How to Create Crackle, Rust and Vintage effects Using Acrylic Paint

Artists and art lovers love an aged, vintage, weathered and rustic look and this is seen in painting, arts and crafts and furniture and more. Vintage style art could be applied when you make your next masterpiece using acrylic paint.

Easy steps to adding rust and crackling to a painting:

  • First step is applying a layering of molding paste and that will be white when dried.
  • Now take a dull or rusty color, such as Payne’s grey or yellow ochre.
  • Your next step is spreading it over your canvas using a palette knife and giving it time to dry.
  • Now you could incorporate a stencil if you want to create a unique design using additional molding paste that you used in your first step.
  • Now you have to use crackle paste and you choose your result by thickly spreading would cause the larger cracks while a thin layer have small cracks as a result. Dry it again.
  • After it is dry, dampen the painting’s entire surface and mix black and green colors mixed with water which will be your next stain. Your entire surface must be covered with this watered down colors.
  • Use glass beading gel next and apply it thinly to the entire canvas.
  • Lastly you need some paint viscosities experimentation that you mix together and pour in over your painting.
  • You can follow these steps as is, or omit some of them and even reorder it to make your own unique painting effect.

Rust and weathering effect:

  • Step one is covering the art card or canvas with black gesso and allowing it to dry.
  • Follow it by a blue paint layer and dry.
  • Use an acrylic gel and a palette knife to cover the canvas medium thin and dry again.
  • Follow this but a paint color like burnt sienna thinly painted on the canvas and remove excess paint with a cloth or paper towel lightly dabbed against the wet paint. Dry again.
  • Use a different color like orange next to add another layer.
  • Your final thin layer is copper acrylic paint.