Reflections #4

I keep coming back to this theme. Must be the time of year... 

Reflections, oil on paper sketch, 30 x 40 cm

I'm considering the idea of making a second 'how-to' video, this time on how to paint reflections. Some of you may have seen my first video (how to paint photo-realistic clouds). It was released in June 2013 and I had so much fun with the comments I got from all over the world that it gave me a taste for more. What's holding me back is the fact that it's an awful lot of work. I'll talk it over with my friend the cameraman and we'll see.

Cumulus Clouds, oil on paper sketch, 30 x 40 cm

In the meantime I made two more oil on paper sketches. I plan to make some more in preparation of a large painting on panel. Last week I visited the Danish island Rømø and I saw some stunning scenes of backlit clouds reflected in the wet sand. Made me feel like driving home, get into my studio and start painting. By the time I post my next entry I hope to have one or two sketches to show you.

Painting sand

Before I get to the subject of this entry I'd like to (once again) draw your attention to the new blog I launched two weeks back: 'An oil painting a week'. If you get the chance, please take a look and let me know what you think. End of commercial.

Dunes in the Sunlight, oil on paper, 30 x 40 cm

This last week I've been working on an oil sketch on paper: a dune in the sun with a blue sky and some summer clouds. I wanted to emphasize the grainy texture of the sand, so I decided to conduct a little experiment. Why not apply the texture beforehand and paint on top of that? I still had a can of modelling paste and I applied it with a palette knife. Got out my stippler and worked the paste till I got a very fine texture that looked like this:

Then I mixed a bit of fleshcolour (Lukas) with Yellow Ochre (Talens) and Bohemian Green (Lukas) and soon found out I needed a lot more paint. A surface like this absorbs paint very quickly. Took me a few layers to get it right.

Painting foliage has never been my strongpoint. This time I started with an underpainting of Burnt Sienna (Talens) and Yellow Ochre (Lukas). Once dry I painted the sand reed on top of it with my beloved saber/squirrel brush (see blog entry Friday, January 17th, 2014).

Drew some more reed in the wet surface with the stem of my brush, exposing the brown underpainting. It was a struggle, like always...

For a bigger picture of the painting please see my online sales page.