Contemporary Painting Techniques

Artists are constantly trying to reinvent themselves and their art. New kinds of paints, new art materials and equipment are available to artists, and they experiment with these and traditional materials to create new styles and techniques. Contemporary methods include rubbing, texturing, sgraffito and mixed media painting.

Scrapping and rubbing

Scrapping and rubbing techniques are generally used with acrylic paints. It can produce broken colors and help with creating unusual backgrounds. Try two or more colors on the canvas at the same time. Manipulate them with a flat spatula or the side of an old credit card. Experiment with the paint until you have a look you like. It is unnecessary to apply an even coat of paint. 

Texturing

Acrylic paints often behave like glue when applied to canvas. Many artists use this to their advantage, using the form of the paint to add depth and meaning. Various materials like sand or small beads can also be added before the paint dries. There are also commercial mixtures that can be added to paint. 

Sgraffito

A new technique that is very popular is sgraffito. An artist layers paint of different colors and lets the paint dry. The artist then uses a tool to scrape away layers of paint, revealing the different layers of paint. The tool can be any manner of things, anything that will work. Some examples of sgraffito designs are written words, patterns or intricate pictures. The results are usually quite detailed.

Mixed media

Mixed media painting is when two forms of art are combined. This could be two types of paint on one canvas, for example acrylics and oils. Translucent watercolors can be used over pencil drawings, or pastel drawings over a painting. The options are endless when working with mixed media.