So, we’ve armed ourselves with information that hopefully is still up to date for this time to tell you how to draw abstract art. As you know, you don’t have to be a master of the brush to paint a canvas that sells itself well. People sculpt paintings like a factory, and many such people are actively exhibiting, alluding to the conceptuality of their work. Maybe they really are conceptual, imbued with deep meaning and generally interesting. At least some of them we really like a lot.
To paint like Pollock did, you have to be Pollock. Others won’t be able to do that. However, you can practice and gauge your abilities by reading our out-of-the-box painting tip sheet. Someone, of course, will start to spit from pictures that do not depict reality and normal forms, but it seems to us that the camera was created for this purpose, which shows reality much more truthfully than any artist. But let’s not argue about tastes and just show you some things you may not have known.
Tools
So, what you’ll need:
- Acrylic paints. Why acrylics and not oil paints? Acrylics have a very big advantage over oil. They change color less when drying, you can work with them fluidly, you might even say lightning fast, because they dry very quickly.
- Jars. You can take small plastic jars. Needed in order to dilute the paint in the necessary proportions, well, and for painting they will also be useful.
- Canvas. Take a larger, similar paintings do not paint on A3. Some people even work on a surface that is commensurate to the length of the wall. Paintings turn out really big. In general, it’s a good idea if you get a big painting.
- Sticks. Sticks like this, you can take the sushi sticks from last night’s dinner.
- Paintbrush. What the hell do we need a paint brush for? Just use the one that’s left over from the renovation. You’re not going to paint in detail – leave that to those who draw portraits and cartoons on the streets.
- Roller. Yes, a roller. A real paint roller that you can use to paint things.
- Scotch tape. The kind that comes off easily. You need it to differentiate between different color areas. You’ll figure it out.
- Rags. If you don’t want to get paint all over the apartment and then clean it up painfully and long, put some cloth, rags, or newspaper on the floor. You can also put on gloves (preferably cloth gloves, rubber ones are uncomfortable).
In general, that’s all you need. Although the list can be supplemented, it largely depends on your imagination. And, of course, you must be willing to spend a whole day on it.
The Drawing Process
The only preparation before you start drawing abstraction is a little study of the basics of color science. Why is this necessary? You just have to understand roughly how colors are mixed, how they fit together. If you don’t know that, you might end up with not a painting, but a mush of yellow and green, mud in the full sense of the word. Let’s assume that you’ve already googled “color science” and read the brief information and some basics. You don’t need anything else.
Generally speaking, creating a painting like this will require a fair amount of imagination and skill, even though the process doesn’t say so. You don’t have to paint anything specific, because painting abstraction means just the opposite. So take tubes of paint and smear them on the canvas. Take two different colors to start with. For example, yellow and red. Try using a brush to create some kind of shape from one color and a background from the other. It’s pretty easy. Do all fast movements, the paint dries quickly.
The technique of painting such paintings is quite experimental at first glance. However, it has been used for a long time. To give texture, you can use stacks, sushi sticks for example. When the basic background is ready, throw some more paint and try working with stacks. You can use them to make elongated lines like this to make a pattern. Tear off a piece of newspaper from the floor and lightly “touch” the picture. You can crumple the newspaper beforehand, as you usually do in the absence of toilet paper in nature. You’ll end up with another type of relief.
Don’t forget, of course, to do the drawing with a brush as well. You can also dip the brush in paint and just sketch drops. Eventually something starts to come out, right? Although by this time you could have completely ruined your work, but let’s count on you doing just fine.
Now tape (it’s better to use painter’s tape) to the picture. We delineate the zones. It is clear that the composition must line up, so that the picture was pleasant to look at. For this, you can quickly read about the “Golden Ratio” and the like. In short, scotch tape, take a roller and paint the hell of one area with the solid color that you liked. Peel off the tape – you get an even match, a border. Continue to work, this time looking back at what has been done before.
You can do the duct tape thing several times, especially if you have a canvas on the entire wall. The cool thing is that no one else will have a picture like this, and it’s pretty hard to repeat. Try to darken the picture by adding some black. Again, use stacks or a paintbrush for this. Drops look pretty good on the canvas sometimes. Well, then it’s up to you whether you want to overload the details or leave it as it is.
You don’t have to consider this kind of pastime an art form. Everyone has different tastes, and for some people, it will always remain a mere painting. But for sure you’ll enjoy the process, no matter what your preference is. Besides, painting has a therapeutic effect, which is sure to do you good, calm your nerves and make life better.