Learn to Paint With Acrylics: How to Make Photorealistic Paintings?

If you look at an artwork and question whether it is an art or someone/ something mimicking to be an art, it means you are looking at a photorealistic painting. Photorealistic painting involves the process of painting a highly detailed picture from a photograph.

Whether you are a novice painter or a seasoned expert, photorealism is an effective learning tool to master art and creativity. Everybody desires to learn to paint a building, object, or person, just how they look in reality. If you are intrigued by photorealism painting, too, there are different ways in which you can learn to paint with acrylics.

There are many mediums you can use to paint photo-realistically. The most common mediums used for photorealistic paintings are acrylics, oils, graphite, watercolor, pastel, and colored pencil. With the advancement in technology, there are even nanopillars used to paint photorealistic images.

But most of the photorealist work is done with acrylics using a paintbrush. If you are new to photorealism painting, read on further to know what materials you require and start with the actual painting:

Collect The Required Materials

The first step before you learn to paint with acrylics is finding all the materials for the deed. Here is a general list of materials you can use to create the paintings.

• Easel – Though optional, if you have invested in one, well, make use of it.
• Masking Tape – Any type and width of masking tapes.
• Rulers – A regular and a flexi-ruler.
• Brushes – Thin to Large fan brushes.
• Additives 
• Acrylic Paints
• Pencil – H or any pencil that won’t leave a dent.

Prepare The Canvas

Take a smooth panel, canvas, or board. When you use a smooth surface, it will be easier to blend and get clean and clear lines. Use gesso to start with and lightly sand it to get enough smoothness.

After it dries, wipe it clean and add the base coat of thinned paint. It will give you an evenly pigmented surface. Depending on what you are going to paint, choose the right color ground.

Composition

Plan the composition of the painting. Follow the rule of thirds and make the composition interesting. Arrange the elements in your work in such a way that it will guide the viewers’ eyes across the painting and give it a more engaging composition.

Draw the Subject

Draw the main subject accurately. If you are using a reference picture, transfer the scene onto your canvas either by freehand drawing or any other method.

Perspective

When painting a photorealistic painting, perspective is the essential aspect you should keep in mind. Objects that are in the distance are generally smaller and those that are closer to you.

Details

After you are done with your painting’s main areas, you can now concentrate on those smaller details. Make use of smaller brushes or detail brushes to add tiny details and finer lines. Though details are very important, you must make sure that the underpainting has the proper placements and views.

After you learn to paint with acrylics, all it takes is an unrelenting practice to attain perfection. Start with something small and work to bring out the realism in it before going big.