Study Of Frederick Mccubbin's The Letter 1884, Oil 12" x 16"

One of my all time favorite Australian Artist is Frederick McCubbin, so I decided to have a go at painting his painting known as "The Letter 1884"I've painted it on Mont Marte 380 Premium Cotton Duck High Density Weave Professional Series Canvas and is 12"x 16" in size. The photo is not so great due to the oils being so wet so will try to get another photo in the next couple of days. But so far have done the back ground and will have to come back when it's dry to touch up some of the background and also paint the lady.

My Painting so far

3rd copy of Pablo Picasso's work, Watercolour Pencils A3

I've decided to study Pablo Picasso's works in the hope to understand them. This is now my third one. I was very happy with this one.

2nd copy of Pablo Picasso's work, Watercolour Pencils A3

I enjoyed having a go at one of Pablo's works so much the other day that I decided to have a go at another one. This was my end result.

Copy of Pablo Picasso's work, Watercolour Pencils A4

After a hard day out working on car didn't feel much like working on something real important to me so decided to do a copied study of one of Pablo Picasso's works as I totally dig his works. The left side when looking at the PC I am very very happy with, but the right side there are considerable differences. I first tried to sketch this one but found that wasn't working so when I did this one I did it by putting in the colours in order to get the shapes and I found for the most part this worked well. Best part though I had heaps of fun doing this one and enjoyed getting to know Pablo's works a little more.

Billabong On The Murray, Oil on MDF Wood 65 x 45cm

This one I painted the other week in watercolours and really was not happy with it. It was suggested by a friend on my forum to repaint it as well worth it and a few friends gave me some advice on it which I have tried to take into consideration on this one also. Ive left out the big tree as it was felt best without it. I couldn't bring myself to do this again in watercolours so decided to do it in Oil paint instead. As I have no canvas it's painted on MDF and is 65 x 45cm in size.

Stormy Sunset over Norman Island, Wilson Promontory National Park Vic

A friend gave me a nice big calender and this is an image I have taken from it. I was using Coral Painter X just mucking about trying to learn the program.

Up date of Billabong on the Marray Painting

I have darkened the trees to the left and also the foreground as well as the large tree in the foreground in hope to give the painting a bit more contrast.

A Day of Art

These first two paintings I have done for a fun competition in my art forum.

The topic being "Spring"

I had a lot of fun doing these ones.

The next three paintings I did for the soul purpose of practicing.

Again I really enjoyed doing these ones.

This last one was done on the PC and was just playing around with a friend while chatting. He introduced me to a web page that allowed you to create images just by moving the mouse around. (Thanks Mark)

Still Life Oil

Nearly forgot to share this one with you guys. This one is not original and is based on a another works but the artist is unknown. It was a lot of fun doing this one and a great help in practicing skills.

Forest Pond Complete

This is the final steps for my forest pond

1. Photo shows were I started from




2. Sky
First I mixed up an opaque purple leaving the colours unmixed. Then added it to the top to give the effect of sky. Make sure it is very transparent.




3. Complete Photo
Make up some lights and darks and with a small brush just define the trees some more and add in a figure to make an interest point.




To see the actural tutorial here are the links.

Forest Pond" Stage 1 Fine Art Tutorial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HJZ6f7_Noo

Forest Pond" Stage 2 - Fine Art tutorial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcihovomOL8

"Forest Pond" Stage 3 - Fine Art tutorial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYa8mtW2LBc

"Forest Pond" Stage 4(a) - Fine Art tutorial

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ39QvutiFc&feature=related

"Forest Pond" Stage 4(b final) - Fine Art tutorial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIY8V82PYOM

4. Up close photos








Hope you enjoyed

This is an update of my Forrest Pond painting

So this is where I was at and here we have a very rough image the subject matter is raw which is how it’s meant to be.

So now I am going to define the trees by painting around them. So using transparent and optic colours so can get some life into the painting. Using Indian Yellow I have made up a very week glaze and where I added in the white scumbles last time in the centre I am going to glaze over them to give them a gold tinge. You need to be sure it is not running. You do the same with the reflections and then just add little bits here and there over the painting to give it a touch of the gold look.

You now need to mix up a bright green using Bright Yellow and Cerulean blue. These are very optic colours. Then using circular motions applying it to the trees as we did from the very start.

Now we need some depth now which is done by adding in some darks. So I mixed up Phthalo Blue and Alizarin Crimson then added it in at the bottom of the trees and a little just where it looked like it needed it. And of cause I did the same to the reflection. Again it’s important not to let it run.

For this next step I mixed up a muddy colour just using what was already on the pallet. Then I added in a light glaze just under the water edge.

Using a dark mix I then redefined my trees edge by just holding the brush side on and in one stroke running up the edge and then the same in the reflections.

I had to add in a foundation for the next step so I used a scumble mix of white and bright yellow using the knife at the bottom of the canvas. Then the same thing with a blue green and then again using straight white.


Now I need to let this dry once more.

So as I sat to do some work rather nervously on this piece today, I began to realise a thing or two along the way. Firstly this painting style is really an illusion. When you sit on top of the painting it doesn’t look much at all. But when you step back away from the painting and look at it from a distance it looks reasonable good. I was nervous because in step three I realised that what you do with the painting changes the painting dramatically and colours become very important.

So the first step in the tutorial I had to do today was to make up a glazed mix of Ultramarine Blue and Alizarin Crimson. Then with only one stroke I had to go back over my trees to re set them in again. I also added in a few more and then did the same with the reflections.

The next thing I did was made up another glaze of the same mix. I then used the mix to scribble in bits and pieces above the water’s edge and then again the reflections making sure to go in under the water’s edge doing both horizontal and vertical strokes.

Then I had to make up a new glaze using a tiny speck of Alizarin Crimson and Indian Yellow until I got almost and red/orange brown look, which I scribbled in here and there again, mainly above the last glaze and of cause, did the same with the reflection.

Using the Ultramarine Blue and the Indian Yellow I made up a darker green glaze not to runny and just in the places where it looked to need a little more colour scribbles it in and under the water line I bushed it on horizontally to make a band under it but being sure not to disturb the previous reflections too much.

Then using the Ultramarine Blue and Alizarin Crimson I made up another glaze this time more of a dark blue. Holding the brush side on to the canvas and only using the tip of the brush I added a stroke to each of the trees to re establish them once more and then repeated this on the reflections.

Using the same mix I ten added a little here and there making sure not to overdo it as it can be very powerful and the changes happen fast. I applied it to the op and then also in the reflections.
Now I made up what Robert calls a “Scumble Mix” again with Indian Yellow, Ultramarine Blue and White mixed them slightly with the pallet knife and then picking up some white and part of the scumble mix added in some light. I also reflected it in the water.

Then with the paint that was on the pallet I made up a dirty looking wash and brushed it over the bottom of the canvas filling in the gaps but being sure not to disturb the previous reflections too much.

This was all for step three I now have to sit and let it dry totally once more.

Continued Forest Pond

This is what Robert Boster calls step two in his "Advanced Technique"

So the first thing I did was made up a very runny glaze mixed with Indian Yellow and then in only one stroke reestablished the trees.

Then using this same mix I went over the top between each tree just in different places to add a glaze as well as under the water line using the same mix again added in reflections.

I then made up a very thin runny glaze using Alizarin Crimson. I made sure to use a very little bit as its so powerful. With this mix again I went between the trees and added reflections.

I then made up another watery mix using Ultramarine blue and again applied it between the trees and the reflection.

Then I made up a very fine glaze using Ultramarine Blue and with the pallet knife did a technique he calls creative knife where you run the knife very quickly over the waters edge a few times.

Finally I then did what Robert calls a scumble mix. So On my pallet I put out Titanium white, Indian yellow and Ultramarine Blue. This paint needs to be applied rather thick as its the texture your after. So without mixing the colours you pick up a little of each and then applied three strokes in a Cris cross approach. This was added between the trees just a little here and there and then I used the scumble mix to add in some reflections once more at the bottom. Only this time toward the bottom of the canvas I added in some horizontal reflections also.

This step took me all of about ten minute to complete. I now need to wait once more for the painting to completely dry so I can move on to step three.

Forest Pond Advanced Technique

This is a new technique I a working on which I discovered last night on YouTube. It's known as the Advanced Technique. This is only stage one at this point and has four other stages for me to work through.

With my left over paint I decided to practice the technique as to not waist paint and to practice building the skills required for this painting.