How to paint a Rainbow Eucalyptus Tree with Acrylic paint www.montmarte.net Copyright of Mont Marte International Pty Ltd ACN 101589897
Materials List... The materials for this lesson can be found at a Gold or above Art Centre. Go to www.montmarte.net to find the one nearest to you. MPN0026 Mont Marte Drawing Set 8PCE CMMD6018 Mont Marte Double Thick Canvas PMHS0034 Mont Marte Acrylic Paint Set 24pce PMSA0006 Mont Marte Satin Acrylic Phthalo Blue PMSA0010 Mont Marte Satin Acrylic Titanium White BMHS0016 Mont Marte Gallery Series Brush Set 5pce MCG0119 Mont Marte Taklon Filbert #10 MCG0059 Mont Marte Palette Knife #4 MAXX0019 Mont Marte Plastic Brush Washer MAPL0002 Mont Marte Easy Clean Wood Palette Also required: Water www.montmarte.net Copyright of Mont Marte International Pty Ltd ACN 101589897
1 1. Transferring the image onto paper On page 7 there is an outline of the tree. From there we need to transfer the line work as accurately as we can with a graphite pencil. This could be done directly or by using the grid system to up size it. 2 2 Adding the shadows In this stage we apply shadows onto the tree. This will givethe work some tonal shape. Mix some Phthalo Blue with some Paynes Grey in equal proportions and apply it to the tree with a medium sized filbert brush. Use clean water for the medium. Lay in the darkest areas first and then soften the edges with a damp brush. Let this dry. In this project I have used a 180 x 60cm Canvas. A smaller 40 x 121cm canvas could be used also. www.montmarte.net www.montmarte.net Copyright of Mont Marte International Pty Ltd ACN 101589897 of Mont Marte International Ltd ACN 1015898 Copyright ofcopyright Mont Marte International Pty Ltd ACNPty 101589897
13 3. Tinting the canvas Squeeze out some Medium Yellow and Yellow Ochre. Use a 75mm Wide Artists Taklon Brush and cover the entire canvas. Ensure enough water is mixed with the paint so that it is translucent enough that the shadow and Graphite line work can be seen. 4 4. Glazing the tree Squeeze out some Sap Green and a touch of Titanium White. Thin the paint with water so it s relatively translucent. Using a medium filbert brush paint in the tree. Like the previous coat, ensure that any of the under painting can still be seen. In any areas of dark shadow add a little of the concentrated Sap Green and blend it out. This will add even more depth to the shadows. When tinting the canvas, create a coat with some variance. This can be created by squeezing the two colours out, but not mixing them on the pallet, instead blend the colours directly on the canvas. This creates an interesting coat rather than a flat consistent one. www.montmarte.net Copyright of Mont Marte International Pty Ltd ACN 101589897
5 5. Adding the leaves The leaves can be created in two stages. First create a mix from Paynes Grey and Sap Green in equal proportions. Use a small flat brush and block in the areas where the leaves are to go. Apply this with small strokes and build up the mass. Let this coat dry. Next create a mix from Sap Green, Medium Yellow, Yellow Ochre and a touch of Titanium White. Apply this next coat on top of the dark under base with a small filbert brush. Create small dabs of colour. Ensure you allow the underlayer to show through in spots. This will suggest shadow and depth in the mass of leaves. 6 6. Painting the sky The sky can be created with Pthalo Blue and Titanium White. These colours are from the Satin Series range. Mix these colours in equal proportions and lay it into the background. Use a large flat to block in the large areas and a smaller filbert for the close detail work. Bring the Blue into the leaves in parts and concentrate it more around the edge of each mass. Satin Series Acrylic has a thicker viscosity than the Acrylic Paints in the 24 piece set, so it is necessary to add a little bit of water to the paint so it flows more easily. www.montmarte.net Copyright of Mont Marte International Pty Ltd ACN 101589897 Copyright of Mont Marte International Pty Ltd ACN 10158
7 7. Adding the rainbow bark. Although there are specific colours of bark on the Rainbow Eucalypt, in a project like this, it s okay to use a little bit of artistic licence with the colours you use. There are 22 true colours to choose from in the 24 piece Acrylic Paint Set, so squeeze out the ones that appeal to you and apply them in long stripes down the tree. For this step I found it easier to turn the canvas upside down and apply my stripes like that. Just ensure that the stripes thin and fade out to nothing when they reach the crown/limbs. 8 8. Dry brushing the dappled light. The best way to suggest dappled light in this case is to apply the light areas over the dark tones. The shadow accents are already laid in so we can concentrate on the highlights. Squeeze out some Titanium White with a touch of Lemon Yellow and mix them thoroughly. Charge the brush, then wipe the excess paint off onto a paper towel. With a very light touch, drag the brush over the areas in which the light would lie. Build this tone up slowly until you are happy with the effect. Whilst dry brushing is a simple technique one must be careful not to charge the brush with too much paint. It is better to slowly add the tone because if too much paint is added it can conceal the underlying information. This is impossible to fix. I like to use a number of folded paper towels as a palette as it is much easier to adjust the amount of paint on the brush. Copyright of Mont Marte International Pty Ltd ACN 101589897 Copyright of Mont Marte International Pty Ltd ACN 10158989