Learn How to Blend with Acrylics | Nevada Painting

Learn about brush strokes and blending while we paint a desert scene in Nevada. The desert can be such a beautiful place. Just outside of Las Vegas there is this gorgeous state park called Valley of Fire. The red and orange rocks are a sight to behold, and with the turquoise and sage colored plants and sky...I was in awe. Learn how I captured this scene. ​

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Watch Me Paint This Desert Landscape

Learn to Paint

​Here are the basic steps to painting a desert scene 
Step 1: Paint Layout or Composition
Step 2: Paint Sky (see blending tips below)
Step 3: Paint Middle Ground with Less Blending. 
Step 4: Paint Foreground 
Step 5: Paint in Details 

Here are the blending tips when using acrylics
Tip #1 - Add a different color to each side of the brush. Those two colors will blend in the middle when you add them to your canvas.

Tip #2 - Create and blend colors on your canvas instead of trying to create the colors on your palette.

Tip #3 - Use a small brush and paint with small strokes with a gradient. This creates a soft texture as seen in the finished sky of This desert painting.

Tip #4 - Paint your colors you would like such as a gradient and then blend between colors using a fan brush. 

Tip #5 - Blend side to side or up and down in large areas to create a very smooth look and transition between colors. 

Tip #6 - Paint the texture you see with your brushstrokes. Example rocks have more texture than a smooth sky.

The paint colors and supplies I used for these paintings (Amazon affiliate links below)
1. Acrylic Paints - Dioxine Purple, Quinacridone Magenta, Cadmium Red, Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Yellow Light, Bronze Yellow (yellow oxide), Cerulian (Brilliant) Blue, Phthalocyanine Green, Ultramarine Blue,  Titanium White, Mars Black
2. Paint Brushes - small round, flat, & fan
3. Canvas 18 x18 - Dickblick.com (not affiliated)
4. Water & Paper towels
5. My PALETTE (Colors don't dry out!) 

Thank you for watching, liking, and taking the time to leave me your comments. 💕

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