Neptune very final... an epiphany in brush mark retention!

Watching Pietro paint last weekend, I noticed his heavy use of linseed oil with paint and his "not messing around" with paint after each brush stroke. This led to the retention of every brush mark, a key objective of mine. With acrylics, one can use stiff impasto gels with paint to built great textural effects and I came to the realization recently that the painting knife is the best tool for that, not the brush. Pietro indirectly made me realize that, if I want to replicate the brush effects that he obtains with oil, I need to mix paint with a soft gloss gel (not regular gel)... and this has been corroborated by a technical book I bought recently on the use of acrylics. Thank you Pietro!

I used the Neptune painting to carry on my experiments...

I now have the technical tools to "go berserk" on textures using both the brush and the palette knife. So I repeat a previous statement of mine: "Attach your seat belts, you're in for a bumpy ride!"

Note to self: "This painting is now a collection of different techniques and, as such, is a bit awkward. I would like to redo it with more fluidity.... I will wait for the appropriate moment when I feel mentally strong... then I will zip through it... painting white can be a killer!"