What Acrylic Painting Taught Me About the Way I Draw
Earlier this year, I decided to once again experiment with acrylic paints for an art contest I wanted to enter, but what I didn’t account for was just how much traditional painting taught me about art as a whole.
So here are some of the things I learned, and here’s why I strongly recommend trying traditional art at some point in your art journey!
Understanding of Shadows and Lights
You can probably acquire this skill through digital art as well, but I think using traditional paints to mix a variety of color families has really improved my knowledge of lighting. The experience of making colors by mixing different paints has helped me understand the importance of different shading colors and the many different types.
Understanding Realism
In addition to understanding how the natural environment reacts to light and color, I also learned a lot about blending realism with my usual art style. Because the subject and medium allowed me to try out more depth in shading, I was able to get a better grasp on my style and on exactly what creates a sort of realism and liveliness in art. This is hard to perceive in digital art, where the textures are hidden behind screens, but traditional art, with all its textures and up-close application, was really eye-opening for me.