How To Avoid Brushstroke When Working with Acrylic?

Think, you have an image of a magnificent picture in your mind. So, you sit down and begin bringing your vision to life with paint and brush.

The only problem is that your painting is not turning out as smooth as you desire. That’s probably because of the brushstrokes. You have switched brushes and attempted to smooth it out with additional paint, but nothing is working. It can be really aggravating and may cause you to abandon your afternoon painting plans.

How Do You Eliminate Brushstrokes When Painting with Acrylics?

Acrylic paint dries quickly. So, it is difficult to avoid brushstrokes. And there may be no single solution to this question because it is a synthesis of factors. So many factors such as the quality of the brush, paint, and paint thinner are associated with it. But if you follow some techniques, you can somehow avoid the brushstrokes.

Use Smooth Surface

One of the most effective strategies to eliminate undesired roughness in your painting is, to begin with, a smooth surface. For example, if you are painting on canvas, you may use pre-gessoed canvas or apply gesso to the surface to confirm an even, smooth working surface.

Furthermore, you can prime the surface with a second coat of white paint. This will create an equal finish for your paints.

Use Softer Bristle Brushes

The brushes may be of hog’s hair or synthetic. Furthermore, one can apply paint with foam brushes or other devices. Different quality brushes made of varying materials will impact the way the paint is applied.

Use softer brushes such as a synthetic squirrel tail brush, should be used. This will aid in the avoidance of strong brushstrokes. For example, when you want a smooth acrylic painting, you may try a softer Taklon brush.

Shapes And Dimensions of Brushes

Brushes come in eight distinct forms. Each shape is represented by a range of different sizes. In addition, each shape serves a distinct purpose.

When you begin painting your first canvas, you will likely require only three types of brushes: a round one, a flat one, and a detailed round brush, or you may also get a brush set in its whole.

Type Of Paints

The paint may be heavy, soft, fluid, etc. Quality of painting depends on the quality of the paint, such as the paints are artist-grade or student-grade or craft paint.

Acrylic paint is a suspension of pigments in an acrylic binder. As a result, water distorts the pigment molecules in acrylic paint, not providing the desired appearance.

The addition of acrylic mediums maintains the suspension of the pigment, resulting in a painter-friendly appearance.

Transparent Paints

Translucent paint requires multiple coats to get adequate coverage, which increases the possibility of streaks or bumps in your painting. On the other hand, opaque colors require fewer applications and significantly limit the possibility of smearing.

Additionally, you might apply underpainting to provide a foundation for your transparent paint.

Add Acrylic Fluids

Certain paints have a thick substance that amplifies brushstrokes in your painting. Use fluid acrylic paints to eliminate this. These thinner, almost liquefy paints flow and settle much more easily than the creamier acrylic paints.

Dilute Your Paint

Certain paints, such as acrylics, require thinning to operate optimally. While thick paint dries more slowly, it is also more difficult to control the uniform thickness of each coat. As a result, cracks might occur because of differences in the dry time between layers.

Traces of Brushstrokes may appear when painting with unthinned paint.

How Is Paint Thinned?

The simplest but least recommended method is to use tap or distilled water to thin acrylic paint.

Flow enhancers and fluid mediums are the most effective methods. Each type of paint, such as oil, acrylic, or paint for outdoor projects, requires a different ratio of thinned paint. Thinner paint is easier to handle, dries faster, and has more even layers and a smooth surface.

Rather Than Using a Brush, Use A Sprayer

Using a sprayer is the simplest way to paint canvases or furniture without leaving brush strokes or markings. But sprayers are not frequently used to paint canvases or paper; they are more frequently used to paint flat surfaces, furniture, and walls.

However, you will use less paint because it will be thinned for spraying, and you will save time because spraying takes less time than painting. Additionally, when painting with a sprayer, an even, smooth finish is usually guaranteed.

Instead Of a Brush, Use A Roller

A roller is another excellent option for a brush. Walls are frequently painted with rollers. They are inexpensive, simple to use, and straightforward to replace. Apart from the roller, you will also require a tray.

You must choose the size of the roller determined by the size of the surface you will be painting. When painting with rollers, ensure that you apply the correct amount of paint, the paint should not drop, but the roller should be fully loaded.

When painting with the rollers, ensure that you apply the correct amount of paint: the paint should not drop, but the roller should be fully loaded.

The Brush Should Be Completely Loaded

You must use the appropriate amount of paint; a brush should be filled and reloaded frequently. A partially loaded brush, an empty brush, or a brush with insufficient paint on it, will result in an uneven application that you will want to correct quickly but cannot!

Therefore, it is prudent to reload frequently and inspect the brush.

Brush Horizontally

If the painting is to be done on a large surface, do not place the project vertically. Then, the thinned paint or excess amount of fluid can run down.

Learn Correct Brushing Technique

A proper brush set is necessary for proper painting techniques. So, begin with buying a good brush set. Don’t buy a cheap brush set. Hold the brush handle comfortably while painting. Low-priced handles can be less comfortable.

Apply Thin Layers of Paint

A thick layer of paint nearly always results in ridges in your artwork. Therefore, utilize only enough paint to cover the area being painted completely.

Wipe out the excess paint with a damp cloth if you have painted accidentally.

Because acrylic paint dries slightly darker, you may not require as much paint as you believe in achieving the desired depth of color.

Don’t Keep Brushing Over the Same Area

Don’t continue brushing over the wet paint area. Instead, apply paint and then let it dry. If another coat is required, you can do it once it is dried. Then, re-apply the paint while the paint is wet.

Age Of the Brush

Though you are an accomplished painter, you should periodically replace your brushes. This is because a brush becomes harsher over time; even if it is appropriately cleaned, it is still affected by the number of times used and cleaned.

In addition, the more hairs a brush contains, the more likely it will drop. So if the brush starts to break, it’s time to get a new one.

Eliminate Marks Left by Paintbrushes

Two straightforward methods for removing paintbrush traces off walls. Sand and repaint to remove brush marks, or skim coat with drywall compound and repaint. Both strategies are straightforward.

Technique Of Sanding

With coarse sandpaper, sand the brush marks. Take heart if you have unattractive brush marks on your walls from a poor paint job. You have two options for eradicating them.

Use A Sandpaper

Utilize a sanding pole or a sanding block with non-clog 80-grit sandpaper. To avoid clogging, use clog-resistant sandpaper, such as 3m sandblasters, or wash the sandpaper frequently with a stiff brush.

Use an electric sander sparingly to expedite the job. Rather than removing the brushstrokes, this method will heat the paint and turn it mushy.

If sanding does not work or the entire wall has brush marks, skim the walls with a 12-inch drywall taping knife. Next, cover the walls with primer and paint after smoothing any rough spots in the skim layer using 100-grit sandpaper. Skim coating ensures a flat surface.

Mist The Paint with Water

During painting, spray water on your paint and canvas to keep the paint damp. Avoid huge water drops on your painting by using a “mister” rather than a spray bottle.

A well-cleaned perfume or body spray bottle contains the correct type of spray for a fine mist.

Gel For Extending and Leveling Paint

Extenders prolong the drying period of acrylic paint. This gives you some breathing room to ensure there are no brush strokes. This way, you have more time to alter the surface.

A leveler gel may ease your work. It assists in painting and self-leveling when applied.

Clean Brushes

One of the most important things you can do when beginning a painting is to have clean brushes for each color you intend to use. Brushes with residual paint can impart texture to your strokes, resulting in an uneven surface.

Some Brush Holding Techniques

Use flat brushes to cover large areas.
To paint small liners, use pointed round brushes.
To paint edges, filling corners, use an angular brush.
Move from dark color to light color when you paint.
Wet the tip of the brush in clear water before starting painting.
During painting, let the brush flow gently with the paint. Don’t be too harsh on the brush.