MICHAEL WHELAN

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Hi Mr. Whelan,

I recently discovered your work and am amazed! I’m studying illustration and utilizing mostly photoshop to produce images, but would like to learn how to paint in acrylics. I have a few questions about your use of acrylics if you don’t mind.

Do you use any sort of retarder to keep them workable longer? What is your main method of application? (wet-on-wet, glazing, airbrush etc.) How many brushes/colors do you have in your hand at one time? 

Thank you for your time, looking forward to your next piece.

Tom Parsons

http://tomparsonsart.com/

Hi Tom,

I have used retarders on some of my acrylic paintings, with mixed results. My use of them depends on the effect I’m looking for.

If I want to get a smooth blended wash in a sky area then I will usually add a little retarder or glaze medium to give me enough workable time to get the blends I want.

More often I use it by mixing some into a bottle of distilled water, adding some drops of Golden’s “Flow Enhancer” [which aids smooth washes and prevents beading up in thin applications], and then when I need to re-hydrate my color wells I’ll add drops from that mixture, stirring it into each color to maintain a fluid quality I like.

I rarely use tube colors, except when painting very thick highlights and accents. I almost always use fluid paints [Liquitex and/or Golden] in Ph. Martin’s 30-well palettes, which I keep in Tupperware containers when I’m not painting. I throw in a wet sponge to maintain a high humidity level in the container to prevent drying.

What is your main method of application? (wet-on-wet, glazing, airbrush etc.)

All of the above. In all but maybe a handful of paintings I reserve airbrush work exclusively for backgrounds: skies and so forth. I’d say the painting begins as wet-on-wet and ends as a dry brush technique.

I only have one or two brushes at a time. It depends on what i’m doing. If it’s a big colorful sky that I’m using a wet on wet technique on, then I could have 6 or more brushes on the go at the same time.  The last days of work on a painting I’m only using one brush at a time.

Hope that answers your questions. Thanks for your kind comments about my work.

Michael Whelan