Historical and cultural paintings are realistic depictions of past events or cultures. These can include religious ceremonies, battles, traditions, and other stories from the past. 39. Surrealism and Fantasy

One sees what comes to mind . . . an abstraction of trees reaching for the heavens and releasing their leaves, or a courageous awakening to look up, breathe deep and expand on your awareness. We can learn from the nature of trees, staying grounded regardless of life’s obstacles. Series numbers are used to separate paints by cost. The higher the series the more expensive the colour – so Series 4 colours will cost more than Series 1. The price difference does not indicate any difference in quality. Rather that some colours are more costly to manufacture – so whether you’re buying from Series 1 or Series 4 the quality will be the same. Each of these colours from the Winsor & Newton Professional Acrylics range is a different price as they are from different series. If you have a stiff, dried up brush that you are trying to rescue you may be able to remove the paint with Masters’ Brush Cleaner and Preserver, Zest-it Acrylic Brush Cleaner and Reviver or Loxley Brush Cleaner and Preserver. To paint an alien landscape, use blues, purples and yellows to depict the colors of a far-off planet. Add swirls and streaks of light in the sky for an extra touch of drama.

AcrylicWorks 6: Creative Energy, a book worthy of pride of place, showcases that excellence by featuring the winning acrylic paintings from the 6th competition book in the AcrylicWorks series. Looking for an easy aurora landscape painting you can follow? Chloe Art makes it look easy to paint one! Setting yourself up with some basic materials for acrylic painting can seem overwhelming, but there are only a few essentials that you will need to get started. To paint space debris and space junk, use shades of white and gray to create the appearance of metal pieces floating in the darkness of space. Add streaks of light to give the painting a sense of movement. 19. Alien landscapes and creatures

Many acrylic artists like to work with stay wet palettes that keep their paints fresher for longer. These types of palettes have an airtight seal, which prevents your colours from drying out. Usually they will come with a sponge layer which when wet increases the humidity in the palette. Liquitex Palette Wetting Spray can be used if you don’t have one of these palettes but need something to keep your paints fresh. She used several different brushes as she constructed the combination of swift-moving and partially static areas. The varying shades of blue — from deep to almost pure white — convey the coldness. The warmer tones give a nod to the decaying leaves and pine needles that were on the shallow banks. #10 Wood 1 by Ellen Fuller Although Smith uses various tools, textures and detailing marks, he’s found that no amount of detail can overcome a weak value plan. He starts with large shapes, works in layers and adds textures and details as he proceeds. If you paint an image of a current political leader or an image of the climate change protests, you capture the current events of our time. This expresses our concerns about the world and engages in meaningful dialogue. 50. Pop culture iconsHe painted Bill with a full range of color values, and used texture and color to achieve a photorealistic appeal. The detail apparent in the wrinkles, folds and features interested the artist. #5 Artificial Nature by Jingyi Wang Use various shades of paint to capture the vibrant hues of nature, and add details such as stem petals to make them look more realistic. 30. Random shape and objects Below are some of the stunning moon painting ideas you can mimic (and improve)! Moon River Painting with Jane Realistic paintings are those that realistically portray the subject or scene painted. This can include portraiture, landscapes, seascapes, still life and interior scenes, animals and wildlife, flowers and gardens, food and drinks, urban and industrial scenes. 31. Portraits and Figures