MASTERCLASS
Kevin’smaterials
•Paints
Titanium White, Cadmium
Yellow Light, Oxide of
Chromium, Raw Sienna,
Cobalt Blue, Cerulean Blue,
French Ultramarine, Winsor
Violet, Cadmium Red, all
Winsor & Newton Artists’ Oil
Colours; Burnt Sienna,
Daler-Rowney System 3
acrylic
•Brushes
Rosemary & Co. ivory filberts,
sizes 2, 4, 6, 8; small
synthetic brushes, sizes 2, 3
and 4
•Support
3mm MDF panel, primed with
gesso- Alkyd medium
- Winsor & Newton Sansodor
- Daler-Rowney Graduate
Acrylic Gesso - A blue coloured pencil
U
nless you do so exclusively in
autumn or winter, painting the
landscape in temperate climates
will inevitably involve the use of green.
If you’re not particularly bothered about
realism, it is possible to substitute greens
for an alternative range of colours. But if you
want to produce a fairly representational
painting, then you will have to negotiate the
vast array of different hues and tones of
green found in nature.
The photograph that I have based this
masterclass upon was taken on a summer’s
evening and, as is common with aphotograph, much of the actual colour
hasn’t been recorded, particularly where
the shadows appear simply as dark holes.
In the painting I have tried to establish an
acceptable harmony of colour, and balance
of tonal values that makes sense of the
three-dimensional landscape, often absent
in a photograph. I tried to create a sense of
aerial perspective and depth by changing
some of the colours while still retaining a
degree of harmony by using the green, blue,
and violet range of colours that appear next
to each other on the colour wheel.
http://www.kevinscully.co.uk- Prime and ground
I primed my panel with three coats of gesso,
which I rubbed down lightly between coats.
I then painted my board with a wash of Burnt
Sienna, diluted with painting medium.
I made no attempt to create a flat, uniform
colour, as most of this would be covered
during the painting process. Instead, this
warm colour acts as a base for the cooler
colours used in the painting. I often use
acrylic paint for this base colour, as it dries
much quicker than an oil paint equivalent.- Draw the composition
I drew my composition with a blue coloured
pencil, so it would contrast with the Burnt
Sienna wash. I went over this with a thin
wash of French Ultramarine, using a No. 3
synthetic brush, correcting the drawing as
I go. This doesn’t have to be too accurate at
this stage, as everything can be modified
during the painting process.
As with the rest of the painting, I added a
small drop of my homemade Alkyd medium
(shop bought equivalents are available) to
speed up the drying time.- Wash in colour
I established a very rough, tonal
underpainting by blocking in colour with my
larger brushes without attempting to finish
any one area – they will all continue to be
adjusted as the painting progresses.
For the sky and water areas, I used a
mixture of Titanium White, Cobalt Blue and
Winsor Violet. The roof of the building was a
mixture of Titanium White, Raw Sienna and
Winsor Violet. For the foliage, I made three
or four different colour mixes using Cadmium
Yellow Light, Cerulean Blue, Cobalt Blue and
Winsor Violet.
Artists & Illustrators 45