Alternative techniques will bring individuality to your artwork.
Although you tend to think of painting as something done in oils, acrylics or watercolours, there are a number of alternative painting techniques you can employ in your artwork to give it greater variety and texture. Mastering these alternative techniques will bring individuality to your paintings and increase the range of expression and possibilities of the painting.
Using the Medium
Layer gesso on the canvas before painting, as you normally would, but rather than sanding it down, leave it to bring texture underneath the paint you apply for effects that can be dramatic and subtle. Scrape an object over the gesso for the technique known as grattage. Hold paper over the surface and rub on the paper with charcoal for frottage, which leaves an impression of the surface on the paper and can give inspiration for the painting.
Using the Paint
Glazing the paint, which means putting on several layers of transparent colors but using a different brush technique with each, offers real depth to objects in a painting. Layer paint, especially oils and acrylics, to also put texture into the painting -- this can even make something seem three-dimensional. Add gels, such as heavy structure gel, to paints to also achieve depth and texture and raise them off the canvas; layering different types of paints and gels can give added interest to a painting.
Different Media
Use other media along with paint as an alternative to just painting. Collage is a well-established technique that involves the addition of other objects, such as paper or cloth, to the canvas as part of the whole painting, whether painted over or not. Adding of other objects can alter the entire image of the picture, especially when used in conjunction with glazes or even leaves and flowers. Apply gesso over parts of the painting for a ghostly, transparent effect.
Applying the Paint
Apply the paint with objects other than a brush, or texture it with unusual things (plastic wrap or even bubble wrap is excellent for this). Dabbing paint on with a sponge changes the shape and textures of objects, and the number of objects you can use to put paint on the canvas is limited only by availability and imagination. Drip paint on the canvas, or even let it splatter by soaking the brush in paint and then shaking it over the canvas to create a Jackson Pollock-like effect. Use a palette knife to apply thick nodes of paint.
