How To Blend with Acrylics: Refined Blending: Acrylic Painting Technique

Join Sue Pruett from the Art Apprentice Online - as Sue shares her blending technique. This style of blending is used in painting photo realism. Sue uses DecoArt Traditions Artist Acrylics. Sue offers an excellent class on refined blending where she demonstrates how to blend on a variety of different shapes and surfaces to create realistic form. Look for this class in the theory section of out online classes.
Visit us at :
store.artappren...

[@gigglebytelinda]

At last!!! The first Lefty I've seen. I'm left handed and have not seen a left handed painter until now. Thank you so much for sharing. Thank you for the tip on blending. I needed that.

[@wolf7379]

I just started painting again - I haven't painted for 42 years. This is precisely what I needed to know. I was going over and over refining the metal of a coffee pot getting frustrated wondering how they managed to do the blending of paint of different values. In the end I managed to do it but it was laborious. Thank you for this lesson showing the technique.

[@aformermartin]

This was well explained. I appreciated the tips such as holding the handle further back from the bristles and the touching of the tips on the back of the hand--and then the repeat of same. I wish I had had at least ONE math teacher with such patience and skill!

[@ChiRhoStudio]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I am a self taught artist and I realize how much I missed by not going to school for art. I'm stuck right now and your video has helped me get unstuck...Thank you sooooooooo much!!!

[@aaoart]

We use Extender by choice. The beauty of working with these acrylics and Extender is that it puts the artist in control of when the paint is dry. There are many techniques that require a little extra time for blending or working on the canvas...Extender gives us that extra time.

[@ArtisticMynd]

This is the best tutorial for how to blend on KZbin!! Thank you so much !!! :)

[@aaoart]

You are very welcome...please visit our website for many other helpful tutorials. www.artapprenticeonline.com

[@HomeSchooledWizard]

This was EXTREMELY helpful. I have just started painting with acrylics and I needed to learn how to blend colors for this painting I'm doing in Art class. Your instructions were very clear and easy to understand. it seems easy now that i know how to do it. Thank you!

[@jane25449]

What an excellent teacher! Doesen't skip over the details, assuming you already know them. Impressive Ms Pruett.

[@bayoufever]

thank you, your explanation of the brush pressure is invaluable.

[@annereynolds4193]

Thanks Sue. Clear, concise instructions along with good visuals means I have successfully completed my very first lesson on Acrylic painting. Now....lesson 2...

[@Nilsosmar]

I like your technique, and will recommend your video to my students. Thanks for sharing.

[@bugisami]

I have just learned a new colour harmony: gray, orange and red go really well together.

[@rilla1983]

Thanks. Just started painting and I can't wait to get back home and touch it up.

[@carolyn_r]

That is incredible! I've never seen the extender used. I work in acrylics and always battle with open time and blending. Thank you so much!

[@13Moondancer]

Many thanks for a perfectly understandable explanation of over and under blending, esp the tip of the brush against the hand.

[@Seeyasoonxxx]

Thank you so much this is a great video! I learnt so many new skills and Sue is very good at explaining how it is done in a simple, straightforward way. If you could do a video on the different techniques that can be used with acrylic paint I would find that very useful as I am interested in experimenting with acrylic paint currently. Thanks so much again, I look forward to viewing your other videos!

[@hearts3055]

Thanks Sue, you have answered about 5 questions for me in that short lesson good work. Will now try one of your online lessons in full.

[@fedafooda]

thank you for sharing! very informative! I just got back into painting after years of not doing anything. I realized I had forgotten how to blend and this really helped! I have to get my hands on that extender though, I've never used it but it looks like it's much easier to blend with it.

[@annegalloway7070]

Hi Sue, Very helpful. Looking forward to giving it a go. I am a failed watercolourist and hopefully acrylics will be much easier to apply. Anne

[@kraziiass]

so much time to create such a neat and realistic bubble, lol but it's cool and simple. I like the blending XD

[@KeronaLuna]

This was unbelievably helpful for me. I've been looking into smooth blending but no one really explained the magic of extender. Thank you so much! Quick question, are slow drying medium and extender different? I have slow drying medium but it dries out faster than I would like. Extender seems like it is more durable.

[@chrissi2055]

thanks a lot for sharing this vid!!! to know such basic techniques is so important! can do nothing without them... you really explained this very detailed and with lots of patience. that's just great!

[@chewface]

Yeaaaaah...the acrylic paints that my school uses dry out within SECONDS of being applied to the canvas. That gap between 5:07 and 5:44....the paint wouldn't have been able to blend at all for me.

[@elliemerc01]

Absolutely great, never learned this while taking acrylic painting. Keep teaching because this helped me so much (smile). May 31, 2014.

[@60alcazar]

Thank you so much, your for your professional help please give us more insiders on acrylic painting...you explain it so well for us novice..thank you again

[@davidruth6552]

The best explained blending. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@aaoart]

Successful refined blending depends on a brush that has short bristles and a flat side. It can be done with flats and filberts.

[@aaoart]

@123cardmaker DecoArt Traditions Artist Acrylics are found in our online store at Art Apprentice Online, they are also new to select Joanns stores in the larger cities. We carry the whole line and all the mediums. These are amazing medium bodied acrylics, pure pigments, brilliant color and saturation. They are also non toxic as no toxic pigments are used. You wont be sorry!!!

[@tandilutz4728]

Very good!!! Going to practice it over and over!!!

[@suz8481]

Must also get some of this extender, fedafood, I too have only just got back into painting and looking for all these new technics

[@KymJenkins]

Great demonstration and explanation for blending! Thanks for the info, and all the helpful tips. Does anyone else see pixelation in the video? I wasn't sure if it was my browser settings, or the video quality... If I keep the video window small, it is clear enough to see.

[@MangoBunney]

Thank you for all the detail explaining !

[@someblokecalleddave1]

Good stuff it looks as though the blender stuff is integral to the success of this technique?

[@BethEaster]

Thank you Sue. This is wonderful!:)

[@christinemclauchlan135]

Thank you. Very helpful to a beginner.

[@rodandmelaniealfred9322]

Many thanks for this very useful tutorial.

[@teresaeckert9675]

Very helpful on blending techniques, thank you! :)

[@bestjobrobyn]

Hi Sue, I found the tutorial helpful. Do you use the extender with all your paints - meaning before you use another color you dip into the extender. And please give me the full name for the extender. I am totally new at acrilic painting.

[@guster2244]

Excellent work explaining at a good speed! Is there any way to upload higher res videos? It would go a long way in helping to see what you're doing a lot better.

[@TheJulibaldwin]

You're a very good teacher

[@TheKevphil]

This was very informative. Unfortunately, it would have been much better recorded at 720p.

[@PinkVelvetBird]

Great vid! Learned a lot!

[@aktifistri]

great technique! thank a lot Sue, really helps... :))

[@aaoart]

@fedafooda This is an amazing Extender...we sell it from our website at Art Apprentice Online. Its called DecoArt Traditions Extender and Blending medium. Excellent Product for acrylic painters.

[@melanyebaggins]

that makes it look so easy, thanks :D

[@duizigoupu]

Thank you, it is very helpful. I was just wondering what type of surface did you use?

[@moonlightstripess]

can yuo also use this technique when your painting portraits? bcuz I'm scared to try and paint the face bcuz acrylic drys so fast. So would I have to wet the canvas and quickly paint the face? Thanks so much if you reply :)

[@MGArowdie]

Very informative -thanks

[@theresiasanford3683]

Thank you, you have changed my life......A stupid Q whats an extender? No! i really don't know. Maddie France.

[@spacefoodable]

Theresia Sanford je crois que c'est un medium pour acrylique du style medium fluide brillant ou mat qui remplace l'eau pour que la peinture garde sa tenue.

[@fishfishy7682]

thank you

[@theeachuisge]

i bought a mop brush but it is quite big so it is hard to blend small areas :/ if i cut it, will it get worse?

[@sheliafrench7857]

very nice thank you

[@theeachuisge]

is it really important to use that type of brush to blend?

[@morfai]

thank you :)

[@JunkieSmurf]

awesome

[@MLmayko]

how would you do this without extender ?

[@jeremylee6373]

well explained.

[@TheJulibaldwin]

whats the best blending mediun?

[@123cardmaker]

Where would I find this brand of paint?? Thanks :):)

[@martinpena6492]

whats an extender?

[@gigglebytelinda]

Do you have any more videos?

[@Nerflover10097]

are you a southpaw? (lefty)

[@debandhov]

She has 104 videos...Subscribe right under the title...