MATERIALS
• Stretched canvas 20 x 24″
• Atelier Gesso
• Palette knife
• Fan brush no. 4
• Art Basics 2200 Taklon 000
• Art Basics Stiff Synthetic Filbert 95-KF No. 12
• Art Basics Bristle Flat 101-F No. 6
• Art Basics Bristle Bright 102-B No. 7
• Art Basics Stiff Synthetic Bright 95-B No. 2
• Art Basics Stiff Synthetic Bright 95-B No. 0
• All Art Spectrum colours – Titanium White – Cobalt Blue – Burnt Umber – Light Red – Cadmium Yellow – Raw Sienna – Yellow Ochre
STEP ONE
Lightly draw out with a HB pencil the outline of the gumtree, horizon line and the mountains. Mix Cobalt Blue and Titanium White and paint the top of the sky. Then mix Light Red and Titanium White and paint the lower part of the sky. Mix a darker version of Cobalt and Titanium White and paint the mountain.
STEP TWO
Paint the tree line at the base of the mountain with a mixture of Light Red, Cobalt Blue and White. Also paint the background paddocks with Yellow Ochre and Titanium White.
STEP THREE
Paint the background paddock with Yellow Ochre and Titanium White, then paint the trees in the distance with Light Red and Cobalt Blue using Bristle Bright 102-B No. 7 brush and then the ones in the foreground with Cadmium Yellow, Cobalt Blue and Light Red using the palette knife.
STEP FOUR
Paint the foliage of the tree with the palette knife using a mixture of Cadmium Yellow, Light Red and Cobalt Blue. It is very important to paint the foliage when the sky is still wet to give the correct palette knife effect.
STEP FIVE
Paint the trunk of the main tree using the palette knife and the Bristle Bright No. 7 brush. With the top half of the tree, use a mixture of Raw Sienna,Sky Blue and Burnt Umber. For the bottom half use just the palette knife and mix Burnt Umber and Cobalt Blue together to make the dark and highlights with Light Red and Yellow Ochre. On the left side of the tree, from top to bottom with the palette knife, make a highlight using Yellow Ochre and Titanium White.
STEP SIX
Make a dam using Cobalt Blue and Titanium White then continue the grass to the front of the painting using Yellow Ochre and Raw Sienna. With the shadow from the tree use a mixture of Cadmium Yellow, Cobalt Blue, and Light Red.
FINAL STEP
Make the shadow from the tree and the bottom left side of the trunk darker using Burnt Umber and Cobalt Blue and then add some cows.
ARTIST’S HINTS AND TIPS
• Never use just pure black paint as it looks dull. You can mix black with Burnt Umber and Cobalt Blue or French Ultramarine.
• To dull a colour you use the complimentary colour from the colour wheel. For example the complimentary colour for blue is orange and the complimentary colour for Green is red.
• When using Atelier Gesso use a Mont Marte gesso no. 4 brush or for a finer surface use a wide White Taklon Brush. Brush in one direction and add just a touch of water.
