Acrylic 2011 Winter Class

ACRYLIC CLASS WINTER 2011 – Week 5

Torrance class: I didn't quite finish the winter scene so there is still a bit of work left to do, I am hoping that we can get it finished and start on the poppy next class. Please get your paintings up to the point I have mine – trees with branches are based in, mid ground snow is highlighted and you have the mid-ground undergrowth the way you want it. We will start there and finish this up – I hope ;-)

PVAC class – We started a water picture using a photo I took along the PV cliffs near Lanada Bay. The water was clear and calm so you could see to the bottom close to shore. Each situation – calm or choppy, few waves or big crashers – poses it's own set of problems but the first one may seem like a no-brainer but you would be surprised at how easy it is to do (I saw it in class even after I explained it) and that is to have a horizontal horizon line. That means that it needs to be parallel to the top and the bottom of the canvas. Use a ruler if you have to but please, make the horizon line straight when there is water involved. This holds true for oceans, lakes, ponds, fish tanks or glasses of wine, anytime you have a liquid involved it is going to be level otherwise it will look like it is spilling and we don't want that especially when large bodies of water are concerned.

Since this was a demo on water, I will focus on the water aspect more so than the rest of the painting but will do some brief descriptions of what I did in those areas.

The sky was simple; first I coated the area with gesso then used mostly blue with touches of sienna and purple streaked across the top and blended down just past the horizon.

Next I started in the water area the same way by first coating the area with gesso and using touches of blue and sienna to get a light blue gray, I used horizontal strokes starting at the horizon line and working my way down. I don't worry about my sketch I just paint over the bluff so my water will look like it is going behind it, I can always draw it back in later.

ALWAYS throughout this part of the under painting I keep my strokes horizontal and used a dry brush (not much paint or water).

As I work my way down I use less sienna and gesso so it becomes bluer in color but still enough gesso to keep it to a mid-value, it shouldn't be too dark at this point.

Just past the end of the bluffs, I stared adding touches of Hooker's green to the blue and gesso until down near the front corner it was mostly the H-green and a little gesso with what blue is left in the brush.

Without cleaning my brush I picked up sienna and gesso and starting in the sandy area, I dry brushed that color in and gently blended it into the blue/green color. This should be the under painting for the water and you will need to let it dry before proceeding.

If you want, at this point you can start the bluffs and sand. I just took color on my brush – by color I mean just about anything on my palette but mostly the sienna, blue, purple and orange with touches of red – and just dragged the color down the bluffs. As always, think about what you are painting, these bluffs are rugged and rocky as well as eroded so try to create that with your brush. Dirt comes down at an angle as it slides, so should your brush, some places are steeper some places are more inclined, think abut this as you paint.

The sand is under painted with sienna, gesso and touches pf purple. It shouldn't be too dark but near mid range. The strokes here are important as well, they should angle down towards the water because this sand has been washed up by the tides and waves.

Back to the water.

The area near the horizon should stay a soft gray/blue color as it comes forward it will get bluer, just add touches of blue into the gray/blue color for a gradual blend. I used gesso, blue and a little sienna to create the gray/blue color start down a bit from the very horizon and using the flat end of your bristle brush with little paint on your brush, touch the surface with overlapping, horizontal strokes and work your way down towards the point adding touches of blue along the way. Around the point there is some calm water with just a few dark areas and around the rocks at the point it is pretty blue, just keep your strokes horizontal.

As you come into the area past the point, closer to shore, add in some Hooker's green and a touch of gesso, now you can use the flat side of your brush but it is still dry brush (little paint) and horizontal strokes. You need to use a dry brush because you don't want to cover up everything you did before. Just like the snow, the different values will create depth and movement in your water so it is important to let some of the under painting show through.

Next to the bluff, there is a reflection from the bluff and a bit of a shadow as well in the water so it is very dark. Just note the shape of that dark area, it is kinda wedge shaped but the edge that represents the end of the bluff is NOT a straight line, it is a very fuzzy line because of the movement of the water, there are also some places in the water where you can see some of the dirt reflected for that I used a mix of sienna and a touch of the Hooker's green to darken it, it should still look brownish. The dark blue area was blue, H-green and a tiny touch of purple. All of this was done with my flat bristle brush using horizontal, dry brush strokes.

Some of this you are doing to have to adjust to your own satisfaction, just pay attention to the photo and work accordingly.

There are some rocks and kelp along the shallow bottom of the water, I used a mix of the H-green, sienna and a touch of blue and gesso to make a soft dark color and tapped this in with the end of my brush. Remember the more pressure you use on your brush, the more paint will come off so if you want just little shapes barely touch the canvas. Those are just dark shapes, do waste too much time on them.

Waves have crests and valleys, the crests are lighter because they are up in the sun and the valleys are darker because the light is being blocked by the waves, keep this in mind when creating the swells.

The crests were done with a smaller bristle brush and a mix of gesso, and just enough blue and H-green to tint the color. Again I used the dry brush technique and in an inverted "U" shaped stroke. Waves are rounded so I want my brushstrokes to follow the shape of the thing I am painting. The same is true for the valleys between the waves except it was a regular "U" shape and a darker color – blue and H-green.

To finish up the water I put a glaze over it. Glazing can be very effective when you want to subtly change that you have and can be used in many situations, here I just wanted to tie the water together. With my #12 bristle brush, I took my blue and H-green and a lot of water to make a very thin mix of paint and still keeping my strokes horizontal I went over all of the water area with this glaze. This will help that shallow area look like it is under water. You may have to go back over your wave crests again but that is okay.

When your glaze is dry, you can paint the white foam by first under painting with a light blue/purple color then come back with straight white and touch parts of that color to create the white foam. This is about where I finished the water, the rest was the land area and the rocks around the shoreline.

Highlights for the sand were gesso, a touch of yellow and a bit of purple.

The rocks were blue, sienna, a touch of purple and a touch of gesso.

The trees were under painted with H-green and blue, highlighted with sap green and yellow.

Next class I will be going over brush strokes so have a canvas ready.