The topic of making lighter colours was something I wanted to explore in an article – click here!

It is possible to achieve lighter colours when painting. These pale colours will be used on areas which are being highlighted, or in areas where there is light hitting your painting.

1. If you want to let through the white paint of the painted surface, then paint only a thin layer. If you have a pale-colored surface, it works great. It is likely that you are.

2. It is possible to add white in order to get a softer version. If you are using red, it will not work. Addition of red to white results in pink. Probably not what you want! This is the most important question I was asked.

Red highlights on

Paint the white highlight on the nonwhite surface. Allow it to dry. Over paint with red. This will give you the same results as the first point. You can also use other colours.

To add highlight to an already-painted area, you should let it dry completely before you apply a thin coat of white. To allow the red color to shine through, make sure you use a mixture that is quite watery. It is important to remember that white acrylics is opaque, so if you use it too heavily the result can be chalky.

Applying more red layers on the darker areas will also work. Add layers of red to create a richer, deeper colour. Even if you only paint one layer on the richer areas, they will still enhance the overall highlight.

The effect is great. This is a great effect. The highlights are painted with one thin layer, but the mid-tones and dark areas have multiple layers.

It is possible to obtain good results by adding shadow shades as well.

The shade you choose for the red shadow will vary depending on what it is that you are painting. Add some blue to make purple. Add a touch of complementary color to make it more neutral (green for red).