Blog

Outdoor Painting Supplies

The following are recommended for painting outdoors. For Painting easel (optional, some artists are happy to work on their lap or a table) palette (I use a piece of white cardboard plus wax paper & tape or sticky tac) spray bottle of water paint – watercolour, or acrylic [Note: for acrylics, the “Golden Glazing Medium” that slows drying is recommended] brushes container for water paper or canvas, some larger (1/4 sheet wc or 16″x20″ canvas) and lots smaller (8″x10′) for sketches paper towels or cloths, plus some small plastic garbage bags drawing implements, eraser, pencil sharpener sketch book, and paper and pen for notes photo references to paint from box or small folding table to set water and paint on (optional) clip-on umbrella (optional) For Yourself hat sunscreen lawnchair camera (optional recommended)  

The Four Horses

This painting began without any subject in mind. You can watch how early the center horse appeared (Minute 0:43), and I didn’t see it for a long time! I reached a point where the background was left to dry (1:35) The planets and stars were formed by painting dark blue around them and leaving the colours of the pour showing in circles. This painting took over a week to complete – it’s deceiving to watch the video because it is small snapshots of the process. Can you find the fourth horse? Check out my art courses! 

Acrylic Paint Effects

The first part of the video shows the paint pouring happening in steps. In the last half of the video, I explain in more detail the process. Additional note: many of the gloss mediums when poured over top of a finished painting, make cracking a crazing effects as they dry. If you don’t mind the extra texture, this can be great. However, if you want a truly smooth shiny finish, it is better to put the final varnish on in layers with a brush. Be careful not to keep brushing it as it dries, or it may go cloudy. Check out my art courses!