First Acrylics Outdoors at College Street

Today’s sketch—met at the College Street area with Urban Sketchers Kolkata on a hot summer Sunday morning. It was my first time using acrylics outdoors. A couple of times, a water spray worked perfectly for me. I used a metal case as a palette, though I think a stay-wet palette could reduce the need for frequent spraying.

A Landscape in Motion

A quick acrylic study from a photograph, focusing more on movement than detail. The houses, trees, and sweeping lines come together as loose impressions rather than precise forms.

Lines Across the Land

A quick acrylic study from a photograph, built around the rhythm of electric poles cutting through a quiet landscape. I kept the brushwork loose, letting earthy tones and flashes of color find their place.

Loosening Up: Acrylic Studies in Light and Form

Quick acrylic studies from photographs I found online—simple exercises focused more on color, light, and composition than detailed accuracy. 

In the top piece, I explored reflections and movement in water, keeping the brushwork loose and suggestive while simplifying the buildings into basic shapes. The second study looks at a landscape, breaking it into warm and cool planes with quick, layered strokes to create depth. 

These are part of my ongoing attempt to loosen up with acrylics and trust a more instinctive, responsive way of painting.

The Grill and the Night

Acrylic painting of a fast food seller from my local area, based on a photo I took—exploring light, smoke, and texture through layered brushwork.

Acrylic Studies from Karbia, North Bengal

Quick acrylic studies based on photographs I took in Karbia, a place near Kurseong in North Bengal. These paintings were an attempt to capture the quiet atmosphere, shifting light, and textures of the tea garden through loose and expressive brushwork. I am still exploring acrylics as a medium, but I’m enjoying the freedom it gives me to build and sculpt the painting directly on the canvas.

Acrylic Impressions from Kankrajhor

Acrylic paintings based on photographs I took at Kankrajhor in West Bengal’s Jhargram district. 

I feel that acrylics suit my style better, as they give me the ability to sculpt the painting on a blank canvas. Gouache offers a similar experience, but the advantage of acrylics lies in the faster drying time of the underlying layers. As acrylics are still a new medium for me, I need to spend more time working with them to better understand and refine my approach.

Fragments of Kizom, 2024

Two quick acrylic studies on 4 × 2.5 inch watercolor paper, based on photos I took during my trip to Kizom, Darjeeling, in 2024.

Where I Was, Where I Stayed

The top one was done on location after our sketch meet on a Sunday morning. The bottom one was done from a photo I took at Kizom—it was our room where we stayed.

Acrylic on tiny tin box

Tried another tiny painting on my little tin box. This time I worked with acrylics—only my second time using them after a casual rough painting earlier. I must say, I probably should have bought larger tubes instead of the small 9 ml ones, though there’s nothing wrong with experimenting with the smaller set. The image is painted from a photograph I took during our Silk Route journey last year.

Mota Mahadeb Temple

Sunday morning Urban Sketch with the Urban Sketchers Kolkata Group.

Street View

Another painting on my tiny tin box with a limited palette. This time, I fully went with gouache since I needed to use those tubes :)