Part of today's day was spent making Acrylic Black Gesso - an acrylic primer used to cover canvas or board in preparation for painting in acrylic or oil. Black gesso is used instead of white gesso when the painter is looking to work on a surface without the cool, bright glow of a traditional white background. 

Here is how to make Turquoise:

Turquoise, in painting terms, is the infinite relationship between green and blue. It is defined as a greenish-blue or a sky blue colour. Given the vast spectrum of green and blue pigments that are available to us as artists, the exploration of mixing them in combinations is endless. We have provided samples below of blending turquoise as a wash (paint diluted with water) and with Titanium White.

Turquoise Washes:

1.  Cobalt Blue with Phthalo Green
2.  Cerulean Blue with Phthalo Green
3.  Sap Green with Phthalo Blue
4.  Cerulean Blue with Raw Titanium and Phthalo Green
5.  Benzi Burnt Orange with Phthalo Blue and Phthalo Green
6.  Phthalo Green and Phthalo Blue
7.  Cobalt Blue with Raw Titanium and Phthalo Green
8.  Ultramarine Blue with Phthalo Green
9.  Alizarin Crimson Hue with Phthalo Green
10.  Cobalt Blue with Phthalo Blue and Phthalo Green
11.  Cobalt Blue with Phthalo Green
12.  Phthalo Blue with Phthalo Green

Turquoise Blends with Titanium White: 

1.  Cobalt Blue and Phthalo Green with Titanium White
2.  Alizarin Crimson Hue and Phthalo Green with Titanium White
3.  Benzi Burnt Orange and Phthalo Green with Titanium White
4.  Phthalo Green and Phthalo blue with Titanium White
5.  Cobalt Blue and Phthalo Green with Titanium White
6.  Cerulean Blue and Phthalo Green with Titanium White
7.  Cobalt Blue and Phthalo Green with Titanium White
8.  Phthalo Blue and Phthalo Green with Titanium White

Watching Kroma Crackle do its thing is so fun! Shown here are three examples of Kroma Crackle that have been tinted with acrylic paint, creating a two-toned crackle effect.

To create this brightly coloured crackled effect, simply tint Kroma Crackle medium with small amounts of acrylic colour. For example, the third sample shown here is Kroma Crackle tinted with Quinacridone Red, applied over a dry layer of Cobalt Blue on watercolour paper. Allow 1-3 days to dry, then seal with a clear acrylic medium. For more detailed instructions, visit http://kromacrackle.com/about/How-to-Use-KROMA-crackle

Pouring Quinacridone Magenta pigment dispersion into acrylic resin.

I am often asked about Pink. Each red produces brighter, duller, warmer or cooler pinks depending on how they are used. 

For example, "hot" pinks are best achieved by using glazing techniques with translucent, bluish reds like Quinacridone Red or Magenta lightened with translucent Zinc White over a white background. Duller, peachy pinks can be achieved by adding Titanium White to warmer, orange-shade reds like Naphthol Light Red. Cadmium Reds produce earthier, desaturated pinks when lightened with white, or diluted in a glaze over a white background. Cadmium Medium Red produces a pink that is orangier, and Cadmium Dark Red produces a pink that is slightly bluer.