I draw the basic outline of trees and tree roots. I always draw directly with ink pen on paper. Usually, I prefer Artline pens (0.1 to 0.8), or Rotring pens.
I draw the basic outline of trees and tree roots. I always draw directly with ink pen on paper. Usually, I prefer Artline pens (0.1 to 0.8), or Rotring pens.
With an old brush – a badly looked after round bristle is my favourite – draw in the main areas of the scene.
I do a thumbnail sketch of the composition I have in mind. While the thumbnail sketch shown is very loosely done, I have at the back of my mind a very detailed vision of how the finished painting will look like.
Having given the canvas one coat of Gesso the day before, I painted roughly half the canvas with a light mixture of Titanium White and Cobalt Blue mix, added a little Alizaria Crimson and Titanium mix and finally added whispy white clouds with Titanium White, all painted with the one brush.
Start with a strong all-over background colour of Phthalo Blue mixed with a touch of Phthalo Green to create a vibrant summer feel to the entire painting.
You can first start by doing a light cobalt blue wash over the canvas. In this instance I haven’t used the wash. Secondly start by constructing a grid which will help you accurately draw the landscape scene.
STEP ONE
I sketched a simple drawing to identify the main shapes.
A drawing is made directly on the canvas with a mix of Permanent Mauve and Zinc White, thinned down with fast drying Underpainting Medium.
Prepare the surface i.e. stretch the paper. With 185gsm paper I generously spray each side with water, allowing time for it to absorb and for the paper to buckle.
The first thing I do when confronted with a white canvas is give it several coats of coloured gesso. In this case, because I had already determined the mood and setting,