# Tips for painting Klimt's 'The Kiss' in acrylics



## cluiche teanga (Jul 3, 2015)

Hi all. I'm looking to paint Gustav Klimt's 'The Kiss': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kiss_(Klimt) 

I've got most of the basic colours in little tubes, and also about ten big tubes of Windsor & Newton (cadmium yellow, pthalo blue, ultramarine blue, cadmium red, titanium white, mars black, magenta, burnt sienna, some others). I have many sizes and shapes of brushes.

I've also invested in a tube of W&N Pale Gold and a tube of Rich Gold specially for this project.

I plan to draw the outline with pencil on a 50x70cm canvas, and then just kind of paint intuitively. 

I'm kind of nervous about layering correctly and using the right colours. Any tips?


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## TerryCurley (Jan 4, 2015)

Welcome to the forum. 

Being from the States I am metric measurement challenged. I'm thinking your canvas is about equivalent to 20x30 inches? -- that's a big expensive canvas....am I right on that? 

Anyway it seems to me if you just bought the paints to do this project then you might be new to painting? If that is true I would try a small picture on something cheaper than a canvas like a panel or board, just to practice. 

How about sharing the approach you will take. Will you paint the subjects (the kissing couple) first and then surrounding design yellow and flowers and stuff? Or are you painting the yellow background first and then painting the couple over the yellow. With acrylic that should not be a problem.


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## Bushcraftonfire (Apr 22, 2015)

Nothing wrong with it I suppose .... but why do you want to paint another man's painting?

D


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## cluiche teanga (Jul 3, 2015)

TerryCurley said:


> Welcome to the forum.
> 
> Being from the States I am metric measurement challenged. I'm thinking your canvas is about equivalent to 20x30 inches? -- that's a big expensive canvas....am I right on that?


That's roughly right, yeah.



> Anyway it seems to me if you just bought the paints to do this project then you might be new to painting? If that is true I would try a small picture on something cheaper than a canvas like a panel or board, just to practice.


 No, I meant that I have all those paints already in my collection. I've done about 5 paintings this year after a long hiatus. But I bought the two gold colours specially for this. 



> How about sharing the approach you will take. Will you paint the subjects (the kissing couple) first and then surrounding design yellow and flowers and stuff? Or are you painting the yellow background first and then painting the couple over the yellow. With acrylic that should not be a problem.


That's what I'm asking for advice on. I'm thinking that I should paint the surrounding background first, then the couple, then the detail. For example, I'm wondering if for the background I should paint a layer of brown, a layer of murky green and then gold. Etc.


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## cluiche teanga (Jul 3, 2015)

Bushcraftonfire said:


> Nothing wrong with it I suppose .... but why do you want to paint another man's painting?
> 
> D


Why not?


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## TerryCurley (Jan 4, 2015)

I personally like to paint the background first. What I usually do is sketch or trace the subject onto the canvas first. Then I use masking tape around the edges of the subject. Then I take an exacto knife and cut the masking tape about the edges of the subject. That gives me freedom to do the background and not worry about losing the subjects. I'll attach a picture of what I'm talking about.


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## cluiche teanga (Jul 3, 2015)

Thanks, that's helpful.


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## Sorin (Jun 15, 2015)

Long ago new painters trained by emulating the masters. Trying to duplicate. I myself don't like that also, Bush. I prefer looking at their works but doing yer own thang with images you prefer. You grow faster.


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