I get this question asked by quite a few people that follow me on on my social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok and Instagram so I figured I’d explain it in this blog post!

I’m about to share a major step in my acrylic painting painting process so save this post if you need to reference back to it.

Here’s the issue with acrylics, it dries incredibly fast. Personally I prefer it this way when I’m painting larger areas because of the multiple layers you need to avoid paint brush streaks to show. When it comes to painting faces, however, it dries too quickly for my liking. There are steps you can take to delay the drying.

Your first option, is to simply use more acrylic paint. However, when painting a portrait, you don’t necessarily want a thick amount of paint for a tiny area such as the eye detail or lips. This step might work for the cheeks and skin of your subject but you may be left with bumpy streaks that will distract from the art.

The other option you have, and this is where I share my secret to a flawlessly blended skin, is to use Slow-Dry Acrylic medium ! I purchased this one from Amazon (click on this title to find it on Amazon): 

Liquitex Slow-Dri Blending Gel Medium

This product increases the drying time of acrylic paint up to 40 percent and it’s been a godsend because you only need a small amount of paint! Now some artist actually apply it to the canvas first then they apply their acrylic paint over top, but prefer to simply mix it into my acrylic paint. I discovered it while doing research on all types of acrylic mediums and purchased it well before I had even found my art niche of portraiture.

How to use it

Using it is very simple. All you need to remember is that you want more paint than gel medium in your mixture because the more medium you add, then more it will lighten you acrylic paint one it dries on the canvas.

I use a 2 to 1 ratio. So two drops of paint and one drop of medium.

 Be sure to read the instructions on the back for any additional info. 

Any questions?