How to: Create texture using plastic wrap / cling film



Golden Fluid acrylic paint (ultra, magenta & white) & Jacquard Lumiere paint (Pearlescent Magenta & Pearl Turquoise) on 8x8-3/4x1/2 inch (20x25x1.3cm) stretched canvas

Suitable for:  acrylics, pigmented ink or watercolour

Requirements:

spray bottle of water
soft brush (optional)
painting knife (optional)
canvas or watercolour paper attached to board with painters or masking tape
fluid acrylic paint or watercolour tube paint
plastic wrap / cling film (plastic shopping bags can also be used)

Method:

1. Spray canvas with water and use soft brush to ensure full coverage. You want the canvas damp but not wet.
2. Drop colours randomly over canvas. I then use a painting knife to pat (sometimes scrape) the colours into areas without any colour - wipe off knife regularly to prevent colours muddying.
3. Add more colour if desired (this is where I added the Lumiere colours to picture 1).
4. Spray a light mist of water over canvas.
5. Tear a sheet of cling wrap from the roll and gently drop over canvas manipulating it to allow creases. Use your fingers to push colour around (not too much).
6. Cover with something heavy and leave to dry overnight.
7.  When dry, gently remove the cling wrap.
8. Leave to dry for a further few hours before sealing if desired. (Your painting may look dry, and even feel dry, to the touch but may smear if not completely dry).

As you can see from the following images, you can create very different effects using thicker paint, ink or watercolour on watercolour paper.

Art Spectrum Pigmented Ink (turquoise, blue, green, violet & white) on 8x8x1/2 inch (20x20x1.3cm) stretched canvas

Matisse Structure acrylic paint (aqua, ultra, southern ocean blue, indigo, cobalt turquoise & titanium white) mixed with Atelier Fast Medium/Fixer to thin paint on 8x8x1/2 inch (20x20x1.3cm) stretched canvas

Art Spectrum watercolour paint on Canson Montval watercolour 300gsm A4 paper