Fog and mist are some of the most magical things you can put in a painting, and some of the hardest to fake. Wildlife artist Joseph Koensgen shows how he builds a thick morning mist around two swans on a still lake. His secret is not a special medium. It is a nearly dry brush, tiny steps in value and a lot of patient layers. The same method works for a foggy forest, a misty field or a harbor at dawn.
How to paint fog and mist in acrylics: the method
- Mix a soft grey with a hint of purple.
- Block in where the mist will sit.
- Lay in darker bands so you have a light to dark range.
- Dry brush (scumble) the bands together until no edges show.
- Pull out lighter wisps, then brighten where the light hits.
Why dry brushing works so well for mist
Real mist has no edges. It thins out gradually and lets shapes behind it show through. Wet blending can do that, but acrylic dries so fast that a big area turns streaky. Dry brushing turns the fast drying into a help. You scrub a whisper of paint on, it dries in seconds, and you go straight over it again. Each pass shifts the value a tiny bit. After twenty passes the gradient looks like air.
Choosing your greys
Pure black and white makes a flat, cold grey. Joseph tints his with ultramarine blue and alizarin crimson, which gives a soft violet grey that reads as atmosphere. For a warm sunrise fog, push the mix toward a little yellow ochre or pink. For a cold winter fog, lean on the blue. Mix a big pile of your main grey so every value you make from it stays related.
Fog also flattens everything behind it. Things further back get lighter, cooler and less detailed. Keep the darkest darks and sharpest edges for the closest objects.
Brushes and surface
Old, worn brushes are perfect for this. Their splayed tips scrub paint on softly. A soft round or a small fan brush handles the wispy bits. A smooth surface like a gessoed panel shows the gradient best. Canvas texture can break up the softness, so sand your gesso or add an extra coat.
Getting the brush dry enough
This is where most first attempts go wrong. Load a tiny amount of paint, then dab most of it off on a paper towel or a clean spot on the palette. The brush should feel almost empty. If you see a wet stroke on the canvas, there was too much paint.
Common problems
- Hard stripes between values. Mix an in between value and dry brush it over the line.
- Chalky, dull mist. Too much white. Add a touch of the background color back into the mix.
- Mist looks like a pattern. Vary the size and direction of your wisps. Keep them loose and random.
- Lost the subject. Glaze a little mist back over it, slowly. You can always add more.
Keep practicing
Brush up on blending acrylic paint and mixing acrylic colors first if you are new to acrylics. Then try mist over painted water or soft clouds, and finish a piece with a few thin glazes.
