Will watching today's show make you a better artist?

It's up to you!

[piano plays in bright rhythm & tone] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Well, how did you like the show?

Oh, It's just the beginning.

No fear.

I want to show you what I plan to do today.

This is a pochade.

Now, I call a pochade the French term might be poach, or something like that but I call it a pochade.

And it's done either on location or and some people call that plein air I'd basically call what I do "plein mem," because I do it from memory, having viewed this and feeling it and coming back and you paint more the image of it more than a photographic copy of it.

I don't resent photographic copies, but I chose to do this.

You can see the amount of texture on it which is quite nice, and you can see the nice stream which has a lot of vibrancy in it, we'll be doing that plus we will probably emphasize just a little bit more in the sky area.

Now let's go over to the canvas that I have for today.

This is part one of a two part series and on wood interiors.

And this is a prime canvas which has the tone, the the color that I use quite often and the value which is 6 white, one Permanent Green Light and one Payne's Gray, so it has a bit of a grayish green flavor to it.

You can vary it if you wanted to use blue and white maybe with a little either green or a little black or Payne's Gray into it.

So it's your choice, you find what works for you.

We do have outlines of where the trees are and that are done with Ultramarine Blue acrylic because we're going to do acrylic throughout the whole thing, then we'll go ahead and do it.

So I want you to enjoy this.

Let me read something to you.

"We learn from things we know."

That, you know, so in other words when I go out I'm learning how to use what I know in another way.

So I hope that makes sense; it makes sense to me.

Let's go ahead and start with just some Ultramarine Blue.

I'm dipping in-- let's take another brush.

This is a large brush it's sort of stiff, it's a bristle brush in other words and this is the Ultramarine Blue.

When I put this on, I will come across the trees and I may have to wipe a little bit for them, however, I will see the tops and that will show how I can continue down below.

So this is Ultramarine Blue.

As far as where do you start?

I feel because of the overall darkness in through there that I would start with the Ultramarine Blue.

And then we will build to having lights in it and having some of the greens on.

So we can do a long ways with the acrylics.

Dipping back down, putting this on.

There's a nice log going across there.

I don't know if its substantial enough to become a bridge, a footbridge, but it might be.

This in here, the blue goes all the way to the top.

Now I'll work with this just a little bit meaning I'll soften that slightly in just a minute.

I'm kind of deciding upon the position and everything with this.

And you can see as I suggested, because of the blue you can see through, you can see the drawing, can't you.

This one goes up a little higher.

I'm well aware that my light needs to travel in straight lines, so if I have strong light there, then I have to ask what makes this so light down here?

We might have to go a little lighter up there too so we can have light travel in a straight line, although with the trees, it's going to throw things off a little bit.

It'll peak through, the lights will peak through several places.

Okay, a little more dark there, and then as I go over to the right-- oh, let's soften this first.

What you might want to do is have just a little dampness on a paper towel so that when you kind of roll it, it just softens slightly.

Oh, I like that-- you did very well, paper towel.

And a good paper towel although I endorse no particular brand, I have a good paper towel, and it doesn't leave itself, it doesn't leave evidence up on the canvas that it was a paper towel, like a brush will sometimes leave a hair there or sometimes the artist might leave a little hair there.

Okay, so leave a little hair there-- that's all you have Buck is, a little hair!

Okay, let's go over here, this is on the "Wood Interiors" if you go back to the original you can see I'm looking in this area I'm going to spot those in and spot a little bit in there with the blue.

Same thing here, I choose to come right across the tree trunk knowing I can still see it through the blue that I'm applying.

I want to go just a little stronger there.

When I first started with this painting this morning I used water as I went in there, but I noticed I'm using a little dry brush as I come up-- it's up to you.

But there's a certain control on little shapes when you when you use the dry brush.

Okay let's come down into the water, I will use a little bit of water for the water!

We'll come under here, this will be under the little side of the bushes, the shore, and then we'll come down in here.

This will represent the reflections of the foliage from above and it can take many different shapes as well.

You'd say well do we see the reflection of the trees?

You sort of see the reflection of the trees, but its a little bit muffled because it's coming across through the bushes there.

So it doesn't have to be as brightly stated as you might if there were just trees and water right there.

Over on this side like that, a little more there.

I'm conscious of the openings I'm leaving for the highlights.

And let's go over in this corner with, all with the blue.

[soft scraping] I told you on an earlier show how my students at home in Santa Barbara they say tell us what you're doing.

So I use the analogy of saying walk your talk.

They often say that to sports people where they say oh, I'm going to hit a home run, I'm going to hit a home run!

well, walk your talk; let's see you do it.

So we changed that to talk your walk.

You know where you're going but talk to us so we know what you're doing, what you're thinking is and I think that's very helpful, so you'll see on these shows-- I don't mean to compare with some other TV artists but you'll see I will talk a lot about what I'm doing, or should be doing.

Just sneaking a little bit of the dark in there.

And now I want to come with the same blue but a different brush, I have a flat sable brush, and I'll put a little water on it.

It's going to come down simply through and become the trunk of the trees.

The thing that I just did, and I want to be sure that I do it again is, that is not ruler straight.

So if I just, a slight little wiggle, you're kind of cautious about overdoing or underdoing.

Then you always watch at the bottom do I want those tree to come together?

I do not.

So they're close down there but not together.

Then we have one over here that is just a little straighter or slightly curved to the left.

It doesn't, it has a little bit of covering on it, so it's not as open.

But do you see how there's a difference in the width and there's also a difference in the slant.

Now we have to large trees that are right here.

These will be a very dominant tree.

Let me just say this as I'm doing this-- and look at the small little painting.

You don't see a lot of darkness there, so we'll we'll see what happens on this one.

But what I'm telling you too is on a pochade, is that I'm making use of it.

I am not a slave, I am not a slave to that pochade.

You are inspiration.

But your inspiration and my knowledge are what I'm putting together.

Let's get this one more over here.

Let's see, when I look at that, when I look at the little pochade, I see it as being at a little slant.

I think okay, it's slanting back the other way just slightly.

I like having the little fingernail just touching the canvas, then you have a control on how much pressure is put on.

There are a couple branches here; I'll put this one on.

We'll sort of lose some of these things as we put the green on, but we'll find them again.

Your one there, oh, this one has a good one.

You don't see much of it now, but when it becomes light, when we put a highlight on it, when we come to the color then it'll really stand out.

Okay, some of the dark will sort of outline between the rocks.

Let me see.

I'm looking at this which is not rock.

So this is not rock.

But then we start picking up a rock over here.

I'll try to stand so you can see what's happening.

Okay, what about what about this area in there.

I feel almost a need for just the lightest lightest smallest amount.

This is going to be quite watery, and I'll put that on, so this is what I mean by a lighter, lighter, lighter amount.

So I'm sort of covering the green without too much heaviness, but it'll be just a little bit easier to judge when I put on the real green.

What about in there?

Not so much.

Here I want some too.

Okay, check the opening.

That's, that's ah, quite sizable.

I'll take a little bit of the blue, and we'll go up to the top and push over just a little more.

So the the lightest light will be a little lower than the top of the canvas.

I do want to go back with the darkening the trees too.

So there's one there, I have water with that which makes it flow very well, almost like a watercolor.

Of course, acrylic can be used like watercolor.

You just have to, and when I say that I certainly don't mean that as, that you could equal watercolor with this.

You could do very well.

Oh, some of the watercolor artists are so good!

Oh!

Love the softness, and I've used watercolor just for my own enjoyment, and it's quite nice.

You apply principles.

That's the thing, you apply principles from one technique to the next.

You play softball, what's your technique?

Keep your eye on the ball.

You paint, you're looking-- keep your eye on your subject.

Similar, isn't it?

Okay that was for you, John.

Now, let's take and put on-- oops, you're dripping just a little bit.

Often, there's other little subtleties, the blues and so on in there, but it's nice to establish your center of interest which certainly is going to be the highlights against the darks.

So what we have is, this is white.

And let's take Raw Sienna.

Okay, my first thought is, I don't want to put that up quite so pure as that so I'll take a little bit of the blue and just touch it in the side.

Therefore when you come on with the oils, come on top of it with the oils, you can always go just a little bit lighter.

And you'll find that when we get to the oil stage of this, we'll be using some knife work too, which is very helpful.

Okay, when I put this on, I'm sort of watching the direction I want it, so I'm going to turn the brush like this and I'm patting it on.

Patting it on gives a nice controlled feeling, then you're also getting just a little bit of texture, not a lot.

Okay, where else do I need that?

Let's come over between there.

And looking at the original, if you're calling this, the pochade, there's light in there so I'll go over just a little to the next one.

And on mine, on the original here that we're making from that, I have a nice branch there.

I think that was a good addition.

I'll draw just a little bit there so I can pull down, and then just spotting in.

Let's wait on that, because I want to have another different color to do that with.

So let's go with a different color.

Where are you Thalo Blue?

Out there.

I'll, rather than getting more white I'll just pick this up because we're going to be making it off-white anyway.

Okay, this is blue and white, Thalo Blue and white.

And the use of the fan brush again will fill in.

When I'm filling it in, I'm really looking at the corner of the brush.

However, if you fill the whole brush in then you can use both corners-- lasts longer.

So here we'll come on the sides a little bit what we put on, then when we sneak over for more sky showing we're using that blue.

We'll come under this one as we did here.

A little bit on top, a little bit there, there, there, there.

Then again like this, we'll go over in showing some sky there, and I'll go there so you feel like there's, instead of one large tree, you have a couple smaller ones.

Okay, now what I want to do with this blue is to-- should we have a little water?

Yes, little water with it.

And we'll come down into the reflection area, and instead of putting the light in first, I'm putting on the blue first with the idea that I'll leave a little space here and there for the highlight to come.

So there'll come some in there, and we can go right on top of the blue too with the highlights, so it's not that necessary to leave a space for it.

Soften across that blue-- whether we do it now or in the oil stage we will come across there.

Okay, there's just a little light.

And what should I use?

I'll use the blue first.

We have a log there that I haven't placed on yet, but there's a little light that's going to be right under it, and that's a neat thing.

Now, you really don't see a lot of blue over here.

I'm wondering, and for the moment I'm thinking let's show a little bit, then when we get to the oil stage if we decide to lose it, fine.

That's what I enjoy about working with a pochade.

You, the artist, are called upon to make decisions, and while you make decisions on others, I mean, this is kind of major.

all the time that you're painting from memory and doing this, you have principles in mind of composition, composition-- how your eye goes through the picture.

Really nice and these things sway down and help.

Okay, so let's go ahead with some green and I have-- what are you?

You are Permanent Green Light and you are Payne's Gray.

I'll put some more white out because I might need some of that other highlight still there.

Okay so, and Raw Sienna.

Now let me hold this up to the original, to the pochade.

It's a little bit darker, and that's fine; therefore you have a chance to build.

It was interesting, I received an email from one of the viewers and said oh, I just love your work and all that, but would you please tell me what a postcard is?

It's "pochade."

I like it, but I don't know what a postcard is!

And I don't mean to make light of that, I appreciate that.

I'd probably ask the question myself if I hadn't been the one to do it.

Notice as I'm doing this, I'm not putting the green on solid.

There's quite a lot on, but it certainly makes use of some of the blue underneath, and it will make it so we can have a building process.

We'll be building quite a bit of light.

I'll put a little water in.

A lot of light on, and when we get to the oil stage, we'll incorporate the use of the knife a little bit.

Okay, we'll go on the other side, and I'll try to step back here so you can see!

Now, notice on this one I'm going to go into there a little bit, so I go across this tree, then this comes in like this.

This is such a help towards bringing your action, your eye down to this area.

So otherwise we just sort of splash this on.

Oh, it's great.

It's amazing how much fun it is and yet in having fun you realize there's time limits.

But you for sure have to come back next time because we are going to put oils and magic into this painting.

There is that green as we suggested right out here.

Okay, what I would like to do sort of quick like would be to put a little bit of light in the water.

I'm going for the Raw Sienna and white.

This.

And less over there but there's quite a bit there too.

Now I don't know why or how, but this one I love maybe we'll have to go a little lighter up there too.

But anyway, through filtered trees you can get quite a variety.

Then we'll put this down in here.

I think what would help before we leave this thing would be, and don't say "thing" Buck, it's a pochade; it's a painting.

This is Burnt Umber and we'll take and run this down with a little Raw Sienna, a little bit down on these trees.

And the third one to the right, do you get any of this?

Oh maybe just a little bit, not much.

But I do want some of that, I'll put, that's the Umber and Raw Sienna, put just a little white in it, and we'll come down establishing some rocks.

That's great, that feels good light.

We'll take some of that same color I just put on there.

We'll be putting some good strong lights on here but before I leave you, and oh it's so nice to be here with you-- put just a little bit of where the branches coming across there, a little bit of where the branch is coming across there, then we'll put some of that color on the log.

And in the water you have just a little bit of a reflection a cast shadow I guess you would have to say.

I'll touch the edge of the log a little bit so it's shaded slightly too.

I feel very good about where we are today.

I'll feel a lot better when you come next time and we show you how to put the oil on top of the acrylic stage for "Wood Interiors."

See you next time.

Bye!

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