Watercolour Tutorial – The Looser You Get, The More Real It Seems

I wanted to do this watercolor painting as a video demonstration, but it didn’t work out, so I’m putting it in as a step-by-step lesson. Let me know if you think it’s understandable.

This is my drawing. The grey is Pebeo masking fluid and I applied it on the beach with a toothbrush, trying for a random pattern. (I got the shadow of my head in the middle, but the rest of the photos I did right…..)

Okay, it seems like I did a lot, but it’s really just a first watercolor wash. Using a big brush, I did a wash of cobalt blue and burnt sienna to the sky and the water.

I used cobalt, sienna, quinacridone red and aureolin yellow on the beach, and spattered it with water while it was wet, to make the blotches. When it was completely dry, I spattered the beach again with a toothbrush and misket….

View the rest of this watercolour tutorial here.

Losing a Likeness and Finding It – Again and Again

It’s not rocket science but if you “lose it” as often as I do, you’ll need a sure-fire way to get it back with a minimum of fuss and bother.

I work in many layers – building light and skin tone as I go. It is all too easy for my lines to take a hike and this is when I “lose the likeness.” But you don’t have to work in layers to adapt this method.
It is not that hard to get your likeness back, but it is important to do it when you first notice so that the corrections will be small and relatively easy….

 

Follow this link to read the rest of this oil portrait painting tutorial by Karin Wells

Step by Step Oil Portrait Painting Video Demo

Learn how to paint a portrait in oils with this free step by step video demonstration by Artist Irv Rudley.   This is a two part video lesson that is approximately 15 minutes in length.

Irv is working from a reference photo that you can see in the video above.  Irv tilts the photo slightly to make the composition a bit more interesting.  The first step is to paint in the background of the painting surrounding the portrait.  He makes the value of this initial block in close to what it will be in the final picture. He then blocks in the hair and the shirt.  At this stage, the color is not overly important. It can always be adjusted later on. Oil paint is such a forgiving medium…

View the rest of this oil portrait painting video demonstration here.

 

Step by Step Landscape Painting Tutorial

Here is a fantastic oil painting landscape demo by Artist Jon Houglum.  If you are not already familiar with Jon’s work, then you should definitely take a moment to visit his Website here.   This is a five part video demonstration that is approximately 1 hour in length, so make certain to free up enough time to watch the whole thing.

Landscape Oil Painting Demonstration Part 1

In part 1 of this tutorial, Jon starts with a toned canvas.  He then takes some Burnt Sienna that has been thinned down with paint thinner and begins to lay out his composition.  He divides his composition into thirds.  The rule of thirds is a popular compositional guideline that artists follow to ensure they have an interesting composition. It ensures that your composition will not be divided in half, which is a big no no in painting.  Jon then begins to block in the sky.  He starts at the horizon with a mixture of Burnt Sienna, Blue and a touch of red.

This color mixture is to be greyed as to represent the sky in the distance. He adds more blue as he approaches the top of the canvas and blocks in the rest of the sky. He is not concerned with any details like clouds at this point.  The main objective here is to block in a convincing sky, a transition from a lighter warmer horizon color to a slightly darker cooler and bluer sky that is closest to the viewer.

Jon then paints in the distant hills with a mixture that is close to the sky color but a bit darker and earthier. He then takes the same mixture and darkens it a bit more to paint in the next set of hills. He does it yet again and paints in the next set of hills. What he is doing here is creating the illusion of depth and distance by varying the colors and values….

View the rest of this step by step landscape painting tutorial here.

Landscape Painting Lesson in Oils by Graham Braddock

Sometimes I set out with an imagined mental picture and then go looking for suitable reference that will give the painting authenticity. Other times I go prospecting for good painting subjects. The demonstration painting, “Memories of Taranaki”, is the result of one such trip.

The low light was perfect one still winter afternoon. An ethereal Mt Taranaki presided over the land, majestic, disembodied, cut off from the middle distance by low cloud and mist. I knew my problem was going to be finding a suitable foreground. So, as the light faded, I drove hurriedly down a country road, stopping whenever I saw streams or trees that might prove interesting.

In these conditions, a camera is the only way to grab detailed reference. I found a reasonable rock strewn stream, climbed on to some rough ground above and beside it, was attracted to what appeared to be a rocky outcrop to my right. I ran a little further and found myself gazing over an old quarry site. Brilliant! Big old trees, remnants of the original native forest, still held out on the higher points. I felt I’d stepped back in time 80 years. A pioneer flavour seemed to linger in the stillness… I took several photos and left, knowing I had the basis for a very good painting…

View the rest of this landscape painting lesson in oils here

Blick Presents: Grumbacher Max Paint

Grumbacher Max oil paints are a water miscible (also known as “water soluble” or “water mixable”) paint invented in 1983, that were the first water miscible oil paints sold on the market.  It is hard to believe that any kind of oil paint could be mixed with water.  It seems to defy physics and go against that popular saying “Water and oil don’t mix”.  But in this case, they really do.  I can attest to this claim as I have personally tried Grumbacher Max oil paints and they really do live up to their reputation.

These paints can be mixed and applied just like traditional oil paints but with one huge advantage:  They can be removed from brushes with ordinary soap and water.  This is such a huge breakthrough for those of us who are unable to work with harsh solvents like turpentine.

There are other manufacturers that produce water soluble oil paints, but in my opinion, they don’t have the same quality and similarity to traditional oils, that Grumbacher does…

Follow this link to view this Grumbacher Oil Paint Review 

Plein Air Painting Tutorial in Acrylics by Donald Neff

It was a winter day and not much light. I did however locate a nice pool at the west end of Yosemite Valley. This is a snapshot of the scene.

In the low 30′s, it was barely warm enough to do an acrylic painting. Since acrylics are water soluble, it is difficult to paint in below freezing weather!

Follow this link to read the rest of this acrylic painting tutorial