaching style really boosted my enthusiasm.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Aww that's wonderful. Happy painting! ❤

[@katknow1]

You are my JOY! Thankful you came into my life at this point, I have had a block for the past 50 years. I Ended up putting my creativity into food, now as I am getting older with aches and pains Surgeries behind me it seemed fitting that I do less strenuous activities. Life has been very hard these past couple of years for me but am so glad that I took this journey and came out the other end. I wouldn’t change any thing that has happened to me they were all amazing life lessons and you me dear we’re the cherry on top! Thank you

[@dharlamaiden9255]

Thank you for explaining and showing us how to glaze, looks like I might find my joy using this technique!

[@swl9270]

This just popped up in my feed for you... how ironic. In preparing mentally for the free course (I can’t wait for 06/03/2021)...I’ve been checking in with myself what it is about abstract art that so grabs me...and this is IT!!! Layers and layers and glazes! I love translucent yellow to draw me in. Ah this is starting to click. I’ve wanted for years to be able to paint abstracts. My watercolor teacher who did gorgeous abstracts said she couldn’t teach abstract she just did them. Another friend with a fine arts degree and a wonderful painter and works in encaustic just rolled her eyes when I talked with her about raking me on as a student. So Louise it is all up to you to make me an abstract painter for my own happiness! No pressure here...lol

[@ThisPaintingLife]

haha - I can do it!

[@valerijohnson2839]

Thank you for sharing your techniques. I loved the way you simplified the glazing process.

[@heatherstubbs6646]

Your video has completely transformed a canvas I have on the easel right now. This is at least the third painting on this canvas, so there are lots of layers underneath. I sanded carefully by hand, and right away it was more interesting. But then came the glazes! My beginning in painting was with egg tempera, so I knew about glazes, but I never would have imagined using paper towel to glaze whole areas. Suddenly my painting has depth and interest it didn’t have before. Oh, thank you, thank you! (Quinacridone Magenta is my absolutely favourite colour!) But really, the best part of the whole video was hearing you say, “It’s all just good fun and experimenting.” May I take that so deeply to heart that I never forget it!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

wonderful!

[@lindafelton2619]

Thank you for all your wonderful you tube videos. I'm doing your free course at the moment and it is great! I am learning such a lot about how I can free up and paint with joy.

[@vibrantly50]

Very helpful! Thanks so much, Louise.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Glad it was helpful!

[@debrasearle277]

Thank you! So inspiring!

[@lindashaw2959]

Thanks Louise. Very informative and I love your work.

[@mariakapatos9545]

Once again thank you so much very informative. Wishing you a lovely day.😊

[@mitziemcelhaney1742]

This is so helpful-thank you Louise!💓

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so very welcome!

[@suzanneherbruck2274]

Gorgeous as always.

[@jeanedwards1857]

What a great technique. I hadn't thought of using the transparent painting as an additional layer. And the sanding! Brilliant.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Glad you enjoyed it! 😀

[@stemvitality]

LOVE THIS! Thank you!

[@micali68]

Thanks so much for the video, that was terrific xx

[@beachgrammie2580]

love the music perfect for when we "flow" Enjoying your inspirations!

[@pamelawamala6751]

Thank you Louise - love to hear you speak about your process and demonstrate. Very generous - thank you again.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You're so welcome :)

[@LizAckerley]

Really interesting, I've been using sanding and glazing too. The sanding is very similar to the way you do it. The glazing I've not got very far with and haven't been using paper towel, which seems to work really well. Thanks for showing us your process.

[@wanzi1056]

You really are having fun ! I feel so inspired right now - Painting today :)

[@susanhepburn6040]

Really interesting and informative. Thank you very much.

[@pegbach]

Love your process! I am trying to switch from oil to acrylic and this is helpful. Thanks

[@patrickcareyart4080]

Love the bubble wrap, really makes good technique.

[@sheripalmer3192]

I just discovered you and I absolutely love your style and paintings. Gorgeous.❤️

[@libbylastrapeshunter7196]

Stunning and so helpful! Thank you!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so welcome!

[@Consciousnessdoor]

That was great!

[@joysmith6729]

Wonderful!! Thank you!!

[@annclairegreig2635]

Very clear and helpful.

[@mylightofsunrise]

really enjoying your tutorials! Thank you very much for sharing!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You're very welcome!

[@MariaAyub-ma-sentient24]

Very informative, thank you.

[@leeannehull7322]

Just so enjoy your sharing ❤

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Thank you so much 🤗

[@drmulder1]

Thank you for sharing your glazing technique. I really enjoyed the way you explained all the different ways you use it and showed the colors that are transparent. So happy you came up on my feed. Love your work!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so welcome!

[@kendebbieritchie4520]

LOVE IT!

[@SimoneWhipp]

Thank you for showing your process to achieve your desired results. :)

[@Automatedluxe]

Absolutely love this method. Thank you

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so welcome!

[@turbocuteness]

Love this video! I've been wondering how to get depth into a painting and appreciate your generosity in showing how you create such effects.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Glad it was helpful! Happy painting! 😍

[@georgemarklow4683]

Thank so, so much for this tutorial Louise! Really appreciated.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so welcome!

[@joyceford4294]

Louise, your glazing process is such a joy to watch as you explain it! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and technique. I've used the glazing process before. Your process is so much better! The Q colors are the best!!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so welcome!

[@TinyFreya59]

I’ve been struggling with my ‘voice’ and this really helped give me permission to chuck away the thoughts of perfectly blended backgrounds in favor of these wonderfully rich multilayered ones. I’m new to abstract art having been a 3D tactile artist in clay and glass mosaics, usually more organic work rather than perfectionist. I’m unable to do those mediums anymore b/c of hand related issues but have discovered painting. Now I can relax and have FUN, incorporating an organic style backgrounds with my fascination with palette knife work. THANK YOU!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Fabulous!

[@carmenjones864]

I love your work Louise , I have learnt so much from this video

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Thanks so much 😊

[@robertwebber8672]

Useful to see your approach since its current on cvp at the moment. Thks best r

[@lorrainecassar1792]

Oh wow Louise thank you so much for your videos they are so informative and inspirational, you explain your tecniques and processes so well by taking the time to show how its done - I will certainly try using what I have just learnt thank you so much 💖

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so welcome! These are the videos I wish I had found when I was starting out so I am happy to share now that I have a bit more experience xx

[@myfairytreasures]

This is a fabulous technique and so magical. I will be adding this to my practice.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Thank you! Have fun!

[@sopihasmith8104]

That was so very helpfull, thank you for sharing

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so welcome!

[@kerryklaassen]

Thanks for sharing your glazing techniques!!!! I love listening to you and Alice on Art Juice!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so welcome!

[@hiriyannaiahs9886]

This Video. on glazing is fantastic.for the people like us who are new to this methodology find it very very interesting.thank you very much.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Glad it was helpful!

[@robfuzz]

SO helpful. Thank you!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so very welcome! ♥

[@brendaoquin]

Thank you so much!

[@ocearlyriser]

Thank you. I FINALLY think I got this! I am been struggling with achieving this look and really did not understand how it was done. Thanks a million

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Glad I could help!

[@libbyshipman9607]

This is very helpful. Thank you.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so welcome!

[@brendaross84]

Really appreciated this video. Thanks.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Glad it was helpful :)

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are welcome!

[@possiblepaintings5059]

Very exciting

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Thank you!

[@rebekahaurie6252]

Very inspiring🌸

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Glad you think so! ♥

[@lucillefemine2339]

Very helpful, thanks

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Glad it was helpful!

[@wildfotoz]

Hey Louise, you can use rubbing alcohol to loosen up and remove dried acrylic paint. Also, if you mix in a glazing medium with the opaque colors, it will add transparency to them. The more you add the more transparent they become. It will dull the color a bit but not a lot.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Thank you for the tips! xx

[@francoisemontpetit4066]

J’ai beaucoup aimé très intéressant ♥️

[@LavishHim]

Great!

[@jacobdrollinger4802]

Oh my gosh, I just discovered your channel. I absolutely love your work, and aspire to someday paint like you!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Thank you so much!

[@63artemisia63]

I’ll bet Louise would encourage you to paint like yourself, not like her 😘

[@pamelaholmes113]

What is that sweet, snappy guitar piece ? I love it 😀

[@ThisPaintingLife]

sorry I have no idea - this was so long ago!

[@emmyc9333]

Wow, I only recently discovered you and I am so grateful! I love how free and loose you are and experimental in your work, it does me good to watch you.

[@lorrainecassar1792]

I've signed up for your free weeks course can't wait 😀

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@tinae8433]

I absolutely love your videos!! LOVE your work too!! ❤ S You are obviously talented, generous, articulate and easy on my ears. Lol thanks a bunch for sharing. So glad I found you. Hope to join 2021 Art2Life 😁

[@ThisPaintingLife]

That's great - if you sign up through my affiliate link, I will be running a small FB group with bonus coaching and support throughout the program, so stay tuned!

[@bethmiller4266]

He,low Louise - I’ve been wanting to learn these techniques for so, so long, and here you are for me!!! I have so many questions for you but I’ll only ask a few if you don’t mind. Do you use the glazing technique with impasto painting as well as flat? What is the name and brand sander that you use (would like to do sanding techniques with collage layers). Wish you would give a tutorial on these techniques from beginning to end 👍. Thank you so very much 🌻

[@vibrantly50]

You can also add a layer of gloss medium first to be able to remove some glaze if it’s too much…

[@ThisPaintingLife]

True - I don't like painting on a glossy surface but I know many people enjoy it

[@vibrantly50]

Or, satin or matte!

[@gillbawden]

Hi, Louise is the free course that you did in August still available as I seemed to have missed it. Thanks.

[@connieweber5817]

Thank you so much. I really loved this and I enjoy watching you paint. Just one question? Can you actually sand with a sander on a stretched canvas or are you using a canvas board or something else? I see this question below, also. I think you are awesome.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Hi Connie, I usually work on wood panels. I have sanded canvas, but I do it by hand and I am more careful!

[@claudiachappel3350]

Is it better to sand by hand if working on stretched canvas? Thank you! SO happy to have discovered you!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

I put a board behind the canvas and hold it (a bit awkward!) and I use fairly fine sandpaper but I do use an orbital sander. There have been accidents!! Lol

[@eliza479]

@@ThisPaintingLife I recently discovered your tutorials and I'm binge watching! Do you find that using an orbital sander is actually better or just quicker? I'm just wondering whether, particularly when I'm starting out, it might be safer to use old fashioned sandpaper. Also quicker to change between different grades of sandpaper - or do you always use the same grade? Finally, I did not see you wearing a face mask. Is this not potentially dangerous, particularly with paints that contain metals, such as cadmium? Thanks again!

[@kaynilsen8405]

Hello Louise, I’ve just started using collage in my paintings and was wondering if you ever sand your paint after you have applied collage, or is it only at the beginning of preparing a base layer that you sand. Thank you for the videos, fantastic.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

I sand whenever I feel like it!!

[@Holyhopecouk]

Really really helpful thank you. And no I couldn't hear any tractors. I'm wondering how I do the glazing when I want the top layer to be white with the other colours beneath. Is there a different type of white thats more transparent?

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Zinc white is a transparent white so you could try that

[@kristinetucker8659]

Thank you so much!! Are you working on canvas, wood, something else? Again, thank you!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

wood panels

[@nickydavis9308]

@@ThisPaintingLife Hi Louise. Do you use wood panels because of the sanding technique? Also, where would you normally get them from? Love the information about glazing. It took me a year of frustration to realise that acrylic paint came in opaque, transparent, semi transparent and semi opaque! Wish I had found you sooner :)

[@zanredcrow9769]

Is it possible to do many many layers of paint /collage alternating with sanding on canvas instead of on wood panel, as you do? I am hungry to do heavy duty layering and sanding!

[@JoanMaddie]

Thank you for sharing. Your paintings are beautiful. I bought a glazing medium some time ago, but don't really know how to use it, lol. Are you not using any mediums, only colours and water?

[@ThisPaintingLife]

No mediums - just water xx

[@JoanMaddie]

@@ThisPaintingLife Ok. Thank you for answer. :)

[@belindazegura1523]

Wat kind of brand of glaze do u use?

[@robfuzz]

Can you get the same glazing effect with an opaque color by watering it down?

[@zanredcrow9769]

What type of paper do you use on your wet palette?

[@mrmilller263]

Enjoyed your glazing and sanding technique video. What number sandpaper do you use?

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Hi, I use anything from 60 to 120

[@ThisPaintingLife]

all sorts!

[@MagdaKnop]

Hey Louise, what size of sanding paper do you use? My paint never comes off that much.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Anything from 40 grit to 120

[@aniabravo9058]

He descubierto tu canal me parece muy interesante y me gusta tu forma de trabajar si es posible poner subtítulos es importante entender lo que dices thanks desde España 👏👏🎨

[@ThisPaintingLife]

??

[@fulgentius371]

Just caught the end of this... Is it acrylic?

[@martinitang]

What kind of electric palm sander should I get? Kindly advise 😀

[@ThisPaintingLife]

get a cheap one because they do not last when you use them on paint!

[@petermartin5030]

Is it not better to use glazing medium rather than water to thin and apply the glaze, if long term stability of the paint layers matters to you?

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Water is absolutely fine. It's a myth that it's not stable x

[@aleksandramirjanacrossan4442]

what's the paper you use on the wet towels? I got transfer paper as recommended in a cours i am doing but it gets all wrinkly..

[@ThisPaintingLife]

baking paper - but it also wrinkles

[@ninastein8553]

I looks like you are working on a wood substrate. I wonder about sanding a canvass?

[@ThisPaintingLife]

I sand canvases too - I used to put something solid underneath - now I often paint on unstretched canvas, which can take quite a bit of sanding - and then I stretch it when the painting is finished.

[@ninastein8553]

@@ThisPaintingLife Thank you.

[@myrnakomar2283]

What is the blue

[@ingers9579]

Vackert👍🤩🤩🤩🙋‍♂️💕tack🙏🙏🙏

[@dianestedman3828]

fun and pretty and I could not hear the mowers..also I like the music you chose. so often the music has to be endured

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Thank you so much!

[@lynjohnson748]

Louise are you sanding on wooden board or canvas?

[@ThisPaintingLife]

I do both although you have to be more careful with canvas - I have made holes before!

[@lynjohnson748]

@@ThisPaintingLife thank you

[@audramatzke2196]

Thank you for sharing! I love your techniques, and use of glazes! Makes adding color not so scary for permenance of color for fear of "messing up" a painting! Haha..thanks again!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so welcome!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Yes there is no such thing as messing up - there is only learning :)

[@lynnegrace7766]

Do you paint on canvas or wooden boards?

[@ThisPaintingLife]

both

[@salbarracca]

for a glaze to be a glaze don't you have to use a medium?

[@xiaoyuzhou8918]

Will sanding the paint cause any health risk?

[@ThisPaintingLife]

you need a FFP3 mask

[@emmawhite4418]

Brilliant techniques, very helpful. The music is too high in the mix though and comes in way too loud, made my cat fall off the desk!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Oh no! So sorry about that! Thanks for the feedback. I'll be sure to monitor the volume levels better to avoid any future cat-ccidents

[@emmawhite4418]

@@ThisPaintingLife 😹 Mona said thanks xxx

[@christinedozier6071]

Did exercise 1 on the free course. Loved the results. Lots of white space/bare paper. Went back and watched you...oh no! Louise covers the whole space. So I went back and layered on more paint. And! You guessed it - a Dog's Dinner. YUK. I was doing Louise, NOT Christine. Lesson 1

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Lesson learned!

[@dovespaligrino8312]

Ok, I thought u were using a Glazing product, not paint???

[@ThisPaintingLife]

no just paint

[@wagstaffe7]

Stop the music!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

haha you can work as hard as you like and give away as much as you like and there is always someone who won't be happy!

[@creativebreathingsjournals]

I think Henry may have meant it kindly. There is an idiom, “stop the music,” meaning: “stop everything! I just learned something completely amazing! “ I would have to echo those feelings, too. I know a little bit about glazing, but this sanding and glazing technique is opening up fresh opportunities to help the colors and painting to sing! Thank for everything you do!

[@patnewhauser7814]

Thank you! So inspiring!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are welcome xx

[@k8marlowe]

Thank you so much!