Fall 2019 Acrylic Class

Project: Alaskan Fishing Village Week 4

In our last class, I wanted to get the trees behind the buildings a bit more finished and/or defined before working on the buildings. 

The little deciduous tree behind the red house was done with a flat sable brush, sap green some yellow and orange for the brighter highlights and on the shadowed side I added some blue and a little gesso to make a cool green. 

I was using the very edge of the brush and lightly taping with it rather than drawing with it because the tapping will leave a mark that will be a bit fuzzy like the leaves on the branches. Don't paint over all of the dark because that is your shadow in the tree but do tap the brush in all directions to the branches look like they are coming out on all sides of the tree.

Once your trees are to your liking, it is time to work on the roofs. The first color I mixed was white (gesso) with a touch of burnt sienna, orange and a little mud (gray) that was on my pallet already to get a light dirty orange color. I was using my #6 flat sable again because I have a bit more control with it for edges but this was a dry brush technique so each time I picked up paint, I needed to use my paper towel to squeeze the back part of the bristles to dry them and separate the bristles before I went to the roof. This will give me streaks if I lightly skim the surface of my canvas. I followed the angle of the roof as I pulled my brush down the roof. Be careful you don't go straight down or across, while that is what we will do in the water, it will make your roof look very weird so follow the angle.

The rust stains can go on while the first color is still wet or you can wait if you are concerned you will blend too much, either is acceptable, I went over it while it was still wet and as long as you go over it lightly and leave it alone you should be okay.

The stains were one, straight burnt sienna, the darker stain was the sienna with blue, not white.

The second house, I used the same light color on the roof but with a bit more blue and white.

One thing I noticed when I got home was I think both roofs are a bit too light, I will show you how to correct that in class next time.

Most of the time when I am working on something of similar color, I will mix a bigger pile of it then add colors to parts of it  to make it lighter or darker, slightly different color etc., so on the front building I was working out of that first color I mixed for the roof, the light color. I also switched to a smaller, #4, flat sable so I could get into tighter areas. All of this is also dry brush to watch the water in your brush and spread the bristle before you paint.

To that light color I added more sienna and a touch more orange for the hanging door, it just needs to be a bit darker than the roof.

For the light gray on the side facing you, I added more blue and burnt sienna it is more on the blue side, add a little white if it is too dark. Watch the direction of your strokes, these boards were put on lengthwise.  

Some of that light gray color can be used on the vertical part of the front of the building at the bottom, you don't have to keep remixing colors unless you run out, many color in a painting will repeat or can repeat, it help unify your painting.

The dark gray on the peak of the building was just more blue and sienna I used it in that vertical panel below as well as straight burnt sienna and using a dry brush.

On the little red building a was still using the #4 flat sable brush but I mix the red (napthol or cad red light) with a little burnt sienna and dry brushed over the front of the building.

Notice I have not added in the windows or any of the detail to my buildings, this makes it a ton easier to get the building in first then just paint the detail later so you aren't trying to paint around all these little areas afraid to screw up your beautiful windows. Save 'em for later.

You can drag some of the colors you have been working with into the reflections and long as they aren't too light and you add them with either straight down or straight across strokes.

This is where we left off we will pick up here next time so try to get your paintings to this point we only have 3 weeks to finish this project.

Keep painting and I will see you in class.