30 artistMarch 2021 http://www.painters-online.co.uk
OILS
qualities of oil paint. Simply put, it’s a
heavily bodied build up of paint which
will create textures of various depths
and is often applied using a stiff hog
bristle brush or a painting knife. It’s a
good idea to start with a rough-surfaced
canvas, or create your own with the
addition of a few coats of heavy gesso;
I like to add some chalk or even sand
to stiffen it up a little. Gamblin cold
wax can be added to your paint to give
it some body, which is how I achieved
those high ridges in A Secluded Cove
(page 29).
Sgraffito
Sgraffito is a simple technique that
involves scraping or scratching off
paint to reveal the layer underneath,
which can be of a contrasting colour
but not necessarily. Any instrument
can be used for this; the end of a brush
works well, or I like to use the edge of
a small pear-shaped painting knife. I
find it particularly useful for ‘dragging
out’ small tree branches or distant tree
trunks, for instance. It’s often difficult
to add these on top of wet paint. Don’t
get too carried away though, as you can
easily overdo it!
DEMONSTRATION My Studio Table
This is a demonstration of the painting in layers techniquep STAGE ONE
After applying a neutral grey wash of thinned oil paint to my board and letting it dry, I drew
out the main features with a No. 2 Jackson’s Black Hog Round and a thin mix of raw umber and
ultramarine. The main areas of darkest shadow were loosely blocked in with this same mixp STAGE TWO
I continued to strengthen the darkest shadows,
continuing them to the jars, tins and paint tubes.
A touch of colour was introduced and I felt that
the tonal balance was good, so I was ready to start
blocking in the objects with my first layer of colour.
So far I had just added turpentine to my mixes
p STAGE THREE
I wanted the painting to be impressionistic in style, so I wasn’t after crisp, straight
edges. I continued adding more colour, building up my layers of paint thinly, adding
just a touch of linseed oil to my paints in this stage, remembering to keep to the fat-
over-lean rule. A little more emphasis was needed on the tubes of paint and some of the
other objects; many of these edges will be left to show in the finished pieceTA