Ready, Set, Paint!

OK, now that you have all your supplies and you have your colors set out on your palette, you are ready!  But where to start?  As I tell my students, once you decide on a subject,  ”Start with the thing farthest from you!”.  This is especially applicable to landscape painting, but it also applies to still life scenes, portraits, anything you want to depict in 3 dimensions.   Layering forms on top of each other is what gives the viewer the illusion of dimension or depth in a painting.  So with a face, painting the general head, the ears perhaps, and a bit of a halo of hair will get you started so you can paint the features on top of this prepared surface…and they will look like they protrude into space…hence, the 3 D effect!  Same is true of landscapes or still life paintings.  Start with the thing that’s behind everything else….the background.

I start by first coating my canvas with a pale undercoating (sometimes I combine this with gesso and accomplish two things at once.)  Here I have decided on pale blue.  Next I sketch in my scene concentrating on composition with reddish paint (you can use any color) because I am painting in fall colors.  If I were painting a lot of sky…I would paint in the clouds and tint the sky before going further, but on this occasion, there was a lot of mist and fog, so I kept my sky rather gray-blue and soft.

As you can see I continue to build up the layers of the painting until I get the desired result.  (still working on this one!)  Always painting from dark to light in each area and from back to front until I get a final painting to my liking.  I do skip around and I don’t “finish” a painting a section before moving on, because I like to build up the painting in all areas at the same time.  How much detail to add is a matter of taste.  Sometimes I like big bold painterly strokes, and sometimes it’s very rewarding to just add a few finer strokes.

Here are some examples of both:

Bigger, looser strokes

 

 

 

 

Smaller, more detailed strokes

Notice that there is depth in both of these paintings.  The secret to that is “aerial perspective”.  What is that?  It basically means that the things that are farther away are lest distinct (have fuzzier edges) and are paler and grayer than the things up close.  If you use your most vibrant, warm, colorful paint colors on the foreground (front) of your painting, and the duller, paler, grayer colors in the background (back)….you will automatically be adding perspective – or dimensionality.  (this is a great beginning painter’s trick).   Notice that even in the cloud painting above where the light is in the background and the foreground is in shadow (darker) the colors are more varied in the clouds closest to you and have more interest.  Even in the bright sunset in the background, the yellows and pale colors of the setting sun are muted (grayed).  The yellows, pinks, and purples in the clouds closer to you are brighter (warmer) and clearer (not as dull or gray).  This is how dimensionality is achieved.

 

Patterns

OMG….started studying drawn patterns and came across this wonderful artist who makes “hand mandalas”.  This video is so interesting and shows such creativity….good practice to get your art motor running!

Give this a try and let me know how you like it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7Sf3ADPm7zY

How To Begin

I am teaching another quarter of Beginning Acrylics at the local community college once again.  Teaching beginners is one of my favorite classes to teach.  Hopefully my students learn a lot, but it also helps me slow down, think through the basics, and crystallize my approach.

Teaching art is quite a bit different from other kinds of teaching.  It is not exact. Learning to paint is more about figuring out your imagination…perhaps even your soul…than it is about exact methods.   It is not always just learning technique, studying the great painters, or the science of the medium.  Often studying art is about learning more about yourself.  Often times when we, as adult learners, are in a new situation where we are really starting from scratch (many of my students have never picked up a paintbrush before) we sometimes act and think in ways that are outside our normal, usual self.  We become insecure, we may become risk averse, we might plunge in recklessly, or we might feel totally confused or complete delight!  It is definitely an adventure!  So I always look forward to my “new” beginners!

As one of my favorite artist/teachers, John Carlson, would say, “The art of painting, properly speaking, cannot be taught, and therefore cannot be learned.  I believe that the only way to study is to practice.”   Or in our case…to allow ourselves to experiment!

So we start at the beginning.  A basic palette.  Which brushes?  Surfaces?  How do I prepare them.  What shall I paint?  Good basic questions.

1.  Many new painters are watching their budgets, so they ask me to provide them with basic palette suggestions, which brands, etc.  I always answer the same way.  I use a full spectrum palette:  2 reds – one warm, one cool (Cad Red Light, Alizarin Crimson), 2 yellows – one warm, one cool (Cad Yellow Medium, Lemon (or Azo) Yellow), 2 blues – one warm, one cool (Ultramarine, Cobalt), Titanium White, and some pre-mixed neutrals (for ease of mixing):  Payne’s Gray (on the bluish side), Burnt Umber (a rich chocolate), Burnt Sienna (dark orangey brown).  Others that are “nice” to have:  Sap Green (warm), Thalo or Veridian Green (cool), Prism Violet (cool), and Indian Yellow Deep (Orangey).

 

I like putting out all my paints each time I paint.  Many beginners will only squirt out just what the need as they go…I think this encourages miserly paint usage, and restricts your color choices (because they try to calculate only what they need, and are trying not to “waste” paint).  However, to save paint, I squirt these heavy bodied acrylics out onto a covered palette box with a moistened sponge beneath the palette paper and keep the paint puddles filled up with paint.  I do not mix inside the palette carrier, I transfer dabs of paint for mixing to a separate piece of palette paper to mix on.  If  I get a mix I want to keep…I transfer a pile of it back to my paint keeper for next session’s painting.

2.  Brushes:  I use both synthetic fibered brushes and natural hog bristle brushes for acrylics.  What I generally suggest for brand new beginners is they should at least have one large wash brush (a one inch flat brush with synthetic fibers) for painting smooth all over layers.  Two filberts (rounded topped flat brushes): one hog’s bristle filbert (a 6 or 8), one synthetic filbert.  These are used for curved or rounded objects, leaves, foliage, natural shapes.  An 8 or 10 flat, for straight lines, angular shapes, smoothing. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A #3 round, for pointed strokes, and a liner brush – a 0 or a 1.  Generally, I use softer, synthetic bristled brushes for fine work.  But I do not use “soft” natural fibered brushes with acrylics as are used in watercolor.  Do not use sable or ermine as they have no “spring” in them when wet.  Synthetic brushes will snap back to a point when wet, yet are not stiff and will hold a point.  This works best for acrylics.

 

 

 

3.  Surfaces.  I like to paint on wrapped canvas or linen panels, however canvas covered “boards” (cardboard) are also good.  The wrapped canvas panels are usually 3/4 inch thick or can be up to 3 1/2 inches thick, depending on the frame used.  The thicker wrapped canvases can be painted around their sides for a more finished look instead of framing if desired.  If the staples holding the canvas show on the sides, use a frame to complete your painting.  Thinner boards and canvases fit more precisely into ready-made frames.  You can also paint on wooden panels that have been treated with acrylic sealer, or you can use heavy paper such as Bristol or 300 lb. watercolor paper.  I would advise treating them all first with a coat of gesso (primer) so that the acrylics do not “bleed” into their porous surface unless that is the effect you prefer.  Even if a canvas is “pre-gessoed”…it was probably done by mechanical dipping and might have some spots that are not completely sealed.  I always recommend giving them another coat.

4.  Now the most important question:  What shall I paint?

That is a good question!  For beginners I usually recommend a landscape.  Why?  Because natural forms are easier to paint because they do not have to be “precise” to look like the objects they are.  A tree is recognizable whether it actually matches your reference or not.  A bush or a cloud can be whatever shape you imagine.  Streams can meander wherever they want…whereas a portrait or a house, bridge, or building must be precise.  They all have to be painted as a “form” with dimension, and natural forms are easiest.  However, no matter what you decide to paint, you need a reference, because our memories are notoriously inaccurate.  Our brains “shortcut” to symbols of what we are actually seeing so we can remember it better…but we are trained not to remember extraneous details…and in painting…the details really matter.  So as a beginner, do not rely totally on memory or imagination…use a reference!  A photo, another painting, a still life setup or painting in the natural setting will be easiest.

Next session we will talk about the best ideas of how to start, what to paint first, when to add details.  Until then, get ready, get your paints, brushes, and surfaces together, and we will BEGIN!

Mixed Media Experiments

Continuing my foray into mixed media, I am now working on more collaborative pieces with my collage group friends and I am really loving the “experiments” we are trying.  This week we did a collaborative “experiment”.  Three of us started with a 3 x 5 watercolor paper postcard.  We were to have 10 minutes to begin our design.  We could use paint, collage, lettering stamping….whatever we chose to use to begin the piece.  Then after setting the timer, we worked away and then passed our work to the person on our left!  When each person had their neighbor’s work, we spent another 10 minutes adding/altering/enhancing their original work.  BUZZZZZZZ!  pass it on…so the piece got worked on by the 3rd artist for another 10 minutes.  At the end of 30 minutes, three artists had collaborated on three different pieces!

These experimental postcards were such fun.  And each of us agreed, they went in directions we would have never gone to on our own!  Such creativity!

We have had several challenges from our “fearless” leader, Karol.  She has challenged us to try torn paper collage as well.  This is a type of collage where our only “paint” is various colors of torn paper…from magazines, books, craft papers, hand-made and hand painted papers, tissue, etc.  It is a challenge to loosen up my “edges” by tearing them!  It’s also a challenge to look at a magazine page and hunt for just the right shade of…whatever…to ”paint” the picture.  Having a lot of fun with this one!

Here’s an example of a couple of pieces I am working on for my grandson, Cooper.  He loves bugs and frogs…so this project is especially for him!

I have this frog lying on a red torn paper background to find out if this would perhaps give the small 5 x 7 piece a bit more presence.  I think I like it better around the ladybug.  I think the frog needs a green frame.  What do you think?  Stay tuned…results soon.

Here’s another one… my Bluebird of Happiness!

Let me know what you think of our collage experiments.

Rejuvination

I’ve been off-line for a while.  I found I was in a painting rut….ever get like that? I’ve had a few more classes this quarter than usual, and I was so involved with my class that it sort of sucked the juice out of my own personal painting desires. But now that we’re into spring quarter and the load’s a bit lighter, I think I’ve found a way to push through and rejuvenate my desire to paint!

A painting friend, Karol, has been working on collage lately.  She is an excellent painter, but also loves collage and she has encouraged me to try this mixed media.  As a matter of fact we have been having a lot of fun with a group of painting friends re-invigorating ourselves and retuning our creative thinking.  Talk about outside the box.  Visit her blog at http://karolsartblog.blogspot.com/.

Here are ones I have been working on lately:

Our theme was “trees”.  We each did three pieces the same size.  Our method was to paste the entire ground with cut pieces of random paper clippings.  Then we were to glaze over everything with any color paint we chose, and then the third step was to add, embellish, stamp, stencil, paint, paste, etc. anything we wanted over the top.  I loved the multi-layered look I got with stencils and stamps on the first one.  I tried crumpled tissue for the stream in the second one (on a magenta background?  What was I thinking?) and torn paper trees.  But I think the most successful one was the first one I made very quickly.

I’m seeing faeries in this one…

Karol has also encouraged me to try collaborative art.  She and I have been trading work, and each one working on the other’s piece.  I have done this in the past, but not recently.  We have been having a lot of fun exchanging art with each other and I can’t wait to see what she does with the faerie woods above!

Here’s some of what we’ve been up to!

The one on the left was a cut paper and painted collage I did during our group session…and the one on the right is what Karol added (organza fabric and stitching and a border frame).  I think this turned out so nice!

 

She also showed us a technique called “scribble paper”.  By painting, blending, and scraping 3 colors onto some card stock.  She started hers with Black, Gold, and a bit of Magenta.  Some stamps with dots and circles. Then she did some scribbled drawing over the wet white paint over some of the black.  I added some cut paper with black and white swirls on them and added to the magenta.  Some tan rice paper with big round “seeds” went on the upper right, with a bit of white paint over all.  I also found some french calligraphy in black and added more magenta.  Now it goes back to her again for more embellishment.  I can’t wait to see where this one goes!

I do not usually work in abstract (I always seem to “see things” in my painting) but it is fun to challenge myself to work on someone else’s painting and to try to keep with their aesthetic.  Karol didn’t place any restrictions on me when she handed over her piece, but I wanted to keep within the spirit of her piece.  I like the very busy squiggles, the black and white notes juxtaposed with the strong color, and the calligraphic strokes.  I kept those aspects and can’t wait to see what Karol does with it next.

Are we having fun, or what?

 

How to Improve Your Landscapes

The first step to painting successful landscapes is to get outside and experience them first hand.  It can be hard to do when the weather is like it is up here in the Pacific Northwest, so when the weather is bad, I rely on those trips I took in sunnier weather.  I often take reference photos, but I don’t paint from other people’s photos because I have not experienced the place personally.  Without feeling the wind in my hair, the sun on my face, and first hand observation, my painting will lack that authentic feel.

There are times when I am unable to paint outdoors, but I can always go on material gathering trips.  These trips let me scout out future paintings and to do a bit of sketching along with my photo shoot to gather this information.  Almost any trip into any wild area fills me with ideas.  But if you dont’ have any place else to go than your own backyard…you are still in good shape!  I have a good artist friend who says that artists show people what is beautiful.  And the Japanese subscribe to the idea that the most beautiful things are the common objects we find in our daily life.  This is true of our personal landscapes as well.

 

Once you know what you want to paint, you have to decide what you want to say about it.  Is it awe-inspiring (like the Grand Canyon) or sunny and happy (like the daisies above) or maybe it’s cold and covered with snow? (like this painting on the right) And do you want that to feel peaceful, foreboding, or maybe exhilarating?  You get to decide.

I find it easier to paint if I have made a plan before I start.  I take all my references and look at ways I can crop the scene, rearrange the elements to make a better composition, and once that’s decided I sketch the basic position of the elements onto a toned canvas.  Then I start blocking in the value patterns.  I always paint from dark to light, from far to near, from thin to thick, leaving fine detail until the very end.  Painting quickly, making decisive strokes, and working all around the painting instead of concentrating on one spot or detail helps me keep my paintings more impressionistic, looser, and that immediacy keeps the paintings fresh and alive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last step is to step back and live with it a few days and evaluate the painting.  It can be difficult to self-critique.  If you find it difficult, try looking at the finished work in the mirror.  Sometimes small things that need correcting or fidgeting with will show up more readily by looking at it in this way.  You can also ask yourself some questions.  Is the painting too light? too dark? too warm?  too cold? too bright?  too dull?.  Check your texture.  Is it rough where you want it to be rough, is the surface too smooth to convey the texture you hope to convey? Once you identify the answers to these question, you are on your way to perfecting your painting.

Finally comes the question of should I varnish it?  Lots of differing opinions on this…especially if you are working in acrylics.  Acrylics alone are light fast and sturdy enough not to need varnish from a practical point of view, but many acrylic painters like to varnish the finished, completely dried painting with a semi-gloss acrylic varnish.  You can also coat your final painting with glazing medium for a similar finish.  If you have used additives during painting, like flow medium, retarder, or glaze medium, you may have a finished painting where parts of it are glossy and parts of it have dried flat or dull.  To solve this, an all over coat of varnish or glaze medium will equalize the gloss.  Many acrylic painters believe that without the glossy finish, their paintings appear dull or lifeless.  However, it is a matter of preference, not necessity.

If you are painting with oils or water-soluble oils, you must wait until the painting is completely dry (6 months at least) before you put an oil varnish on it.  Many oil painters these days opt to skip this step since oil paints dry semi-glossy anyway, and the oil varnish will tend to  yellow the oil paints underneath over time.  Again, it is a matter of preference.

Happy Painting!

 

Juried Exhibitions

Here is a link to a pretty thorough explanation of how to improve your chances to get your entries chosen for exhibition by “artrepreneur” Renee Phillips.  Since we are at the beginning of show season…thought this might be helpful.

http://reneephillips.blogspot.com/2010/04/juried-competitions-how-to-improve-your.html

Adding Texture To Your Paintings

When considering texture in a painting, there are two types.  There is visual texture, and actual texture.  Either way, texture is something that has to be pre-planned from the beginning of your painting.

It starts with what type of support you are planning to use.

If you are planning a collage or a physical (actual) texture, you will want to look to a stronger support.  For these paintings I like to consider either a cardboard backed canvas board or a wood panel.  These days, wooden panels can be purchased  rather than built, and there are even some panels which come pre-gessoed.  I prefer clear pine or birch panels that have been mounted on a 1 x 1  or 1 x 2 inch frame.  These come unsealed, so a fair amount of preparation must be done first.  I generally use a clear wood sealer (an oil based product) to seal the wood first, and allow it to dry thoroughly before gessoing (24-48 hours).  If you are a turp free studio, try clear satin water based varnish for your first few coats.  Sanding between coats will give you a very smooth surface without the wood grain interfering.  You can then apply gesso or a background color to suit your needs.  If you desire a smooth surface for your painting, choose these wood panels or a very finely woven canvas with several coats of gesso.

However, if you decide you would like to paint on a textured surface, there are many choices of additives that will give actual texture to your paintings.  Texture gel, paste, those containing sand, pumice or flint particles are among your choices.  These gels can be added to paint, primers, or finishes.  This type of painting is generally referred to as impasto, Italian for paste.

Visual texture is implied texture.

By using expressive brushstrokes, the artist is able to show visual texture.  Brushstrokes of this type actually model the various shapes and forms of the subject.  For instance, if you are painting the peeling bark from a eucalyptus tree, you do not have to use thick paint if you do not choose to.  You can use color, contrast, and directional brush strokes to evoke the texture.  In this painting by Robert Rohm, note that the brushy texture of the bushes show up as visual texture because the marks made are roughly applied.  The contrast of the light and dark blades of grass imply their texture using contrast to make them stand out.

Likewise if you want to paint a calm surface, like in my painting of mist on the surface of the water in this painting, applying thinner paint broadly with a soft brush results in the smooth surface.

The best determiner of texture depends on  your subject.  Color and contrast also play their part in how texture is perceived.  In this painting, the colors in this smooth water are very close together on the value scale.  Even the reflections have been smoothed over with a mop brush to blur and smooth the surface.  This also allows the light to reflect in one direction.  If the water were choppy, the reflections would also be choppy. As a rule I generally apply light reflections (those with a lot of white in them) in a thicker manner than the smoother, more glaze like shadows.

Whether you decide to paint smoothly, using a lot of smooth layers, or thickly with heavier paint, adding brushwork and various paint effects adds interest and energy to your work.

Let me know how your texture experiments go…I would love to hear from you!

Happy Painting.

 

Painting Alla Prima

What is Alla Prima?  Translated directly from Italian, it means “at once”, and refers to themethod of paint something all in one application without retouching. It is sometimes called “direct painting” and uses a wet-on-wet technique. The no retouching rule for me is a bit optional … as I often “tweak” the painting once I have “finished” it and it has set in front of me for a few days. I suppose technically…this is cheating, but I think it is the mark of a good artist to add the final highlights and adjustments after the paint has had a chance to dry. This is especially true for Acrylics as they tend to dull a bit as they dry.

Alla Prima painting first came into vogue in the 16th century in Flemish art to contrast with the extremely laborious practice of using many layers of underpainting and adding very thin glazes to attain depth and realism. Alla Prima artists rebelled and began to produce instinctive and much more immediate painting. Artists also found that alla prima lent itself well to plein air painting and doing quick field studies that were then refined and repainted in the studio.

A good painting friend of mine always says, “I start to make a study, especially when I am outdoors and painting fast to catch the light…if it turns out well, I call it a painting.” I like that attitude. Takes all the pressure off! I often tell my students that Alla Prima just means “I’m experiementing”. I like that approach too.

But how do you organize a painting so that you can paint it “all at once”?
1. Part of the answer is to prepare your canvas ahead. I don’t particularly like to paint on white canvas or board. I like to tone the canvas ahead of time (usually with acrylics – even if I’m painting in oils) and I use a mid-tone or neutral color. I try to decide if my painting will be mostly cool or mostly warm, and I paint my canvas the opposite of the temperature I will be painting. That way, there will be some life in the painting.

2. Use a fairly limited palette. My basic palette for painting Alla Prima is to use 2 Reds (a warm and a cool) 2 Yellows (ditto), 2 Blues, a premixed Green (like sap), White and Payne’s Gray. Occasionally I will add Orange and Burnt Sienna if I am painting fall colors. Keeping your colors simple will force you to simplify large masses of color and keep your painting from becoming “muddy”.

3. Choose your scene and sketch in the large shapes. If you have a camera, take a photo for future reference. To sketch, I use a watery dark red paint if it is a landscape and Payne’s Gray if a seascape. Remember, your aim is to paint this quickly and in one layer. Reduce details to a minimum. Group large shapes together.

4. Paint from dark to light using thin paint and building up the layers of light on top of the paint. By laying down the darks first, they will slightly tone your lights as you come forward when working wet-on-wet. Reserve the lightest lights for last. This should also be your thickest layer.

5. Likewise, start with your biggest brush and end with your smallest. Paint quickly, confidently, don’t skimp on paint. Load your brush with paint and make expressive (if imperfect) strokes. Don’t overwork it! Just get it to “good enough”, not perfection….then leave it! If you make a huge mistake…scrape it off with your knife and paint it again quickly.

6. Finally…stand back and squint. You can usually quickly see if there are glaring problems by doing this. Chances are there might not be enough contrast (our usual trap) and this will allow you to see the value shifts. If you get the big spots of color right the first time…you won’t have to worry about your values.

7. Allow it to be an experiment, to be a sketch, to be a bit unrefined! Work hard to finish it quickly and live with the results the first few times you try this. It will probably bug you….but do it anyway. This is the only way to teach yourself “painterly” strokes. Remember this is a painting, not a photo. If it conveys a particular mood or expression of feeling, catches the light and shadow pattern, and is recognizable…it will be a success. Allow others to let you know what they think. Often we are our own worst critics!

If you are really unsatisfied, paint another version of it in the studio at home later when you can take a bit more time with it. Perhaps make a studio painting that is a bit larger, or has a bit more detail….but you might find that once you get your “alla prima” painting home, and you’ve had a chance to get some distance from it, that you are happier with it than you thought!
Happy Painting!

A Misty Walk – Painting Fog

Out walking one misty fall day, I decided to try to capture this scene with my camera. I used the warm filter on my camera and captured this lovely scene and decided to try to paint it.

As you follow along, please feel free to experiment with your own style and method. This is just a suggestion.

Step 1.  I chose a small (12 inch) square canvas for this painting even though the reference is rectangular.   As I usually do, I coated this pre-primed canvas with an additional coat of paint.  For this scene, I mixed an acrylic base coat of light blue-gray.

The colors I used were Liquitex Brand Heavy Bodied Titanium White and Light Blue Violet.  I added a small amount of Utrecht Medium Gray to dull the paint.  I decided to use this as my under coating since it closely matches the foggy gray day I was trying to create.

Step 2.  After letting the base coat dry, I adjusted the composition for the square format and sketched the scene with Raw Sienna acrylic paint to determine the largest shapes and to rough in the various values I wanted to represent.

I allowed this acrylic sketch to thoroughly dry.

Step 3. In the meantime, I put out my usual palette of water mixable oil colors (Lukas) in a covered palette box.  The colors are (from bottom to top) :  Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red Light, Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Yellow Medium, Azo Yellow, Viridian Green, Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, Cerulean Blue and Titanium White.  These are my regular palette colors.

From these I mixed several dark mixtures (from the top down):  For a cool dark – sort of a
charcoal green/black color –  I mixed Alizarin Crimson, Veridian Green and Ultramarine.  For a color that approximates Payne’s Gray…I used the same mixture with double the Ultramarine.   For a warmer dark, I mixed Alizarin Crimson, Veridian Green and Orange….this makes a nice warm dark brown.  I also wanted a color to approximate Burnt Sienna, so I mixed some of the warm brown mix with Cadmium Yellow and more Cadmium Orange.  I do my mixing on a separate palette (disposable sheet) so that I can keep my original colors and mixes from being contaminated.  I sometimes do brush mixing  but advise that to keep your colors clean, first mix with a mixing knife if a very large quantity of the mixed paint is needed.  You will be glad you mixed a pile of it later when you are accenting the whole canvas with color.  It’s always nice to save a bit of your mix for later use.

Step 4. I then began the oil portion of my painting.  I always begin with fairly thin coats of paint.  I also begin with the darkest color of each section and gradually add accents and lights using progressively thicker paint.  I also usually begin with the thing that is farthest away from me.  In this case, the foggy tree line.

Over the Raw Sienna sketch, I scumbled (scrubbed in) a fairly thin layer of gray
paint beginning at the back where the road ends.  This is the far horizon line.   For this I used a very thin layer of the charcoal gray paint mix and white. Because I was hoping for a quick drying time, I used water to thin the paint, but you could also use Walnut Oil or Water Mixable Linseed oil if drying time is not a concern.  I allowed some of the Raw Sienna undercoat to show through.
I also enhanced the fall color of the leaves of the tree line on the right with a wash of Cad Orange and Dark Brown, thinning and brush mixing as I went. While I was allowing that portion to dry somewhat, I scumbled in some color on the opposite hill – darks which mostly consisted of the charcoal mixtures, browns and Alizarin Crimson.  I brush mixed a few greens and added them, leaving the under coating showing to act as a basis for the lighter-colored dropped leaves in the foreground. (see photo) I next experimented with the yellow/orange of the dropped leaves in the photo, and decided to wait to mix that color until I had more of the painting covered. I scumbled some very light gray next to the horizon on the right to indicate fog, and when that was dry enough,  I painted in the tree trunks on the right with one of the dark mixes.

Step 5. Next, I painted in the road with the charcoal mix and a little extra Ultramarine blue toward the bottom of the blacktop road.  This allows the viewer to see a bit of light on the road closest to them and for the color to gray as it goes toward the back.

With the same gray fog color used before, I scumbled in some fog drifting across the road.  I continued to fill in the opposite hill, and added more fog just above it to show the light shining through and to help define the hill.  All of these undercoatings of paint are still very thin.

Step 6. Next, I started painting in the tree trunks on the hill.  I started first with those farthest away.  Using the dark brown mix and white, I thinned the paint with water and painted in the fine lined trunks.  The next round of trees was a bit darker, and farther down the hill.  I painted a lot of tree trunks by painting them in layers. After the tree trunks dried (which was pretty quickly since I’d used water to thin the oil mixable colors), I began to blur the sharpness of the trunks with a bit of the light gray fog color.  I proceeded in this way until I got  most of the tree trunks painted.  I painted the largest and closest tree trunks in last, over the other layers of trees.

Step 7. Next, using Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Yellow, and Alizarin Crimson, I dabbed in the leaves thickly with a fairly large round brush that had a pointed end.  I allowed the strokes to be messy and random, and I used thicker paint. I also highlighted the nearest tree trunks.

 

 

 

 

I continued painting in the thicker dabs of paint to indicate more leaves and added a few more highlights to the trees and a few lighter spots of fog light in among the branches.  I also scumbled more fog along the top of the hill and into the trees.  This painting was done “alla prima” – or all in one sitting.  However, with this step by step method, you could paint it over the course of several days if you like, allowing each layer to dry before proceeding.

The final painting is not as vibrant as the photograph, but it depicts the same feeling I got when walking down the road and it was a fun way to capture a moment that I truly enjoyed.  I hope you will practice painting from your own photographs….or try this step by step method to learn this technique.