Nontraditional Surfaces For Acrylic Painting
Tired of your regular old canvas for acrylic painting? As an artist, I love to play and explore new ways of creating. That’s where the true magic of creativity lies! In this post, I’m going to share my favorite nontraditional surfaces for creating unique and stunning acrylic pieces. I think some of them may surprise you. 😉
Nontraditional Surface #1 - Glass
One of my absolute favorite surfaces for acrylic painting is glass! I’ve built a portfolio full of glass pieces of all shapes and sizes. I use glass frames like these so that there are multiple layers of glass to work with which allows me to get some incredible depth and texture in my glass works.
The cool thing about glass artwork is that it can be photographed and digitized retaining the unique texture that only glass can bring. I’ve turned many of my glass pieces into prints and products and they always make a splash!
Nontraditional Surface # 2 - Gilded Canvas
While this is technically still canvas, it’s nontraditional in the sense that the canvas is covered in gold! One of my favorite materials to work with is gold leaf, but a lot of people don’t know that you can actually paint over it! Often, I will start a painting by covering part of the canvas in gold leaf. Then I paint around that (and on top of the gold leaf) to create a cohesive, flowing composition.
I’ve also experimented with painting on gold paper which is still fun and a lot more accessible. If you’re just starting out, you can try grabbing a piece of gold scrapbook paper from your local art store and see how you like it!
Gold leaf can be tough to work with, but it’s definitely rewarding! If you want to learn more about gold leaf, check out this blog post tutorial!
Nontraditional Surface # 3 - Artificial Plants
Here’s one you might not have expected! Recently, I was dreaming up the concept for a new mini collection, and I thought it would be so cool to paint on artificial plants! The art would last forever and be a fun way to bring a new level of joy and vibrancy to your space. I’m so glad I decided to explore this new surface. The result was incredible and I just love how they turned out!
Nontraditional Surface # 4 - Fruits
Last but not least, fruits! You may have painted on a pumpkin around Halloween before, but what about trying some other fun foods? I did an entire project where I jazzed up different fruits with acrylic paint.
Sadly, these canvases don’t last forever, but it’s such a fun and unique way to explore your creativity!
Which of these are you going to try? And do you have any favorite nontraditional surface you’ve used before? Tell me in the comments!
xo, Jessi
Want to dive deeper into abstract painting?
Join me in my Skillshare class, Joyful Abstracts with Acrylic Painting! In this class I share my step-by-step painting process. I’d love for you to join me and create your own Joyful Abstract! If you’re new to Skillshare you can enroll in the class for free! Plus you’ll get a free month trial of Skillshare so you can check out all of the amazing creative classes on the platform.
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