acrylic | Danny Clark - Artist

Apr

How to fix a ugly acrylic pour painting with color tinted resin using Golden Interference Paint.

RESINFIX

Recently I started playing with some of Golden Paints Interference paints with my resin pieces. This type of paint surprisingly brought an entirely new level to the look I want with some of my art. When it is applied over another layer it has this really cool shimmer of color. Much the same way interference paint is used in custom show cars. You probably have seen them. They are the ones that look green in one direction and then it changes to purple and blue.

colorshift-collage

So as I started playing with the paint I decided to see how it looked when mixed in resin. I was pleasantly surprised at how it didn’t so much become reflective as much as it gave the resin a soft watery look. I totally fell in love with the look. There are many different colors t play with and it comes in Fluid as well! Way to go GOLDEN!

So I uploaded a video of me applying it to the disk above. Originally the painting was rather dark and sort of muddy. Once I added the Interference Resin (I should trademark that) I liked the piece a whole lot more. Below the video I have a list of materials I used.

SHOPPING LIST:

8 Inch Circular Canvas
Epoxy Resin (Pro Marine Supply)
Golden Acrylic Interference Paint
- Blue – (Used in video)
- Green Blue
- Violet
- Red
- Gold
Wooden Stir Sticks

Apr

Acrylic Pouring with A Final Resin Coat.

Episode2829

Most of the pieces I do with acrylic pouring mediums I also coat in resin. Personally, I think it looks better for the work and adds a level of quality that you don’t get with varnish. Don’t get me wrong, there is a place for varnish and resin is no cheap venture, but if you can get your hands on some, I recommend trying coating a colorful abstract piece. It makes a big difference.

For this “episode” I created two videos. The first video is an explanation of me making the art. The second and much longer video is a detailed description of how I coat a piece in resin. The recipe for the piece was not exact, but in estimation, I did the following:

2 parts Floetrol / 1 Part Medium Body Paint / 1 Part 91% Alcohol / about 5 drops Silicone.

Below is a link to both videos and a list of links to all the materials in the event you are shopping for something. Also, I have included a few other links with the cups I use to measure as well as the scale I use when I create a recipe by weight.

Shopping List:

Apr

Resin painting with my 8 year old.

YT_27

This Sunday afternoon my youngest and I made a little artwork. She has been begging for me to make a YouTube video on my channel of her and I making art. So this afternoon we decided on a piece and started filming away.

The best part of working with my youngest is that she is open to trying new things. She also never holds back from telling me what she thinks. In this video, I was teaching her how to make a resin art piece and using a straw to manipulate the materials. Watching her try to blow through a straw on the resin was more than funny.

In the end, we had a blast, made some great art, and spent some quality time together. She is a pretty cool kid, and I think her art is top of the line!

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE VIDEO.

I have also been asked by some to include a list of materials used in the video. So below is a list of links to where you can purchase each item we used.

Art Resin is another great resin to be used on paintings.

Apr

Another alternative to pouring medium

image1 (7)

I was asked about using Floetrol as a pouring medium and was interested in doing some tests. After the testing and a great conversation with the guys at Flood regarding the science behind floetrol, I found it to be a pretty good alternative.

Without getting into too much detail in writing, I put together a video explaining what they told me and a sample pour with a recipe for using floetrol. I am going to give this a try on some larger pieces I have a commission as it seems to work just fine under resin.

Take a look at the video for a detailed explanation. There is a recipe in the description.

Some of the materials used with links:

Apr

Acrylic pouring on a budget

I was asked recently about the way in which I use pouring medium. Apparently, certain pouring mediums are hard to find, out of stock or just plain expensive. After doing a little more research, I came up with a weighted pouring solution that is much less costly and easier to obtain.

Pouring medium itself has some properties that reduce crazing, extend the fluid acrylic and are leveling. Unfortunately, this recipe of pouring medium does none of that, but for those that are cost conscious and want to try out colors without committing their more expensive mediums, this seems to be a pretty good alternative.

Basically, the recipe is medium bodied tube paint, water, 91% alcohol and Elmer’s glue. The measurements are by weight rather than volume, and each is equal. So its a pure 1 to 1 ration on all four ingredients.

So try it out and let me know what you think!

Apr

More water than anything

More than water

This blog has been a holding site for the last couple of years as I found out more about myself and where I want to be going forward. After 15 years growing a photography studio, I finally decided to go back to doing what I loved, art. Over the last couple of years, I have found that my true self is from being a creator and a healer. It took a lot of work to come to that realization, but it has helped me focus more on my art and my future.

Luckily I have somewhat of a plan going forward for at least the next few years. In August of this year, I start graduate school at the University of Houston School of Social Work. Graduate school is going to be a difficult task, but I am excited for the opportunity to eventually help people work through issues of addiction and trauma. Eventually I plan to incorporate art and therapy together.

In the meantime, I am busy working on a lot of new pieces to have available alongside my new website. Please keep an eye out here for where my works will be showing. Thanks for sticking around during this odd transition. I hope it becomes much more informative and entertaining.

Mar

Fluid Pouring Cell Magic & Video

ColorStudy

One of my biggest problems with art is that I seem to delve into the technical side of the medium until I am exhausted. I do this with photography, music, painting and even cooking. It seems like no matter what I get my hands on; I need to know all the details.

So when I started playing with fluid acrylic mediums, I found that trial and error was a waste of time if I didn’t at least understand why the paint reacts some ways and not others. I watched countless videos of people explaining how they mix their paint and how they get cells in their pours. No matter what I watched there always seemed to be some part of the process missing. Either the person explaining the process didn’t know how things worked just wasn’t planning on telling everyone.

So after more trial and error, I started looking into how the paints worked and what the paint masters knew. I primarily use Golden Paints. I know they are more expensive and for testing a process it can get costly, but nobody said I had to test things out on a 30X30 panel. I do most of my testing on small 5X5 panels I get from Hobby Lobby.

First I found on Goldens blog Just Paint some great information about Techniques for Fluid Pouring. This article was the top of the rabbit hole. I read through everything and found that most of the information was super helpful. However, I still needed more data for my study.
One part of the article mentions that White paint has the highest density so applying it lasts helps create cells. Knowing only white was the densest wasn’t enough! I needed to know what the density was for ALL the colors. SO I called Golden to see what I could find. The best thing was that they acted like they were expecting my call! Mr. Townsend from Golden sent me the information I was looking for immediately. They sent me a list of all the pigments and their specific gravity. It was like a cell making holy grail!

So I started playing with the recipe more and finally feel like I have this all figured out. Of course, there are still many surprises, but understanding how it all works is what makes this process fun! I created a video on my YouTube Channel that explains the recipe for the above painting. It is straight forward, so I hope it helps!

Per requested, here is the link to the Golden Paint Density List.

http://www.goldenpaints.com/pdf_viewer?file=http://www.goldenpaints.com/admin/image/get_assets/density-of-pigments-used-in-golden-acrylic-colors.pdf

Mar

Teaching an 8 Year old.

Practice Pour by Zoe.

I love being a dad. My kids are my greatest accomplishment. With that said, I have a responsibility to teach them as much as possible. Last week my youngest Zoe and I were painting, and she asked if I would show her how to make a “messy, drippy” painting.

So we decided on some colors and went to work. I think the best part of watching her do the fluid acrylic pour was when she came to that point of “too much.” Its that wonderfully mind bending point when your not sure if it is just the way you want the painting to look, or if it will completely fall apart when you change one more thing.

I created a video of the process. It is interesting watching it with just our hands. There are points that I regrettably take over. In my efforts to show her how the process worked she became very frustrated with me. I guess in the end I learned as much about myself as she did with the process.

Mar

Fluid Acrylic Pouring Test

High Flow Acrylic – Danny Clark

With my continued acrylic play I have discovered that pouring medium is just an absolute mess. I have seen some people demonstrate the process. While I am not one to hold back on making a mess, I do find there is a tremendous waste. I still do enjoy playing with the process, but my color pallet has not dialed in just yet.

Yesterday I made this little 5X5 pour with a couple of different inspirations. One inspiration from the process of Ebru Art.

Ebru Art done with heavy water and acrylic or inks.

Ebru art is a fabulous painting process and creates beautiful patterns that remind me of afghan blankets. When I was a kid, my grandmother would crochet afghan blankets. I remember having one most of my childhood. These were super comforting, but when it was cold, your toes would stick through the yarn, so it wasn’t the best thermal application.

vintage-crochet-afghan-blanket-retro-orange-gold-striped-chevrons-1stopretroshop-k102423-2

Afghan Blanket from a non-smoking estate.

I tried to capture most of the process in a video on my YouTube Channel. It was fun but I have a little more work before I commit any larger piece to the process. If you have any hints or tips please feel free to let me know. I am always open to new ideas.

Feb

Meister Eckhart

Over the last few years, I have done a lot of reading around historic mystics and philosophers. I know this may seem rather boring to some, but for me it is just a part of my journey. Meister Eckhart is one of my favorite’s to read.

Recently I dealt with some fairly scary health issues that almost took my life. When these events happen, I go more inward with my thinking and really reflect on what my true perspective represents. I am always reminded that through suffering comes grace and we can always find God on the fringes. Meister Eckhart just seems to really understand without giving away the answer too easily.

A pastor I have worked with for many years recently wrote me a letter of recommendation for graduate school. I made this small piece of art as a token of my appreciation. What is always amazing is how I thought I was going to create a totally different piece but this one just seem to happen.

“The eye with which I see God is the same I with which God sees me” Meister Eckhart.

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