🎨 Top 5 Acrylic Painting Techniques I Swear By

Whether you're new to acrylics or you've been slinging paint for years, discovering new techniques can reignite your creativity. Over time, I’ve experimented, learned from mistakes, and found a few methods that have become my absolute go-tos. Today, I’m sharing the top 5 acrylic painting techniques I swear by—each one brings a unique flavor to my work and might just become a favorite in your art journey too!

1. Dry Brushing for Texture and Detail

Dry brushing is a game-changer. It gives you control over highlights, scratches, and subtle texture. I use a stiff, dry brush with very little paint on it and drag it lightly across the canvas. It’s perfect for creating weathered effects, adding movement in landscapes, or layering fur in animal portraits.

✨ Tip: Use it last to bring out the final shine or depth in your painting.

2. Layering and Glazing for Depth

Acrylics dry fast, which is perfect for layering. I build my paintings slowly—layer by layer—starting with a mid-tone base, adding shadows, and finishing with highlights. Sometimes I use glazing: mixing a bit of paint with glazing medium to create translucent layers.

✨ Why I love it: This creates dimension and glow, especially when you want to make colors pop without starting over.

3. Palette Knife for Bold and Expressive Texture

If I want to get bold, I ditch the brush and go for a palette knife. It helps me apply thick paint and create sharp edges or abstract strokes. It’s especially great for florals, cityscapes, and impasto effects. See here.

✨ Bonus: It makes the painting feel alive and adds tactile interest you can literally feel.

4. Sponge Technique for Backgrounds

Using a sponge (or even a crumpled paper towel) helps me create soft, cloudy, or atmospheric backgrounds. This technique is fantastic for skies, underwater scenes, or dreamy textures. It adds an organic look that brushes can’t always achieve.

✨ Pro Tip: Dab lightly and layer colors gradually—you’ll get beautiful depth with minimal effort.

5. Splattering for Energy and Movement

Sometimes a painting needs a little chaos—and that’s where splattering comes in! I thin the acrylic paint just a bit and flick it from a brush or toothbrush to create spontaneous droplets. It works beautifully for starry skies, floral bursts, or expressive abstracts.

✨ Reminder: Cover areas you want to keep clean and practice splattering on scrap paper first.

Final Thoughts 💡

These are my tried-and-true acrylic painting techniques that never let me down. I mix and match them depending on the subject and mood I’m after. Painting is all about exploration—so I hope you’ll try some of these methods in your own art.