The Push-Pull Method & Varnishing: A Demo
Push your work to the next level with these key acrylic painting techniques — perfect for adding emotion and visual depth to your portraits.
You can create depth and energy in an acrylic painting by focusing on the development of the background; I’ll show you how I do it. The richness in texture and pattern comes from pushing the paint and then knowing when to pull back. But there’s an equally important part of the process, and that’s varnishing the finished work. This often under-discussed step is a subtle key to success, and as artists it’s important that we understand the full process. Let’s get started on learning these acrylic painting techniques!
The Push-Pull Method
Step 1
When I began this portrait I wanted it to have energy and depth in order to capture the incredible personality of the subject. Before I began working on the portrait I developed an interesting, multi-faceted background that added to the feel of the finished piece. With the background complete, I used colored pencil to draw the outline of the portrait.
Step 2
I used dark, transparent paint to define the shadow areas in the face. I continued developing the dark values to see the face and guide me in choosing future value patterns. In this image you can see the dark transparent values and colored pencil lines I applied to the face.
Step 3
Once my dark values were in place I shifted my focus to the lighter values to begin adding form to the face. I allowed some of the original colors and shapes to show through from the original ground, giving the face an interesting depth and texture that couldn’t have been achieved otherwise.
Step 4
Paint was added to the background and body of the subject to unite the image and tone down those distracting areas. As a result, the viewer can now focus more on the face.
I added more marks to the surface to continue the layering process and create additional visual interest. This is the push-pull part of my process. I added and then subdued the markings, all the while being careful not to lose the marks in the process.
Step 5
I continued to develop the form of the face, bringing it to life without losing the original marks and coloring. If you look closely at the hair, you can see the original ground showing through.
Step 6
I added more marks to the painting using stencils. These symbols relate to the theme and storyline of the portrait. They are part of the story, not the main character.
Step 7
Not to distract from the focus of this work, the portrait of the man, I pushed back some of the symbols I placed earlier with the stencils and reduced their importance. Now the stencil markings are more in line with the original underpainting — they read as percussion not a melody.
Step 8
I used a brush to apply my custom varnish mixture to the painting. A word of caution: excessive or over brushing, or over working the varnish will create unwanted bubbles in the varnish.
5 Varnish Vitals
1. Choose wisely.
There are many varnishes on the market, and you need to know the one you choose will be compatible with your paints. My acrylic painting requires a varnish that’s formulated for use over polymers.
2. Know your stuff.
Varnishes come in gloss, matte and satin versions, some have UV protection, and some use spray or brush-on application processes. Research closely so you know what you’re buying.
3. Practice makes progress.
Try as many different varnishes, application processes and finishes as you can to better understand how they work. The more first-hand experience you have with how they work and respond to your painting, the greater your success will be.
4. Products in play.
For this demo painting I used a brush-on acrylic varnish by Holbein. I mixed a matte and a gloss varnish together in a glass jar to formulate a satin finish. A few manufacturers make satin but often it’s too shiny for my purposes. To find the level of sheen I desire, I experiment with the ratio until I like the finish.
5. How they work
This painting has a bit of texture and some dark areas, so a high-gloss varnish wouldn’t be a good fit. While gloss brings out the color and value intensity it creates reflective issues. Matte finishes reduce color intensity and value contrast but provide little reflection for good viewing. Therefore a mixture of the two, which created a satin varnish, was my choice.
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