6 Tips to Make Acrylic Paints BRIGHTER and More VIBRANT!, by Rachel Froud Art on YouTube. 5 min 26 s.
- Video length
- 5 min 26 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 6
What you need
Steps
Start with good quality acrylic paints. Cheap paints often contain less pigment, so they look dull and chalky on the canvas.
Mix your colours instead of using them straight from the tube. Blending two or three pigments gives a richer, more saturated result.
Keep a colour wheel handy and use it to pick colours that sit opposite or next to each other. This helps you avoid muddy mixes.
Choose colours that suit the mood of your painting. Warm, bright hues next to each other make the whole piece feel more vivid.
Paint on a white base. Prime your canvas with white gesso or a layer of white paint so the colours show at full strength.
Finish the dry painting with a coat of acrylic varnish. It deepens the colours and adds a slight gloss that makes them pop.
Tips and common mistakes
Avoid mixing too many pigments at once, as this quickly turns colours grey and muddy.
Let each layer dry fully before adding the next so the colours stay clean.
Test mixes on a scrap of canvas before committing them to your painting.
Apply varnish in a thin, even coat in a well-ventilated room.
Questions
Do I need expensive paints to get bright colours?
Not necessarily, but paints with a higher pigment load give stronger colour with less mixing. Student-grade paints can work if you build up layers.
Will varnish really make my painting brighter?
Yes, a varnish coat can deepen and saturate the colours and add a gloss finish. Apply it only once the paint is completely dry.
Why do my mixed colours turn muddy?
Mixing too many pigments, especially complementary colours, dulls the result. Stick to two or three colours and use a colour wheel to plan mixes.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
