Step 4 of my acrylic painting technique: ‘Waste not, want not’
This is the fourth in my acrylic painting technique, ‘waste not, want not’ blog series . You can see the progress of this painting from the beginning in Step 1, Step 2 and Step 3.
This where I left off in my last post (step 3-b). The gel is now dry.
![Step 3-b of painting #1](https://i0.wp.com/artfromadreamer.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/1-4-a.jpg?resize=500%2C281)
Painting #1, step 4
I want something colorful, but a little unexpected. I choose Quinacridone Magenta, Quinacridone Azo Gold and Pthalo Blue. These are my usual ‘go to’ colors. I love the way they work together. Particularly the way they all mix together. To keep it brighter, I also added the Hansa Yellow that I used on the base and Quinacridone Red. To get the ‘unexpected’ look I’m after, I decide to go ‘against the grain’ laid down so far, and paint blocks of color instead (step 4-a).
![Step 4-a of my abstract painting technique](https://i0.wp.com/artfromadreamer.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/1-4a.jpg?resize=500%2C373)
So that there are some opaque areas, I lay down a few swaths of white and then add a few more layers of colors (step 4-b).
![Step 4-b of my acrylic painting technique](https://i2.wp.com/artfromadreamer.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/1-4b.jpg?resize=500%2C412)
Then I take some titanium white and lightly run it across the top of the ridges left by the gel (step 4-c). This isn’t photographing well under these conditions.
I really like this and was expecting to feel that it was done at this point, but something is ‘missing.’ It needs something more, but don’t know just what … yet. I put this piece on the side and start working on Painting #2 in this process and discover what is missing here. Step five … coming up in the next blog.
![After sep 4-c pf my acrylic painting technique](https://i0.wp.com/artfromadreamer.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/1-4c.jpg?resize=550%2C437)