Many times we watch Bill paint with such force and power. Today will be different! Today we see the gentleness of his touch while he teaches us how to create a beautiful glass. Pay close attention to the softness of his strokes and the small amount of paint he uses. When Bill painted, without worrying about the clock, he painted much slower and spent more time on details.

Key Points To Consider:

• Bill is still painting into wet paint, however, the area of the canvas he is painting on today has had a chance to set up a little. This means that the canvas had had a chance to absorb some of the oil from the paint so the canvas is just a little dryer. It is always best to let the paint set up a little while. You will find the next layer will go on without a struggle.
• Bill is using an Alexander Fan Brush, which is a stiff bristle brush. He has very little paint on the brush.
• Notice the bristles barely bend as he adds paint to the canvas. He barely touches the canvas with the bristles.
• Bill adds paint and then goes back over the paint several times to soften the lines and work the paint deep into the canvas. This allows the highlights that will be added later to go on easily.
• Bill keeps working until he has the shape the way he wants it to be. No need to rush here. By taking his time, he has less to fix on the canvas. Hmm, “measure twice, cut once” comes to mind! The only difference here is that you can always fix anything with oil paint!
• If your glass isn’t perfect, just call it a homemade glass! That is what Bill said he did!
• During the “elbow shot,” he is adding red to the glass. This represents both some wine and the reflection of the table. He places the brush on the bottom of the glass and pulls it upward. This allows the brightest red to be at the bottom of the glass.
• Bill constantly steps back away from the canvas to see what it looks like. It is very hard to see your perspective when you are up close, looking at the details.
• Bill reminds us that sometimes less is more. Once you’ve added paint to the canvas you can ruin the effect by repeating the stroke over and over.
• He doesn’t paint the bottom of the glass because it will be covered up. it is best to leave the canvas bare where he is going to paint next. It is always easier to paint on top of the paint when the previous layer is thinner.
• He uses the Script Liner Brush to add highlights. Notice he adds them sparingly

We hope you are becoming the artist you’ve always wanted to be. If not, let’s see how we can help!

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.

1: Join Our Membership 

Quickly become a better artist by having access to hundreds of videos led by Master Artists. You also get self-guided, step-by-step courses. And of course discounts on all our special art supplies.

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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.

Watch this video to see if Master Class is right for you.

3: Let us help you decide your next step on your art journey

Not sure how to move forward on your path to become a great artist?  Just hit reply to this message and put “Art Journey” in the subject line… tell me a little bit about your painting experience (even if you have none) and we will set up a private meeting to see if Alexander Art is a good fit for you.