Project #3
Acrylic Painting
INQUIRY STATEMENT
How can I use color, shape, and line to transform a flat surface into a dynamic, three-dimensional form?
The perspicacious and intentional use of layering, color combination, hues, tints and tones within the same artwork allows a flat surface (Such as a simple paper plate) to transform into a three-dimensional piece with clear highlights, shadows and reflections. The use of different colored lines and intentional shapes allows the artwork to elevate into a more dynamic piece for the viewer.
CONNECTION
Cultural, historical, and artistic influences with critical evaluation.
ARTIST STUDY
Sari Shryack
I have chosen the piece "Houston Magnolias" as one of the artworks for my artist study as I was drawn specifically to the unique outline that the artist has given to the leaves around the flower. The blue and purple hues added to the piece would not be something that I would not consider adding to this piece if it were mine, however Shryack has incorporated these hues into her artwork seamlessly. I would dare to say that without this distinctive detail, the artwork would not feel "complete"
​
Although choosing colors in our artworks will occur a little differently (Given the distinctive mirroring and colors of a disco ball) I personally will keep this detail to myself to experiment in future artworks.
investigate
Visual evidence of material tests, alternate compositions, sketches.
-
​​Acrylic paints were first developed in the mid-18th century
-
They are commonly known for their quick-drying properties.
-
Acrylic paints allow artists to work at a faster rate, they are very versatile, they can be easily cleaned with water, and they adhere well to any canvas, making them great options for artists.
-
These paints are good for fine detail, layering etc
-
Acrylic paints are commonly less expensive that oil paints
OVERVIEW
BRUSHES
-
Synthetic brushes are mostly better than natural hair brushes as they do not absorb water as much, allowing the brush to last for a longer period of time
-
Although there are many types of brushes, flat, filbert and round brushes are the most common
-
However, it is important to remember that different brushes can serve several purpuses.
COLORS
-
Only primary colors are needed (Red, yellow, and blue) as well as black and white. The different hues of primary colors allow for different results.
-
For true black, artists employ green + red, as true black is not common in nature
-
There are different types of paint (Artist-grade and student-grade); however, the only difference is found in the amount and quality of the pigment.
-
It is highly recommended to have titanium white and cadmium yellow at the artist grade level.
-
Acrylic paints are very diverse. They have different viscosity levels, pigments, binders, etc
PALLETE
-
Color theory is used to organize your palette
-
Commonly, red, blue, and yellow go in the corners. Adding white and black to the remaining spaces
-
Mix the primary colors to create the secondary colors
acrylic paint practice
The practice part of this project was crucial to understanding both the basis of color theory and how the actual paint works. Through the combination of theoretical learning (The video) and the practices (Such as the one above), I was able to understand several things:
-
Acrylic paint dries extremely fast, recreating the same color twice might not be easy to do, so I had to keep a mental note on which colors I had used (For next projects, I would keep more of a physical record, just in cas,e as I did forget some of the combinations and had to somewhat guess)
-
Water plays a really crucial role in determining the opacity of the colors and how strong of a hue they are
-
Both black and white were crucial in making tints and tones. Understanding this helped me a lot when making the reflections of the final piece
CREATE
Visual documentation of steps of creation
day 1
day 2
day 2.5
day 3
day 4
DAY 4.3
day 4.9
day 6
day 6.5
day 5
day 7
final artwork
Final artwork detailed image
Artist: Lucía Granada
​
Title: Mirror Ball
DIAMETER: 25cm
Date of Completion: 3 of Nov, 2025
​
The Why?: This piece was made to explore and understand how factors like layering, highligts and color theory can transform simple shapes into a more combined and three-dimensional piece.
communicate and reflect
Challenges, successes, and self-evaluation of how the artwork aligns with the inquiry question.
This self-assessment was made on day 6
Colors are clean and opaque ​3
Staggered Tiles - 3
Minimum 6 different hues - 4
Full range value in Hues - 4
Round appearance - 4
Overall craftmanship - 4
​
TOTAL: 22
I believe the final piece was a success! I feel very happy with how the result turned out and the similarity to the inverted piece. Although it appears as if the hues are much brighter when inverted, I was unfortunately unable to tweak the acrylic paints to achieve that level of brightness and therefore create a greater resemblance. Nonetheless, I feel that the process of painting the mirror ball taught me many small tricks that truly enhanced my piece and took it to a slightly higher level (Compare day 6 to day 7). Throughout the process, I understood the importance of having several layers of the same color to ensure opacity in the squares. Similarly, I also learned how to layer different colors in the same square (But of similar hues) to create a richer final color. When layering, I noticed that certain paints (such as white, bright green, and even black) were slightly thicker, so I avoided them to prevent them from overpowering the color in a tile. For some of the squares, I began to mount several paints (Usually tints and tones of the same hue, but sometimes even completely different hues) to try and create an overall rounder appearance and more richness within a square. On a similar note, I felt really proud of the final detail that involved the highlights in each square. That was actually achieved in an accident. As I was repainting a tile, I forgot to drain the water from my brush. However, I still managed to grab some paint and recolor the tile, resulting in a really cool effect.
Nonetheless, I feel that there is a clear aspect that could have been improved. I did not check if the sample mirror ball and my reference picture were the same size, which I did not realize until halfway through my painting. This is why some colors had to be omitted and rearranged.
​
Overall, I feel really proud of my piece, the way I tried to explore color theory in a different way and especially, the added highlights that I personally think bring the final mirror ball together.