Acrylic Painting Technique

Live painting performance

In the video you can see acrylic painting technique step-by-step made by Davide Ragazzi artist for alive painting performance (Cosmo Art exhibit, Genoa, Italy, In Arte Off, 2020)

experience a live painting

The video features 20 consecutive phases by artist Davide Ragazzi to create the work “Earth”, during the Cosmo Art residency exhibition at the In Arte Off space (Genoa, Italy, 2020). By watching the video, you can see artist Davide Ragazzi painting, learn to recognize acrylic painting techniques on canvas, and see the artist's step-by-step acrylic painting technique. You can also understand what performance painting is. The video is part of a series of exhibitions in which the artist uses the performance technique of live painting in the presence of exhibition visitors. Very often, the performance turns into a lesson in acrylic painting techniques, and it is possible to paint with the artist.

creating the artwork

step by step

The first work phase shows the artist beginning to apply Naple yellow color to the canvas, which also features a wash of blue and a preparatory charcoal drawing of the subject's form, the Earth. The artist paints the African continent; applies the color with a palette knife, using the tool close to the surface of the canvas; he builds up a mass of color and then lays it flat, using a textural approach. He alternates working techniques with the palette knife to create masses, reliefs, flat areas, and smears; he turns the palette knife and works with the tip to distribute the paint over an increasingly larger surface.

In the second work phase, the artist paints the African and Asian continent; he uses a medium, flat-tipped brush; builds mass of Naple yellow color, spreads, and pulls the color by squeezing the tip of the brush; corrects the areas he wants to flatten; he fills the area by following the edges. He opens the brush wider, fan-shaped, when he needs to cover a larger surface and achieve a flat effect. Sometimes, he uses the brush sideways, slowly, to create narrower, longer surfaces.

In the third phase, the artist returns to the yellow color already applied to add mass where he wants it to increase. The material part of a painting is created slowly, for practical reasons: the color must dry to support new layers, and the materiality that is intended often leads to difficulties in realizing it.

In the fourth phase (at minute 02:59 of the video), the artist dries the wet brush, removing the amount of water needed for the specific purpose: with the wet brush, he wets part of the glaze with blue color, dips the blue paint and expands the area to fill a small white space along the edges. To do this, he expands the existing color and avoids adding new color because it would be too messy.

In the fifth phase, after having spread a veil of faded emerald green over the European continent, the artist applies a new wash of blue on the oceans, using the same flat-tipped brush; holding the brush by the tail allows him to maneuver it to fill a larger area of the canvas than when he holds it by the base of the bristles.

In the sixth phase, the artist refines the edges of the yellow areas using a smaller brush and working with the tip.

In the seventh, he continues to work with the blue color on the oceans; he refines the edges and applies glazes of color on the central parts of the oceans to increase intensity.

In the eighth phase (at minute 04:27 of the video), the artist returns to working on the African continent with the palette knife; resumes working with the palette knife; he uses Naples yellow color lightened with white. As he did at the beginning, he works with the palette knife in this way: he picks up the paint from the saucer, places it on the canvas, and then works it with the flat of the palette knife; he spreads and flattens the mass of paint.

In the ninth phase, the artist applies the light green color over the previously applied yellow, working with a medium-sized, round-tipped brush and a damp cloth, which he uses to keep the brush wet and use only a small amount of paint, spreading it out. This technique allows him to create a very sheer, semi-transparent layer of acrylic paint. Then, with a lighter shade, he adds another glaze, achieving a mix of semi-transparent tones.

In the tenth phase, he refines the yellow edges on the Asian continent, working with a very small, round-tipped brush.

In the eleventh, he takes up the medium-sized, round-tipped brush again and widens the light green glaze on the African continent.

In the twelfth phase (at minute 06:32 of the video), the artist begins to paint the layers of clouds; he spreads the white paint in a gestural and dynamic manner. Instead of creating flat areas, he creates dynamic marks that are identifiable and distinguishable both from one another and from the previously created flat areas underneath. The white acrylic paint is applied in a very material manner, using a lot of paint, and applied it to the canvas without stretching it; sometimes it is even applied in flat layers. Almost all the graphite marks are covered with white paint, which, at the upper edges of the painted area, blends in with the white of the canvas.

In the thirteenth phase, the artist creates other layers of clouds, using a brush, with white color, forming a series of swirls of color with a smaller radius.

In the fourteenth phase, he uses the palette knife with the white color to paint the clouds in various ways; for example, using the tip, holding the palette knife at an angle. He spreads the color mass and in some places, stretches the color. He spreads the white color already present on the canvas directly with his index finger.

In the fifteenth, (at minute 09:14 of the video) the artist, with the brush loaded with water stained with white, creates a transparent veil on the oceans, before transferring the more substantial mass of white color of the clouds; he uses a rag to prevent the brush from being too loaded and dripping.

In the sixteenth, the artist creates new lines of white color with a small, round-tipped brush.

In the seventeenth, he works again with the palette knife to create white areas underneath the lines you just made.

In the eighteenth, he continues painting with white and refines the edges.

In the nineteenth fase, he loads the brush with white paint; then, with his index finger, he taps the brush, instantly transferring drops of paint onto the canvas.

In the twentieth phase, the artist concludes the work, shaking the brush, loaded with color, with broad gestures.