Leisure Painter - UK (2019-06)

44 JUNE 2019 http://www.painters-online.co.uk

6 WHITE

Buy a larger tube of white than the

primaries, as you’ll use more of this. I use

75ml tubes of primary colour, and a 500ml

tub of white. Different makes of paint

will mix together without a problem,

but you get what you pay for so stick

with reputable brands; the cheaper

paints contain more filler and less

pigment.

7 FIVE STEPS TO PAINTING

The following steps work well with faster-

drying acrylics. Unlike oils, they allow you to

paint or glaze layer over layer without having

to wait on extended drying times; as the

paints are water based, you can speed things

even more by using a hair dryer on the

painting.

1 Plan Line out the composition on your

paper or make a pencil sketch. It’s better to

find out at this stage whether a painting will

work or not. The shape of the orange on the

left is all that remains of the plan, the

whole picture would resemble this at the

start; a simple mapped-out composition.

2 Block inPaint shapes, not things. Block

in the dominant colours to create a sort

of jigsaw. Ensure the first layer of colour

is as close as you can make it and keep

everything flat and simple. The second

orange from the left and its reflection show

the block-in stage, the background and

part of the tablecloth. Again, the whole

painting would look like this as we

eliminate the plan with the block in.

3 Develop the shapesWork within the

shapes adding more colour and value

to develop them. See the third orange,

its reflection and most of the teapot.

4 Relate the shapes to each other

Develop edges, making them sharper or

softer. Remember: harder edges attract the

eye; softer edges are more subordinate.

Which areas are lightest or darkest?

Build up a relationship between the

shapes. This is developed in the teapot

and the third orange with its reflection.

5 Add the accentsWhat is needed to

finish? Add accents of pure colour or

highlights, but not too many. This is

developed in the highlights on the

teapot and orange.

Liverpool Painting No. 16, Stone Street, acrylic on card, 6x8in. (15x20cm). Less is more. I may carry around a dozen colours in my bag,

but I never use them all in the same painting. Instead, I tailor them to suit the scene.

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Oranges and Teapot, acrylic, 8x12in.

(20x25.5cm). This shows the five stages

in one painting, from left to right.

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