How to paint an ombre/gradient background with acrylics on canvas:
Materials needed:
- Canvas
- Acrylic paints (2-3 colours)
- Paint brushes- nice soft bristles
- Palette or plastic plate
- Cup of water
- Paper towels
Instructions:
- Choose the colours you want to use for your ombre background. Select 2-3 colours that will blend well together. TIP: Opt for fluid acrylic rather than heavy body as too thick of a consistency will be hard to blend.
- Prime your canvas with some gesso. Make sure it's clean and dry before you start painting your coloured background.
- Decide which direction you want your ombre to go. You can choose to paint horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
- Mix your first colour with a little bit of white paint to lighten it. This will create the lightest shade for your ombre background.
- Start painting at the top of the canvas with the lightest colour. Use a large paintbrush to cover the top portion of the canvas.
- Add a little bit of the next color to the lightest colour and mix well. This will create the second shade for your ombre background.
- Continue painting the second colour below the first one, blending the two colors together until you get the desired shade and can’t tell where one starts or finishes.
- Repeat the process for any remaining colours until you reach the bottom of the canvas. Remember to blend the colors well sweeping your brush back and forth to create a seamless transition. Always working from your lightest shade to your darkest.
Have fun experimenting and trying out different colour combinations!
For a visual tutorial of this process check out my free YouTube videos here 🥰