Painting Tip ‘r Tools
Do you struggle with composition in your paintings, especially when using photo references? With the assistance of several of my aspen tree paintings from the last 20 years, I will show you how I compose my paintings while using photo references. The key is to not become a slave to the photo.I share some tips about what I look for in photos and what I ignore or toss out to make the design stronger.
Today's Question: Am I able to mix different brands of paint, or will that eventually cause issues with my painting? Answer: Yes, it's perfectly acceptable to mix different brands. In fact, most professional artists use more than one brand of paint because they've...
Today's Tool: Palette Scraper Although some artists love to paint with them, one of the primary purposes of a palette knife is cleaning our palettes. Even though I do use mine for scraping up wet paint piles to save for later, a palette knife doesn’t work nearly as...
This week's Painting Tip 'r Tool comes from a question asked by dozens of our members. Q: Do you use all the paint on your palette for each painting? If you leave it on for a day or two how do you keep paint from drying out? A: "That's a horrible waste of oil paint on...
Q: Can you tell us the blue you used at the start of ‘Sledding Hill’? It looks very transparent, and seems a little green. A: I started the painting by liberally brushing on Manganese Blue. Then I used a paper towel to wipe away paint until I had the base I wanted to...
Q: Love the look of your Masterworks frames! When you frame your paintings yourself, how do you back them? And how do you attach them to the frame? A: Having a dedicated tool box for framing supplies can speed up the process. In the early 90’s a wise young gallery...
Q: Tell me about your painting palette. Looks like a whiteboard but I know it's not. I would love to have that amount of space! A: My studio palette is a porcelain table I’ve been using for about 30 years. It’s 25 inches deep by 40 inches wide and stands 30 inches...
Q: Why do you prefer painting wet on wet rather than letting one layer dry before painting another? A: Generally I prefer wet on wet because I love how the edges of shapes swirl together, like the foliage of one tree combining in spots with the foliage of a tree...
Q: How do I paint realistic shadows? At 10:30 in ‘Plein Air Painting Indiana White River Fast Motion w/Voice Over Instruction’ you start to darken up the shadow parts on the right side. I see a sliver of the real thing in between the painting and it's clearly...
Q: How can I transport wet panels from an outdoor painting excursion back to my studio? Do you have any panel carriers you recommend? A: Painting outdoors is challenging in almost every way – getting the wet paintings home afterward is no exception. I’ve used all...
bill@masteroilpainting.com
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