This is Bill’s mantra…”Keep it as dry as possible!” This should be yours as well! This, of course, refers to the base layers of paint. Remember, you’re going to paint on top of this layer. You know what happens if there is too much paint!
Home of the Bill Alexander Wet-on-Wet Painting Method
YOU TOO CAN PAINT!
Many people wonder if they have what it takes to become an artist. At Alexander Art, we believe anyone with a desire to learn to paint, can become the artist they’ve always wanted to be. Whether you are just starting your art journey, or you are a seasoned painter, we can help you reach your potential. Join us today! Become the artist that you are meant to be.
This is an essential point! I have found that the dryness is hard to keep focused on when you are making up a picture because you are thinking about all of the other issues. I also found that the paint loses its stiffness when it gets over mixed, and a thin amount as a first layer will act more slippery than it does when it is fresh. This happened to me when I scraped off a bunch of paint after fouling up a mountain. The colour became dead, but being a cheapskate, I thought I wouldnt waste it, and I (wrongly) decided to use it for a second try at the retry mountain base colour. The mud mixture which I applied as a base was not stiff, and of course it was mixed with a certain amount of magic white which had come off with it when I scraped it from the canvas. Even Though I applied it thinly, it still wouldnt take the highlights and shadow passes with the knife… Smear city. I solved it by using a trick John told me of leaving that section for a while to let it set up, in addition to brushing out the base colour I had layed down with my big brush. Leaving it to dry, and brushing the soupy, thin paint made it sticky again. ( You can get out of most mistakes, but it sure ain’t an effective way to paint!)
Conclusion: scraped paint is waste paint. It looks like mud, and will only slow you down if you try and use it. Bite the bullet, and chuck it in the garbage. Instead of dwelling on the paint you are wasting, and being cheap, think about how much paint you will SAVE when you learn to make a mountain with a SINGLE almighty stroke!
See my forum posting for more discoveries of last sunday’s mountain practice.