Weirdly, I’ve never been a fan of abstract art. I don’t like how choppy it normally is, how blunt, how harsh. It wasn’t really my aesthetic. However, I’ve been loving the abstract artwork that I’ve seen from artists like Carolina Gruner and Danielle Donaldson. They’ve relied on organic shapes, ethereal color combinations, and plenty of texture and distressing. I tried to make some whimsical/ethereal/romantic artwork as well using acrylic paints and a spray bottle.
Abstract Art Supply List:
- Americana Paint – Bahama Blue
- Americana Paint – Carousel Pink
- Americana Paint – Sunshine Yellow
- Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paint – Innocence
- Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
- Spray bottle of water
- 2-3 paper towels
- Book pages
To start, you’ll want to brush on Liquitex Matte Gel Medium onto a section of canvas, place a book page on top, then brush over the entire book page with a layer of gel medium.
Once you’ve covered the entire canvas with book pages, painting gel medium both underneath and on top to seal, then you’ll want to add one more layer to the entire canvas of gel medium. This will help the collage stand up to the paint and sprayed water in the next steps.
Let the entire canvas dry completely before proceeding.
Paint the entire canvas with a thin layer of pink chalk paint. This is just to get some basic paint coverage onto the canvas.
Paint broad patches and smudgy pieces of the canvas with a combination of blue and pink paints. Once you have 2-3 patches, use the spray bottle to blend. Spray the bottle close to the canvas while making a sweeping motion to get the best blending. Once the paint/water starts to drip, dab at the bottom of the drips with the paper towel before they go off the edge.
Continue layering smudgy patches of paint and blending with water until you are happy with the result. For any patches that don’t blend well or are too bright, you can brush some white paint over it using the dirty paper towel from the previous step. By using the dirty paper towel, you’ll prevent it from being too stark white on the canvas.
The last time you smudge your paints, add a little bit of yellow to add some sunshine to your canvas!