# Underpainting lesson in acrylics **URL:** \ **Category:** Share Your Art\ **Created:** [June 13, 2020, 1:57pm UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/underpainting-lesson-in-acrylics/895 "2020-06-13T13:57:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kari.D](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.thevirtualinstructor.com/kari.d/32/7716_2.png) [@Kari.D](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/u/Kari.D)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 1:57pm UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/underpainting-lesson-in-acrylics/895/1 "2020-06-13T13:57:57Z")
Decided to not glaze with color, instead created mist and extended the scene with a 2nd painting to make 2 parts creating a complete scene. ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/thevirtualinstructor/original/1X/e2fd743f922404a5bb69ae5206626664d1287958.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Minerva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Minerva](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/u/Minerva)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2020, 8:07pm UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/underpainting-lesson-in-acrylics/895/2 "2020-06-14T20:07:43Z")
Breathtaking, felt the grandeur of nature as if I was there ---
**Author:** ![Lori51](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d78d45/32.png) [@Lori51](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/u/Lori51)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 11:59am UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/underpainting-lesson-in-acrylics/895/3 "2020-06-15T11:59:39Z")
I love multiple small pictures to make a larger picture. This is very nice. I think I would darken the dragon to equal the tall tree in the other picture. Or maybe parts of him that show through the mist. I think he gets lost in the background. I like your trees, rocks are good too. Thank you for sharing. ---
**Author:** ![tgp](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.thevirtualinstructor.com/tgp/32/701_2.png) [@tgp](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/u/tgp)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 12:27pm UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/underpainting-lesson-in-acrylics/895/4 "2020-06-15T12:27:23Z")
wow very expansive! out of curiosity how big does this make the combined painting? ---
**Author:** ![Kari.D](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.thevirtualinstructor.com/kari.d/32/7716_2.png) [@Kari.D](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/u/Kari.D)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 12:56pm UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/underpainting-lesson-in-acrylics/895/5 "2020-06-15T12:56:06Z")
Camouflage to surprise his prey. ---
**Author:** ![Kari.D](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.thevirtualinstructor.com/kari.d/32/7716_2.png) [@Kari.D](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/u/Kari.D)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 12:59pm UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/underpainting-lesson-in-acrylics/895/6 "2020-06-15T12:59:26Z")
These are two 9x12 canvas pad sheets, so combined it’s 12” high and 18” wide. ---
**Author:** ![Estelle](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.thevirtualinstructor.com/estelle/32/111_2.png) [@Estelle](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/u/Estelle)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 3:01am UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/underpainting-lesson-in-acrylics/895/7 "2020-06-17T03:01:36Z")
Great job on extending the scene, looks very natural. Perhaps a bit more tone on the dragon and a shadow underneath him. Does he have a tail? Well done. ---
**Author:** ![Denise](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.thevirtualinstructor.com/denise/32/40_2.png) [@Denise](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/u/Denise)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 7:25pm UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/underpainting-lesson-in-acrylics/895/8 "2020-06-17T19:25:21Z")
Great. This is wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![Kari.D](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.thevirtualinstructor.com/kari.d/32/7716_2.png) [@Kari.D](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/u/Kari.D)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 11:52pm UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/underpainting-lesson-in-acrylics/895/9 "2020-06-17T23:52:58Z")
Yes he does have a tail. This is early am misty morning with no sun shining to create shadows. ---
**Author:** ![IsiAConti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a87d85/32.png) [@IsiAConti](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/u/IsiAConti)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2020, 6:29pm UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/underpainting-lesson-in-acrylics/895/10 "2020-06-18T18:29:39Z")
Seems the dragon needs more contrast?..or to be darker and more details…That one tree on left needs a longer branch or two to the right side of it? (to balance it?) I like the misty effect in the background and the rocks and your eye is drawn all around… ---
**Author:** ![jodygoldman](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.thevirtualinstructor.com/jodygoldman/32/797_2.png) [@jodygoldman](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/u/jodygoldman)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2020, 2:14pm UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/underpainting-lesson-in-acrylics/895/11 "2020-06-25T14:14:38Z")
So much detail, I love the pathways up the mountain. Because they are much lighter in value than the forefront it appears they are receding which looks good. I might suggest adding shadow under the dragon so it looks like he’s sitting on the rocks in lieu of floating. You have lots of patience for such detail. Thank you for sharing, Jody ---
**Author:** ![ArtistLittleNora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e9c0ed/32.png) [@ArtistLittleNora](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/u/ArtistLittleNora)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 1:10pm UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/underpainting-lesson-in-acrylics/895/12 "2021-05-23T13:10:02Z")
Very interesting. I think I would darken the dragon to make it look like he is actually a part of the first one to pull him out. Just the dragon. Did you have both on an easel like you were painting them? Lenora ---
**Author:** ![marrhys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@marrhys](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/u/marrhys)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2021, 3:51pm UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/underpainting-lesson-in-acrylics/895/13 "2021-06-02T15:51:10Z")
i agree with Lori re the Dragon. He is in the foreground and should be a stronger element in the picture. ---
**Author:** ![Kari.D](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.thevirtualinstructor.com/kari.d/32/7716_2.png) [@Kari.D](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/u/Kari.D)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 5:19pm UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/underpainting-lesson-in-acrylics/895/14 "2026-04-01T17:19:14Z")
They are painted on canvas pad. As I recall I painted them flat on my desk. I do a lot of watercolor, so I just naturally lay the surfaces flat. It seems to work best for my style of detail work. As for more shadow under the dragon, the setting is early morning mist/ light fog. Not a lot of shadows show up when the sun isn’t shining. ---
**Author:** ![theresebriggs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47c2d/32.png) [@theresebriggs](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/u/theresebriggs)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 8:30pm UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/underpainting-lesson-in-acrylics/895/15 "2026-04-03T20:30:16Z")
Kari this is just graphite when I first began to draw again but thought it very similar to your background… ---
**Author:** ![theresebriggs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47c2d/32.png) [@theresebriggs](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/u/theresebriggs)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 8:31pm UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/underpainting-lesson-in-acrylics/895/16 "2026-04-03T20:31:55Z")
![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/thevirtualinstructor/original/2X/4/4aaae4734c30457836fdd27e6565e2ad1b88993f.jpeg) Sorry it didn’t come up first time! ---
**Author:** ![theresebriggs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47c2d/32.png) [@theresebriggs](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/u/theresebriggs)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 8:37pm UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/underpainting-lesson-in-acrylics/895/17 "2026-04-03T20:37:07Z")
![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/thevirtualinstructor/original/2X/f/f25b741287131c4eb8001858c5cc95a8c80cab49.jpeg) Kari I did an acrylic adding one more to lengthen the picture too! I love doing this kind of thing!