Okay, so I’ve been seeing Natalie Reynolds’ artwork all over my Pinterest, and I finally decided to give her style a shot. I’m no artist, mind you, but her stuff looks so cool and abstract, I figured, why not?
First, I gathered my materials. I didn’t have any fancy paints, just some basic acrylics I picked up from the craft store a while back. I also grabbed a couple of different sized brushes, a palette knife (which I mostly used for mixing), and a canvas board. I even found an old plastic tablecloth to protect my table – a must-do, let me tell you!
Getting Started
I watched a couple of videos of Natalie working, just to get a general feel for her technique. It seemed like a lot of layering and blending, so I decided to start with a base coat. I chose a light blue, just because I liked the color, and slapped it on the canvas. No precision here, just getting the whole thing covered.
- Applied a base coat of light blue acrylic paint.
- Waited for it to dry completely (this took longer than I thought!).
The Messy (Fun) Part
Once the base was dry, it was time to get messy. I squirted some globs of white, yellow, and a darker blue onto my palette and started mixing them with the palette knife. I didn’t really have a plan, just kind of went with what felt right. I used the palette knife to apply the paint in thick strokes, dragging it across the canvas, and then I used the brushes to blend some of the colors together.
Honestly, it looked like a total mess at first. But I kept adding layers, experimenting with different color combinations, and using the palette knife to create texture. I even splattered some paint on there, Jackson Pollock style!
- Mixed paints using palette knife.
- Applied using palette knife.
- Blend some of the colors together.
- Splattered some paint randomly.
The (Almost) Finished Product
After a few hours of this, I stepped back to look at what I’d created. It wasn’t exactly a Natalie Reynolds masterpiece, but it was… something! It had a cool, abstract vibe, and I actually kind of liked it. It was definitely more textured and layered than anything I’d done before.
I let it dry overnight, and the next day, I added a few more touches. I used a thin brush to add some dark lines in a few places, just to give it a bit more definition. And that was it! My very own attempt at a Natalie Reynolds-inspired painting.
It was a fun experiment, and I learned a lot about working with acrylics and layering colors. I’m definitely going to keep practicing and see if I can get closer to that Natalie Reynolds magic. But even if I don’t, it was a great way to spend an afternoon and get creative!
