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:
- 1 Canvas (18x24, but I use 16x20)
- 2" Brush
- 1" Brush
- #2 Script Liner Brush
- #6 Fan Brush
- #5 Palette Knife - Detail
- #10 Palette Knife
- Palette
- Easel
- Paints
- Clean-Up
Assignment
Of course it uses Liquid White as the base and Mr. Ross paints the scene on an 18x24 canvas. As previously pointed out I use 16x20 so the challenge for me is shrinking the scene proportionally. I will get better with that over time Im sure.
The scene also is meant to provide experience with the fan brush so, should be fun.
On the down side, it includes a man-made object, a cabin, which I am not ready for. So I decided not to include that. One day I will just practice cabins on a canvas, scrape it down and try again. But - that day was not this day.
This scene also has only a few trees, and they are all in the distance so I won't have to work on branches and leaves.
We start out with the magic white placing a light coeat on the entire canvas. So what is a "light coat"? There are a number of websites that describe this but I haven't quite been able to get it down. Most of them say you lay a coat on the canvas and if you touch the canvas, and there is just enough paint to turn your finger white, but clearly leave your fingerprint on your finger visible - than you have the right amount.
No white on your finger - too little, fingerprint obliterated - too much. Sounds simple eh?
Well ... yes ... until you begin painting and you discover what you thought was too much or too little was really too little or too much. Confusing I know. But - practice and you (and by that I mean I) will get the hang of it ... eventually?
After the liquid white, begin with the sky. Yes, my sky is much darker - but it's what I am looking for. I still seem to be using way too much paint in the clouds because when i go to blend them out, the brush literally grabs big globs of paint and streaks them across the sky. Now this is not unsolvable. You simply make the clouds bigger. Unless you put on too much liquid white and end up making your clouds bigger, and bigger, and bigger. So - too much liquid white. Ok.
Next the distant mountain. This requires your knife having a small roll of dark paint (a dark mixture of multiple colors - or use the easy route and get yourself some Mountain Mixture) that you lay onto the canvas and spread out in a very basic mountain shape. This really becomes the first clue that your liquid white might be ... too little? The canvas just sucks that paint right in and it takes me 2 or 3 reloads on the knife to get the basic mountain shape on the canvas. This is not normal. Especially on a canvas thats only 16 inches wide and Im probably only using 6 inches or so of mountain here.
Obviously still not doing it right. Yes, Bob Ross says you just scrape that dark paint around and I am trying but just not getting it. He also says you barely touch the canvas with your knife when putting the dark on, and the canvas will take what it wants. In my case it obviously wants about 3 ounces of paint. Ok, I exagerate - but it feels like I am putting way too much on.
Strangely, the next step (once you have the basic mountain shape down) you use a large brush to pull the paint down to fill out the rest of the 'base' of the mountain with that dark color. This is where the canvas is more than willing to give all that paint back to me. Like a game of hide and go seek, I keep pulling more and more paint down using the brush. Where is it all coming from?
I get the basic mountain shape done and it's time to start laying on the snow. So again the knife comes out and all I have to do is place a small roll on the knife, and gently, gently I say, touch the canvas and pull it down. The canvas will take what it wants, and break the white paint across the black mountain face giving you a nice random appearance of black mountain showing in spots with the white paint.
Thats the plan anyway.
What I get is a VERY heavy blanketing snowfall on the mountain face. Hmm. Once again my canvas wants all my white paint. Its the canvas' fault - it couldn't possibly be me pushing too hard on the knife. No, that can't be it. Can it?
Ok, skip it. I have a much bigger problem to deal with at this point - the mountain in the foreground. Knowing that I have obviously layed too much black down, and on top of that too much white - I will attach this portion with a very light hand, and very little paint.
Ok, this is going to take a lot of black paint. Again the canvas just soaks it all in and I cannot get it to 'knife out'. Perhaps the problem is too little liquid white? Wait, didn't I put on too much under the clouds? Oh this is all very confusing. What I really need at this point is to step back and enjoy yet another caffeine. Yes, that will steady my hand.
I finish the foreground mountain complete with snow breaks - which worked a little better so I moved on to the foreground trees so I could put this assignment to bed. I thought the trees turned out well and the mist between the mountain and the trees actually worked as well.
What I do notice however is that for a guy who cannot draw a straight line to save his life, strangely creates unnaturally straightl ines while creating mountains and paint breaks. And I mean every part of these mountains are freakishly straight. Like the almighty himself were chopping off slices of these mountains as if they were a wheel of cheese for the evening appetizer. I also see that I cannot seem to get the knife to set on the edges of the mountains, so they now have a weird inability to hold snow, I mean paint, along their straight edges.
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| Winter Mist (c) 23 October 2022 GIlbert Blankenship |
Obviously I am going to have to do some research on how to work this out. I did, and what I found will be discussed in another blog. Whether or not I make use of the trick is another story. I still seem to get lost in what I am doing, and often forget what I am trying to do.
If that makes any sense.
So it appears at this point I am putting on too much liquid white, or perhaps too little. And too much under-paint for the mountains, or .. too little. And with the snow ... oh heck with it. Had fun trying. Now I have to try and have fun cleaning. There will be many many more attempts ahead.
Remember, I am here to make happy little mistakes so you don't have to. The moral of the story, Goldilocks - is to put an amount of paint on your canvas that is juuuuuust right.
- Gil
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