Painting the Outback in Oils

Painting the outback.

Ayer’s rock, or as it is known “Uluru” is not only one of Australia’s major landmarks but also it is one of the most sacred and important aboriginal sites. I travelled to the “Red Centre” of Australia in the Northern Territory couple of years ago, and visited some of the most beautiful places I’ve been to so far.

In this painting I wanted to show the vastness of the land with this massive sandstone monolith occupying a dominant position in the painting. A big sky will complement the subject.  

Above is one of the reference photos I used for this painting. I also prepared some sketches (to scale with the canvas) and then I chose the one that I liked most. Following that on my notebook I did some planning of the colors to use and of the various color values. To do this I use a value comparative which helps me a lot to judge my values correctly. My aim is that during the first phase of the painting I get as much as possible close to the end product in what has to do with values and color. Then when the canvas is entirely covered with paint I will be able to judge by comparing one color to the other next to it and adjust accordingly.

For myself the first stage of the painting is the most important one and most labour intensive. By the end of this stage I will need to have all the canvas covered with paint and establish shapes and form of most of the elements. I also try to get as close as possible to the right tones and values. By the end of this stage I want to see most of the painting only lacking detail and minor adjustments. Since the sky plays a very important role in this painting, I decided to start from the sky by blocking in the clouds leaving empty spaces for the sky. For the sky I usually use an old big brush so that I can literally scrub the paint all over. When painting the sky I try not to paint it as a solid object always keeping in mind that I am painting air. 

The next step was to block in the foreground and the rock itself. The main rock formation was painted using a mixture of cobalt/ultramarine blue, white and Quinacridone Magenta. Using a cloth I softened edges and lifted paint of to expose the underpaint while establishing where to place the highlights in the next step. 

 The next stage was to start adding the details. Using various mixtures of white with burnt sienna, cadmium scarlet, alizarin, yellow ochre and ultramarine blue, I gave more form and detail to the ground at the front and middle parts of the painting, giving the impression of cracked ground washed away by water. More form, details and highlights were added to the trees and bushes all across the painting. Using a warm and cooler version of the base mixture described above the details and highlights were added to Ayer’s Rock. Reflected light from the sky was painted using a mixture of white with ultramarine blue.  
Gradually I always do some minor adjustments and add more details during the first couple of weeks until I see that there is nothing else to add. 

Nellies Glen Lookout

Couple of months ago, on a Sunday afternoon, we went for a short drive up to the Blue Mountains and somehow we ended up at a location known as Nellie's Glen. The place is very close to where Explorer's Tree is found, just before you enter Medlow Bath and where one also finds the beginning of the six foot track. The day was warm but cloudy with the occasional shower and thunderstorms, just a typical summer afternoon.What inspired me in the scenery was the intermittent light coming from the broken clouds, especially the warm afternoon light.
 

Materials used:

• 45 x 90 cm stretched 10 oz cotton canvas
• Brushes: Flat 10 - 12 for underpainting. A selection of long flats, 4,6,8 and long filberts 2 & 4
• Oil paints (Art Spectrum, Landgridge, Norma), liquol for underpainting, Langridge Oleogel:

Titanium/zinc white, sap green, Burnt sienna, Australian red gold, Australian grey, raw and burnt umber
Blues: Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt blue, Manganese Blue
Reds: Permanent alizarin, Pilbara red, Vermilion, Indian red
Yellows: Lemon Yellow, cadmium yellow light,  cadmium yellow medium, cadmium orange, yellow ochre

Under-painting (Blocking in)

First I sketched briefly the outline of the main shapes in the painting. From the photos that I had as reference I completely changed the foreground of the painting by adding two trees one on each side of the painting. Using a very diluted wash with liquol the main shapes were blocked in. Liquol (Art Spectrum) is similar to liquin and helps the paint to dry very quickly.

Blocking in the main composition

The next step was to start establishing the form and light. As shown in the picture above initially I was going to place the light source as if it is coming from the right hand side (as seen by the highlights on the right front tree). However I changed the direction of the light later on to the middle part. Since the sky was pretty much grey and cloudy it was very difficult to see where the sun was. I also started adding some clouds using a mixture of ultramarine blue, permanent alizarin and raw umber. At this stage I use big flat brushes to quickly cover the canvas and avoid the temptation of fiddling too much. I also found that the colors I used initially for the underpainting were a little bit too light and so I darkened the overall picture, with the exception of where I wanted the highlights.

Establishing form and light

Mid- and fore-ground
Now the real work and fun started...adding the details. I wanted this painting to have lots of details, after all I love detail. From here on wards I used smaller brushes usually very long small filberts (Art Spectrum series 1100 brushes). These brushes are excellent, they keep their shape and they are relatively soft making it easy to apply layers of colors by softly touching the canvas. I started using the gel medium from Langridge, which gives more texture to the paint while at the same time makes the paint flow easier on the canvas. The rock formations on the right hand side were painted using a painting knife and a mixture of Pilbara red, ultramarine blue, vermilion and burnt sienna.
Cliff faces of distant mountains were painted using white and Pilbara red (tinted with more white for the most distant ones). Yellow was added to highlight objects directly hit by sun while for objects lit by day light, white was added to the base color.
As in any other painting, distant objects are less defined, lighter and cooler (more blue added) when compared to the ones closer to us. Nearby objects are well defined, darker and warmer.
I also used what is known as negative painting to define better objects like the front tree on the left. Using a slightly darker version of the sky (or background) colour, I painted over parts of the foliage to open up space and define more branches.

The finished painting

 

Fire and Water - Abstract painting

Acrylic colors used (Atelier and Matisse): 

Alizarin red, cadmium red medium, phtalo blue, ultramarine blue, Naple's yellow, cadmium yellow medium, titanium white 

Brushes:

A normal 2 inch house painting brush, brushes used to apply gesso, a painting knife

Methodology:

This was a very simple abstract I did recently on stretched canvas. I started by placing directly on the canvas ultramarine blue, alizarin and Naple's yellow. Using a 3 different brushes (one for each color) I started spreading the three colors on the canvas mainly at three distinct areas, blue at the bottom right corner, red the upper left and yellow the central to upper right corner. Carefully I started blending the colors together to create the secondaries i.e. green, purple and orange, leaving some areas of pure primary color. I left the colors to dry for couple of minutes  and then I started applying cad red, cad yellow and phtalo blue onto the previous layer using bold brush strokes and applying circling motion depending on how I was seeing the colors developing. I left untouched brush strokes that looked good to the eye or any secondary or tertiary colours that appeared by co-incidence. 

To finish off the painting I took a piece of tissue and placed it in titanium white and I applied it to some areas as a highlight. Using a painting knife I mixed blue, yellow and white and  I applied vertical strokes to the right bottom corner to look like reflections of color.

How to make your own glass palette

Glass palette

During the last couple of years I tried several different kinds of palettes that are available on the markets starting from the traditional wooden ones to the most recent disposable ones. Depending on the situation and where I am painting all types of palettes have their own pros and cons. For example I find disposable palettes convenient because I do not need to clean my palette afterwards, but they are very inconvenient if I am painting in the wind. When I do not have a lot of space where to work and put things around me I usually use a big piece of perspex which fits exactly into my French easel and so I can leave the colors on it ready for the next session or even put in the freezer to be used couple of days after.

Recently I decided to start using a glass palette, that is big in size and that I can take with me when I go to workshops and painting outside. The size of the palette is approximately 55 x 35cm and it is simply made up of a piece of normal glass painting at the back in grey with acrylics. The grey color helps you to see the colors much better since it reduces reflections. From the local store I bought the wood and piano hinges I required to build the wooden case myself. I then fitted this piece of glass into a home-made wooden box which I can close and lock when it is not in use and during transport. When open I can place the whole box on the drawer of my French easel. The open lids serve as small side tables on which I can place my colors, mixing media and brushes. I also fitted a wooden brush holder on the side.

When ready I simply transfer all the brushes into my French easel, place colors in their box and clean the mixing surface with a clean tissue or cloth. Being made up of glass makes it very easy to clean. The advantage of a big palette is a larger mixing area as well as enough space to place your colors around. I always place my colors in the same order as they are on the color wheel, that is reds on my left, blues on my right and yellows in front of me.

For more information about this easel please do not hesitate to ask or contact me.

Oil painting - Near Warrenbungles

This is an oil on canvas I finished a week ago. The original photo was taken while on my way to Lightning Ridge and I was driving on a road crossing through the Warrenbungles National Park. 

The sky was painted using titanium white and raw sienna for the lower part and cerulean blue for the top and closer sky.

A mix of cobalt blue and permanent rose was used as an underpainting for the mountains (adding more titanium white to the distant mountain). The same mix was used to under-paint the mid-ground. Underpainting of the mid-ground trees was done using a darker mix by adding more cobalt blue and rose. The underpaint of the front three and ground was painted using a mix of ultramarine blue and burnt sienna.

Highlights on the mountain were done by adding white to the underpaint plus addition of lemon yellow for the side facing the sun. The same was done for the highlights on the trees to which I added raw sienna and cadmium orange.

The ground in the distance was painted using a flat brush and horizontal brush strokes with white, cadmium orange, lemon yellow and a touch of viridian.

As moving towards the foreground more viridian and yellow ochre were added for the ground. The grass at the front was painted witha painting knife using cadmium yellow, viridan and Australian red gold.

Highlights on the front tree were painted with cadmium yellow mixes with ultramarine blue and white. Details such as house and cows were added later on.

Misty Gum Trees

Original Photo

Misty Gums, Oil on Canvas, 45 x 90cm

This is a painting I did some time ago from a photo I took of gum trees on the Murray river banks. The photo is a little bit dull and boring and so I wanted to create a vibrant painting out of it. For the composition I only used the four main gum trees and the setup next to the river in order to create reflections in the water. 

When coming to decide the colour scheme of this painting I chose the majority of my colours from the warm side of the colour wheel starting from yellow to red. Then I used two complements, ultaramarine blue (for the shadows) and green. 

I started by creating a gradient of colours in the background. Using a two inch house painting brush and a vertical brush stroke I applied titanium white to the right hand side of the canvas. From white I went to yellow, using raw sienna which when mixed with white gives a very bright background yellow. The next colour was vermillion to burnt sienna on the sides. Using vertical brush strokes I blended the colours to create a gradient. 

Using a mixture of burnt sienna and ultramarine blue I blocked in the darkest trees, river bank and water reflections. For the water reflections I initially used a vertical brush stroke, followed by a horizontal one to create a water effect. 

The background trees were painted using a vertical brush stroke, bottom to top with various values of vermillion mixed with burnt sienna. White and raw sienna was used for highlights. The highlights on the front trees were added using a painting knife and mixes of white with Naples yellow and vermillion. Water ripples were also added using pallette knife and a mixture of white and ultramarine blue. Grass on the river bank was painted using cadmium yellow light and ultramarine. Same colour tinted with white was used for foliage, together with cadmium yellow light and cadmium red medium.

Hanging Rock

This is an oil painting of hanging rock in Blue Mountains National Park.

I used two sets of colours, pallette 1 for the background and pallette 2 for the foreground.

Pallette 1: Titanium White, Cobalt blue, permanent crimson, raw sienna, manganese blue.

Pallette 2: Pilbara red, ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, Payne's grey, cadmium yellow medium

Step 1

Step 1

First I did a basic sketch using willow charcoal. Using a very diluted mixture of colour in odourless spirit, the upper part of the sky was painted with manganese blue and titanium white. Raw sienna was used for the yellowish part of the sky. An underpainting of the background mountains was done using cobalt blue and white, adding more blue and permanent crimson as I moved forward.

Step 2

Step 2

I blocked the main rock using a wash of burnt sienna and Payne's grey for the darkest shadows. I left the painting to dry overnight.

Step 3

Step 3

During this stage I add more detail and mid-tone colours. Clouds where painted using a mix of cobalt blue and crimson with white. The background cliffs where painted using white with a touch of cobalt blue and permanent crimson for the furthest ones. As I moved forward I eliminated the blue and added more crimson and also a touch of burnt sienna to the closest cliffs. 

Grass on the furthest cliffs was painted using raw sienna, white and a touch of sap green. The trees become greener as they come closer. 

The main rock formation was further developed using ultramarine blue, burnt sienna and Payne's grey.

Trees on the rock formation were blocked using ultramarine blue/vermillion, tinting it with white as moving backwards.

Step 4:

Step 4

More details and highlighting were added. At this stage I usually start from the main subject and then move to the less important parts and background. Pilbara red, cad yellow and vermillion were used for the main rock, creating texture using a painting knife. Highlights on the rock were done using white and Australian red gold. I then added highlights to the trees using cadmium yellow and Australian red gold, adding white as I moved to the background.

Afternoon ride

This is an acrylic on loose canvas showing a horse rider on top of a hill. Using willow charcoal I did a rough sketch of the main elements of this painting.

A mixture of titanium white with rose madder and cobalt blue was used to underpaint the furthest hill. A second mixture was prepared consisting of ultramarine blue, vermillion and white for the other background hills, increasing blue and vermillion to darken the colour as I moved forward to the closer hills. The foreground including trees were painted with viridian and burnt umber mix. Trees in the mid-ground were blocked by adding cobalt blue mixture to the foreground mixture, increasing blue as I went to the background trees.

After drying I prepared a wash of naples yellow with white for the background using diagonal brush strokes. I added trees using the same background blue colour. I started to add more details to the trees using raw sienna and yellow ochre. Light is coming from the right hand side corner.

Using a mix of yellow ochre or Naples yellow ith white I continued adding highlights to the trees and as I approached the front part of the painting I starting adding washes of alizarin red, red gold and viridian. Warm colours like vermillion, touch of cad red medium, cad yellow and ultramarine blue were used for the front trees and grasses. Then I highlighted the horse with combination of burnt sienna, cad orange and yellow/white mix. 

Additional details were added such as tree trunks and pure colours for highlights.

Happy New Year to everyone.

This is one of the many acrylic paintings that I did last month. It shows a view of Ormiston Gorge a very nice place to visit in central Australia. I was there in August 2012 and this particular place is one of my favorites. To the original photo I added the gum tree at the front. I love to paint gum trees especially those having white bark. 

I used a very loose and fast painting technique, bearing in mind that acrylic colours dry too quickly sometimes while still on the brush. I used cooler colours for the background, like alizarin red, cobalt blue, raw sienna with lots of white. Warmer and stronger colours were used for the front, including burnt sienna, vermillion, cad yellow medium and viridian. For the greenish colour of the pool I used olive green (or sap green).

Painting Tools & Equipment

Canvas

You can paint on any type of surface as support such as paper, wood panels, metal etc. For oil painting the most commonly used is canvas, either stretched or unstretched. You can buy canvas either in roll or ready stretched, however buying a roll will turn out to be a cheaper alternative. You can buy this canvas either already primed or unprimed. The primer acts as a base for the oil (or acrylic) paint to adhere to without cracking, peeling, wrinkling or shrinking. The most commonly used primer is gesso and it can be applied either as a single layer or double layer.

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​There are different types of canvas of which cotton is the most commonly used. The other type is linen that is very expensive. It is important to use good quality canvas and this usually has to be of a minimum of 10 oz and 12 oz for bigger paintings. Ready made canvases found in stores are barely 8 oz and even less. If you buy canvas by roll you can have a better quality canvas with the same price that you buy a similar size but of an inferior one from a store. 

Brushes, Knives and Palettes

For oil and acrylic painting it is very important that you buy good quality brushes. Inferior brushes will start losing hair while painting and it is really annoying to stop every minute to remove hair from the surface of your painting. Do not buy synthetic ones but only buy those having natural hair such as hogs hair. Brushes come in various shapes and sizes. You must have a selection of round, flat, filbert, fan and liners (for fine and delicate work). You must also have a selection of sizes usually numbered from 0 to 12 (12 being the largest). Different brushes are used for various techniques. A good brush must maintain its shape when being used. You must also have a 2 inches brush for background colouring (and underpainting), that you can buy from an ironmonger (also used for house painting). The most important is to clean the brushes while using them and after you finish as if you do not do so then you will end up wasting money. While painting you have to clean the brush before picking up colour and this is done using tissues. Do not clean the brush with turpentine while painting unless you are going to go from a dark colour to a lighter colour. When you finish first remove excess colours using a tissue and then clean the brush in mineral solvent followed by rinsing it in water with a dishwashing detergent. Do not throw away old brushes as you might find them useful to create different effects.

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Painting knives are used to mix paints on the palette as well as to paint, usually very useful to lay thick layers of paint onto the canvas and to create structures like tree trunks and rocks. You can also use them to create fine but straight lines, snowy mountain peaks or to create small waves or ripples on a water surface. Same as brushes, painting knives come in different sizes and shapes. Always clean your knife before picking up colour from the palette.

Use a flat palette for oils and acrylics as it will be very difficult to pick up paint from palettes used for watercolour. You can have a wooden or a perspex palette, or even simply a disposable plate. Alternatively you can use a tear off palette, which is very useful and you do not need to clean it afterwards.

Paints and diluents

Always use artist quality paints for both oils and acrylics. Artist quality paints have more pigments rather then binders. Artist quality paints do not fade away when mixing and also they will last longer. Artist quality oil and acrylics are usually heavy bodied and thus easier to paint using painting knives.

When painting with acrylics, paints are usually diluted to a creamy consistency with water. To increase drying time you can use one of the many retarders that are commercially available.​

Turpentine is usually used to dilute oil paints for underpainting to decrease drying time. Try to use odour free turpentine especially when working indoors. Oil colours can be diluted with linseed oil for upper layers of a painting, thus increasing drying time. Poppy oil is another diluent that can be used to dilute oil paints. The more oil you add the more you increase the drying time. The consistency of the paint should be creamy and should be in a way that the paint is easily released from the brush onto the previous layer. Liquin is another excellent medium that decrease the drying time of oils and is very good for glazes.

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Varnishes

Varnishes are used to protect the painting and colours from deteriorating with time besides making it easier to clean. There are two types, matt and gloss. Matt varnish do not reflect light and hence will give a uniformity to the painting, since oil paints have different glare when dry.

Allow the painting to dry well ideally about 6 months. You can apply varnish either using a brush or using aerosol spray. To apply the varnish lay the painting horizontal on a clean surface (dust free) and apply onto the surface in a uniform manner. Apply in a well ventilated place or outside, and beware of any flying insects that can rest on it accidentally. Matt varnish can sometimes form a cloudy appearance after drying sometimes affected by humidity.

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