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See art in a fresh way.

One of the easiest and most exciting ways for a painter to create light is to use the technique scumbling.

This technique works great with both acrylic and oil paint.

In preparation for scumbling start with a dark and dry underpainting.

Here I roughly painted the composition of my computer screen in a black acrylic wash.

1. A dry brush.

2. A lighter color than the dark, dry surface.

3. Towels to wipe off excess color from the brush.

4. And the skill to deftly drag the brush while applying paint.

You start by taking a dry brush, using no medium, mix a color which is lighter than your underpainting. Then wipe off excess color on a paper towel, leaving a lightly tinted brush.

I think this feels more like drawing. You don't want to swirl gobs of paint around.

It is important to make this a one shot deal. If you apply too many layers, one immediately following the other, the paint begins to blend - destroying the airy gauze-like look. 

The scumbling technique allows for endless editing, and it can achieve a high level of realistic detail.

If you are not happy with your scumbling results, let the canvas dry, paint back over the area in a dark wash, toning it down to the desired effect. After the paint is dry go back and scumble again. And repeat this as often as necessary to get ultimate results.

I hope you enjoyed seeing technique in a fresh way.

Michael Newberry
Santa Monica, April 2009