Brilliant Realism in Acrylic Paintings

Acrylics are like no other paint. When used by a master artist, they can produce an image that is the same as the real one. Looking at a painting of a Realist, a person often has to wonder – Is this a photograph or a painting?

There is a difference between the Realism movement and a realistic painting. Many paintings fall into the Realism category – a group of people talking, someone working, really any depiction from extraordinary to everyday events. There are some notable names in the realism category.

One of the greatest acrylic realism talents is Elize Bezuidenhout. She pays attention to even the smallest details in her work, especially the eyes. The painting Tigger, for example, is a representation of her cat. It is so brilliantly finished, that it is impossible to tell if the image is a photograph of a real cat, or a painting. Such talent is very rare, and can be developed with a lot of practice.

If an artist wants to enhance the details of his or her work, then they need to use a very small brush. The smaller the brush is, the more details that can be included in the painting. Some of the other realist animal paintings that Elize has completed are – Vir Nici (a painting of a beautiful lion), Leopard, young cheetah, Young Zebra, and Spotted Hyena. One interesting thing about Bezuidenhout’s style is that she only paints part of the animal’s head.

Still life is also very interesting when painted in acrylics on canvas. Glen Semple is the Canadian king of acrylic on canvas realism. Lawn Ornaments is a great example of his work. It represents a blue glass container put in the middle of beautiful green grass. There are dandelions in the container.

The way Glen Semple painted these flowers is better than any photographer can capture them. Two other famous acrylic paintings of hers include The ark and Butter churn. Each of these paintings has a glass container in it as well. The ark’s glass container is filled with small children’s toys, and is lying in a small stream.

In general, the more details a painter includes, the better the result will be. Adding details is not something that many beginners can do. This takes many years of practice and perfecting. Once a person becomes familiar with the technique, he or she can enjoy experimenting with many sitters and still life. However, working out every detail will always take a long time, regardless of how experienced an artist is.

Realist paintings are very hard to make and require a lot of skills. Not every painting can make a person hear a cat purr, and not every painting can fill the room with the gentle scent of a flower. This is why among other artists, such painters are respected and admired. Elize Bezuidenhout and Glen Semple are just two of the incredible acrylic painters that make the world a more colorful place. If a person is not very good with a brush, then he or she can purchase another artist’s acrylic paintings on canvas to admire on their walls.