Seen Better Days -Painting Demo

[Richard Rogers]

This demonstration was first published in Issue 133 of Australian Artist magazine. It is reprinted with permission. It has been posted on my website but I thought I would share it with the Complete Artist  community too. The reference photo,  a cottage and sheds in ruin, was taken at Walkers Flat on the Murray River in South Australia.

 Canvas preparation.

 A single coat of Atelier gesso primer was given to a 30”x 20”canvas that had previously been used. Because of the previous painting and some rough brushwork with the gesso I began with quite a textured surface to work on.

 

 Composition and underlying structure.

 To make a more focused composition some of the foreground and the posts on the right hand side of the photo were left out of the composition.

With a No 12 hogs hair brush, and fast dry medium/fixer, a wash of orange was laid over part of the painting. Then mixes of cobalt blue and orange were used to map where the dark tones will be.

 

Drawing

Using Fast Dry Medium, a No 2 liner and a mix of Cobalt Blue Light Red Oxide the old farmhouse and suggestions of farm junk was drawn.

 

Sky and distant hills  

The sky was painted with Cobalt Blue and White, the distant hills and trees with mixes of Cobalt Blue and Naples Yellow. Some of this colour was also  scumbled in the middle distance and foreground.

 

Trees and foliage.

Trees and foliage were added using various shades of green: mixes of red gold, Ultramarine, Cobalt Blue and  Yellow Ochre. Only the  No 12 Hogs hair was used but the marks and painting technique was varied - sometimes thick, large dabs of paint, sometimes a scumble, small dots, dry brush or a glaze.

 

Focal point.

Using thicker paint and very little medium, I worked on what was to be the focal point, the old buildings in the middle distance. About this time I realised I the farm junk in the foreground was too dominant and would detract from the point of interest. It needed to be removed.

 

Taking out the rubbish and finishing touches.

Using white, a highlight was created in front of the building. With brush well loaded with Naples Yellow and Yellow Ochre, the farm junk was obscured and more colour added to the foreground.  Some of the ‘junk’ was left but it no longer dominated and the diagonals that remain lead the eye back to the buildings.

Final details were added, suggestions of branches, foliage and highlights all done with the liner and paint thinned with fast dry medium. 

 

[Lyndon Baxter]

Thank you for your kind comment, Richard ... does an old bloke good to get a bit of encouragement. LOL

BTW, I have sent you a PM re possible workshops.

[Richard Rogers]

Hi Lyndon.

Thanks for your feedback. There is so much possible with acrylics. It's amazing. I do hope someday I can get up to Brisbane and do some workshops there. I'd love to meet you. For someone who has only been painting 3 years you are doing very well.

[Lyndon Baxter]

Richard, I'm very please you detailed the colours used in this painting ... it  gives an insight into what's possible with acrylics.

I like the resultant picture.