Now that I've finished every painting from the Joy of Painting I felt I should post an article on what I've learned. And hopefully these tips will help you in your painting journey.
1. Apply the correct amount of liquid medium
- Couple ways you can make that easier on yourself
* Paint the canvas with a light coat of grey gesso. Then when you apply your liquid white you can see exactly where it's applied.
* Use your fingers to test a couple areas of the canvas. You should still be able to see your fingerprint (meaning the white isn't seeped into your finger grooves).
* When using liquid clear I ALWAYS use a paper towel to try and remove as much clear as I can (that's how little you need).
2. Don't use too much actual paint for your background/sky.
- Remember we will be painting on top of it so less is more for your background colors
3. Mountains and seascapes are Bob's most difficult subject matters
- Personally I thought the mountains were the toughest but I know a lot of people struggle with seascapes too
4. When highlighting bushes and trees be sure you use enough paint and apply a light touch.
- I prefer using the round brush when I highlight bushes or trees. I think it's a little bit easier to get the effects you want.
5. Practice makes perfect
- Even as a lifelong artist as myself I got a great deal better as I painted my way through The Joy of Painting. It's like anything else in life then more you do it the better and easier it becomes.
Hope this helps everyone. Happy painting and God bless.
Thanks for these tips. Could you please give me your opinion regarding liquid black versus black gesso? They seem to serve the same purpose so why are there two different products? I haven’t used a whole lot of the liquid black but the little I’ve done with it seems to be much more of a struggle than using black gesso. I’d like to hear your thoughts on this. Thanks!