6 Tips for Coping with Hot, Dry Weather when Painting with Acrylics

I love to use acrylics in my paintings but I find that in our hot, Australian climate that my paints are drying out quickly and I am not getting the results I am after. One of the benefits of acrylic paint is that it is fast drying, which is great but add hot, dry weather and it can be a challenge to keep your paint from drying too quickly both on the palette and while you are painting.

I am sure that many of you are finding the same problem with your acrylics. So I have put together 6 tips to help you get the best out of your acrylics in hot weather.

6 Tips for Coping with Hot, Dry Weather when Painting with Acrylics

# 1 Dampen your Canvas

Use a fine mist spray and dampen the BACK of your canvas before you start to paint. By doing this it will help the paint glide better on your canvas.

# 2 Stay Wet Palette

What is a stay wet palette? A stay wet palette is really just what it sounds like. It is a palette that helps to keep your paints 'wet' and stop them from drying out. It consists of a piece of grease proof paper that sits on top of a wet piece of paper towel in an air tight container.

I find that using a stay wet palette will help keep your acrylics workable for hours.

You can purchase stay wet palettes from your local art supplies store or online but it is so easy and a lot cheaper to make your own.

Want to learn how to make your own stay wet palette?

Sign up to our mailing list below and receive Tracy's video demonstration with step-by-step instructions on creating your own stay wet palette.

# 3 Use a Gel Medium

Apply to a small dry area of your canvas a Slow Dry Blending Gel Medium and paint into this area while the medium is still wet. This can help you achieve beautiful blends and help you cope with the drying time.

The biggest tip I could give you when using this medium is to make sure to work a small area at a time. Don't cover the whole canvas with gel medium as it is important to work while the medium is still damp.

# 4 Mix a retarding medium with your paint

When mixing your paint you can add a small amount of Retarder Medium to your palette to reduce paint from skinning-over, allowing you more time to work on your painting. You can also try dampening your brush with water and tapping off excess water before mixing paint and also loading paint onto your brush.

# 5 Try a Spreader

Medium

I have recently learnt this tip which is adding 1/3 spreader medium + 1/3 medium gloss + 1/3 water to your acrylic paint.

I have found that it not only prevents your paints from drying out quickly but this mixture also helps to spread your acrylic paint evenly on the canvas. It also helps the flow of your paint.

# 6 Spray your Palette with Water

I also find that regularly spraying my palette with a FINE mist of water also helps to keep my acrylic paints from creating a skin over the paint and drying out.

Do not use lots of water when mixing acrylics unless you are painting a watery, drippy style. But even then you should use a Pouring Fluid Effect Medium to dilute your paint instead of water. Adding too much water to acrylics can dilute their pigments making them dull and lifeless.

Tracy xx

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Have you ever wanted to learn how you can reduce paint wastage and stop your acrylic paints drying out? A stay wet palette is a huge money saver! You can create your own very easily - find out how here.