A seascape under a stormy sky, with its strong contrasts, is an excellent exercise for learning to hone your effects: Transparency, shading, reflections, the interplay of shadow and light, motion, etc. Can be reused with any subject!

An atmosphere-based theme, like a port at dawn, done in a large format, affords the ideal opportunity for you to get used to and play around with the chromatic possibilities of acrylics.

The following very thorough exercise allows you to explore both color mixtures and changing textures: from satin finish to impasto.