DIY Abstract Art Video Tutorial

My daughter Ellie was home sick today, so I figured it was a good opportunity to get her to hold my phone for a video.  In retrospect, maybe it was too hard for her to concentrate with a fever.... I should have waited. So, because the video here isn't up to par, just consider this a preview - I'll do a better one soon in the colors you guys liked. Also, the canvas I used was really bumpy with old layers, so I need a fresh one. Stay tuned!!

This post is a follow up video tutorial to my earlier post about DIY Abstract art. 

To see those first, click HERE.

_________________________________________________

Ok, first, THANK YOU so much for the nice emails and comments. I was kind of overwhelmed by them (in a good way). You guys are too kind.

Secondly, I feel very badly about comparing my "art" to that of any real artist. They truly pale in comparison, and I would never say that abstract art is easy (just the opposite). My technique is really that of a hack, and is just meant to inspire those who, like me, like to try their hand in a bit of everything. Mad respect to all the real artists - please don't be offended.

Here we go....

Materials:

1. Canvas (Michaels, AC Moore, etc.)  Even paint over store bought art that you have but may not like. I actually bought some really not so nice ones at Home Goods for this reason and painted over the canvas because it can get expensive to frame things.  I used all different sizes  - 12"x12", 12x18, 12x24, and one 36x36 - but the one in this video is 12"x12".

2. Any brush.  I like stiffer bristles, and the one I used was from Ellie's art supplies, so I am quite sure it was cheap.

3. Acrylic paints - the very cheapest ones are garbage. I'd go a step up to the ones that are about $1.50 each. I like the Americana brand. And remember - lots of white!!

Technique:

I couldn't find the pause button on my phone so I had to make two videos:

Part 1:

(If you cannot see it here, this is the YouTube link)

Part 2:
(If you cannot see it here, this is the YouTube link)

So when I was uploading these, I realized that I did indeed over blend the orange, so I went back and added some darker orange in the corner:

Obviously, these are wet and will look better, less shiny, when they are dry. But I think there are too many layers to look as smooth as the ones I posted yesterday, but we'll see.

One more note about color. The "cleaner" and brighter colors work better, in my opinion. So, instead of a pale blue, get bright blue and use the white to water it down. When I used colors like these, the painting was very blah:

 

 And here's another example - the purple on the left is much better than the one on the right, although it might just be a personal preference:

These are the ones from the earlier post if you missed it:

Ok, so I hope that helps. If you're like me, you'll be addicted by dinner and have all new art by morning :)