Kent’s Painting Process: A Unique Approach to Acrylic Painting
Blending Tradition with Innovation
I’ve been drawing and painting since the early 1970s, working with everything from pencil and watercolor to oil and egg tempera. Each of these mediums offers something unique—oil paints have unmatched blending qualities, watercolor provides fluid transparency, and pencil rendering brings a level of control and detail I’ve always appreciated.
For years, I worked with these materials separately, mastering each one on its own. But over time, I started wondering—what if I combined everything I’ve learned into a single painting process? Could I bring together the depth of oil, the lightness of watercolor, the precision of pencil, and the layering of egg tempera into one cohesive technique?
That question set me on a path of trial and error, refining my approach through years of experimentation. The surprising answer? Artist Acrylic paint.
Why Acrylic?
Acrylic isn’t typically thought of as a substitute for watercolor, oil, or egg tempera, but through years of testing, I found ways to make it work in a way that mirrors the qualities I love about each of those mediums.
Blending & Depth – While oil paint naturally blends on the canvas, acrylic dries quickly, making blending more challenging. To solve this, I work in thin layers, slowly building color and depth over time with the use certain acrylic mediums when necessary.
Transparency & Luminosity – Watercolor’s magic lies in its transparency. By thinning acrylics with water and working on an absorbent surface, I create that same effect—rich, glowing colors with a natural flow.
Fine Detail & Precision – Pencil rendering has always been a core part of my process. I use acrylic in a way that allows me to incorporate hidden linear details, creating depth and structure.
Texture & Surface Control – Egg tempera has a distinctive texture and matte finish. By layering acrylic in a similar way, I achieve a comparable effect while maintaining flexibility in my process.
The result is a technique that allows me to bring the best of all these mediums together in a way that feels natural and true to my vision as an artist.
This process didn’t come together overnight. It took years of refining techniques, pushing past limitations, and figuring out how to merge different artistic traditions into something that felt natural.
I’ve had to unlearn traditional “rules” about acrylics—learning how to slow down drying times, manipulate transparency, and incorporate drawing into the process in a way that creates defined structure without an overbearing presence.