Wet into wet painting, or alla prima, is a technique where you paint with wet paint on a wet surface. This allows you to blend colors and create effects that are not possible with dry paint.
Why Paint Wet into Wet?
There are two main reasons why you should paint wet into wet:
It harmonizes your colors. When you paint wet into wet, you can take one color and blend it into another color on the canvas. This creates a smooth and natural transition between the colors, without any harsh edges or contrasts. This is also called using a mother color, which is a neutral or gray color that covers the entire canvas and sets the tone for your painting.
It creates gestural strokes. When you paint wet into wet, you can use different tools and techniques to create strokes that suggest movement and texture. For example, you can use a fan brush to create soft and airy strokes, like in this coastal scene of the grass blowing in the wind:
These strokes make your painting more expressive and lively, as if the grass is moving as you intended it to.
How to Paint Wet into Wet?
To paint wet into wet, you need to follow these steps:
Start with a wet base layer. This is your mother color, which is usually an earth tone like Burnt Sienna or Burnt Umber, or maybe like Remington a Blue green color to show the nocturnal look of the moons reflection onto the earth at midnight. This color usually covers the entire canvas and sets the tone for your painting. You can use any medium you like, such as oil, acrylic, or watercolor, but make sure that it stays wet for a long time.
Apply your colors on top of the wet base layer. You can use a palette knife, a brush, or even your fingers to apply the paint. The key is to use a light touch and avoid overmixing the colors. You want to create a variety of hues and values, not a muddy mess.
Use different tools and techniques to create effects. You can use a fan brush to create soft and airy strokes, a dry brush to create texture and contrast, or a wet brush to create smooth and soft transitions. You can also experiment and have fun with it.
Wet into wet painting is a technique that anyone can try, regardless of their skill level or experience. It’s a fun and rewarding way to explore your creativity and express yourself through art.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post and learned something new about wet into wet painting. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. And if you want to learn more about painting and drawing, check out our drawing program, where we teach you the fundamentals of art and help you develop your skills and confidence.
Happy painting!