MATERIALS
• A stretched, primed canvas
• Charcoal – Willow Charcoal is good for fluid, flowing lines
• Various brush sizes with silky brush hairs suitable for oil painting. Make sure you get really high quality brushes. They are expensive but are well worth it in the long run as the higher the quality – the less you have of bristles coming off onto your painting! I highly recommend using Isacryl brushes.
• Oil paints: I have used Spectrum Red, Spectrum Red Deep, Titanium White, Lamp Black and Spectrum Yellow. Art Spectrum is my favourite brand but Rembrandt is good too
• Number One Medium for oil painting
• A jar of Disolv for cleaning up. This is better than using methylated spirits as it does not harm your brushes and is a more efficient way of cleaning and caring for your brushes. Methylated spirits can cause damage to your brushes.
STEP ONE
Before I even contemplate creating a composition I always make sure there are several layers of paint on my canvas. Just starting on a new, white canvas can be overwhelming. I would advise any artist, especially those just starting out, to make sure you have an “undercoat” of a colour other than white (this is after it’s been primed of course). It could be anything: yellow, red, blue or a mixture of colours – it doesn’t matter. The most important thing is to make sure you have those layers built up. It will ensure you have a more solid composition. After the oil paint undercoat has dried, I then draw the outline of my images within the composition in charcoal. I don’t always do this but I have in this case.
STEP TWO
I have carefully added the background and the night sky. This is a painting of Mars at night as the day sky is pink. I decided to paint the sky black as I wanted to give the painting some balance by having a good slice of negative space. Moreover, the night sky further enhances the bright colours of the Mars landscape and the two little foxes. Like Picasso, I like to apply a painterly effect to my artwork. An artist’s brushwork is very important. I am not interested in flat surfaces or realistic scenes. I am only interested in my own interpretation of what I think about and see from my own heart, soul and mind. I have been careful not to go over the charcoal outlines and the outline is very important to my composition.
I have painted the red cliffs of Mars with other bold colours including yellow to add variety to the artwork. That’s the beauty of modern art and Expressionism. You can paint however you like. It doesn’t have to be realistic. The surface of Mars is of course red but I have decided to really go all out with my love for this planet by adding some of my own colours. You can let your imagination run wild when creating artwork of the science fiction genre!
STEP THREE
Going over the charcoal outline is a slow task and one of great importance. I have created some really good imagery here with the charcoal that I don’t want to lose as I paint over the canvas. Like Picasso, I have a bold, black outline similar to many of his paintings. Again, it’s all about going back to my inner child during a time when I painted without any inhibitions. The bold outline also brings the painting out and makes everything really stand out. The two foxes have been created with really fluid, flowing lines. Furthermore, I have captured the “cuteness” and curious nature of the Fennec fox.
STEP FOUR
This final step is about really touching up the painting. As a writer needs to edit and fine tune their story, so does a painter really need to ensure the colours are as they should be. I was not happy with the earlier application on yellow so I went over it. I also checked and made sure all of the black outlines were even. I believe that this baby is now ready to be framed!
I will be entering this artwork in a competition that raises awareness for cancer research. I like to support worthy causes close to my heart and have even donated many of my paintings to different causes. Many of the 1960s protest musicians strongly believed that their music could change the world. I believe art can do the same. Whatever you do – keep painting and stay true to yourself and paint from the heart. You may find success in the least likely place. Good luck.
