How to Add Secondary Glaze to Your Acrylic Painting

Learn the step-by-step process of enhancing depth and realism with a secondary glaze technique on your acrylic painting.

Acrylic glazing is a powerful technique that can take your artwork to the next level by enhancing depth, subtle color transitions, and realism. In this tutorial, we will explore how to add a secondary glaze to an acrylic painting, using a portrait inspired by the biblical story of Daniel. So I’ll walk through the process step-by-step, using ultramarine blue, matte medium, and raw umber dark to create rich, translucent layers that bring life and realism to your painting.

Step-by-Step Guide to Applying a Secondary Glaze

1. Preparing Your Glaze Mixture

The first step in glazing is to prepare the secondary glaze by mixing ultramarine blue with a matte medium. Because this medium helps thin out the paint and makes it translucent, allowing the underlying layers to show through. And then the translucency of the glaze is key to creating depth, as light will pass through the glaze and reflect back, giving your painting vibrancy.

• Tip: Always ensure that your glaze mixture is balanced you want it to be semi-transparent, so it adds color without overpowering the previous layers. A ratio of 1:3 (paint to medium) works well for most glazes.

2. Applying the Secondary Glaze

Once your glaze is mixed, begin applying it to your painting. For this demonstration, we are focusing on adding shadow and depth to the figure of Daniel in the painting. Because the existing glaze of raw umber dark provides a good foundation, and now the ultramarine blue adds a cool, shadowy effect that contrasts well with the warmth of the figure.

• Technique: Hold your brush perpendicular to the canvas to push the glaze into the texture. Once applied, smooth it out gently to avoid brush marks.The goal is to create a smooth, even layer of glaze across the areas where you want to deepen shadows, such as the left side of Daniel’s face, his clothing, and the background. The ultramarine blue mixes with raw umber to form a neutral gray, which is perfect for shadowed areas.

3. Establishing Light and Dark Values

One of the most important aspects of glazing is to decide where your light and dark values will be. In this painting, the figure of Daniel is illuminated by a light source from the right side, while the left side remains in shadow. As you apply the secondary glaze, keep in mind which parts of the painting will be darker and which will remain lighter.

• Tip: Before worrying about color accuracy, lock in your values (the lightness or darkness of different parts of the painting). Having a clear distinction between light and dark areas will make your painting more realistic, even if the color isn’t perfect.

4. Glazing for Depth and Detail

The secondary glaze also helps to create a sense of separation between the figure of Daniel and the background. Once applying the glaze to his clothing and areas of shadow, we enhance the contrast between the figure and the surrounding elements. And then this makes Daniel stand out, creating a three-dimensional effect.

Once you’ve applied the glaze, it’s time to refine the details. Work into areas such as Daniel’s hair and beard, where the shadows are deepest. The combination of ultramarine blue and raw umber dark creates a Payne’s gray effect that is perfect for these dark, shadowed areas.

• Technique: Use a smaller brush to apply glaze to detailed areas like the hair and beard. This allows for precision and ensures that the darker tones blend smoothly into the rest of the painting.

5. Glazing Over Highlighted Areas

While glazing works wonders for shadows, it’s equally effective for enhancing highlights. In this painting, the light shines from the right side, and we want to leave some areas of the canvas almost untouched by the glaze to maintain brightness. As you work, leave the highlights lighter and let the white of the canvas shine through the layers of translucent color.

• Tip: When glazing over highlights, use an even thinner glaze mixture to avoid dulling the brightness. This creates a luminous effect as the light reflects off the white canvas beneath the glaze.

6. Enhancing the Background and Rug

As you continue glazing, think about how the colors in the background and surrounding areas affect the overall composition. In this case, the red tones of the Persian rug that Daniel kneels on are glazed using a mixture of alizarine crimson and burnt sienna. This vibrant glaze contrasts beautifully with the cooler blue tones in the shadows, creating visual interest.

• Technique: Apply the glaze with long, smooth brush strokes to create an even finish. The glaze should add richness to the rug without overpowering the other elements in the painting.

7. Final Touches and Adjustments

After the secondary glaze has dried, step back and assess your work. Are there areas that need more depth or contrast? Glazing is a gradual process, and you can always add more layers to build up the desired effect. In this case, additional glazes of ultramarine blue were added to Daniel’s clothing and hair to deepen the shadows and enhance the three-dimensional effect.

• Tip: Always wait for one layer of glaze to dry before adding another. This prevents muddiness and ensures that each layer maintains its translucency.

Why Glazing is Important in Acrylic Painting

Glazing is a technique that allows you to build up color and depth gradually, which is particularly useful in acrylic painting. Acrylics dry quickly, so traditional blending techniques can be challenging. Glazing, however, lets you apply thin, transparent layers of color without losing the underlying details.

By using glazes, you can create a sense of realism and luminosity in your painting. The light passes through the layers, creating a glow that adds life to your artwork. Whether you’re working on portraits, landscapes, or still lifes, glazing gives you control over color and value in a way that direct painting doesn’t.

Adding a secondary glaze to your acrylic painting is an effective way to enhance depth, create realistic shadows, and build contrast between light and dark areas. And then by carefully applying translucent layers of ultramarine blue, mixed with matte medium, you can add richness and dimension to your work. Remember, glazing is a process that requires patience and precision, but the results are well worth the effort.

Whether you’re working on portraits or other subjects, mastering the art of glazing will elevate your acrylic paintings to new levels of realism and vibrancy.

If you’re looking for more instructional videos on how to improve your acrylic painting, visit www.realisticacrylic.com for more tutorials and check out my free courses here. .

LEARN MORE

• How to Paint Foliage Using the Acrylic Glazing Technique
• How to Trace for an Accurate Portrait Sketch
• How to Paint Realistic Eyes in Your Acrylic Portrait
• How to Add Raw Umber Dark & Ultramarine Blue to Your Portrait
• How to Make Your Own Raw Umber Dark
• How to Paint Realistic Trees & Grass in Your Acrylic
• How to Block In Skin Tone Values Using Glazing Technique
• How to Paint Vibrant Reds in Your Acrylic Portrait
• How to Glaze Background Colors & More Acrylic Portrait
• How to Paint White Clothing in Your Acrylic Portrait
• How to Easily Transition from a Sketch to a Painting
• How to Block In Shading & Skin Tones in Your Acrylic
• How to Build Up Color on Acrylic Pet Portrait
• How to Build Up Form on Clothing with Acrylic
• How to Paint Dark Clothing Using Acrylic Glazing Technique
• How to Paint a 24 x 30 Acrylic With 30 People
• How to Do Smooth Shading with Acrylic
• How to Sketch an Acrylic Portrait with a Grid

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Thank you so much for taking the time to read this tutorial and watch the video. That means a lot to me.  I hope you find it very helpful in your portrait painting.  

Yours for Better Portraits,

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