16/17 October 2022 Assignment: S01E03 - Ebony Sunset

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Sources/Inspirations:

  • Official Bob Ross YouTube or Streaming Channel
  • Amazon Prime
  • DVD (unavailable from this resource as of this writing - 5 Feb 2023)
  • Book

Materials:

This particular painting has an interesting start.  Instead of the normal white canvas, prepared with Bob Ross Liquid White he uses a black canvas.  So, how do you make, or where do you get a black canvas.

You should be able to obtain either from your local art store.  

However, if they do not have a black canvas you need to get a regular white canvas and prepare it yourself by applying black gesso and allowing it to dry before you proceed.  Gesso is is an acrylic based paint which you apply evenly to the canvas and then make sure it is completely dry before you begin your painting.  You can apply as many coats as you like, one or two should be sufficient.

In my case, on this particular assignment I started with a black canvas - so no need to prime with a gesso.  I felt good about this approach because the last thing I needed was to engage in yet another variable.  Did I apply enough, or too much?  Is it really completely dry?  And so on.

Now, this particular project requires a painting undercoat of Alizirin Crimson and Vandyke Brown.  These two colors that are difficult to see in a 1980s video.  So - you kind of have to guess, based on the end result of where those colors should be placed.

Here is where I started to go wrong, with my first happy little accident.  Bob doesn't mention it in the video - but before painting this project (and the coming paintings where he doesn't mention it) is that you need to under-paint first with Liquid Clear.  

If you don't do this first, and I didn't, you are going to end up (1) putting way too much paint on the canvas once you start the project and (2) it is going to be very difficult to move or blend the paints once they are on the canvas.

Now despite this mistake, I was still able to complete the project not once - but twice.  One of them I have already mailed off to a family member as a Christmas gift but not before taking a shot of it.

Here are the two efforts.

Ebony Sunset (attempt 1)
(c) 16 October 2022 Gilbert Blankenship

Ebony Sunset (attempt 2)
(c) 17 October 2022 Gilbert Blankenship

I have to say that I really like the look of these black canvas projects.  They can really make colors stand out.  But as you can see I still am having problems with leaves of trees, trunks of trees, branches and goodness gracious bushes.  I am pretty happy with the water, and reflections of both of these, but I really felt I had to work on better foreground elements. But between the two, I personally like the second attempt better.  The sky is closer to the color I was looking for, the sunset appears to be radiating up more distinctly and the reflections stand out a bit more.  But, my path looks a little more like a wall than a path.  Ok, depth and distance issues.  I can work on that. 

As to the first effort, I like the hill better in the horizon.  It has a more appealing gradual slope, where as in the second attempt it looks more like rolling storm clouds.  I also like the birch tree on the right edge of the first better than the foreground trees in the second..

Even with that said - I am still having fun at this point.

In order to move forward a bit I started looking for local instructors.  After a bit I was able to find one who was willing to face time with me, look at the work I had done so far and give me some pointers along with some encouraging words.  Now I don't recall exactly when we had our conversation but this was much appreciated feedback.

He also asked if I was signing my work (I was not) - and he strongly recommend I start doing so.

Awesome.  Another variable.

First I am struggling with my fat meaty, caffeine filled hands that cannot maintain a straight line and now I need to figure out how to cleanly place my very long name onto the canvas?  Ok, I will figure it out.

At first - I thought - why not start signing the backs?.  Lots of room for plenty of information regardless of how I signed it right?  So, I thought how can I do that?  Paint isn't a good solution as it could bleed through.  And I am not sure I would trust commercial ink (ball point) or even sharpie.  But then I remembered the ol' photography standard. A China Pencil. Not only are these great for marking up photographs to indicate crops, zooms, lighten areas and darken areas ... wait, perhaps I should back up a bit.

Back in 'the day' - photography was a wet works business.  You used liquid chemicals to develop, camera negatives (or positives in the case of slides) and to print out the photographs.  Photographers would often print little tiny versions of all the pictures from a roll of film - and then mark them up with these pencils.  Of course, today, in the digital world you young'ins simply connect your phone to your computer and (do you crop at all?) print email the pictures you want to someone or post them online somewhere.

Anyway the China pencil is a pretty great tool.  So, I would sign the back of the canvas with my name, date, project id like JOP S01E03 Ebony Sunset, indicate the canvas (16x20 stretched) and the medium (Oil).

I didn't think I had hands steady enough to try and spell out a 48 character name on a wet canvas without ruining the print.  Like it actually needed to be saved?

Anyhow you will notice one of the two of these is signed on the front.  I will get to that in a later post.

Practice.  I need more practice.  Lucky for me there still remain about 400 weeks worth of content to work through and try my hand at.  Still having fun at this point, and I think it was about this point I felt confident enough to start posting my work on social media.  My friends and aquaintences have been great at the feedback and keeping me enthused.

So take up the challenge and give it a try.  As Bob Ross always says, you can do it.  And while I am not what I would call great at this point - I am doing it, and getting a letter better every time.

See you in the next happy little post!

- Gil

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