Create an abstract storm painting in acrylics

In this tutorial, follow along as we create an abstract storm painting in acrylics! Abstract art is great for both beginners and seasoned artists as there aren’t a lot of set rules to follow; you can just put your own spin on it! Plus, abstract paintings come together pretty quickly, even big pieces like this.

Extra materials you’ll need:

Pair of latex gloves

Firstly, pop on your latex gloves as you’ll be using your hands to blend the paint on your canvas!

For this tutorial, we applied the paint thickly to the canvas straight from the tubes and worked intuitively to blend the colours out, building up texture and highlights as we went along.

Start by applying some Titanium White in a circular motion. This will create a focal point in the top centre of the canvas.

Work by applying light earthy tones that become warmer as you move out to the edge of canvas. So, apply Raw Sienna and Burnt Sienna towards the top of the canvas around the white circle.

To create a contrast, apply cooler and darker colours towards the bottom of the canvas. So, squeeze Viridian, Phthalo Blue, Cerulean Blue and Turquoise onto the canvas. Add a small amount of Lamp Black to the bottom left of the canvas.

Starting at the top of the canvas, use your gloved hand to spread the colours across the canvas. Leave the white circle free of colour.

Moving down the canvas, spread out the cool tones and then the darker colours in wavy motions.

Using your gloved hand still, layer more Burnt Sienna and Yellow Ochre over the top half of the canvas to build up texture.

Add some more Burnt Sienna towards the bottom of the canvas to break up the darker sections.

Work your way across the canvas layering and blending the areas below the white circle.

Squeeze some Titanium White onto your gloved hand and work it into the circle. Spread the white out in wavy motions across the canvas. You can add some swirled edges to suggest choppy waves.