acrylic secrets ebook

7/28/2019 Acrylic Secrets eBook

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www.AcrylicPaintingSecrets.com


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Page1

What Youll Get From This E-Book

Quite simply, this book will help you to become a better

Acrylics painter and just as importantly, you will get a hugeamount of enjoyment from knowing how to use this vibrantand forgiving paint medium.

Although aimed at those who have little or no experiencewith acrylics, this e-book will also help if youve triedAcrylics previously but, for whatever reason, haventprogressed with them as much as youd like to.

In my Watercolour Secrets e-book, I said;-

Im a great believer thatanyone can be taught how topaint... or draw... or be artistic. I know from manyyears of first-hand experience that you donthave to beblessed with a God-given talent.

Now that statement is just as true with Acrylics as it is withWatercolours or any other paint or drawing medium youcare to mention.

In fact, as we go through this e-book, youll find many of the techniques Ive explained there are

exactly the same with many other paint media.

My wish is that with this little e-book, together we can open up a stunning world of acrylicpainting that will enable you to produce pictures that will amaze family and friends with yournew-found talent !

Have you ever been frustrated with art at school or in art classes where there seems to exist anassumption that students already knowthe basics and youre expected to start off half-waydown the road, so to speak.

Youre thrown straight into terms like introducing concepts and energy and abstraction into

your work when all you want at that pointis to find out how to mix a simple shadow colour orcreate a believable-looking tree that doesnt look like a grotesque green lollipop ?

When you ask about how to avoid creating mud or painting water that looks wet, youre told -dont worry, youll pick it up as you go along....

Well youll find that Acrylic Secrets tells you how to learn these basics and a lot more usefulstuff besides. This will get you going to the point where you can start to think about introducingsome of those concepts into your pictures.

Every lesson, whether its in this e-book or the main DVD course shows you HOW. I dont

assume, like some of my schoolteachers did, that youll just pick it up
http://www.acrylicpaintingsecrets.com/?utm_source=APS_Ebook&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=Feb_2013&utm_content=Home_Page


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Its amazing what you can achieve when youre shown step-by-step. Im convinced, havingseen the results complete beginners have achieved after following the Watercolour SecretsDVD Course that, with practice, the necessary painting skills required for Acrylics can beacquired by all of us.

I promise, that with a little bit of practice (not years of trial and error) youll see great results -and quickly too. Print this e-book out - fast draft or economy printing will do. Take it to your painting station (Ivegraduated from the dining room table to a studio in a spare bedroom) and follow along. Readthrough a lesson and then have a go! Thats the most important thing... to have a go... and tohave fun!

Oh, and do look out for me in the free video lessons that accompany this e-book. Until thenenjoy your painting.

And if you like the e-book and sample videos then have a look at what you get in the fullAcrylics Secrets DVD Course which I honestly believe is the best of its type that you can findanywhere.

Best wishes,


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Page3

Index of Lessons

Page 4 Section 1: What is Acrylic Paint?

Page 8 Section 2: What Other Equipment Do I Need?

Page 16 Section 3: Basic Sky and Clouds

Page 25 Section 4: Easy Middle Distance Trees

Page 33 Section 5: Basic Winter Tree

Page 36 Section 6: Simple Summer Trees

Page 42 Section 7: Creating Depth in Mountains and Hills

Page 47 Section 8: Cliffs

Page 51 Section 9: Rocks and Stones

Page 58 Section 10: Easy Water and Reflections

Page 68 Section 11: Basic Buildings

Page 76 Section 12: Simple Figures

Page 83 Section 13: Animal Magic

Page 91 Acrylic Painting Secrets on DVD


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Page4

1.Whatis

AcrylicPaint?


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Acrylicsisavibrant,opaque,water-basedpaintthatoffersmanyofthebenefitsandstyleofoil-

paintingwithoutthesmellofturpentineorquiteasmuchmessofcleaningup.Itisvery

quickdrying(whichcanbebothablessingandanuisancewellseewhylater)andasyoucanpaintlightoverdarkareas,obscuringthem

completelyasinPhoto1,itisveryforgivingoferrorsandchangesofmind.

1

Itsformulaisverysimilartothepaintyouusetodecoratethewallsandceilingofyourhome(Photo2)

andisaclosecousinofPVAwoodworkingglueand

itemslikewall&floortilecement.

Indeed,manyartistsuseallofthesematerials,freelymixedwiththeiracrylicpaint,tocreateawhole

varietyof2Dand3Deffects.Itsjustaseasytocreate

bold,vibrantin-your-face3D(impasto)worksasitis

toproducesubtleandmutedpaintingsofferingagreatdelicacyofatmosphere.

2

Therearemanyexcellentbrands,widelyavailableinanyartstore,butyoucanalso

getholdofverycheapstartersetsofpaintslikethesetinPhoto3,aswellas

brushesandpaintsurfacesfromvarious

discountstoresandthelike,ifyourenot

surewhethertodivein.Oftenyoucanfindasetwithhalfadozen

colours,acoupleofbrushesandaboard

orcanvastopaintyourfirstpicture.

Thesetypicallyonlycostaboutthesame

asonetubeofthebetterqualitypaintshowninthepictureandwhilstthe

qualitymaynotbeuptothestandardsavailableinartstores,theydoallowyoua

tasteratverylittleoutlayandrisktoyourpocket.

3


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However, theres nothing to beat the added vibrancy and flexibility of the better quality acrylic

brandssuchasthoseshowninthelargetubesinthephoto.Certainlyifyouintendtopaintwithacrylicsonaregularbasis,youllwanttograduatetotheseassoonaspossible.

Andasyoullseeonthenextpage,evenwithbetterqualitymaterials,itwontcostyouafortune,providedyoubuysensiblyandavoidthetemptationtofallforeverymusthaveofferfromtheart

manufacturers!

4Oneofthemostprominentfeaturesof

acrylicsisthatitsavailableindifferent

viscosities.

Allthatmeansisthatyoucanbuyitas

thickassoftbutter;inasofterformulationliketoothpaste;orasathin

inkthatyoucouldevenuseinanairbrushaswellasusingitpaintingina

styleverysimilartowatercolours.

YoucanseethreeexamplesinPhoto4

wheretheindentationsinthebrownpaintleftbythepaletteknifewoulddry

withoutmovingidealfor,say,creating

3Drocktexturesintheforeground.

Theredpaintinthemiddleistypicalofthewaymostacrylicsaresoldthick

enoughtoretainbrushstrokesbutsoft

andmalleabletoallowittobespreadeasilyacrossthepaintsurface.

Theyellowacrylicinkisstillprettydensewhenitcomesneatoutofthe

bottlebutthinnedfurtherwithwater,

willprovideanexcellentalternativetowatercolourpaints.

5

Becauseacrylicpaintsarewater-based,theresnoneedforanyspecial

fluidsorthinnerstocleanupafterapaintingsessionjustwateranda

littlesoapasinPhoto5toremoveany

residualpaintoutofthemetalferrule

whereitholdsthebristles.


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6Youcanbuyacrylicpaintsinvariousqualities.The

cheapestisviatheeconomysetsfromthepreviouslymentioneddiscountstores.Theyre

usuallyinmuchsmallertubesthanthebetter

qualitypaints,asshownhere,frontleft.

Nextisthestudentquality.ThelargetubofTitaniumWhiteshowninPhoto6isfromWinsor

&NewtonsGaleriarange.Thesetendtobethe

samefairlyaffordablepriceregardlessofcolourandcertainlyinthissize,goalongway,though

youcanofcoursebuytheminnormalsizetubes.

Formanyartists,studentqualityisabsolutelyfineformostpaintings-andidealifyouregoing

toproducelargeworksuchasamuralona

bedroomwall,forexample.

AtthetopendareartistsqualitypaintssuchastheGoldenOpentubeshownhere,wherethereis

nocompromiseonqualityofpigment.Asaresult,

variouscoloursareputintodifferentpricerangestoreflectthescarcityofdifferentrawmaterials.

Many,butnotall,paintmanufacturersofferbothastudentandanartistsqualityrange.

Colourstendtobemorevibrantaslessfillerisusedinthepaintmanufacturebuttheygoalong

wayandifyouregularlypainttocommission,Idalwaysrecommendthatyourcustomersdeserve

theuseofthebestmaterialsyoucanafford.


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2.WhatOther

EquipmentDoI

Need?


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Youneedonlyafewbitsandpiecestogetgoingandsomewheretopaint.Ifyouvenowhereelse,

thenthekitchentableisasgoodasanyplace.Justmakesureyoukeepthetableandfloorareascoveredincaseofspillages.

Acrylicpaintisnon-toxicandeasilywipedupwhenwet,butlikeallpaints,certaincolourscanstainandbeverydifficulttoremove.Itsbiggestdrawbackisthatoncedried,itcanbedifficulttogetoff

poroussurfacesandfabrics(i.e.carpets!)-sotakecarewhenyoupaintandwearoldclothes...

Remember,asIsaidearlier,itsacloserelativeofDIYpaintsandadhesives(latex,emulsion,vinyl,

tilecement,PVAglue,fillerorwhateveryoucallitinyourpartoftheworld).Sowhateverrecautions outakewhendecoratin ,dothesamewith ouracr lic aintsand oullbefine.

1

Photo1showsjusthowlittle

equipmentyouneedtoactuallygetstartedwith

acrylics.

Apartfromafewpaints,all

yourequirearetwoorthreebrushes,aboard,canvasor

papertopainton,alittle

water,papertowelstoclean

upasyougoalongandasimplepalettetoholdthepaintsandkeepthemmoist.

YoucanbuythesepalettesinanyartstorebutIllshowyou

howeasyitistomakeonefor

nexttonothing,abitfurtheron...

Havingstartedoffbylookingatpaints,overthenextcoupleof

pageswellobviouslyhavealookattheotheritemsinthepicturetoexplaintheminalittlemoredetailsoyoucanquicklyget

comfortablewiththem.

TherearealsoafewotherusefulbitsthatIllmention,butfornow,

thisisreallyallyouneedasyouheadtowardsyourfirstminormasterpiece!


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2

PHOTO2BRUSHESFORACRYLICS(left

toright)

NylonNo.2RoundBrush

NylonNo.1Rigger

NylonNo.2FanBrushNylonFlatBrush

HogNo.5FilbertNylon1DecoratingBrush

RoundRubber-TippedPaintShaperPainting(Palette)Knife

Therearemanyothersizesofthesebrushesthatmayworkjustaswellforyou.Sodont

gorushingouttobuythebrusheshereasmusthaves.Useanyyouhavefirsttosee

howyougeton.

Oilpaintingbrushesespeciallyhogs-hairbrusheshavelongbeenusedforacrylics,withwatercolour

brushesformoredetailedwork.Acrylicpaintisveryhardonbrushhairsandthedelicatenatureofwatercolourbrusheswithnaturalhairsmeanstheygetdamagedveryquickly.Sodontuseyourbestsable

watercolourbrusheswithacrylicpaints!

Inthelastfewyears,syntheticacrylicbrusheshavecomeonthemarket.Thesehavenylonfilamentsor

hairs,whicharecheaperandmorehard-wearingthannaturalhair.Thefirstfourbrushesfromtheleftofthepictureareallnylon.

Theotherthreeitemsare:firstanylondecoratorsbrushforpaintinglargeareas,thenapaintshaper(thislookslikeabrushbuthasatipofsiliconerubberthatallowsyoutocreatedifferenttexturesinpaint

alreadyonthecanvas)andfinally,thepaintingknife-idealforaddingthickdollopsofpaintandspreadingitinavarietyoflovelyjuicytextures.Itsperfectforcreatingrocksandstones,asweshallseelater!

3 Althoughthemajorityofacrylicpaintingsare

createdwithbrushes,apartfromthepaintingknife,thereareavarietyofotheritemsyou

canuseaswellasinPhoto3.

Thethick,butterynatureofacrylicpaintlends

itselftoallsortsoftexturalopportunitiesandyoucanseeinthepictureherejustafewof

itemsyoucoulduse.

Forexample,asmallpieceofmountboardisa

greattool,usedasasqueegeetocreate

texture,oronedgetocreatethinstraightlinesformasts.


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Theedgesofacut-upcreditcard-probablythebestthingyoucandowithsomeofthem;-)-can

betrimmedtodifferentlengths,ashere,soyoucanscrapestraight-edgedblocksofcolourfor

doorsandwindowsetc.Thebluegluespreadercanbeusedinthesameway,ortocreaterocktexturesifthepaletteknifeistoolarge,whilethenaturalsponge,dippedlightlyintopaintisagreat

meansofcreatinginstantleafclustersontreesbypressingitgentlyontoyourpaintsurface.Maskingtape,thoughnotapaintingtoolassuch,isidealforcreatinganylongstraightlinesuchas

thehorizoninaseascape,orforwhenyouwanttoretainastraightedgewhenbuttingtwoblocksofcolouruptoeachother.Alwayslookoutforitemslikethesethatmayotherwisebediscarded

butcanprovideafreeandinvaluablepaintingimplement.

TheversatilityofAcrylicsissuchthatyoucanpaintonawidevarietyofsurfaces,porousandnon-

porous,hardandsoft,thickandthin.Forinstance,althoughIllbeconcentratingonconventional

paintingsurfacesinthee-book,youcanpaintonrocks,floor-tiles,plasteredwalls,cloth(canvasisacloth,dontforget!),unglazedpottery,primedmetaletc.Andtheresalotmoreetcsifyoulook

around......

Justhavealookatsomeofthereadilyavailablesurfacesyoucantryoutfornexttonocost.Manyof

theseitemsarelyingroundthehouseorstoredinashedtakingupspace.Oryoumighthavethoughttheydbenogoodforpaintingwithacrylics.

LefttorightinPhoto4:

1-Liningwallpaperusedforsmoothingminorimperfectionsinwalls.Orthebackofordinary

wallpaper.2Brownwrappingorparcelpaper.Lightweightbuttoughenoughtopainton.

3-Copierorprinterpaper.Oncetreated,asbelow,absolutelyfineforacrylics.

4Newspaper.Yesnewspaper.Ditto.5Corrugatedcard.Anidealwaytore-cyclesomethingthatsprobablyheadedforthetip.

6Material.NotagoodT-shirtlikethisonebutvirtuallyanyoldcloththatcanbestretchedflatona

board.

4 Iusearollofliningpaper(1000gradethicknessis

goodandstrong)formanydemos,unwindingasIgoalongandrewindingittoreferbacktoearlierlessons.Useitontherollorcuttoyourpreferred

size.

Variousthinpapersandcardcanbeconsiderably

strengthenedbypaintingacoatofwhiteemulsion,latex,vinyl,etc.onbothsidesandlettingitdry.

Thenstretchitoutonaboardtopaint.Thatway

youvegottwosurfacesfrontandbacktotryout!


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InPhoto5,thestripesshowthroughabitonsometypesofcorrugatedcard

butthiscanaddtothetexturalpossibilities.IntheAcrylicsSecrets

Course,IpaintasceneoftheTorontowaterfrontoncorrugatedcard,usingnothingotherthanscrapsofmountcard

topaintwith-justtoshowhoweasyit

istopaintthiswaywithoutevenusingbrushes!

Ioncepaintedan8x4Nativityplay

back-sceneforalocalschoolChristmas

productiononadiscardedpieceoffaultycloththatwasdestinedforthe

skip.Stretchedovera2x1frame,its

survivedseveralChristmasplayssofarandstillgoingstrong.AndasIvesaid

already,canvasisacloth!

5

6


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7

Herearesomerathermore

conventionalpaintingsurfaces

thatyoucanuse.FromlefttorightinPhoto7:

1-WatercolourPaper

2-CanvasPanel

3AcrylicPaperPad4MountCard

5Plywood6MDF,HardboardorMasonite

7StretchedCanvas

WatercolourPaper,suitablyprimedisagreatsurfacetopaintwithacrylics.Canvasboardsareaneconomical

alternativetostretchedcanvasandIdidmostofthelessons

ontheseintheDVDCourse.

Acrylicpaperhasanembossedcanvas-likesurface,ready

primed,andisavailableinconvenienttear-offpads.MountCard,useforsupportingwatercolours,isanotherexcellent

stablesurface,onceprimed.Ifyourelookingforauseforthepanelsleftspareafteryouvecutoutawatercolour

mountthenherestheanswer!

Woodpanels,suchasPly,MDF(MediumDensity

Fibreboard)Hardboard,MasoniteorChipboardareallexcellentsurfacestopaintonandself-supporting.

Finally,ofcoursewecometoCanvas,properlystretchedoveraframe.Althoughalittlemoreexpensivethanthe

otheritems,theresnothingquitelikethegentlebounceofa

brushputtingpaintonarealcanvastomakeyoufeellikeyoureaproperartist!


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8

Althoughmanycanvasboardsandstretchedcanvassescomereadyprimedsoyoucanpaintstraightaway,youusuallyneedtoprimeothersurfaces.

Thisisveryeasy,requiringnomorethanacoatortwoofwhiteGessoPrimer(averydenseacrylicpaint)tobepaintedoverthesurfaceandlefttodry.Itsbesttobrushonecoatinonedirection,let

itdry,thenthenextcoatlightlyat90degreestosimulateacanvastexturewiththebrushmarks.

YoucanaddatouchofYellowOchretothemixwhileyoudothis.Thishastheadvantageof

creatingasubtlewarmglowthatwillshinethroughthepicture.Moreimportantly,ithelpstounifythepaintingandalsoblotsoutanyharshwhitebitsofunpaintedsurfacethatyoumaymissas

youpaint.

Acheaperalternativeistouseordinarymattemulsionorlatexpaintandoneofthesampler

Matchpotsfromvariousmanufacturersareidealforthis(SeePhoto8).Youdonthavetohaveonewithayellowtint.Lightbeigeorbrown,blueorgreyisfine,dependingontheatmosphereyou

wanttocreate.


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2

3

1

4

5

Youcanbuyspecialpalettesforacrylicpaintsinanyartstore.Theydothejobbutarequiteexpensivefor

whatamountsusuallytoavacuum-formed,thinplastic

well,sometimeswithadetachablelid.Theso-calledspecialwaterproofmembraneanduniquereservoir

paperislittlemorethanwhitebakingparchmentandblottingpaper.

Hereshowtomakeyourownfornexttonothing:-

Photo1.Allthematerialsyouneedareinthisphoto.

Fromlefttoright-kitchentowel,greaseproofpaperor

bakingparchment,asmallshallowtrayorplateanda

littlewater.

Photo2.Foldupacoupleofpiecesofkitchentowel

soitsitscomfortablyinthebottomofthetrayorontheplate.

Photo3.Addsomewatersothekitchentowelsoaksitup.Youdontneeditfloodedbutmakesuretoreplenish

itasyourepaintingifthetowelstartstodryout.

Photo4.Cutortearapieceofgreaseproofpapertothe

approximatesize.Itsnotvitalifitsabitbiggerthanthe

trayorplate.

Photo5.Placethegreaseproofontopofthedamppapertowelandputyourpaintsaroundtheedge,leavingthe

centreareaformixing.Dependingonthethicknessof

thegreaseproofpaperyouuse,itwillcockleslightlyon

topofthewettowelbutthisisquitenormalanditwill

stayintact.Bytheway,ifyoucanonlygetbrown

greaseprooforbakingparchment,thisworksexactlythe

same.Itsjustabiteasiertoseewhatcoloursyoure

mixingwiththewhiteversion.

Whenyouvefinishedpainting,carefullywrapupthegreaseproofpaperwiththeresidueofusedpaint

insideanddisposeofit.

Youcancontinuewithafreshsheetifyouneedtoor,if

youwanttocarryonpaintingthenextdayusingthecoloursyouvealreadymixed,stretchapieceofcling

filmoverthewholetraytokeepeverythingmoistand

storeinacoolplace.

Sothereweare,itreallyisinexpensiveandsimpleto

makeyourownpaletteandtogetpaintinginlessthanfiveminutes!


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3.BasicSky&

Clouds


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1Itsquiteeasytocreateabasicskyusingthistechnique.Youcanleaveitasitisonceitsfinishedoryoucanadd

cloudsifyouwish.

Justbyalteringthecoloursslightly,youcanalsochangetheseasonsortimeofday.

Butbeforewegoanyfurther,Iwanttomentionagain

aboutthequick-dryingpropertiesofacrylicsbeingablessingandanuisance.Thespeedofdryingmeansthatit

canbeabitofaproblemblendingcolourstoachievethe

sortofeven,seamlessgradationthatyouneedinasky.

Thisismadeworsebythefactthatasyoubrush,frictionis

generated,whichcreatesasmallamountofheat,whichofcoursespeedsupthedryingprocessevenmore!

2ThesolutionistomixanAcrylicRetarder

likethisoneshowninPhoto1toslowdownthedryingprocessandmake

blendingeasier.

Itsacleargel,whichisaddedtoyour

paintsasyoumixthecolours.Aquicktouchontheendofyourbrushaddedto

thepaintisfine.

Youcanjustaboutseeablobofthisgel,in

Photo2,belowandtotherightofthe

brushhairs.Youonlyneedasmallamount.

Manypaintmanufacturersarealso

improvingtheirformulastomakeacrylics

stayopenlongerbutthesetendtobethemoreexpensiveartistsquality,sothegel

isamoreeconomicalalternativeifyoure


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Hereswhatyoullneed:-

-Paintingsurface-Iusedcanvaspanelsforall

thedemonstrationsinthise-book.

-Largebrushes-thisoneisa(18mm)Flat

NylonBrushplusIuseNo.8Hogs-hairFilbertfortheclouds.

-UltramarineBlue-YellowOchre

-TitaniumWhite

-PermanentRose-GelRetarder

FromPhoto2above,Istartbydragginga

smalltouchofblueintothewhiteandalittle

gelretarder.KeepaddingUltramarineuntilyouhaveaniceshadeofmid-blueandthen

paintastripatthetopofthecanvasasin

Photo3,usingsmall,criss-crossbrushstrokes.Thendragandblendfromsidetoside.This

willensureyoudontleaveanyflecksof

3

4

5

NowinPhoto4,Iveaddedsomemorewhite

tothemid-bluemixandrepeatasinPhoto3

underneaththefirststripofblue,blendingupwardsandintothispaintedarea.

Ifyoufeelthepaintstartingtodryordraggingslightly,addalittlemoregel

retarderand/oratouchofwater

AsinPhoto5,addalittlemorewhiteand

repeattheprocess,workingyourwaydownthepicture.Youcanseeoneofthosecriss-crossstrokestotheleftofthebrushthatI

haventyetblended.


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Aboutofthewaydown,asinPhoto6,

yourboardshouldlooksomethinglikethis,withamid-blueatthetopgradedtoamuch

lightershadefurtherdown.Werenowgoing

topaintupwardsfromthebase,usingYellowOchreandWhitetocapturethatlovelylight

atthehorizon.

Althoughmuchofthebasewillbecovered

byyourlandscapelateron,thispalecreamyyellowwillprovideanideal,warmunder-

paintingthatwillhelptosubtlyunifythewholepicture.

Thenexttasktherefore,istorinseyour

brushinwater(Photo7)tocleanoutthepaleblue.Takeofftheexcesswaterona

pieceofkitchentowel(Photo8)sothebrushisjustdamp-dry.Donttaketoolongover

thisthoughasyourpaintisdryingallthetimeonthecanvas!

6

7

8


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Photo9-nowmixTitaniumWhitewithatouchofYellowOchreandalittlegelretarder.

AgainyoucanseethatitsrathermoreWhite

thanYellow.

Incidentally,draggingthedarkercolouralittle

atatimeintothelightercolourensuresyousavepaint.Ifyoumixedequalpartsofeach

colourtostartwith,thenyoudusealotmoreofthelightercolour(inthiscasethewhite)to

gettothelightercolouryoureallywant.It

workstheotherwayround,ofcourse,ifyoujustwanttoslightlylightenoffadarkcolour.

Bringthelightercolourintothedarkpaintalittleatatimetillyourehappywiththemix.

9

10

12

11

InPhoto10addthiscreamycolourtothe

baseofyourcanvasandworkupwardsinexactlythesamewayasyoudidwhen

bringingthebluecolourdownwards.Inotherwords,addatouchmorewhitetothe

mixasyougouptowardstheblue.

Thiswillneedtohappenmorequicklyasof

courseyouonlyhaveonethirdofthecanvastocoverthistime.

LookatPhotos11&12.Youneedtoblendthisverypale(almostwhite)colourwiththevery

palebluecolouronthecanvasnow.Ifyoufind

thatthebluehasdriedoffabit,addmoregeltothecreamsoitsalmosttranslucentandblend

upwardsabitmore.Youmaythenneedtoput

inatouchoftheverypaleblueonyourbrushtoachieveasmoothtransition.Rememberthose

criss-crossstrokes!

Dontworryyouwontgetagreenskyby

mixingtheverypaleblueandyellow.UltramarineandYellowOchremixedwiththis

muchwhitewillproduceaverysubtlegreycolourratherthangreen.


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13

InPhoto13thisishowyourfinishedcanvasshouldlook.Youcanseethateventhoughwehaveasmoothgradationfrommid-blueatthetoptoapalecreamyyellowatthebase,therearesubtle

variationsincolouralloverthesky.

Thisisfine.Itaddsinterestandinmanyso-calledclearskiesinreallife,youllfindthissortof

mottlingifyouobservecarefully.Nowyoucouldleavethisexactlyasitisifyouwantaclearskyandgoontoaddalandscape.However,wellnowseehowwecanaddwarmcloudstogiveanalternative

atmosphere.

YoucanseeinPhotos14&15thatImstillusingthosethreecolourspluswhite.

Youcannowseememixingamauvecloudshadowcolour.Thisisachievedbyadding

atouchofthePermanentRose,&

UltramarinetoTitaniumWhite.Youcan

alsobringinalittleYellowOchretogreyitdownabitifitlookstoovibrant.

ThereasontheYellowwillmakeitgreyer

isbecauseyouareaddingallthreeprimaries(Red,Yellow&Blue)together,

thereforecancellingouteachothers

colours.

InPhoto15Imaddingmorewhitetogive

meseveralvariationsintintofthecloudandshadowcolours.

14

15


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Page22

16

InPhoto16Imusingthispalermixfor

thebasiccloudcolour.ThiswayIcan

reservethepureTitaniumWhiteforsunlithighlights.

Byusingtheslightlyroundedtipofthe

filbertbrushinacircularmotion,I

quicklycreateawholeseriesofcloudshapes.

Ithelpstohavearoughideaofthe

shapeoftheoverallcloudmassinyour

head,makingsurethatyouhaveonecloudbiggerthantherest,ratherthan

aseriesofseparatelittleballsofcotton

woolhanginginthesky.

Photo17showsthatImalsobringinginsomeofthatdarkermauvecolourImixed

tocreatevariationinthecloudcolourontherightandthereforeaddmoreinterest.

Notefromthebrushmarksinthisclose-upinPhoto18thatthepaintisstillrelatively

thickatthisstage.Dontworryabout

tryingtofeatherityet.Instead,concentrateongettingthemaincloud

massesdownonyourcanvas.

17

18

Dontbeafraidtoaddsomeindividualcolours

either.InPhoto19ImaddingalittletouchofPermanentRose,whilstneatUltramarineand

YellowOchrecanalsobepickedoutifyoulookclosely.


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Keepinmindthe

directionofthesunwhenyoureadding

thesesubtleshadows.

InPhoto19its

comingfromtopleftsoalltheshadowareaswilltendtobe

towardsthebottom

leftofeachbitofcloud.

19

20

Nowsthetimetogentlyblendthecolours-nottoomuchthoughasyouwanttoretainsome

individualcolour.

InPhoto20thebrushhasvirtuallynopaintonitandImfeatheringthepaintonthetopcloudso

itcreatesaslightlyraggedyappearance.Featheringisnomorethanverygentlyscrapingand

draggingthepaintthatsalreadythereanditsanidenticalprocesswhenyoucreatetheedgesofdistanttrees,whichwellseelateron.


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4.EasyMiddle

DistanceTrees


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Page26

Inthesenexttwolessonswelllookathowverysimpleitistocreatetherightcolourmixestoputinthoseessentialbackgroundtreesthattrailoffintothedistance.Infactweregoingtolookattreesin

thesummer/autumnandsomeinacolderandmorewintryatmosphere.

Youllsee,bychoosingvariouscoloursforthesky,thegroundandofcoursethetreesthemselves,howyoucanvarytheseasonsatwillinyourpaintingandalsocreatesignificantdepthinyourpicturebythestrengthofcolouryouuse.

1 IfyoulookcarefullyatPhoto1youcanjust

seeastripofmaskingtapeacrossthecentre.Ivepaintedasimpleskyandanevensimpler

summerlandscapeinthetophalfandlateron

Illdothesameinthebottomhalfwithawinter

versionsoyoucancomparethetwo.Forthissummerversion,heresthecoloursIll

beusing:-

UltramarineBlue

YellowOchreCadmiumYellow

CadmiumRed

PermanentRoseTitaniumWhite

YoucanseethevariousmixesIveusedinPhoto2fortheskyandthegroundareas.

WhitewithalittlebluefortheupperskyandjustatouchofPermanentRose;whitewitha

touchofyellowochreforthelowersky;

cadmiumyellowwithtouchesofultramarine,yellowochreandalittlewhitefortheground.

2

InPhotos3&4theskyhasbeenpaintedexactlyasinthepreviouslesson,exceptthatIvelightlystreakedinsomewispycloudsatananglewhilethebluepaintwasstillwet,withthe

creamycolourIusedinthelowerpartofthesky.Thisisreallyeasytodoandgivesalovely

summeryskywithanimpressionofawarm,relativelywind-freeday.

Iusedthe(18mm)brushforthisbutitsnotvitalwhatbrushyouuseaslongasitsbigenoughtogentlyspreadthepaintfromsidetosideasinthesetwophotos.


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43

Photo5.ThesearethetwobrushesImusingforthisexercise.ThetoponeisaNo.2NylonFilbert

about(6mm)wideandthebottomoneaverycheap,raggedyhogs-hairflatbrushabout(9mm)wide.

Photo6.Thecoloursforthemostdistantsummertreesareontheleft.Itsreallyjustamixofthreeprimarieswhichofcoursewillgiveagrey,onceyouvelighteneditdownwithwhite.

Youcanseethatitisslightlybiasedtowardstheblue,whichbeingcoolandlight,willhelptokeepthe

treesinthedistantbackgroundwherewewantthem.

InPhoto7youcanseethatallthatisrequiredistogentlyscrubthebrush

inrandom-sizedcircularmotions.

Treesthisfarawaywillshowonlya

palesilhouette,hencethelightmauve-bluecolour.

Youcanseehoweffectivethisiswith

thebankoftreesinPhoto8.Alltheshapesarerandomanddifferent

sizes.Absolutelynodetailisneeded

butintherighthandtree,Ivejusttouchedinalittleyellowochreto

givesomeaddedwarmthasthetreesgetclosertous.Dontoverdothis

thoughyouonlyneedthemerest

hint.

5 6

7


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8

Photo9andImnowswitchingtothecheaphogs-hairbrush.However,Ivejust

putinablobofgreen/greywiththenylon

brushtorepresentthetreesgettingcloserandthereforehavingslightlymoretree

colour.

Thiscolouristhesameastheoriginalmix

butwithmoreblueandyellowochreandalittlelesswhite.Tryoutvariousmixes

onscrapcardbeforecommittingthemto

yourpicture.

InPhoto10youcanclearlysee

thedifferenttreeprofilemadeby

thehogs-hairbrush.Itsalmostpaintingthetwigsandbranches

foryou!

Insteadofscrubbingwithacircularmotion,yourebetteroffstabbingthepaintontocreate

theraggedoutline.

9

10


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Page29

InPhoto11,IvedippedthebrushintoalittleneatUltramarineblue

andstabbeditontherightofthe

tree.Thisgivesaniceshadoweffect,withthesunlightcoming

fromtheleft.

Tocompletetheimpression,

Ivestabbedandblobbedin

touchesofblueandyellowochrehereandtherein

Photo12togivedifferent

shapes,strengthsofcolourandsmoothandrough

outlinesalldesignedtoaddinterest.Canyouseehowthis

stronger,darkerpainthas

alreadypushedthosepaletreesontheleftfurther

away?

11

12

InPhoto13wevestartedtoaddsomeCadmiumYellow,mixedwiththeUltramarine,tocreatenearermiddledistancetrees.Comparethistothepreviouspicture,wherewhatwerethenearer

treeshavethemselvesnowbeenpushedbackbythesebrighter,warmercolours.

InPhoto14IvestartedtocreatethoseautumncoloursbymixingtheCadmiumRed,Cadmium

YellowandYellowOchre.WevealsobroughtinalittleUltramarinetodarkenthingshereandthereandgetsomebrowns.

13 14


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Page30

InPhoto15weveaddedtheautumn

coloursabovewith

thehogbrush.Seehowtheylosesome

oftheirintensityonthecanvas,

comparedtothe

palette.Thisisbecauseitsathinner

layerofpaintthan

thatonthepalette.

Tomakesurewekeepthisstrengthofcolourandbringthesetrees

furtherforwardinthepictureIveaddedsomeUltramarineand

CadmiumRedinPhoto16,mixedtoadarkblueandthenstabbedover

thetophereandtherewith

CadmiumYellow,atinytouchofBlueandsomeWhite,tocreatesunny,

highlightedleafclustersanddark

shadows.

Tocreatetheillusionoftheclosesttrees,Iveaddedafew

trunksandbranches,very

loosely,hereandthereinPhoto17.Imusingthatrubbercolour

shaperImentionedearlier.Itsnoteasytoputpaintonwithit,

butitsidealforscrapingpaintoutashere.AfewlinesandYshapesisallyouneedforagood

impressionoflighttrunks.

Astrongmixofanyred,blueandyellowwillgiveyoua

good,darkgrey/brownfortreetrunksasinPhoto18.IveaddedwatertomakeitruneasilyandImbringingin

theRiggerBrushjusttoaddafewlineshereandthere.

17

18

16

15


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Andthere,inPhoto19,isthecompletedexerciseasmallforestofmiddledistancetreesthatwillgiveagreatsenseofdepthtoyourpicture.Noticealsohowyoucanfooltheviewerbymere

suggestion.Therighthandtreesclearlybelonginanautumnsceneandsotheeyeacceptsthattheothertreesfurtherbackarealsoautumnspecimens.However,putyourhandovertheautumntrees

ontherightofthepictureandsuddenlythesceneisoneofmid-summer!

Andonthesametheme,wellnowgoontocreatethesameviewbut,usingseveraldifferentcolours,

createamuchcooler,wintrieratmosphere....

HereIveuseddifferentcooler

coloursPthaloBlue,RawUmberandLemonYellow,pluswhite,tocreatethesamescene,butwitha

morewinteryoutlook.Thenwith

thesamecoloursIvechangedthispictureintoasnowscene.

Youcanseefromthesethreedifferentmixesthatamuchcolder

atmosphereiseasilycreated.

Photo20 Wintergrasscolours

Photo21 Winterskyandsnowcolours

Photo22 Wintertreecolours

22

20 21

19


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Lookatthewarmatmospherecreatedinthe

summer/autumnsceneby

usingUltramarineBlueintheskyinPhoto23.Ithasa

slightlyred/purplecasttoit,givingalovelywarmeffect.Thisisenhancedbytouchesof

summerycolourslikeYellowOchreandPermanentRose.

Bycontrast,thePthaloBlueinPhotos24&25israther

greenerandgeneratesthe

colderlookingsky,whichin

turncreatestheoverallmoodandatmos hereofthe icture.

Thesmallbaretreeconfirmswinterisuponusandiseasily

workedinthissizeusingjusta

rigger.Illshowyouhowtodothatinthetutorialoncreating

basictreesnext.

Asanaside,inthesnowscene,seejusthowlittlepurewhiteisused.MostofthesnowcolouriscreatedwiththemixesinPhoto21atthetopofthepage.

Snow,likewater,tendstoreflectthecoloursoftheskysoitsmuchmoreinterestingifyoureserveyourpurewhitetoreallymakejustafewbrighthighlightsstandout.

23

24

25


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Page33

5.BasicWinter

Tree


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Page34

Itssoeasyforbeginnerstoworryaboutpainting

trees,especiallyiftheyveonlyeverproducedtheproverbialgreenlollipop.

Anddontworryifyourhandisnttoosteadyeither!Wintertreebranchesactuallylookbetteriftheyrea

bitraggedyandallovertheplace.

Now,firstthingsfirstweregoingtoreplicatethis

wintertreeinthepreviouslesson(Photo1).Itstypicalofthesortoftreeyoumightwanttoputinthe

middledistance.Nottoomuchdetailasitsnotintheforeground,butcloseenoughtoseethemaintrunk

andbranches.

1

LookatPhoto2.Noticehowthebrown/greypaintmixisrelativelythinandwaterysoitflowseasilyacrossthepaint

surface.Werealsousingariggerbrushasthatwillhelptokeepthebranchesthinenoughforthissizeoftree.Obviouslyif

youredoingalargerversion,youneedtousealargerbrush

initiallyforthetrunk,savingtheriggerforthethinnerbranchesandtwigs.

InPhotos38youcanseetheverystraightforwardsequence

thatgetsyoualmosttothefinishedtree.Allyourepainting

reallyisaseriesofYshapesatdifferentanglesandsizes.

2

3 4 5

6 7 8


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Page35

Noticethatmosttreetrunkssplitandthensplit

againalittlefurtherupthelimb.Veryfewsplitintoseveraldifferentbranchesfromexactlythesame

pointlikethefingersonyourhand.LookatPhoto

9forclarification.

Bytheway,youmayfinditmoredifficulttopaint

branchesonthewrongsideofthetree.Inotherwords,ifyourelefthandedlikeme,itllbepainting

branchesontherighthandsidewiththebrushpushingawayfromthetrunkratherthanpulling

thepaint).

Noproblem.Justturnthepictureupsidedownand

continuepaintingthebranchesonthesidewith

whichyourecomfortable.Thisdoesntjustapplyto

treesofcourse.Itcanbeanythingyouwishtopaint.

9

InPhoto10IveaddedalittleRawUmber,LemonYellowandatouchofUltramarinetogiveacold,scruffygrasseffect.

IvealsoaddedamixofRawUmberandTitaniumWhitetopartsoftherightsideofthetreetorepresentthelightfallingonit.

Iveputablobofthiscolournexttothetreeandyoucanseethateventhoughitsamid-grey,it

looksverymuchlighterwhenaddedtothetrunk,againstthedarkerpartsofthetrunkandthegrass.

10


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Page36

6.Simple

SummerTrees


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Page37

Theresmanywaysyoucanproduceauthenticlookingtrees.

Heresasimplewaytogetyoustartedwithagoodlooking

specimenliketheoneinPhoto1thatcanbeputintomanylandscapes.Thinkitsbeyondyou?

Welljustfollowthesimplesteps

andamazeyourself!

Itsshapecanalsobeadjustedwiderandflatter,longerandtaller,

differentgreens,etc.torepresent

quiteafewothertreesaswell.

Youcanactuallypaintittwoways.Youcansketchoutthedrawingas

inPhoto2andthenfillitin.It

doesntmatterifyourdrawingisalittledifferentfrommine.Itllstill

looklikeatree.

Alternatively,youcangostraight

intopaintwithouttheaidofthedrawingsafetynet,likePhoto3.

Again,theactualshapesdonthavetobeidenticaltominetolookright.Andthisistheexampleweregoing

tofollow.

1

2

3


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Page38

InPhoto4youcanseethecoloursIveused.Fromlefttoright:

TitaniumWhite

CadmiumYellow,YellowOchre,

UltramarineBlue

RawUmberCadmiumRed.

Inthecentrearethecoloursusedfortheleaf

clusters,i.e.CadmiumYellowandatouchof

Ultramarineforthelightestgreen,alittlemoreblueforthemidgreenandalittleRawUmber

addedforthedarkestgreen.

ForthetreetrunkandbranchesinPhoto5its

mostlyUltramarineandRawUmber,withWhiteaddedforthesunnyside.Ivealsoadded

atouchofyellowochreandcadmiumredtoshowhowyoucanfurthervarythegreysofthe

trunk.

OK,letslookagainatthatfirststage.Asyoucansee,inPhoto6allIvedoneisstabbed

onsomeofthelightestgreencolourin

vaguebananashapesofdifferentsizes,makingsuretheyoverlapslightly.

Thisgivesthebasictreeshape,thoughit

canalwaysbeadjustedslightlyasyouaddothercolours.IveusedanylonroundNo.2

brushherebutanysimilarsizeorshape

willdofine.

4

5

6

87


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Page39

Nowweaddthetrunk(Photo9).Rememberatreehastocarryalotofweightwithsummer

branchesandfoliage,sodontgiveitaspindlytrunkthatcouldntholditup.Iveusedamid-greyheretogetthemainoutline.

AlsonoticehowIvespreadthetrunkatthebasesoitappearstobesittinginthegroundratherthanjustonit.

InPhoto10Ivechangedtotheriggerbrushtoproducesomenicefinebranchesinbetweenthe

leafclusters.Ithelpsifyouthinthepaintslightlywithwatertogetitruneasierforthis

technique.Ifitstillproducesahitandmisseffect,dontworry.Thislooksveryauthenticaslightplaysonbrancheslikethisinreallife.

AllIvedone,byandlarge,istopaintlittleYshapesintheopenareastoconnectthemainbranchesandtrunk.

NowinPhoto11Imjustgoingbackintooneortwo

areasatthetopofthetree

andtotherightwithafewdabsofalightmixof

WhiteandCadmium

Yellow(inset).

Thisistoemphasisethesunlightcomingfromthe

toprightandcatchingthetreeonthatside.

Bytheway,thetextureyoucanseeonthe

paintingsurfaceisfrom

theacrylicpracticepaper

padIusedforthisexercise.

9 10

11


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Page40

Lowerrightandinsetarethe

mixesIusedforputtingalightertoneontherightofthe

trunkandintooneortwoof

thebranches.

Ivealsoblendedthebaseofthetrunkintothegroundby

draggingsomedarkgreen

sidewaystorepresentshadowbelowthetree.Notice

thatevenonthelightsideof

thetree,theresenoughoverhangingbranchesto

createashadowonthefloor,

aswellasmoreshadowonthepropershadowsideon

theleft.

Almosttherenow!Tofinishoff,Iveusedtheriggertoscrapesomelighter

paintsidewaysbelowthetreetogivesomevariationandtextureintheground

colour(Photo13).Ivealsolightenedthe

groundjustabovetheshadowareatodefineitabitbetterfromthemiddle

distancelandbehindthetree.

Iveusedamixofthered,blueand

yellowochrewithwhite(inset)tocreatesomewarmpurple/greybackground

trees.Thisisnomorethanblobbingon

thecolourwiththeNo.2roundbrush,butseehowtheeyeseesthemastrees

becausethatswhatyouvegotinthe

foreground.Thepurplecolourtakes

thembackandgivesgreatdepthtothescene.

12

13


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Page41

SothereweareinPhoto14.Wehavealovely,authentic-lookingsummertreethatyoucanproduceveryeasilyyourselforevenagroupofthemof

slightlydifferingsizesandshapes.Andnoticethateventhoughthisisalittle

practiceexercise,theadditionofthosebackgroundtreescreatesadelightfullittlecameoscenethatsalmostaproperpictureinitself!

14


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Page42

7.CreatingDepthin

MountainsandHills


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Page43

Letslookfirstatproducingsomedistant

hillsandmountains.Thisisdone,verysimply,byoverlappingonelayerafter

another.

InPhoto1herearethecoloursImusing

forthefirstlayerofdistantmountains

UltramarineBlue,TitaniumWhiteandatouchofRawUmber.

InPhoto2youcanseeImpaintingthese

withaNo.2Filbert-nodetailbutallowing

thecolourstostaypartiallyunmixedonthecanvaspapertogiveasubtlevariation

oftoneandimplythattheresmoredetailtherethanactuallyexists.

SeeinPhoto3howthebrushstrokeshavegenerallyfollowedthelineofthe

hillsratherthanthepaintbeingslapped

oninalldirections.

Thisway,thechangesincolourstarttotakeontheappearanceofsubtlechanges

inlightandshade,whichcouldbevalleys,

crevices,treesetc.

Below,itlooksasiflightisfallingonthe

leftsideofthelargermountainorcoulditbesnow?Youdecide!


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Page44

Nowwemixaslightlystrongerandalittlegreenermix

usingYellowOchre,Ultramarine,WhiteandalittleLemonYellowasinPhoto4right.

Thiswillhelptobringthenextlayerforwardandpushthebluemountainsbackintothedistance.

InPhoto5ontheleft,Ivevariedthestrengthof

colourstocreatemoreobviousshadowsbutthe

brushstrokesarestillhelpingtocreatethelightandshadeinthehills.

Photo6right,showsafairlyflat,dulllooking

hillside,butinPhoto7

Ivestreakedinsomewhite&lemonyellow

andjusttouchofblue,deliberatelyleavingit

notfullymixedonthe

picture.

Doyouseehowthis

liftsthatareaasifthesuniscatchingitwith

brightlight?NotealsothatIvebeencareful

toretainthecounter-

change(lightagainstdark)withthedistant

mountain.However,inPhoto6itsthe

hillsidethatsdarker,

whilstinPhoto7itsnowbecomethe

mountain.Screwyour

eyesupasyoulookatthecirclesinthe

PhotostoseewhatI

mean...


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Page45

InPhoto8IveaddedYellowOchretothegreenmixanda

touchofPermanentRose.Thisgivesuswarmercoloursthatwill

nowhelptoputthosemiddledistancehillsintheirplace.

Ivedeliberatelyputtoodarkashadeofgreenoninplacesbut

theuser-friendlinessofacrylicsmeanitsaneasytaskthentostreakoverlightcolourtobrightenthingsupasIvestartedto

doonthelefthandsideinPhoto9.

Photo10showstheforegroundinalighterwarmerversionofthecoloursIveused.Seehowmuchbrighterandmorecheerful

thingshavebecome!

InPhotos11&12,Ivemixedupapalepink/beigecolourfromWhite,YellowOchre

andPermanentRoseandcreatedatracktoleadtheeyeintothepicture.

Abitofdarkergreenhasbeenplacedalongtheedgesofthetracktocreateshadowsand

defineitabitmoreclearly.


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Page46

Remember,usepalercoloursinthedistance,usingblues,purplesandgreysetc.Asyoucomecloser,easeouttheblues&greysandintroducemoregreens.Thenintheforeground,

bringinyourwarmercoloursincludingreds,oranges,brownsandwarmyellowssuchas

YellowOchreandCadmiumYellow.InPhoto13Imaddingaverygentletouchoflightercolourinthebackgroundmountainstosuggestabitmoresnow.Noticethisisactuallypale

blueasinPhoto14butlookswhiteinthepicture.InPhoto15isthefinishedexercise.Althoughonlyasimplelittlepracticepiece,itgivesyou

agooddealofopportunitytocreatethatessentialdepthinyourpicturewiththeuseoflayersofhills.Youvealsolearnedtocreatearielperspectivebytheproperuseofpalerand

coolertonesinthedistanceandstronger,warmercoloursintheforeground.

Bytheway,haveyounoticedthatIhaventpaintedinanyskycolourforthisexercise?Its

onlythebasicwhitegessothatwasalreadyonthecanvaspanelyetitlooksfinewithoutanythingaddedatall....


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Page47

8.Cliffs


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Page48

Ok,wevelookedatdistanthillsandmountainlayers.Nowletscomeinalittleclosertothemiddledistanceand

foregroundsowecanseehowtousethelovely,juicy

acrylicpainttocreaterockfacesandcrevices.

Photo1(left)mightlooklikeabitofadogsbreakfast,but

itshowsthecoloursImusingtocreatethecliffswhichhavebeenpartiallymixedonthepalette.Theseare

Ultramarine,YellowOchre,LemonYellow,TitaniumWhite&AlizarinCrimsonbutyoudontneedtousetheseexact

colours.Theyjusthappentobeonesthatwerehandyon

thepalette!

InPhoto2youcanseeIvedeliberatelypickedupatouchof

blue,whiteandyellowandIllstartoffbyspreadingthisindownward

strokesonthecanvasasinPhoto3.

Seehowthepaintonlypartially

blendswhichcreatesinteresting

texturesandlightanddarkshadeswithoutanyeffort.

Keepdunkingyourbrushinthemix

onthepalette,perhapsmakingsure

youpickupmorewhiteonetime,thensay,alittlemoreyelloworblue

thenexttime.

InPhoto4Ivedevelopedthisintoa

simpleclifffaceandyou

canseewhereIvedraggeddownwardsin

variousshadesofblue,yellowandwhiteto

giveanicevarietyof

subtlecolour.

Theresonlythemerest

hintofAlizarininthere.Asitssuchastrong

colour,Ivebeencarefultokeepittojusta

touch,otherwiseitwill

dominatethewholescene.

4

3

2

1


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Page49

Iwanttodevelopthingsalittlefurtherbyemphasisingsomelighteroutcropsandespeciallysomedarkshadowsand

crevices.

InPhoto5Iveturnedtotheriggerandaddedafairamountof

watertothemix.Usingprimarilytheblue,withalittleyellow

andatouchofalizarin,Ivecreatedafairlyrunnydarkgrey.

Photo6showsthe

riggeralready

havinganeffectbydraggingdown

darklinesthat

welldevelopintogulliesand

crevices.

Ivetriedtomakesurethatthese

downwardstreaks

arekeptrandomlyspacedandshaped

sotheydontlook

likeasetof

railings.Ifthepaintisthin

enough,youcan

alsousethesideoftheriggershairs

aswellasthetip

toscrapeinrocktexture.

Photos7&8showamuchlightergreymix,thistimewithmuchmorewhiteaddedandthen

streakeddowntheclifffacetocreatethehighlightsontherocks.

InmymindIvegotthelightcomingfromtherightsoyouneedtomakesurethatyouapplythe

lightpainttotherightofanyshadowareastomaintaintheillusion.

IvealsostreakedinsomeneatYellowOchrehereandthereforabitofvariety.Italsohelpsto

warmupthesceneslightly.

Ifthecoloursareappliedwet,theywillalsoblendslightlysoyoullautomaticallygetfurther

variationsoflight,darkandmid-tonesanotherhappyaccidentforwhichyoucanclaimthecredit!

7

6

8

5


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Page50

InPhoto9Iveaddeddarkand

thenlightmixesoflemon

yellow,blueandalittlewhitetocreatesomegrassyareason

topofandonthefrontedgeofthecliffs.Thiswasdonein

exactlythesamewayasthefoliageonthesummertree.

NoticeintheinsetPhotohowIveaddedtwolightergreen

patcheswhichhavebeen

placedagainstthedarkareasofthecliffsotheystandout

better.

FinallyinPhoto10belowIveaddedsometreesatthebaseofthecliffandparticularlythat

littlefigurewithhisbackpackandwalkingstick,hikingupwardstowardsthecliffface.

Itsalwaysimportanttogivetheviewersomeideaofscaleandtosomeextentthetreeson

theirowndothat.Thecliffscouldbeabout150-200feet(40-60metres)high,assumingthetreeswerearound50-60feet(15-20metres)tall.However,theycouldjustaseasilybeshrubs

about6-10feettall(2-3metres)whichwouldmeanthatthecliffswouldbelittlemorethana

rockyoutcrop,perhaps30feet(10metres)high.

However,theinclusionofatinyfigureintheforeground,whichweknowwillbearound6feet

10

9


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Page51

9.RocksandStones


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Page52

Right,wevelookedatdistantmountainsandmiddle

distancecliffs.Nowletshavealookatforegroundrocksandstones-veryeasytoproduceinacrylicsand

arealtreatasthetextures,shadowsandhighlights

appearalmostlikemagic!

Itsalsoachancetousethepaletteknifeaswellasthebrushessoyoucanreallymakeuseofthepropertiesofthethick,butterypaint.

InPhoto1IvelaidoutallthecoloursIcoulduse,but

aswithanysortofrocks,youcanusevirtuallyany

colouryouwish.Itsalmostimpossibletogowrong!

Justfortherecord,fromlefttorightareLemonYellow,TitaniumWhite,RawUmber,PthaloBlue,

moreWhite,YellowOchre,CadmiumRed,UltramarineandAlizarinCrimson.

Photo2showsasimple,flat-

toppedrockusingthegreymixyou

canseeinPhoto1.Iveusedtheflat

brushheresoyoucangetahard-edgedrockshape.Adarkermixofthegreyhasbeendabbedonthe

rightsidetogiveabitmore

modeling.

InPhoto3IveaddedadarkmixofPthaloBlueandalittleRawUmber

tocreateashadowside.Noattempt

thoughhasbeenmadetoblendthiscolourinsotherearestilllotsof

li htanddarkareas.

InPhoto4wehavethe

finishedrock.IveaddedsomeofthecolourIused

atthebaseofthecliffsin

thepreviouslessontocreatesomegrassanda

darkertouchforthecastshadow.

Asplashoflightgreyhasbeendabbedlightlyon

thetopandleftofthe

rocktogivesome

highlights-andthatshoweasyitis!

1

2

3

4


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Page53

InPhoto6Ivecreatedseveral

rocksbyscrubbingonthelight

greypaint,thenaddingtheshadowareas(inset).

Youcanconstantlyalterthe

shapeandevennumbersofrockstosuityourselfasyougo

along,duetotheopaquenature

andcoveringcapacityofacrylicpaint.

Photo7showsthatbyadding

theshadows,IvecreatedtenrocksfromtheoriginalgreyblobsinPhoto6.

Toproducesofter,rounderrocksthenthe

techniquesareprettysimilar.Themaindifferenceis

youneedtoblendoutthehardedgesslightly.

InPhoto5Ivemadetwomixes.Ivestartedto

makealightgreyontheleft.Isubsequently

darkeneditslightlywithalittleoftheblue/greymixontheright.Theremainingpartoftheblue/greymixwasusedfortheshadows.

TherearetwothingstolookatinPhoto8.First,Iveaddeda

light,creamymixtorepresentsandbetweenandaroundthe

rocks.

Again,Ivemadenoattemptto

blenditsoastocreateaddedinterest.However,noticethat

bytakingthesandcolourup

andbeyondthetopoftherocks,itlooksasifyouarelooking

downonthem.

Comparethisviewwiththe

completedangularrockonthepreviouspagewherethetopof

therockprotrudesabovethegrassandgivesamuchlowerviewpoint.

5

6

7

8


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Page54

Photo9showsthemix

Iveusedtocreatethe

darker,castshadowsunderneaththelarge

rocks.

Youcanseefromthe

greeninsetfromPhoto10thatwestartwith

quiteastrongdarkblueshadow,whichcanbe

blendedoutattheedge.

Ivealsoaddedatouchoflightercolourhereand

thereonthesunlitside.

InPhoto10Ivealsostartedtocreatesomesmallerstones.

Thisisdonequitesimplybystreakinglittleblobsoflight

paint,sometimesontopofadarkareathatsalreadytheresuchastheinsetringedinred.Intheblueinset,Ivealso

addedsomeshadowcolourtotherighthandsideofthestone.

InPhoto11,Ivefinishedoffbyaddingsomecastshadowinthesandwithadarkeryellow/greymix.Notehowthis

meltstherocksintothesandratherthanhavingthemjustsittingonthetopsurface.

Below,inPhoto12,isthecompletedexercise.Whenpaintingyourrocksandstones,aseverwith

nature,keepthingsrandominsize,shapeandpositioninganditwilllookfarmorebelievable.

9

10

11

12


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Page55

Thesealmost3Drocksareproducedmuchthesamewayandwiththesame

coloursasthepreviousones.Thebig

differencehereisthattheyarelargelyproducedusingthepaletteknifea

greatchancetoreallyenjoythebuttery

textureofworkingwiththickacrylicpaint!

InPhoto13youcanseememixingthe

coloursveryroughlywiththeknifeand

inPhoto14Ivestartedcreatingarockformation.Thevalueofkeepingthe

unblendedcoloursshowsthroughassubtlechangesoccurinlightanddarkin

thethickpaint.

Photo15belowshowstheoutcrop

developedfurtherwithsomelighter

paintbeingscrapedontoformsomeveryroughhighlights.Atthisstageit

appearsasifthereisjustonerockbutthatwillchange!

Photo16seesmeusingthesame

techniquesbutthistimeusingmixesof

LemonYellow,plusYellowOchreandUltramarinetoscrapeinagrassyareain

andaroundtherocks.

13

14

15

16


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Page56

Ivenowusedadark

greymixinPhoto17(againnotfully

blended)tostartto

createthreerocksfrom

thesinglemassbyputtinginshadowareasontherightof

eachnewrock.

Seetherealismthe

knifecreatesin

producingallthesecrevicesandbumps

andhollowswithnomoreskillthanifyou

werebutterin toast!

InPhoto18Ive

producedthreerocks.However,Imnot

happywiththeseas

theyarealltoosimilarinsizeandshape.

Noproblem.AsIgoalongIcanchange

thingstoimprovethem.

InPhoto19belowIvemadetherighthand

rockbiggerthanthemiddleonebyadding

highlightsoversomeof

theshadowareas.

OncethepainthasdriedIvemixedalightgreen

colourfromLemonYellowandWhitewithatinytouchofUltramarine.Thiswillprovideanice

mossycolouronpartoftherocks.

YoucanseeinPhoto20howImtakingmostofthe

paintoffthebrushwithapapertowel.Thisiscalled

adrybrusheffect.

17

18

19

20


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InPhoto21Imnowjustslidingtheflatbrushlightlyacrossthehardenedpaintand

youcanseehoweventhesmallamountleft

onthebrushcatchesontheraisedareasinaverybelievablehit&misseffect.

21

IcouldleaveitatthatbutIthoughtId

showyouhowtoeasilychangetheshape

andnumberoftherocksbyaddingabitmorepaint.

InPhoto22ImusingaNo.1roundbrush

(butyoucoulduseanyothertype)witha

lightgreymixtomanufacturesomedifferentshapedrocks.Merelybygoing

overdarkareaswithlightpaint(orviceversa)youcanseeinPhoto23how

differentthingslookcomparedtothestage

wedreachedinPhoto7(inset),especiallyontheextremerighthandside.

Ivealsotakentheopportunitytoaddsomesmallstonesintheforegroundaswesaw

whenwecreatedtheroundedrocksintheearlierlesson.

22

23

24


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10.EasyWaterandReflections


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Page59

Waterisaloteasiertopaintthanyouthink,especiallyinacrylics.

First,wellseehowtocreatesome

simplereflectionsinbothstillandslightlyrippledwaterandthenwellhavealookatsomewavesrunningup

onabeach.

TostartwithinPhoto1,Ivepainteda

lightblueforthewater,makingsurethatmybrushstrokesrunhorizontally

andflat,notinanarch.Thisisachieved

bymovingyourwholearmfromsidetosideandnotpivotingitatyourwrist.

Photos2&3willclarifythis.

Thisisimportant.Itssoeasytouse

curvedorrandomstrokesthatgoinalldirectionsanditreallydoeskillthe

illusionofwater,lookinglikeitsgoing

torunoffthesideofyourpicture.

InPhoto4Ivecreatedarough,brown/greyriverbank.Iveusedthe

sameflatbrushtogettheoutlineandtheninPhoto5draggedrandomcoloursdownwardsalongthelengthof

thebank.Youcanseethem,unmixed,

onthebrush.

Thisgivessomelightsanddarksandthesenseofitcurvinginandoutalong

theriver,iseasilyachievedbyvarying

thelineofthebankinaseriesofthick,overlappinglines.Youcanseean

exampleoftheeffectyouwant,immediatelyabovethebrush.

Paintingstraight&flatwaterripplesisallbutimpossibleifyoupivotthebrushfromyourwrist.This

naturallyproducesacurvedline.Youmustmoveyour

wholearmfromlefttorighttokeepthewaterflat&

level.

1

2

3

4

5


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6

Next,inPhoto7,Iveaddedareflectionintheareawherethewaterisabsolutelystill.Thisisalittle

moredifficulttoachievethanwhenpaintingrippledwaterbecauseyouneedtoproduceanupsidedown,mirrorimage.However,thisonlyneedstobeaddedrelativelyroughly.

ByroughlyImeanyoudonthavetomakeitperfect.AllIvedonetocreatethemirrorimageisto

makesureIveaddedsomelighterordarkerpartsinthereflectionimmediatelybelowwheretheyareinthebankitself.Ivealsomadethereflectionthesamedepthasthebankthatitisreflecting

from.

7

8

Movingontotherippledwater

inPhoto8,youcanseeIve

usedtheflatbrushtofirstpaintalittleofthebankasifitwasa

mirrorimage,butthenlowerdown,tocreatesomebroken

lineswhichimmediatelytellthe

viewerthatthewaterisslightlydisturbed.

Twopointstonotehere.First,thereflectionisnowslightly

longer(extendedlower)

becauseofthebrokenwaterandsecond,thebrushstrokes

mustbeabsolutelyhorizontalforittolookconvincing.

InPhoto6Ivestrengthenedthelightsanddarkstoemphasisethecontoursof

thebankthenIveaddedsomegrasson

top.Youcanseethatyoucouldusethistechniquejustaseffectivelyforcliffs

hundredsoffeethigh.


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9

InPhoto9,Ivegonebackinwiththerigger(oryoucouldusetheflatbrush)toaddsomepalebluehorizontallines.Thisisnotabsolutelynecessarybutitwillhelptoemphasisetheripplesand

allowyoutocorrectanydarklinesthathavegotthemselveslessthanhorizontal....

InPhoto10Ivestreakedaslightlydarkermid-blue(nottoodark)acrossthewater,thistimeusingaroundbrush.Thisgivesanalternativeeffectofripplingwater,usefulwherethere

arentanyimmediatereflections,butwhereyoudontwantacompletelyflatcalmsurface.

Dontforgetonlyhorizontalstrokes!

10


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InPhoto11Iveaddedalargetuftofgrassonthebankandtwopostsoneabitshorterthantheotherbutclosertotheedgeofthebank.NoticethatIve

paintedthemwithlightcomingfromthefrontrightsotheshadowsfalltotheleft.Thepostsarepaintedexactlythesameasthetreetrunksintheearlier

lesson.Bytheway,dontgetconfusedbyreflectionsandshadows.Remember,

reflectionsalwaysappearverticallybelowtheitemreflectedinwater,whilethe

shadowwillchangewiththedirectionofthesun.Noticehowthelightanddarkerbluestreaksofpaintonthelowerrightsit

quitehappilywiththesmallerripplesimmediatelybelowtheposts.

11

NowweveaddedreflectionstothegrassandthepostsinPhotos12&13.Forthegrass,Ihaventtried

toreplicatetheimage100%inthewater,merelytomakesurethatthetwolongcentregrassesare

curvinginthecorrectdirection.

Alsonotethatthelightgrassesarereflectedalittledarkerinthewater.Conversely,darkitemsarealwaysreflectedlighter.Thetonalcontrastofareflectionisalwayslessthantheitemitisreflecting-i.e.

thereisntquiteasmuchdifferencebetweenthelightsanddarks.

Thepostsreflectionshavebeenpaintedwithjustsimpleshorthorizontalstreaksofcolourwhich,

importantly,maintainthelineoftheposts.Noticeparticularlyhowtherighthandpostleanstotheleft

andthereflectionreplicatesthis.

12 13


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Also,seehowthereflectionoftherighthandpostisshorterthantheleftone,eventhoughtheactualpostislonger.Thisisbecausetherighthandpostisfurtherawayfromthebankand

thereforeitsreflectionwill,intheory,startfromwhereittouchestheground.HavealookatPhoto14toseewhatImean.Theyellowdottedlinesaretheapproximatepointwherethe

reflectionswouldstartfrom.Incidentally,Ivepaintedthesetworeflectionsslightlylongerthan

theactualpostsbecauseofthebrokenwater,whichoftentendstoextendareflectionasitbouncesofftheripples.HavealookatPhoto15withthisshotoftheTorontowaterfrontand

youwillseethebuildingsreflectedseveraltimeslongerinthewaterthantheiractualheight.

Thedottedlines

arethetheoreticalpointswherethe

reflectionsstart

14 15

InPhoto16,usingthesametechniquesto

createtheposts,Iveaddedabranchgrowingoutofthewaterwherethelargerrippleshave

beenpainted.

Therippledreflectionshavealsobeenpainted

tofollowthelargerripplesinthewatertokeepthingsconsistent.Comparethesizeofthe

rippledreflectionsofthepostswiththoseofthebranch.

Again,Ivegonebackinwithpalebluepaintto

breakupsomeofthereflectionofthebranch.

Andseehow(inset)theadditionofasmallstreakofpalebluewiththeriggerwherethe

branchcomesoutofthewater,notonly

separatesitfromitsreflection,butalsogivesa

subtlehintofmovementinthewater.

16


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Page64

Finally,inPhoto17,youcanseeallthreetechniquestogether.Infactyoucouldquitelegitimatelyuse

theminthesamepicture.

Carefulobservationofanyinlandstretchofwater,whetheritisalake,canalorstreamevenasmall

harbour-willoftenshowstretchesofstillwaterprotectedbyawallorbankandthenruffledwater

catchingthewind,withinonlyafewyardsofeachother.

17


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Ok,letsmoveontowaves.ThefirstthingIvedoneistostickapieceofmaskingtapeacrossthe

canvasasinPhoto18.Thisletsmepaintfreelyoveritandwillgivemeanicestraight,levelhorizon

linewhenitsremoved.IveusedamixofTitaniumWhite&alittleUltramarineBluetocreatethewater.

NotehowImmakingsurethosedistantwavesappearlevelbypaintingfromsidetosideasIshowedyouinthereflectionssectionpreviously....

InPhoto19,IveaddedalittlemorebluetothemixasIvecomeforward.Thiswillmakeanice

contrastwiththewhiteofthebreakingwaveswhenIaddthem.

Bytheway,ifyoulookintherightforegroundofPhoto19,youwillseeIvecurvedthewater

downwardspreciselywhatItoldyounottodointheprevioussection!

20

1918

21

InPhotos20-22Ivestartedadding

thesebreakersandasyoucansee,itinvolvesnothingmorethanstabbingon

thickpaintinreasonablyhorizontallines.Althoughthepaintlookswhiteitis

actuallyapalebluemix.Imreservingthe

purewhiteforthehighlightedwavesintheforeground.

InPhoto21youcanseethatIvecreatedperspectivebymakingthemoredistant

wavesflatterandsmaller.

22

InPhoto22Ivenowpaintedoversomeofthesewaveswithreallythick,whitepaintasiftheyre

catchingthesunlight.


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NowinPhoto23,withamix

ofyellowochreandwhite,Ivestreakedinsomesandinthe

foreground.Horizontal

strokesagaingiveaniceimpressionofflatsandwhich

iswhatweneedtodepict

waterrunningupthebeach.

InPhoto24withthebellyofthebrushIvescraped

sidewaysamixofYellow

Ochre,WhiteandatinyamountofUltramarinepaint

tostarttoachievethe

transitionbetweenthedeeperwatercolourandthethinner

filmofwateronthesand.

Youdontwantthistoothick

justenoughtodifferentiatebetweenthatareaandthedry

sand.

InPhoto25Ivedepositedmoreofthiscolourinslightlythickerblobshereandtheretocreatefoam.ThenIvedraggedthemoutwardtowardstheseatoblendthemandletthesandcolourshowthroughabitlikespreadingbutter,butawayfromyou.

IveaddedalittlemoreUltramarineandYellowOchretotheWhiteandthecombinationof

thesecolours,whichformapalegrey/green,isidealforthisarea.

25

24

23


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Page67

Theriggerhelpsustostartcreatingtheindividualsmallwavesastheyspread

outonthesand,asinPhoto26.

Iveusedwhitepaintanddeveloped

someoftheareasIcreatedinPhoto25bypaintingamoreobviouswhiteline

andfeatheringtheinneredgeaway

fromme.

InPhoto27Ivenowstartedtoaddamid-greylinehereandthere(stronger

mixofYellowOchreandUltramarine)

underneaththewhitefoamtodefinetheshadow.Ivealsoaddedalittleof

thiscolourasashadowunderneaththe

nearestlargerwavesaswellastouchingitinverylightlyonsomeof

theforegroundwater(inset).

Photo28showsthefinishedscene.Iveremovedthe

maskingtapeandaddedasmallyacht(acoupleofredtrianglesforthesailsandawhiteandbluelinetosuggest

thehull,withtwodotsofbluepaintforthecrew.

Astreakofwhitebehindtheboatgivestheimpressionthatitisslidingthroughthewateratafairoldpaceandyouhaveasimplebuteffectivebeachsidescenethatyou

canadapttoanynumberofsituations.WhatapityIleftthatwaterrunningdownhillontherighthandside-you

wont,willyou?

28

27

26


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Page68

11.Basic

Buildings


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Page69

InPhoto1Ivedrawnthe

cottagesinbluefeltpensoyou

canstillseetheoutlineswhenwe

putthebasecoatofpainton.Notehowlittledetailisrequiredfor

themostpart,thecottagesaremerelyaseriesofoblongs.

Inthisexercisewewontputthe

seabehindthembutkeeptoa

simplesky.Indoingso,notehowyourviewimmediatelychangesto

lookingacrossatthecottages

ratherthanlookingdownonthemintheovalphoto.

1

HereinPhoto2arethecoloursIllbeusingbutit

doesntreallymatterwhichonesyouuse.Theyare

TitaniumWhite,UltramarineBlue,YellowOchre,RawUmber,CadmiumRedandLemonYellow.

Youcanseesomeofthegrey/brownmixesIvealready

madefortheroofs.Inanothercontextthesemixes

mightberegardedasmudbutusedattherighttime,intherightplace,theybecometheperfectcolour

choice.

2

InoneofthelessonsintheAcrylicsSecretsCourse,welookedathowto

createtoweringwhitecliffsontheSouthCoastofEngland.

However,theywerethebackdroptoacoupleofoldcottageswhichyoucansee

inthetitlephotoandIthoughtitwouldbenicetousethesetoshowyousome

tipsandtechniquesincreatingbuildings.


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Page70

InPhotos3&4ImusingaFlatbrushtoslidethepaintdownatthesame

angleastheroof.Thiswillimplythattherearerooftilestherewithoutactuallyputtinginanydetailofthem.Theflatbrushhelpstokeepanicestraightedgeon

thetopoftheroofandwillbeusefulfordefiningonestraightedgeagainstanother

andwhenweaddthedoorsandwindows,etc.

3 4

HavealookatthedifferenceinPhotos5&6.InPhoto5,Ivecompletedthefirstroof.

However,Ithinkitisabittoodarkasthesunwillbeshining

onit,soonceithasdriedIve

goneoveritwithaslightlylightermixasinPhoto6.

Seehowtheflatbrushhas

enabledmetoretaincrisp,sharpedges.

5

6


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Page71

InPhoto7,Ivedonethesamewiththegreyroofontheothercottage.HereIvestreakedin

someaddedwhitetosuggesthighlightsontheroof.However,seehowIvekepttheleftedgeofthegreyroofalittledarkertomakesureitstandsoutfromthebrownroof.

Ivealsogonebackintothebrownrooftolightentherighthandedgesowehaveanicecounter-

changeoflightagainstdarkedges...

7

InPhoto8isthemixforthe

shadowsideofthewhite

cottagewallswiththeroofmixespeepinginontheleft.For

whitewallsitsquiteadeep

purple/blueisntit?

InPhoto9belowyoucanseeIveaddedthisasabasecolour

andthen,Imstreakinginalighterversionofthemixoverthetopwithatinytouchof

YellowOchreaddedtocreatewarmthandinterest.Youcan

dothisrightawayifyouwant

becauseyouwillprobablyfindthatthebasecoatisalready

startingtodry.

Notethatthebrushstrokesareverticaltoenhancetheflatnessofthewall.

8

9


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Page72

InPhoto10below,IparticularlywantyoutonotethewayIvedarkenedtherightsideofthelefthandcottageandlightenedtheleftsideoftherighthandcottagesothatwherethey

meetitiseasytoseparateonefromtheother.

Lateron,welllightenuptheseshadowsbuttheunderlyingcounter-changewevecreated

willstillshowthroughinasubtleandeffectiveway.

10

InPhoto11,Ivestartedtoaddsomesky.IveusedbasicallythesamemixI

usedforthewalls.

Ishouldhavedonethisfirstbecause

itsnoteasytopaintaccuratelyaroundalltheindentationsatthetopofthe

roofandbetweenthechimneys,whilstkeepingarandomfluffyappearanceto

yourbrushstrokes.

However,thebeautyofacrylicsisthatyoucaneasilyretrieveanyareasyou

accidentallypaintover.

11

InPhoto12,Iveletthingsdryoffa

littlethenpaintedadarkcolouredbrown/redforthechimneypots.Ive

alsoaddedsomedrybrusheffects

withverypalestreaksofwhiteaddedtobrown,yellow,redandbluetothe

roofs.Youneedtokeepthisverysubtleanditseasytoover-doit.

However,ifyoudo,thenasweve

saidbefore,youcaneasilygooverthingsandrectifytheproblem.

12


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Page73

Dry-brushingisanidealtechniqueforacrylics.Itinvolvesnomorethandippingthetipsofthe

bristlesinyourchosencolour,thenwipingmostofitoffonakitchentowel.Lookatthebefore,

duringandaftersequenceinPhotos13-15.Ifyoulightlypaintwiththeresiduethatsleftonthebrush,youdbeamazedatjusthowmuchcolourremainsafteryouthinkyouvedepositedit

allonthekitchentowel.

13 14 15

InPhoto16Ivemixedashadowcolourtogoon

theroofs,undertheeavesandalsotopaintthewindows.Itsnomorethanamid-greycreatedby

mixingtheUltramarine,CadmiumRedandYellow

Ochre,togetherwithalittleTitaniumWhite.Thebluepredominatesinthemixbutifyouvarythe

proportionsveryslightlyyoucansubtlychangeittoareddishoryellowtintedgrey.

16


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Page74

InPhoto17,ifyoulookclosely,youwillseeIvegoneoverthewallswithalightercolourofpaleblue,dry-brushedonaspreviouslydescribed.ComparethisPhotowithPhoto10.

Howeverthedefinitionbetweenthewallsofthetwocottagesstillshowsthrough.

17

InPhotos18&19,youcanseehowaflatbrushisusedtoquitesimplypaintastreakofcolour

downwardsforthewindowsandthenthechiseledgeisusedtocreatethewindowsillmerelybyplacingashadowlineunderneathwhereitwouldbe.

InPhoto20Imnowpaintingalightgreyonthesunnysideofthechimneypots.Youcanseehowlightthepaintisonthebrushbutcompareittohowitlooksonthechimneypotnexttoit,afterithas

sunkinforafewseconds.

18 19 20


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Page75

Photo21showsthewindows

completedandthechimneyshadowsrunningfromthebaseof

thechimneys,butalsoatthelefthandsideofthechimneysstacksas

well.Thistellstheviewerthatthe

sunisshiningslightlyfromtherightratherthanfromdirectlybehind

thechimneys.

YoucanseeinPhoto22thatIvestarted

toputintheforegrounddetailsthathelptotaketheeyethroughtothebuildings.

Ivescrubbedinsomedarkcoloursitdoesntreallymatterwhichonestocreatetheshadowareasforthebushes.

InPhoto23Ivethenstabbedinmidand

lightgreenstobringthebushestolife.This

isverysimplebutmakesureyouleavesomedarkareas!

Inthefinishedexercise,inPhoto25,Ivescrapedinafewlightsanddarksinthefieldandaddedthegate.Ivealsodry-brushedsomelightblueintothewindowstoaddabitmorecharacter.

Andtherewehaveawholeseriesoftechniquestocreatebasicbutveryattractivecottagesthatyou

placeinawholevarietyofsituationsinyourpaintings.

InPhoto24,Ivejust

addedawarm,pinky/greytocreatethepathandthen

somedarkblue/brownstodefinethelineofitdownto

thegateway.


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Page76

12.Simple

Figures


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Page77

Manylandscapescanbeenhancedbytheadditionofoneortwofigures.However,studentsareoftenputoff

byassumingtheylleithermakeamessofthefigureandspoiltheirpaintingwhentheyintroducesome

humanityintothescene.

Inthissection,welllookatsomeveryeasystepbystepwaystoproducebasicfiguresinvariouspositions.This

shouldpointyouintherightdirectiontoproduceyourown,invirtuallyanyposeyouwant.

Tostart,havealookatthefivebasiccoloursIveusedin

Photo1Ultramarine,White,CadmiumRed,Yellow

OchreandRawUmber.

BottomcentreisarangeofbasicskintonecoloursIve

mixed.Startwithabout10partswhiteandaddonepartofredandtwopartsyellow.Thatwillgiveabasicwhite

Caucasianfleshcolour.Byaddingatouchortwoofrawumberyoucancreateaseriesofdarkerskintones.

Thesedarkercolourswillalsoprovideshadowcolours

forlighterfleshcolours.Byexperimentingandaddingasmallhintofblue,ormoreredandyellow,youhavean

infinitevarietyofpossibilitiesforalmostanyskincolour,inanylightingconditions.

1

InPhoto2isthekeytogettingyourfigure

proportionscorrect.Youcanseethatitsnomorethananelongatedtriangleforthe

bodyandasmallovalforthehead.How

easyisthat?

Typically,adultsareabout78headstall.

Thatis,theirbodyisabout7timesthe

heightoftheirhead.Wellseeshortlyhow,bymanipulatingthattriangle,howyoucaneasilycreatevariousposes.

Noticethattheheadhasbeendrawnslightlyabovethetriangletoallowforthe

necktobesuggestedwiththegapbetweenthetwoshapes.

2


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Page78

InPhoto3youcanseeIveaddedalighttonetothe

figureontheleftanda

darkerskintonetotherighthandone.Ivealsopainted

thelegsintherighthandfiguresoalreadyitsuggestsitisfemale.

Theheadofthemanonthe

leftappearstoolargebutI

willadjustthatwhenIpainthishair,orIcanmakehis

bodyalittlelargertosuit.Itsallveryeasytoachieve

withacrylics.

3

MovingontoPhoto4,Iveaddedsome

clothestobothfigures.Inthemale

figureIvepaintedoverhisarmsandjustleftatouchofskintoneshowingfor

hishands.

Nownoticeintheinsethow,bypainting

hishairwithagapontheright,itautomaticallymakeshimlooktohisleft.

Ivealsolengthenedhistrousersslightlyandthat,pluspaintinginhishair,has

puthistorsobackinproportionasagainsttheheadthatappearedtoobig

forhisbod inPhoto3.

4

NowinPhoto5youcanseeIvedonethesamewiththewomanshairtomakeherlookleftand

walkingawayfromus.Iveaddedtheobligatory

handbag(onthewoman!)andonbothfigures,Ivealsotouchedinthemeresthintoftheirother

leg(comparewithPhoto4toseewhatImean).

Avoidpaintingshoesorfeetifyoucanonfigures

thissize(theyreonlyabout1or2cm.tall)as

theeyeisdrawntothemandtheywillnearlyalwaysappeartooprominentandclumsy.

5


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Page79

NowinthesnapshotsequenceinPhoto8-10below,youcanseeIve

usedthetechniquespreviouslydescribedtodevelopthefiguretothe

pointwhereIveaddedabenchunderneathhersoshesnotsittinginmid-air.Incidentally,Idalwaysaddtheseatafteryouvepaintedthe

figure.Youllfinditsmucheasiertopositionthechair,bench,rockorwhateverunderthecompletedfigurethantrytoconcentrateon

paintingabelievablefigureand,atthesametime,getitexactlyinthe

rightpositiononthechair.

InPhoto6weveanchoredthefigurestothegroundbystreakinginshadows.Thisisquitea

strongpurplecolourwhichisidealifyoure

portrayingahot,sunnyday.

NoticethatIveonlypaintedtheshadowvaguely

matchingtheposeofthefigures.Youdontneedtogetanexactreplicaofthefigure,especiallyifitson

brokenorgrassygroundorsomewherethatslessthanflat.

Itsmoreimportanttohavetheshadowmeltedintothebottomofthefiguresoitalllooksasone.

Notealsothatthereisnodetailatallonthefigures

andcertainlynotinthefaces.Remember,werenot

creatingaportraithere.Whoeverlooksatyour

picturewillmentallyfill-inthesedetailsandtopainttheminwillmakethefigureslookfussyandoverworked,especiallybeingpartofalandscape

picture.

Finally,Iveaddedalittletouchofwhitepaintto

therightsideofthefigurestocreateabitof

sunlightfallingonthemandthereyouhavetwofiguresthatwouldfitintomanylandscape

scenarios,merelybychangingthesize,thecolours

orbypositioningthemcloser,furtherapartorevenontheirown.

6

NowletslookataseatedfigureinPhoto7.

ExactlythesameideasapplyregardingthetriangleexceptthistimeIvestretcheditintoanLshapeforthebodyandathintriangle

belowthatforthelegs.Addtwolinesforthe

armsandtheovalfortheheadandyoucanseeitdoesntevenneedaseataddingtotellyou

thefigureissittingdown.Easy!

7

10

9

8


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Page80

InthePhoto11-13snapshotsequencebelowwevepaintedamanwalkingupsomesteps.Thekeypointtonotehereisthatinthefirstdrawingwevestillusedthetriangleforthebodybutaddedan

angledlineforhisrightleg.Becauseitsbent,notehowitfinishesslightlyhighermakingiteasyto

positionitonanupperstep.

Thisimmediatelyconveystheimpressionofmovementandthefigureclimbingthesteps.Heresomelightsanddarkstotheclotheshavebeenaddedtotheclothesandhead(seeinset)togivean

impressionofstrongsunlight.

13

12

11

Nowletslookatfiguresinaction.Again,theresnothingcomplicatedinvolved.

Allthatwearedoingasastartingpointisbendingandmanipulatingthat

triangleforthebodyandadjustingthe

positionofthearms.

InPhoto14-16snapshotsequence,Ive

bentthetriangleforwardsandthen

startedtoaddafewlinestorepresentthearmsandlegsofsomeonereachingdowntopicksomethingupwiththeir

righthand.

Toshowyouhoweasyitistovary

thingswithmoreorlessthesamepose,Iveactuallypaintedthefigureslightly

differentlybyputtinghisleftlegbehind

himandwithbothhandspickingupasack.Again,notehowthesackis

blendedintotheshadowtomakeit

appearfirmlysittingontheground.

14

15

16


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Page81

InPhoto17Iwantedtocreatean

impressionofafigurereallyhardat

workandstrainingtomovesomething.

Pointstonotehereintheinsetarethe

waythelegsaresetatawideanglewiththefrontlegplantedveryfirmly

ontheground.

NotehowIvepositionedtheheadat

thefrontoftheshoulders,angleddownwardsandrightoverhisfrontleg

toemphasisetheefforthesputting

intomovingwhateveritisyoureabouttopaint.

InthemainpictureIvedrawnarope

withapencilwhichistautbehindhim

butdanglinglooselybeyondhisarms,againgivingafeelingthatwhatever

hesdraggingisjustabitheavy!

ThePhoto18-20sequenceshowsamanclimbingaladder.Theonlyvariationonthe

basictrianglehereistobenditslightlyatthebasetorepresenthislegsstandingontherungs.

Aswiththegirlsittingdownearlier,IvethenaddedtheuprightsoftheladderonceId

positionedthefigure.However,havingnowgoteverythingintherightplace,Ihadno

problempaintingtheladderfirst,confident

thatthefigurefittedontoit.

Notealsotheangleoftheshadowonthewall

whichtellsyouthewallisvertical.

Theonepointyoumustrememberaboutanyfiguresinaction,whethertheyrelifting,

pulling,runningorclimbingetc.isthatthey

willautomaticallydrawattentiontothemselvesinyourpicture.

Sotrytomakesurethattheyare,orarepart

of,thefocalpoint,otherwiseyoullfindtheywillfightagainstwhateveryourfocalpointisintendedtobe.

18

19

20

17


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Page82

Andfinallywithfigures,ifyoueverthoughtitwasreallya

problemmakingthemlook

convincingappearingordisappearingoverahill,havea

lookatPhotos21and22and

worrynomore.

Basically,itsthetriangleshapeswiththebottomhalfcutoff.In

factyoucoulddrawthefull

trianglesandthendecidetosketchinthelineofyourhill

acrossthemtoseehowmuchyouwantactuallyshowingofthe

figures.Inthiscase,itsayoungcouple,

witheyesonlyforeachotherand

atreesuggestedinthebackgroundbyjustscrubbingin

theblueandyellowpaintIhadusedonhisshirtandherhair.

Itsanotherridiculouslysimplewayofcreatingalittlecameo

scenethatwouldaddthatfinallittlehumantouchtoanynumber

ofyourlandscapepaintings!

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13.Animal

Magic


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Inthesamewaythatoneortwohumanfigurescanenhanceapicture,thensocantheadditionofafewanimals.Itcouldbeadogwanderingalongsideacoupleinacountrylane,oracatlazinginthesunontop

ofagardenwall.

Agroupofcattle,horsesorsheepcanformanidealfocalpointinarurallandscape,whilstforaharsher

environmentwecanuseanyamountofwildgamesuchasdeer,bears,tigers,elephantsandsoon.

Thisquicklookatanimalswillhopefullyshowyouthattheyrejustasstraightforwardtocreateandaddas

people.Onceyouvegotthehangofdrawingtheoutlineofoneanimal,thenyouwillbeabletoproduceprettywellmostotherspeciesatwillwithonlyalittleadjustmenthereandthere.

LetstakeasimplefigureofacatsittinguprightinPhoto1.Itsthesortofthingyoucouldaddalongsideapartly

opencottagedoortoemphasiseahomely,domesticscene.

Asyoulookatthisparticularpicture,notehowthecatcan

bebrokendownintobasicshapes.InPhoto2,Ivesuggestedasmallsquarefortheheadandtwotriangles

onelarge,onesmall-inwhichtofitthefrontlegs.Th

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