Acrylic: Scumbling

Acrylic Professional Tips

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Scumbling is the ideal way to liven up color blocks and add motion. How? By rubbing a thin, irregular, layer of color over an existing layer.

Did you know?

You can do it with a paintbrush (recommended for beginners because it's easier to handle), a rag or your fingers.
It is easier to do scumbling on a granular surface (canvas, canvasboard) than on a smooth medium.

1. Scumbling

Wait for the under-layer to dry so the colors can't mix.
To keep it from spilling out of the lines, cover the areas around your pattern with strips of adhesive masking paper.
Mix water and medium (linseed oil) with the color, like for a wash.
Apply the paint roughly, to leave uneven brush strokes.
Make sure not to cover the entire under-layer.

What for? To add depth to a sky, liven up a field of flowers, or recreate the texture of a stone wall…

You can also do dry brush scumbling. This is your chance to use your old, worn out paintbrushes!

Take a little color straight from the tube with a dry brush and rub it on the medium: this will yield an irregular texture with a raised pattern.

What for? To cover a dark background with light paint (an expanse of snow in a night sky) or, conversely, add a complementary color over another.