Sculpting with Acrylic Texture 3D Painting - Beginners

SCULPTING WITH ACRYLICS TEXTURE 3D PAINTING

A Beginner’s Journey with Gaffrey Paints

Course Description:

This course is for beginners who are  interested in learning textured painting using Justin Gaffrey’s heavy-bodied  acrylics. This structured, hands-on approach ensures that participants complete projects in each  session, building confidence and skill in textured painting with Gaffrey paints.

Participants will leave with a series of textured paintings, developing both technical  and creative skills in sculpting with acrylics.

Week 1: Introduction to Gaffrey Paint and Basic Tools 

Objective: Get familiar with Gaffrey acrylic paints, palette knives, and basic techniques.

•  Introduction: Overview of the workshop, materials, and the unique qualities of Gaffrey  paints. 
• Warm-up: Brief demonstration on handling thick acrylics and how they differ from standard  paint. 
• Main Activity: Create an abstract piece using palette knives to spread and layer thick  paint. 
• Focus: Basic palette knife techniques, layering, and getting comfortable with texture. • Outcome: A textured abstract painting to kick off the journey. 

Week 2: Palette Knife Mastery 

Objective: Deepen understanding of how to use palette knives to create texture and form.

• Warm-up: Practice palette knife strokes on a scrap canvas, exploring different shapes and  patterns. 
• Main Activity: Create a textured landscape (mountains, forests, or waves) using only  palette knives. 
• Focus: Sculpting textures and blending colors directly on the canvas. 
• Outcome: A completed landscape using palette knife techniques. 

Week 3: Sculpting Organic Forms (Flowers & Leaves) 

Objective: Learn to sculpt natural shapes like flowers and leaves using thick acrylics.

• Warm-up: Sketch basic petal and leaf shapes to understand form and proportion. • Main Activity: Create a large textured flower or plant painting inspired by Justin Gaffrey’s  floral works. 
• Focus: Sculpting intricate organic shapes, building layers for depth. 
• Outcome: A dimensional floral painting with emphasis on layered textures. 

Week 4: Textured Landscapes with Depth 

Objective: Explore how to create depth in landscapes through textural layering.

• Warm-up: Quick study on how to break a landscape into foreground, middle ground, and  background. 
• Main Activity: Paint a textured landscape with heavy-bodied acrylics, focusing on layering  to create depth (e.g., mountains, fields, or oceans). 
• Focus: Building depth through texture, using thicker layers for closer objects. • Outcome: A richly textured landscape that creates a sense of dimension and depth.

Week 5: Exploring Color in Thick Acrylics 

Objective: Learn color mixing and application specifically for thick, textured paint.

• Warm-up: Create a simple color mixing chart with Gaffrey paints. 
• Main Activity: Create a textured abstract piece focusing on blending colors directly on the  canvas using palette knives. 
• Focus: Color harmonies, blending, and layering colors to enhance texture. • Outcome: A color-rich abstract painting with layered textures. 

Week 6: Impasto Techniques for Expressive Texture 

Objective: Learn the impasto technique, creating bold, thick, expressive textures. •

• Warm-up: Practice making texture swatches with different palette knives and tools,  experimenting with depth. 
• Main Activity: Create an expressive, impasto-style painting, focusing on thick paint  application and texture. 
• Focus: Exploring the expressive potential of thick paint, using bold strokes and textures. • Outcome: A highly textured, expressive impasto painting. 

Week 7: Incorporating Mixed Media with Gaffrey Paint 

Objective: Combine Gaffrey acrylics with mixed media elements for a more complex  texture. 

• Warm-up: Introduce materials like sand, fabric, and paper, and how to combine them with  thick paint. 
• Main Activity: Create a mixed media piece using Gaffrey paint combined with sand, fabric,  or other found materials. 
• Focus: Integrating mixed materials into the textured acrylics to enhance dimensionality. • Outcome: A textured, mixed-media piece that blends traditional paint with unconventional  materials. 

Week 8: Sgraffito and Surface Manipulation 

Objective: Explore sgraffito, the technique of scratching into the surface to reveal layers  beneath. 

• Warm-up: Practice sgraffito techniques on scrap canvas, exploring different tools for  scratching and scraping. 
• Main Activity: Create a piece with thick layers of Gaffrey paint, then use sgraffito to carve  into the surface, revealing colors or the base layer. 
• Focus: Layering and surface manipulation to create intricate textures and line work. • Outcome: A carved, textured painting using sgraffito techniques. 

Week 9: Texture in Abstract Art 

Objective: Use texture to express emotions or ideas in an abstract format.

• Warm-up: Quick exploration of abstract shapes and textures with palette knives and  brushes. 
• Main Activity: Create an abstract painting that emphasizes texture over representational  forms, using thick paint application to convey emotions or energy. 
• Focus: Building texture intuitively, experimenting with bold strokes, shapes, and forms. • Outcome: A non-representational, texturally rich abstract painting. 

Week 10: Final Project and Group Review 

Objective: Apply everything learned in the workshop to create a final, personal textured  piece. 

• Main Activity: Participants will create a final artwork of their choice, applying the  techniques learned throughout the workshop (e.g., palette knife work, organic forms,  mixed media, etc.). 
• Focus: Encouraging creative freedom while using technical skills to achieve a finished  work. 
• Group Critique: At the end of the session, participants will share their final pieces,  discussing their process and receiving feedback. 
• Outcome: A completed, original textured painting that incorporates a variety of techniques  learned over the 10 weeks. 

Course Day: Monday evening 7.30 – 9.30pm

Start Date: 27/01/25

Cost: €230 (Please Note:  The price includes all materials for this course. This includes Canvas x 4,  Paint x 10, Brushes x 3 Pencil x 1) 

Course Format: Monday evening 7.30 – 9.30pm In class with Tutor. Maximum of 10 students

Duration: 10 weeks

Enrolment: Enrolment will begin on Monday the 9th of December at 10am on our website www.malahidecsadulted.ie

Tutor: Karolina Di Duca

Karolina is a trained mixed media artist and graphic designer (member of  Design & Craft County Council, Visual artist, Art Council, Institute of Designers Ireland supported  by Design Ireland Association) 

She has been working as an artist in Ireland for over 10 years providing innovative, well designed  unusual gifts and a unique art experience. 

Websites: 

https://didartstudio.com/ 

https://golittledearies.com/

Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/didartstudio/ 

https://www.facebook.com/GoLittleDearies 

Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/didart_studio/ 

https://www.instagram.com/golittledearies

Images courtesy of Gaffrey art material https://www.instagram.com/gaffreyartmaterial/