Washed effect with acrylics....

[dunk]

I have a couple of puzzles done that I want to paint with acrylics.

However, I want to do a wash effect.

How thin do I dilute the acrylic paints with water?
Do you wipe it on with a paper towel or rag?
What kind of container do you use for thinning?

I'll be using several different colors on one project so I need something economical for mixing.

Can you save the left overs?

Thanks for any advice.

[Becky]

It depends on the look you want.  I would suggest that you start with about 50-50 and try it on some scrap of the same type wood as your project.  That'll probably be too much paint and you'll want to thin it some more for a real wash-effect.  Usually a wash is more (sometimes considerably more) water than paint.

I don't know how big your project is or how much paint you will be using.  I have a small plastic palatte that is divided into several sections.  I squirt a blob of paint into a section and then just pour in some water.  I mix it with a paintbrush.  I paint the wash on with the brush but always be sure to rinse it out first in case there are any blobs of paint stuck in there.  I don't usually do anything huge so don't mix a lot of paint.  Therefore I don't feel bad about washing the unused part down the drain.

If your project is a big one and you need a lot of wash, I would experiment with the paint to water ratio as described above and then I'd probably just use a jar that is big enough to hold however much I need.  The you could just put the lid back on the jar to store it (after wiping the rim so you don't paint the lid to the jar).  I imagine it would keep for a reasonable length of time though you'd need to mix/shake it before using it again.

Hope that helps.

[GrayBeard]

Storing the paint in a Mason jar should work. I have done it with Latex paints that I left customers for touch-up.
One suggestion would be after the jar rim is good and clean wipe it with a tiny bit of Vaseline and then store the jar with the lid DOWN.
That helps keep out transient air and creates less 'skimming' of the paint.

~~~GrayBeard~~~

[dunk]

Thanks for the replies.  Your thoughts are appreciated and helpful.

[Terry Jackson]

I use the small plastic cups with lids.  See them in the fast food joints, they come in packs of 16 for a couple bucks.  Can keep paint for a day or two, but only mix maybe 1/8 oz at a time to do a complete piece.  The acrylic comes in small plastic bottles with a flip-top so getting small quantities is easy.  "Ceramacote", so an art or ceramic supply.  Dilute 2 water, 1 paint, apply with brush and immediately wipe with damp lint-free rag.  If it is too lite, repeat.  Works for me on small pieces as in for a puzzle or segmentation and such.

[dunk]

Terry,
Thanks for the reply.