Today Bill will show us a couple of techniques. He taught for many years on PBS but was limited to what he could show because of the structure of the show. He was supposed to complete a painting in 26.5 minutes while entertaining and teaching his audience. No pressure there! Bill was frustrated because in his later years he wanted to be a great teacher, not just an entertainer. He knew what people really needed, if they were to learn to paint, was detailed techniques, but he lacked the time to show them. See, the completed painting that Bill was supposed to do was also published in a “how-to” book so it had to look good there too! Fortunately, we have preserved these shows so we can break them down for you and finally focus on what Bill wanted to teach us.

Key Points To Consider:

• Bill is painting on a wet canvas.
• Bill uses a clean-dry brush to pull the paint downward to create water.
• The water appears darker close to the land as it is shaded by the foliage and riverbank.
• Remember the thick paint, for the shoreline will go on easily if the previous layer of paint is thin.
• Watch carefully the angle of the handle of the palette knife while he paints the cove. That will show you how much surface of the knife Bill uses. As he flattens the knife, the cove widens to create the correct perspective.
• If the Palette Knife is loaded correctly, the paint, not the knife will be in contact with the canvas.
• Bill applies the base color of the rocks and then the highlights, THEN he moves the paint around to create the look he wants.

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 

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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.