Esk March 2025 teaser

Lost Girl

by Vivian Wilson, aka Qatpaw
(San Diego, CA)

Lost Girl

Lost Girl

You can do so much with acrylics and I like to experiment! This painting is an alcohol reduction. If you've never done one, they are fun and messy and you never know what the finished piece will look like.

Start by sealing one or more images onto your working surface. This one is a small wood panel. Choose your color palette and put down layers of each one letting it dry just enough so the next layer won't mix, but sit on top. You may want to thin the paint a little so you don't get thick layers. After the last layer (4 is probably the max you want) the messy part starts. Get lots of paper towels and a bottle of alcohol. Isopropyl 91%, not the drinking kind. Of course it doesn't hurt to have a little of drinking kind around also to add to the fun. Dip the paper towels in the alcohol and start rubbing off sections of paint. This is easier if the paint wasn't allowed to get too dry. Reveal part or all of your images, take off as much or as little paint as you like. Just have fun with it!

Oh yeah, the instructions I found on the internet the first time I tried this said to wear gloves for the alcohol part. I personally hate using gloves so I didn't. No big deal if you don't mind your hands getting stained and a bit dried out.

Comments for Lost Girl

Click here to add your own comments

Feb 01, 2017
 Beautiful NEW
by: Leonie

I learned so much. Thank you
Nov 29, 2016
 Super Cool! NEW
by: Jenn Adele K

Oooooh! I really like it!
Nov 08, 2016
 cool NEW
by: Pam

I like your piece. It's a very interesting idea.
I'll have to try that technique sometime. :)

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Your Acrylic Paintings.

Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.