Glowing Forms with Liquitex Basics Acrylic
A step-by-step acrylic project using Liquitex Basics Acrylic fluorescents, black, and white to paint bright, glowing abstract shapes on canvas.
Time: 2 hours recommended (plus 48–72 hours drying time once completed)
Skill level: Suitable for beginner and advanced painters
Artist: Marla Morrison for Liquitex
Introduction
This project demonstrates how to use Liquitex Basics Acrylic colors — including fluorescents, black, and white — to create bright, glowing shapes on canvas.
Liquitex Basics Acrylic Fluorescent colors are naturally transparent and excitingly bright. When painted on a dark or black background, the beauty of fluorescent colors is allowed to shine. While this project highlights abstract shapes, the techniques can be used to depict any type of subject matter with a glowing light source (see the alternate artwork at the end).
Materials List
Mars Black
Titanium White
Fluorescent Yellow
Fluorescent Orange
Fluorescent Red
Fluorescent Pink
Fluorescent Blue
Fluorescent Green
Tools & Supplies:
Liquitex palette knife (in size of choice for mixing color)
White pastel pencil or graphite pencil
Palette or palette paper
Paper towels or clean rags
Hair dryer or embossing tool (optional)
Project Steps
Step 1 — Paint the Background
Protect the work surface with a large piece of paper to aid in clean up.
Squeeze out about 1.5 teaspoons of Mars Black onto the palette paper. Using the 1" paddle brush, brush the Mars Black across the entire canvas in a thin and even layer. Allow to dry.
It will take about 30 minutes to an hour or more depending on the humidity of the workspace.
TIP: Use a hairdryer or embossing tool to quickly dry the canvas. Keep the heat tool about 4–6 inches from the canvas surface and keep it moving while it's on. The canvas will be touch dry in about 5 minutes with this method.
Step 2 — Imagine and Sketch
Think about abstract shapes and forms to use, and envision their placement on the canvas. Next, take a white pastel pencil (preferred) or a graphite pencil to sketch out the design. If an edit is needed, either gently erase, or paint over the marks with Mars Black. Be sure to allow additional drying time.
It doesn't need to be perfect. Loose and quick strokes tend to work well. Any extra or unwanted marks can be covered as the painting proceeds.
Step 3 — Make It Opaque
Since fluorescent colors are naturally transparent, it's important to fill in the shapes that will be painted with Titanium White first. This will give the brightest pop of color. Use the sketch as a guide to paint in Titanium White, then allow it to dry, with or without using a heat tool.
If edits are needed, use Mars Black once the Titanium White is touch dry.
Step 4 — Make It Bright
Squeeze out the desired fluorescent colors onto the palette paper. Using smaller Liquitex Freestyle brushes of choice, paint over the Titanium White shapes. The vibrant fluorescent colors will look almost electric as they are painted on top of Titanium White.
TIP: Feel free to mix fluorescent colors. Pink and blue will yield a bright violet (red and blue in fluorescent colors gives a more brownish violet), blue and green make turquoise, for example. Adding Titanium White to any of the fluorescent colors will give pastel options. Be aware that the high-key nature of fluorescents will be lessened with added white.
Step 5 — Make It Glow
Paint the corresponding fluorescent color around the different shapes onto the black background as desired. The transparent fluorescent colors on the black background will give a soft glowing effect. The darker value, jewel-toned colors like violet, blue, or turquoise will need more layers to create a visible glow. Allow each thin layer to be touch dry before applying another. The warm-toned colors, like red, orange, and pink, may need only one or two glow layers to be optimally visible.
Where shapes overlap, the glowing layer will show as a different hue depending on the color it's painted upon. For example, Fluorescent Pink glazed thinly on Fluorescent Blue will look violet.
TIP: To enhance the glowing effect of Liquitex Basics Acrylic Fluorescents, use a dry brush technique to lightly feather the color around the shapes.
Step 6 — Add Dimension
If a rounded, more dimensional-looking shape is desired, consider painting additional Titanium White on top of the touch dry fluorescent color. Think about where highlights would be on a rounded or puffy shape (imagine a light source striking the shape) and paint the white there.
Once it's touch dry, paint the fluorescent color on top of the entire shape. Wherever the color touches, it will either be a second layer on top of the existing color, or a single layer on top of the recently added white. This difference in glaze layers will add visual dimension to the shape.
Allow the painting to fully dry for a few days, hang, and enjoy!
About the Artist
Marla Morrison is a mixed media artist residing in north Texas. Exploration of the myriad of art materials and techniques is an integral part of her creative process. She seeks to show beauty in color, design, and the behavior of paint and other materials in her work. The natural world, primarily shown through animal and plant life, is a favorite theme.
Marla has a BFA from Texas State University in San Marcos, TX, and an MFA from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, CA. As an artist in the Liquitex Education Program, she offers informative and inspirational demos in a variety of media such as watercolor, acrylic, and oil paint.
She and her husband have three children who keep them busy! Her work is in collections throughout the US and Canada.
Website: marlamorrisonart.com · Instagram: @marlamorrisonart · Facebook: marlamorrisonart
The glowing-forms technique isn't limited to abstract shapes — it works beautifully for representational subjects too, like this fluorescent jellyfish above.
Source: Liquitex Project Sheet — "Glowing Forms with Liquitex Basics Acrylic." Materials: Liquitex Basics Acrylics.