My canvas is ready for a colorful seascape. I have taped the horizon with masking tape to give me a clean line.
I'm putting liquid white on the canvas. As always, the wet-on-wet technique starts with a thin oil-based coat of paint.
I start by using my 2 inch brush and Indian Yellow right above the horizon. I make a egg shape with Indian Yellow, then surround that with Cadmium Yellow and take it all the way across. I do the same right below the horizon where my water will be.
Then I tap into Alizarin Crimson and go above and below my yellows, merging the two colors together just enough to prevent white gaps in the sky and water. I will wipe my 2 inch brush often and go back over the areas where the two colors meet so that they blend well.
Now it's time for a touch of Phthalo Blue. This is a very strong color, so use it sparingly! I go above and below my Crimson, repeating the process of blending as I did with the yellow and red. Be careful to wipe your brush very well before putting blue in your sky, because if you have too much excess yellow or orange in your brush, you'll make green!
I love clouds so I am going to put in a few here. Using the fan brush, I alternate between Alizarin Crimson and Phthalo Blue and make small circular strokes in the sky. I put in a few layers of clouds, then I take a dry 2 inch brush and very very lightly (2 hairs and some air!) brush over the clouds to soften them and set them into the sky. I can't stress enough how little pressure you use when doing this. I almost don't touch the canvas at all!
It's time to pull the tape! I carefully remove the line of masking tape and using my 1 inch brush, I fill in the dry line with Cad Yellow. Do not add Liquid White...just scrub the yellow into the canvas.
Using a dry fan brush, I am putting a grassy island along the horizon using Sap Green. Since it's sitting on calm water, I make sure to put in a reflection of the island as well! It's the same technique as the island itself, only upside down.
I am setting the reflection into place by taking a dry 2 inch brush and very very lightly pulling down over the reflection and then across. Use only a few hairs and some air for the best result!
Now I am going to cut in some water lines, sea foam, and ripples using my knife. I cut a small roll of Titanium White on the edge of my knife, and saw horizontally from one side to the other. Allow the lines to get larger as you come closer.
Now I will take a dry fan brush and sweep across each line (except for the one on the horizon) to soften the line and create the illusion of moving water.
Can't have a Bob Ross painting without happy trees, right? I'm using my fan brush and Van Dyke Brown to pull in two tree trunks from top to bottom. They go right off the canvas.
Now loading my fan brush with Sap Green, I lightly tap in branches, then pull the paint slightly to make palm leaves. You can let them run right into each other...they're good friends, you know!
And finally, I take my knife and cut into a marbled mix of Titanium White, Midnight Black, and Van Dyke Brown and touch here and there on the tree trunks to make bark. The neat thing about this is when it dries, it really does feel like tree bark!
This concludes my basic Bob Ross style seascape. My students loved this one...it's so fun and colorful, and a great seascape for the new painter. Oh, and don't forget to sign the painting when you're done! Even though you're using Bob's technique, it's still your own original masterpiece! Enjoy!
This demonstration took place at Edgewater Mall in Biloxi, Mississippi on June 14, 2009. Thanks to Tina from
Art With Heart for taking the pictures!
My little friend Abby Riggs, who is currently fighting Leukemia. You can visit her at RiggsFamilyBlog.com!
