Learn How To Paint Awesome Abstracts in Acrylic

Abstract art isn't about creating a specific image: it's about creating a piece that presents various interpretations of an image for everyone who looks at it.

The value of this style of artwork is its ability to be interpreted.

Abstracts are fueled by the line, color, and movement put into them by the artist.

There are three main categories of abstract art: geometric, minimalism, and gestural. To learn how to create these kinds of abstracts, let's break things down.

Geometric

There is a great deal of visual power in recognizable shapes. That's why there is value to being able to see the lines that transform every object into its most basic, elementary shapes.

Geometric abstract art celebrates those basic shapes.

One of the ways to do this is to cover your canvas in painter's tape, crisscrossing to form triangles, squares, and other straight-edged shapes. Then, leaving the tape on the canvas, paint over everything with whatever colors, patterns, or materials you want. Use acrylic paint to assure that you coat your canvas well.

Once everything is dry, peel away the tape to reveal bold geometric shapes.

Another option is to use every-day objects such as bowls, boxes, or even toys, dip them in paint, and press them on your canvas. You strip away everything from the object you're using aside from its most elementary geometry and turn it into a stamp.

These kinds of abstracts often appeal more to an audience because of the recognizable elements.

Minimalism

A famous example of minimalism is the black, white, red, and yellow painting of squares. With minimalism, it's what isn't on the canvas that speaks more than what is.

Minimalism is a single black dot at the center of a 20x20 canvas.

Minimalism is two lines of paint, one red, one blue, crossing the canvas in perfect perpendiculars.

Minimalism is intentional and driven not by laziness but by a purposeful desire to make the audience think.

Gestural

This is where artists like JacksonPollock fit into the abstract art picture. To learn how to create gestural art is easy: simple pick up a paint brush, and start painting. The key to gestural abstraction isn't about what you put on the canvas; it's about how you put it on the canvas.

Some artists literally cover their own bodies in paint and then roll around on massive canvasses to create their masterpieces.

Others, like Mr. Pollock, throw or dribble paint on the canvas. If any of you have seen The_Princess_Diaries, Mia and her mom create abstract art by filling balloons with paint, taping them to a canvas, and then throwing darts at the balloons.

Again, abstract art is best fueled by the artist's mental stance, not by the goal of a finished image. Abstract art is at its finest during the creation process. You cannot go into an abstract piece, particularly a gestural piece, with a clear idea of what you want the end product to look like.

Keep the Eye Moving

Texture, add-ins, and subtractions keep things interesting. They add pizzazz and spice to your abstract acrylic paint works.

I saw a painting at a local gallery that was a beautiful combination of swirling colors, tones, and hues. The color theory was so well considered (brush up on your color theory to be a truly successful abstract artist!), but the thing that really made this piece POP for me was the use of texture.

The artist had laid down some kind of mesh - possibly a window screen - and painted over it to create a remarkably subtle texture in their work. The texture was used sparingly and to great success.

Really, abstraction is all about having fun with the elements of art. Line, color, shape, and texture all have a role, and you get to figure out that role for yourself.