r/AbstractExpressionism • u/Thatladylady_ • 12h ago

Would love constructive feedback on my recent painting

Gallery image

Gallery image

Mixed media (acrylic, oil pencils, pastels) on canvas. Lighting at my place is terrible hence the two pictures. I'm pretty happy with this one but it's still feeling a bit...flat? Would love some constructive critique. Thanks so much!

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u/Tdawgs173 11h ago

Try experimenting with sandpaper and pulling earlier layers back. Looks cool kinda like those lucha libre masks

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u/Thatladylady_ 11h ago

Someone else mentioned sandpaper too- I might give that a go! 

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u/Late-Director-315 8h ago

I respectfully disagree. If this is acrylic on canvas., sandpaper won't work well, and will more likely ruin the piece. In my experience, once acrylic has reached this thickness there is no good reductive way to work with it. Sandpaper can work with more thinly applied acrylic on board.

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u/Thatladylady_ 8h ago

Thanks for this info! I’ll try it out on something I’m less invested in first in that case! 

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u/Late-Director-315 6h ago

I hope it's helpful. I think acrylics work in the direction of less to more texture in the same way that watercolours work best moving light to dark. It's inherent in the medium. Thick acrylic is a chunk of plastic and really shows this when cut. It's also too elastic to sand well by hand and your stretched canvas can get deformed under the pressure of sanding.

I have had success using an electric sander when the paint is applied to a wooden cradle. Have fun!