Acrylic Painting Level 2: Light, Colour & Atmosphere

Level 2: Acrylic Painting – Light, Colour & Atmosphere

Course for Beginners & Improvers

Take your acrylic painting to the next level in this exciting follow-on course designed to help you create paintings with more depth, mood and impact.

If you have already completed Level 1: Acrylic Painting Foundations, or you have some basic acrylic painting experience, this course will help you build confidence and develop your work further. You will move beyond the basics and begin exploring how artists use light, colour, contrast and atmosphere to make paintings feel more expressive, balanced and alive.

Over 6 weeks, you will be guided step-by-step through a range of acrylic techniques, from improving your colour choices and brush control to creating glowing light, soft backgrounds, dramatic shadows and atmospheric depth. This course is ideal for anyone who wants to make their paintings look more polished, considered and visually exciting.

You will explore how to create mood through colour, how to use warm and cool tones effectively, and how to build a painting with a stronger sense of space and atmosphere. Each week will include tutor demonstrations, practical exercises and guided painting time, allowing you to develop your skills in a calm, supportive studio environment.

What you will learn

You will develop your acrylic painting skills through:

• Creating stronger compositions before you begin painting

• Using light and shadow to add depth and drama

• Understanding warm and cool colours

• Creating atmosphere through colour temperature

• Blending skies, backgrounds and soft transitions

• Building up layers without overworking your painting

• Adding texture and detail with confidence

• Creating a more developed final acrylic painting

Course Outline

Week 1: Refresh & Develop

Recap essential acrylic techniques and begin improving composition, planning and colour choices.

Week 2: Creating Light

Learn how to paint highlights, shadows, reflected light and glowing areas to bring your paintings to life.

Week 3: Colour Temperature

Explore warm and cool colours and discover how they can completely change the mood and depth of a painting.

Week 4: Skies, Backgrounds & Blending

Practise smooth blends, soft transitions and atmospheric backgrounds using acrylic paint.

Week 5: Landscapes, Interiors or Still Life with Atmosphere

Apply your new techniques to a more developed painting, focusing on depth, balance and mood.

Week 6: Final Atmospheric Painting

Bring everything together in a finished acrylic painting using light, colour, texture and atmosphere.

Who is this course for?

This course is suitable for adults who have completed Level 1: Acrylic Painting Foundations, or those who already have some basic experience with acrylic painting and would like to continue developing their skills.

It is perfect for anyone who wants to move beyond beginner techniques and start creating acrylic paintings with more confidence, expression and impact.

By the end of the course, you will have:

• Improved confidence using acrylic paints

• A better understanding of light, colour and atmosphere

• Stronger brushwork and blending skills

• A more developed approach to planning paintings

• A completed final acrylic painting

• A Level 2 Acrylic Painting Certificate

Course Details

Duration: 6 weeks

Class length: 2 hours per week

Level: Beginner improver / Level 2

Tutor: Ruth Marsh

Location: Fine Art Studio

Materials: Included, unless stated otherwise

Please note: This course is designed as the natural next step after Level 1: Acrylic Painting Foundations.