The Acrylics Companion by Hashim Akib

The Acrylics Companion by Hashim Akib is a pocket sized painting guide that includes all the tips and tricks you need to know to improve your acrylic painting. Ideas-led, this mini guide is your one-stop resource for inspiration and practical exercises with a contemporary twist.

In this title, master artist and best-selling author Hashim Akib showcases the versatility and brilliance of acrylic painting. Through 64 practical exercises, learning tips and techniques along the way, you’ll discover how to paint a wide range of subjects - from portraiture and urban landscapes to working with colour dabbing, painting on a base colour and refining chaos into order. Fun and inspiring, Hashim’s exercises will encourage you to loosen up through exciting exercises. Experiment with impasto, create versatile washes or play with pouring. You’ll also learn how to work with all kinds of tools, including brushes, palette knives and more. Hashim’s inspiring exercises cut the the chase with clear visuals and easy-to-follow instructions, covering all kinds of subjects from composition and colour theory to paint consistency and choosing brushes.

This is a fantastic guide for artists of various skill levels, from absolute beginners to intermediate painters. Sure to inspire you with new ideas, Hashim’s inspiring words are sure to push you creatively and encourage you to develop your own artistic style.

128 page Hardback. 127mm x 180mm.

LOOK INSIDE

• Getting started

• Acrylics what’s the fuss? 8

• Your paint palette 10

• Acrylics in a nutshell 12

• Brush up on the basics 14

• What brush? 16

• Warm ups 18

• Preparing your paints 20

• Glazing 22

• Neat paint 24

• Following a drawing 26

• Adding a twist

• Linework with a card 28

• Spray! 30

• Mediums: flow improver 32

• Slow things down 34

• Modelling paste 36

• Dry mediums 38

• Colour pouring 40

• Brushwork

• Pressure 42

• Beyond pressure 44

• Make every mark count 46

• Drawing with a rigger 48

• Outlines the drawing lasso 50

• One hit wonder 52

• Negative shape painting 54

• Colour theory

• Colours schemes 56

• Notan 58

• Colour mixing 60

• Mixing marvellous mud 62

• Dominant black 64

• Break the harmony 66

• Base colour 68

• Colourful snow 70

• Optical colour mixing 72

• Planning and playing

• Work quicker, work brighter 60

• Edit your shots 76

• Chaos into order 78

• Black and white into colour 80

• Flat areas 82

• Glitching out 84

• Playing with size 86

• One-session painting 88

• Taking your time 90

• What to paint

• Painting the everyday 92

• Café scenes 94

• Animals 96

• Night scenes 98

• Busy streets 100

• Buildings with character 102

• Composing portraits 104

• Portraits on commission 106

• Painting water 108

• Painting a series 110

• Professional tips

• Using found images 112

• Unhappy accidents 114

• Finishing off 116

• Floating frames 118

• Canvas wedges 120

• Packaging artwork 122

• Being arty 124

• Staying inspired 126

• Glossary 128

Hashim Akib is an internationally renowned artist and is represented by several galleries in the UK. He has exhibited with the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, New English Art Club, British Artists and Royal Society of Marine Artists at the Mall Galleries in London. He also has two paintings in the UK’s National Art Collection. In 2009 he won the SAA Artist of the Year competition and has produced DVDs in partnership with Daler-Rowney and an online acrylic course for Domestika. Before becoming an artist, Hashim worked as an illustrator for 15 years. His clients included the likes of The Times Newspapers, Time Magazine, Royal Mail Stamp, Boots and New Yorker Magazine.

Hashim has taught his unique techniques to students at art schools in the UK, Italy and France. His first book Vibrant Acrylics, was first published by Search Press in 2012 and has now been translated into French, German, Italian and Dutch. Other books he’s written include Artist’s Painting Techniques, Painting Urban and Cityscapes and Painting Portraits in Acrylics. He’s been a contributing writer for the Artist and Illustrators Magazine for over ten years. Visit his website www.hashimakib.co.uk