Article: Place the items together in one area. A plastic mixing container Wooden chopstick Dry pigment Painting spatula An acrylic base Solution (water or an alcohol like rubbing alcohol) Acrylic retarder You can use the flat side of a painting spatula to apply pressure until you do not feel any "grittiness. Paint pigments sold in arts supply stores usually come in powdered form. Many artists also choose to find alternative pigments based on crushed dried plants or other substances. Grind the pigment until you do not feel any "grittiness" as you apply pressure. Most pigments will break down fairly easily, so just make sure that there are no irregular lumps remaining. If the pigment has come in powdered form, you may not need to grind it unless it is lumpy. Before you begin mixing the components together, you should measure and record the quantity of pigment and base used. You may need to make more of a color before you finish a painting or to retouch a painting. You can only do so with consistency if you know how much pigment and acrylic base you used. Acrylic base is essentially paint without pigment. It will usually come in a squeezable tube and the substance itself will appear white. There are several different sorts, such as glossy or matte, and you must determine which type you need for your painting. Use the wooden chopstick to mix them thoroughly together, until the pigment is evenly dispersed throughout the acrylic base. Read the instructions that came with your acrylic binder because the preferred ratio of base to solution varies from brand to brand. Some pigments (especially organic ones) have a tendency to float on water. In this case you would substitute alcohol. Make sure you are using a solution appropriate for the pigment. It's not ideal to mix alcohol into acrylic paints because alcohol dries quickly, causing the paint to also dry quickly. If you are using a pigment that mixes best with alcohol but want the paint to dry more slowly, you can add water after you have mixed the pigment with alcohol. Too much water or alcohol will dilute the acrylic binder, so be careful. Acrylic retarder helps to slow how quickly acrylic paint dries. It's important to follow the instructions that came with your acrylic retarder. However, a general rule of thumb is that more retarder used, the slower the acrylic paint will dry. You can figure out ratios of your own liking as you become accustomed to its use. Acrylic retarders are especially necessary if you are attempting to create photorealistic paintings or portraits of a human subject. Colors must be blended together on the canvas to create the contours of complex shapes, but fast-drying acrylics will set before a second color can be added.
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Gather all of your supplies. Grind the dry pigment. Measure and record the amounts of pigment and acrylic base. Add the pigment to the acrylic base in the plastic container. Combine the solution with the pigmented acrylic base thoroughly. Blend in acrylic retarder.