The hardest thing about learning to paint wet-on-wet is understanding how and when to use thick or thin paint. In today’s Video Clip, Bill teaches a valuable lesson on how to create bark on a majestic redwood tree. Follow these techniques and you will be painting like a pro!

Key Points To Consider:

• Bill’s canvas is prepared with a thin coat of Magic White®
• Bill defines the base of the tree trunk using an Alexander Flat Bristle Brush. He applies a very thin coat of paint so he can add the texture later.
• He is painting only a section of the tree as it continues right out of the top of the canvas.
• He applies the shadow color (using Alizarin Crimson and Black) with his palette knife.
• He lays the palette knife almost flat against the canvas and places the shadow color on the far left side of the trunk.
• He then drags the thick, dark paint straight across the trunk with his knife.
• Bill cleans his knife before adding the light colors.
• Using a mixture of Cadmium Yellow and Alizarin Crimson, with a touch of Titanium White he adds the highlight color to the far right of the tree trunk.
• Using the same technique, he pats the highlight color on and then drags it across the trunk. The light color will mix with the dark paint already applied, giving a variety of colors to the trunk.
• Bill uses a light blue color at the base of the shadowy side of the tree to represent the moister in the tree. At first, he applies too much paint, but he uses his brush to tap it into the dark color that is underneath it.
• Bill’s tree trunk looks so real it is as if we could peel the bark!
• He uses the fan brush loaded with a dark color to create the branches. Notice how slowly and deliberately he taps the color on. He doesn’t bend the bristles of the fan brush because he wants the branches to be straight. He reloads his brush before creating each new branch.
• He makes sure the paint is out of the tip of his fan brush so he doesn’t have to apply pressure to lay the paint on the canvas.
• Bill varies the direction and the length of the branches to create a realistic-looking tree.
• Notice how easy the paint sticks to the thin paint of the background?

So now you know the rest of the story! If Bill Alexander had more time on each episode, he would have told you these things himself. Since he didn’t have time, we will tell you because we want you to know everything he is doing, including the things he didn’t have time to tell. Some of these observations are very subtle things that make all the difference and would be easy to miss.

We hope you are enjoying these lessons. Our passion is to help people learn to paint because we know that when people are painting, life is better! We are all about a better life! Let us know how we can help you become the artist that you are meant to be!

Happy Painting!

Laurie and Dawn

PLUS: So whenever you’re ready…here are a few ways we can help you become the artist you’ve always wanted to be.

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2:  Let US guide you in our Alexander Master Class 

Quickly learn the Alexander proven way to paint starting from where you are… and we’ll lead you from there. The best thing is our Master Class is a unique series of courses with live feedback taught by Master Artist, Master Teacher, Tom Anderson. It isn’t for people who have already “Mastered” painting techniques… It is for people with the passion and desire to learn everything the Old Masters and Bill Alexander knew one baby step at a time.

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