Bold shapes. Clean lines. Subtle shifts in tone. This geometric painting project uses Liquitex Basics Ultramarine Blue and Titanium White to explore value, contrast, and composition in a simple but striking way.

By adjusting the ratio of blue to white, you’ll create a range of harmonious shades that bring depth and dimension to a modern geometric design.

Time: 1–2 hours
Dry Time: 24–48 hours

Protect your work surface with paper or plastic. Assemble all supplies before you begin so you can move through the process smoothly.

Apply strips of tape directly onto your canvas to form intersecting lines and geometric shapes. You can follow a structured pattern or experiment freely — angled lines, layered strips, and varied spacing will all create different visual effects.

Tip: Press the tape down firmly along the edges to ensure crisp, clean paint lines.

On your palette paper, squeeze out:

• Four quarter-sized amounts of Titanium White
• One quarter-sized amount of Ultramarine Blue (kept separate)

Now begin adjusting the ratios to create a gradient range of blues:

• Mix 1 pea-sized amount of Ultramarine Blue into the first white pile
• Mix 2 pea-sized amounts into the second pile
• Mix 3 pea-sized amounts into the third pile
• Mix 5 pea-sized amounts into the fourth pile

This creates four distinct values, moving from light to rich, saturated blue.

Using your palette knife or craft sticks, mix each pile until the colour is fully blended and even. Scrape and fold the paint to eliminate streaks for smooth application.

Using your flat brush, paint one colour at a time between the taped sections. Rinse and dry your brush thoroughly between colours to keep each value clean and distinct.

Work across the canvas, alternating values for visual balance and contrast.

Once all sections are painted, carefully peel the tape away while the paint is still slightly tacky or once it has fully set.

Tip: Remove the tape in the reverse order that you applied it to avoid lifting other strips and disturbing painted areas.

Allow the painting to dry flat for 24–48 hours.

This exercise focuses on value control — one of the most important foundations in painting. By limiting the palette to Ultramarine Blue and Titanium White, you concentrate on tonal relationships rather than colour complexity.

The result is clean, modern, and graphic — and completely adaptable. Try expanding the concept with different colour families, metallic accents, or varying tape widths.

Founded in 1955, Liquitex has continually pushed the boundaries of acrylic innovation. Known for bold pigments, reliable consistency, and versatile performance, their paints are trusted by artists worldwide.

Liquitex Basics Acrylic offers dependable quality with a smooth, buttery consistency that makes colour mixing and blending straightforward — ideal for structured projects like this.