Burning the Midnight Oil

Notes on Oil Painting

with
Tonal Composition
and
Colour Composition

by
Terry Clare
Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters 1
2 Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters
 Burning the Midnight Oil

Notes on Oil Painting

with
Tonal Composition
and

Colour Composition

Traditional Australian Impressionist Academic Realist Wet in wet

Painting techniques

Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters 3

 With the arrival of acrylics
and other paint technologies
the traditional technique for oil paint
is being over looked.

ISBN. 978-0-646-48170-8
copyright
Published and printed
by
Terry Clare
Thornleigh, 2120. Sydney
N.S.W. Australia
phone.612 . 9945 1445
clareterry@optusnet.com.au
Copyright
May be used for non profit lessons
or private learning.
2006

4 Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters

CONTENTS

7 Introduction
8 To begin painting
10 Gear Palletes and Brushes
11 Basic Painting Technique
13 To start a painting
14 Palette Layout
15 Extra Points to make easier
17 The layers of a painting
18 Analogous Colour mixing
19 Complimentary Colour mixing
20 Basic Tones and Compositions
21 Colour Wheel and Colour Compositions
24 Puddle mixing
26 Ebauche pallete
28 Mix browns and greys
30 Just in passing
31 Closing notes
34 Outdoor Check list
35 Pigments & Hazardous Materials
36 Gesso ground for canvas
37 Subject Matter to paint
38 Steps for Antique or Sculptural Drawing
39 Guide for Pricing Oil Paintings

Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters 5

 Inside the Breakwater Brooklyn by Terry Clare

Into the Wharf Clifton Gardens by Terry Clare

6 Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters

 Introduction
It was while I was an Office Machine Mechanic in 1950 repairing
rebuilding and servicing office duplicators that I developed a liking for pulling
things to pieces and putting them back together to see how they worked.
It also entailed wandering around the city streets giving rise to
many opportunities to visit many of the little galleries and art shops dotted
around Sydney town at that time.
Along with surfing and football, I persued an interest in
psychology philosophy and the art of painting and over the years I have
come to admire all those great painters who could juggle all the multiple
aspects of art work and painting to create a masterpiece. There were and
still are many who do this, juggling colour, composition, drawing, and all
the aspects and disciplines neccesary to bring them all together creating a
work of value and attractive beauty.
The belief arose amongst many progressive artists that once
you learnt the rules and techniques of master artists, you were not
emotionally or spiritually able to enjoy it your work and it is was not entirely
free, resulting in a stilted approach and everyone producing similar pictures.
Another group of artists believes that one should serve a long
apprenticeship to understand all the many aspects of arts disciplines, then
to use these skills, enjoying and creating a free and skilled beautiful work
of art. There is again a large group somewhere in between.
There will always be those who can with great simplicity throw a
bucket of paint or draw a swashbuckling line with great artistic expression
and theatrical result . Those who do it successfully have usually completed
a lengthy apprenticeship somewhere. Japanese art is a good example
and has been a source of inspiration for impressionists and many other
successful artists, but one cannot realistically expect to execute such a
discipline without proper full understanding of the technique and training
involved.

Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters 7

 Aspiring to be an Artist
Then begin a painting
When deciding to begin painting, you may accept change or reject any advice given in
this publication, or by anyone for that matter, as it is the perogative of any thinking
individual or artist to develop their own style gathering bits from everywhere.
On starting an imminent masterpiece, decisions have to be been made on the
painting you want, and are about to create, assuming you are in the pursuit of truth,
beauty, justice, the Australian way, aesthetics, eloquence and colour permanence.
Considering this you will now select:

1. The subject
2. Size of the canvass
3. Texture of canvass, rough, medium or smooth
4. Medium i.e. oils acrylics watercolour tempera casein glue or combination in
artist quality.
5. Technique of glazes wet in wet impasto or combination
6. Composition of the painting.
7. You may even consider the type of frame you think appropriate at this stage.

The above points also include colour balance, tonal balance, movement flow or
direction, rhythm of the shapes, centre of attention, proportion or drawing, underlying
structure, form or modelling, perspective, direction of light, quality colour of light,
planes, shadow areas, shape of negative areas, linea recession, tonal recession,
colour recession, simplicity or unity and how to keep it, and are best worked out
beforehand. Usually in a study or during your initial wash in.

Consider next that your composition is turpsed or drawn in, your colours are laid out
and you go to pick up your brush to start, these decisions start to enter your mind.

1. Do I need a clean palette

2. What size brush 1-12
3. Texture or what type brush, hog sable synthetic palette knife,
finger or sharpened brush handle
4. What shape brush square filbert round fan long short or cut brush
5. Which edge of the brush will I use
6. What colours do I lay out on my palette
7. What colour or hue or which pigments make up the colour
8. What are intensity of the pigment colours so I can mix the right amounts
8. Is it transparent or opaque colour
10. Tone is it light or dark enough
11. Value is it hot or cold enough
12. Am I mixing this colour on the canvass or palette

8 Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters

13. Stiffness does it need a medium.
or, if a colour is already there will it go over the remaining paint
14. Which medium will I use, oil turps or liquin. i.e.
Is this an under colour intermediate or final layer
15. How much colour to mix to finish the passage and needed left over
16. How much paint needed on the brush
17. Do I need to clean the brush before during or after the stroke or strokes
18. Broken colour will I pick up two colours at once or paint two next to,
or on top of each other
19. Will I use a firm or light pressure i.e. scumble glaze or direct passage i.e.
(coup de grace)
20. How much will I angle the brush
21. Fast or slow speed stroke
22. Long or short strokes or combination of spots or lines or stabs
considering the drawing
23. Thickness and colour of the stroke considering perspective and drawing
24. Direction and colour of the stroke considering going around or along form
and overall stroke pattern and attitude of line
25. Number of pats to flatten or smooth a stroke
26. Sharp edge or lost edge stroke
27. How do I hold the brush will I use overarm pencil or thumb up grip
28. Will I need a mahl stick to support the brush or
just with two hands or now wait till the wind stops blowing

These decisions can be simplified or put in sequence using a combination of

speed painting and impressionist technique used in varying degrees and fashions.
Now! Lets see if we can get rid of any confusion by organizing this into steps or
a simple technique we can follow.

Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters 9

Gear Palettes and Brushes
Use good quality brushes when painting and clean
them in a tin of pure turps every so often, specially
when they get muddy. Wipe clean on a Toilet Roll
Flat Hog Bristle brushes.
No. 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, & 1. Flat Hog
Filbert Hog Bristle
No.6, 2, 1.(for getting in round areas)
Round sables
1 each No. 3, & 1. (for fine lines & finishing)
Avoid Student colours. Use Artist quality. They go
more than twice as far and are neccesary to make
intense and dark colour. They produce a rich full
glossy paint surface. Even now they are not all that
reliable these days. Students colour looks flat, pale &
chalky.

See a full list or everything on Page 34

You can get by with a simple paint box and easel until
you can afford a French Easel which is really a basic paint
tool for outdoor work. brush
Use a brush holder of some sort when Painting. It will h o l d e r
help you organize everything and keep your hands Made from
clean. Clean hands means you may live longer. Use
a hand cleaner or plastic
gloves. Oil paints are drain
toxic. We don’t use pipe
Flake White any more
(pure lead) Too many
casualties.

PAINT
STORAGE
The tray slides into a box.
Put it in the freezer in 2
plastic bags. Will keep
indefinitely. Fits into a
folding pallete which fits in
a French easel. Or can be
transported in its own
carrier box.

A PICTURE OF A ROLLING
EASEL
Monet used a wheelbarrow. I’m sure
ease and mobility are important.
It takes a white umbrella that can be
secured with thin tent ropes if
windy.

10 Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters

 First a Basic Painting Technique Wet in wet impasto

Several points to start with

These are basics to start painting. Please vary to suit personal preferences
The idea of wet in wet painting is to finish a painting in one sitting while the paint is
wet.
Use a well gessoed canvass to absorb your turps drawn composition. 2-4
coats
Pure turps from a hardware store is OK. Add a very small amount of Mastic varnish
to assist adhesion or use Pure Turps from the art shop.
Paint your composition in tonally with a turps wash and earth colour, covering the
whole canvass adding local dark colours and shadow colouring to the earth colour.
Don’t leave any white areas. Unless using a tinted canvas.
Local colour is the colour of something in a normal light.
Use a turpsy cloth to make corrections until drawing and suggested tone and
composition are what you want. Turps will even correct a pencil draw in. Let the
turps dry for a while
The centre of interest should lie somewhere in the central one third portion of the
canvas
Everything else should diminish as it moves away from the centre of interest. Tone,
colour, light and definition of drawing. This is the most important part of starting a
painting.
Paintings ranging in the two thirds tonally dark are considered more attractive
based on the theory that you can’t have light without dark i.e. you get more
contrast.
Some impressionists ignore this as old fashioned and use bright shadows.
Choose your subject to paint. Have an idea of the composition - colour - emotive
aspect.
BASICS
You may follow a favourite artist’s painting as a guide FAT (medium) over LEAN (turps)
thick layer over thin
as long as you change the subject. Copies are opaque over transparent
unacceptable in exhibitions. Most artists have a light over dark
sharp edges over soft
favourite master or two. 3. small brush - light tones
thin consistency - thick size layer
Three Steps. After the turpsed in image showing 2. medium size brush - mid tones
composition drawing tone colour suggestions and med. consistency - med. size thickness layer

centre of interest. Parts of this can show through the 1. large brush - dark tones
thick consistency - thin size layer
finished work and become part of the painting.
1. First coat. Prepare a suitable dark mix considering the 3
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subject’s local colour, it’s distance and quality (add blue 123456789012345678901234567
2
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for distance) plus (colour of sunset, morning, 1
spring or storm for quality) Add a bit of turps canvas maybe tinted - turps wash
...................................................
and Liquin or Gel Medium.
Using a relatively large brush, broad strokes, block in all the dark tones, shadows of
local colour to cover the whole canvass. Use turps in small amounts. “Smooth Gel
Medium Archival” is OK. At this stage
Vary the dark tones for form (show roundness) as well as the shadows. Warm in
the foreground and distance is cooler.
The lightest colour has a shadow, like grass or water or flat planes in sunlight.
Usually a darker colour of the subject. Don’t use any sharp edges at this stage.
Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters 11
Try to imagine the whole painting and each stroke at every stage
(Looking at the working technique of an artists work you admire may assist.)
This first layer is Thick in consistency Thin in the amount of paint layer Use just a
bit of turps if necessary (no oil) Some Smooth Gel or Liquin is OK
Oil in the first layer causes cracking later due to shrinking after the top layer dries (fat
over lean works)
Dark paint can overpower a colour added later, so only a thin layer of thick paint
then more paint can be put on top. Scrape it off if too thick
If you can get your tonal recession, local colour, and form into the darks at this
stage, then you only have to worry about getting the same in the next layer mid
tones, one tonal range at a time. Makes for a convincing picture
The camera records tonal and colour variations in the lights tones. The human
eye sees colour and tonal variation much better the in the darks. Careful please
when using photos.
This dark painting or moonscape allows you to envisage the final work better and
see correct tones and convincing colours to paint over the top later. It sets the
stage for the whole painting.
Tone is more important than colour in a painting. Colour can be used to impart
romantic subjectivity by toning every colour with a key colour, romantic lighting etc.
Key up your hue colours slightly to allow for fading when paint dries. Wet colour
looks brighter than dry. Old paint looks duller than fresh.
Which is why the painting is varnished later but you still need to exaggerate colour
slightly right through the painting to allow for later fading.

2. Middle coat middle tones middle amount of medium (oil or gel), middle size of
paint layer middle consistency, medium size brushes. A small amount of oil. You
can add a bit to your turps dipper at this stage. Remember your drawing with a
brush. Put it on, don’t skate around.
Follow the direction of the forms with your brush.
Hot dark tones in foreground cool lighter mid tones in distance Let the subject
suggest the technique. Imagine the paint stroke before you jump in
Look 3 times, think twice, paint once. Test the colour on another piece first.
Emphasis edges with slightly warm against cooler variations and slightly darker
against lighter variations.

3. Final coat Thick layer of thin paint. By now your previous layers will have set
slightly. Light tones of various colours. Warm lights at front cool lights in distance
Vary the light tones for form.
Most medium with thick application of paint Smallest sized brushes. Paint the
highlights.
When painting be aware of your centre of interest. This where Highest chroma or
colour. Sharpest edges. Lightest lights and darkest darks Most detail. Premiere
coup or final strokes are. Thickest impasto. No skating here please unless you are
blending edges.
Note If a large area or item in the picture is a predominately bright clean
transparent colour ..say..reds yellows greens or transparent purples i.e. some exotic
tree paintings, flowers, glass and water. Then it is best to leave an area of white
canvas for the transparent colour to be put in pure first or later on. Turps wash in
pure colour then put in the clean transparent colour. Painting the slightly darker
pure colours carefully into that building to darker tones gradually later.

12 Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters

 FAT (medium) over LEAN (turps)
Example to start painting thick layer over thin
opaque over transparent
light over dark - soft edges to sharp
Can be used wet in wet or let dry between
layers 3. small brush - light tones
thin consistency - thick size layer
2. medium size brush - mid tones
Plan your composition with a med. consistency - med. size thickness layer
turps wash 1. large brush - dark tones
thick consistency - thin size layer
Ink or draw in important edges or fine brush
Choose the colour composition for each layer 123456789012345678901234567
3
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using colour wheel seen below 123456789012345678901234567
2
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1
Layer 1. Soft edges all blended. canvas maybe tinted -
...................................................
Layer 1. Darks 7.8.9. hot & cold turps wash

Layer 1. Hot dark 2:1 Cold dark 1:2 foreground

Raw Sienna Raw Sienna
Burnt Sienna Cobalt 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789
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Layer 2. Defined edges blend slightly 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789
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ot
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with dry brush. H ot
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Layer 2. Hot mid 2:1 Cold mid 1:2 123456789012345
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H
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Lt. Red Cad Red 123456789012345
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ot ot
d
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2 8
Yellow Ochre Cobalt 123456789012345
H H C
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Layer 2. Mid tones 4.5.6. hot & cold 123456789012345
ot ol
d
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d
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7
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H
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ol
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d 3
Layer 3. Premier coup pristine strokes. 123456789012345
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C
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ol
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Unless soften for a glow 123456789012345
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C
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Layer 3. Highlights 1.2.3. hot & cold
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4 6
Layer 3. Hot lights 2:1 Cold lights 1:2 123456789012345
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Yellow Och. Yell Och 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789
Cad Yell Lemon/Cobalt 5 5 dl
Tonal proportion selection Co

The Ebauche Palette can distance

t
Aliziarin Red
Ca
come into play to set and Ho
e
rpl d
Re mix the proportion of greys and browns to
Pu d
the amount of pure colour.
In order to control browns and grey you
e
Blu

Or

can use it thinly in your underpainting

an
ad ht

1:1
ra

ge
- S ig
Ult

and add the colour later.

re - L
Pu ark

i.e. Dark grey green or brown shadows in

D

Light
Yellow Orange
Cobalt Blue

Dark - Sad skin tones etc.

Pure -
w
1:3 Da
Pu rk - L 1:2 Use pure colour for direct light, sky,
re
- S ight
ad
flowers, birds foreground etc
Em

w
ello
ald

Use some plan together with a study of

dY
Gr
ee

Ca

the subject to apportion

n

w
Vir
idia Ye
llo Pure colour Browns & Greys
n
Lime Yellow Lem in unequal amounts
remember the golden mean
Let the subject suggest the technique,
Split Compliment selection setting on wheel
select the Tone & Shade & Pure
tones, colour composition, movement,
each in separate proportions
position etc. Catch the moment using the
rules of engagement.
Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters 13
Palette Layout for a right handed painter

le ne Premixed Colour For say a landscape painting,

rin urrp ari lt an Composition
za P m b a i d after the turps in and the
Ali Ca
d
l t ra C o Vir
U
scrub in and after the colour
ed d ed er
dR Re nR mb t composition had been
Ca Lt
Ind
ia
aw
U
r kes
ge
R
Da chosen, the first area to paint
O ran would be the sky.
d
Ca

○ ○ ○
llow re
d Ye ch ○ ○ The first puddle would be a
Ca Ye llO ○
○ ○
○
white base then dragging the
n
mo m colours in from the palette.
Le s t itaniuhite
hte
T W
Lig hot and cold - light and
dark light tones, following
your colour composition.
Save any colours left over when finished.

Then clean the mixing area.

The second puddle to paint the middle ground and the middle tones may be decided
as a Blue with a bit of Raw Umber with a touch of white base colour and draw the
colours in from the palette around to the edge of the puddle to mix nice -

hot and cold - light and dark mid tones, following your colour composition.

Save any colours left over when finished.

Then clean the mixing area.
.

The third puddle for the fore ground may be started with say a dark mix of Ultramarine
Raw Umber and touch of Alizarin.

to make hot and cold - light and dark tones, following your colour composition.

Save any colours left over when finished.

Then clean the mixing area.

As a leading art teacher told me that before applying the paint to you ask yourself.....

Is it the right colour, is it the right tone, is it in the right place. i.e. drawing
....Warwick Fuller
or as another leading art teacher said to my attempt to paint in a cow “ That’s a lovely
dog you have got in there.” ........Robert Wilson

On appraising your almost finished painting you may decide to add another puddle
mixture or to utilise the left over colours from previous mixes.

14 Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters

 Extra points to make painting easier
Give your canvas an extra 2 coats of matt gesso ground
if you use a shop brand canvas BASICS
Painting on a tinted canvas ..similar to pastels...makes FAT (medium) over LEAN (turps)
thick layer over thin
the turps wash easier. Just add highlights and darks opaque over transparent
light over dark
Warm up with a drawing or small study of the sharp edges over soft
subject...know where you’re going. 3. small brush - light tones
Spend plenty of time looking at your subject before thin consistency - thick size layer
starting. 2. medium size brush - mid tones
Think about the painting you are going to do the med. consistency - med. size thickness layer
next day before you go out. 1. large brush - dark tones
Lay your palette out tonally. Mix up some of your thick consistency - thin size layer

basic shade colours and darks. 3

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W Y O R P B G and Black I.E. White, Yellow, Orange, Red, 123456789012345678901234567
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2
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Purple, Blue, Green, Black (a mix of alizarin, viridian, 1
ultramarine) Ordered same as the rainbow canvas maybe tinted - turps wash
(roygbiv) Plus earth colours i.e. Yellow Ochre, ...................................................
Indian Yellow, Raw Sienna, Lt Red, Bnt Sienna, Bnt Umber, Raw Umber. Artist quality
please. Only 1 to 3 earth colours are usually needed.
Look 3 times .think twice.. paint once...then leave it. If its wrong scrape and add correct
colour, tone and drawing.
Don’t over mix colour ..it goes flat and lifeless If a mix goes wrong put it to one side to
use elsewhere
If the painting looks wrong ..wipe or scrape it off.

Visualize painting a passage before you

actually do it ..see the imaginary colours
Your subconscious imagination will work on it in
the back of your mind
Let the subject suggest the technique .. paint
around form....Follow the direction of planes.
For brush direction ..size ..type...imagine it
Some subjects are best painted with an old
splayed brush ..tree foliage, cloud, wash ins
Some artist end up with a cow brush a foliage
brush etc. even sometimes bricking a brush to
splay it
A medium in your second and third layer
can be Art Spectrum N0. 3, or linseed oil.
New synthetic mediums (Alkyds) are best used
early in a painting, they speed up drying
i.e. Art Spectrum Smooth gel, Windsor Newton
Liquin. Best in lower first and second layers.
Use buttery paint....lay it on......little to no
scrubbing (except in the first stage) ..define your
brush strokes
Check your painting for white holes or gaps
as you go. The original turps in or wash serves
to hide these and can become part of the
finished painting. Assists one stroke or premiere
coup effects.
Clean your palette every time it gets muddy or
between stages. Collect for use in greys
later.
The Authour Outdoors

Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters 15

Clean your brush often.. Use a big 500ml tin of pure turps plenty of tissue, a toilet roll is
handy and rag in a plastic bag hanging of your easel. (you’ll need less brushes) Take
your rubbish with you if outdoors.
Keep plenty of paint on your palette..store it in a reasonable size flat tin, ply or a
piece of formica that fits on your palette later, when finished ..put in a box or wrap it in
plastic ..stored in the freezer fridge it last months. You can instead submerge it under
water in a tray. Charge your palette with colour before going to paint.
Poppy Oil can be used instead of Linseed to slow down drying time.
If your paint is old and stiff...work it up with a pallete knife before hand, some medium
can be necessary, some tubes of paint are thicker than others and need adjusting.
Some are slow driers add Smooth Gel. i.e. Titanium white, Lemon dry slow. Raw
Umber dries fast.
Stop every couple of hours or less ..turn your painting upside down to rest the eyes or
look at it in a make up mirror over your shoulder. A mirror hung on the ceiling behind
you at the right angle is best in studios.
Wear a hat or tennis shade...to see better even indoors. If you shade your eyes with your
hand you will see why.
Wear dark clothing or apron to reduce reflection on working surface. Work under shade
or turn easel around into the light.
Don’t paint into sun on reflected water too long ..or near ants. Sunglasses can save
your eyes, wear them as long as possible, headaches from glare can damage your
eyes. . cataracts are common amonst outdoor workers.
If the colour hue is too bright add the compliment and or earth colour. Add light blue
for distance. Transparent paint will go dark when you add whiteor any opaque colour.
To mix a transparent optical Black use Alizarin, Viridian, Ultramarine and a little earth
like Raw or Burnt Sienna. Makes colourful greys. Ivory or lamp black is best used at
the end of a painting. Black can be used insead of blue to make purple or green. It is
often used in portraiture. It tends to darken in time and should be sealed between dried
layers with varnish.
Medium greys mix is, Cad red and Cerulean. Don’t over mix.
Add an earth to make it opaque like light red or raw umber. Opaque paint is darker than
transparent. Raw Umber speeds up drying time. Gel medium speeds drying as well.
Poppy Oil slows drying.
Don’t mix your colour too hard or they will go dead. You arrive at favourite mixes
after familiarisation.
Remember, thick consistency paint on your brush picks up a thinner mixture from off
the canvas, less paint picks up more. Applying a larger amount of a thinner paint
than what’s on the canvass covers it.
Painting and art can only be learned by doing it. Learning to swim from a book can
induce drowning..........Brush miles only can improve your work....keep some of your
best work to measure progress and to show your work. You will know when you are
progressing because you will have enough old paintings to start a good bonfire.
Check the regulations in your area.
Compare your work with your favourite artist. Work out his sequence of approach. Then
create your own.
Study the amount of greys and browns in your favourite paintings compared to pure
strokes.
Painters are basically self taught. Paint 50 paintings then compare your progress
Keep your best paintings to show your high standard. Don’t sell them till you
have better work to show.
Points to remember.....there are no parallel lines in nature (or the figure) .....equal
spaces shapes or sizes.... all is a pleasant inequality set in a changing rhythm.
(like music)
Look for the rhythm attitude and pleasant inequalities in a repeating pattern or series of
objects or lines.
16 Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters
 All the layers of a wet in wet Oil Painting
7
Picture Varnish after 1 yr. when paint is completly dry
6
Retouch Varnish for dull spots and over painting

5
THIRD LAYER Oil Paint thin consistency - thick size layer - small brushes -
light tones - some hard edges - opaque highlights - more oil medium - transparent glazes
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4
SECOND LAYER Oil Paint med. consistency - med. size thickness layer - med. size
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brush - mid tones - find some edges - semi opaque paint - little medium
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3 FIRST LAYER Oil Paint thick consistency - thin size layer - large brush -
dark tones - soft edges - transparent paint - no oil
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2 FIRST Turps Wash to estabish painting composition

1
Well gessoed surface minimum 3 layers to absorb turps wash and hold the first layer of
paint. Canvas can be tinted with a turps wash of earth colours if preferred.

A
We should mention here that the canvas has a layer of Rabbit Skin Glue
or lately PVA (i.e. Chemstick or Bondcrete) to protect the linen or cotton from the oil.
.........................canvas................................
NOTE: When a painting has been allowed to dry between layers, glazes can be
applied at any stage between 3 & 6 before picture varnishing.
Some artists oil a
painting when it is
dry (after 1 month
minimum) with a
mixture of turps and
retouch varnish with
linseed oil, then wipe
of any excess. You
hold the painting at
an angle to reflect
the light onto the wet
oil to see that it is
even.
View of Sydney
from Hunters Hill
by

Terry Clare
Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters 17
 Analogous colour mixing
Mix 2:1 with the colour either side then one further either side to right, plus white

This may be used to make am analagous colour wheel

Aliziarin
Ca
e dm
rpl ium
Pu w
w
e

w
Blu

w
w

Or
ne

an
ari

w w

ge
ram
Ult

w
w
w w w
w
w
w w
w
w

Yellow Or-
Cobalt

w
w
Blue

ange
w w
w w
w
w
w w
w
To
urq

llow

w
uo

w w
Ye
is

w
d
Gr

Ca

w
ee
n

w
w l-
Vir
id n Ye
ian m o
Le
low
Lime Yellow

Using the same method you may make a brown and grey wheel using Earth colours.
Mix your own colours to familarise the effects pigments make on eachother.
They don’t always react as expected. Some have more staining power and others react
chemically to eachother. See page 35.
18 Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters
 Complimentary colour mixing
Use this colour wheel version to make interesting tertiary colours
by mixing each 2:1 with its compliment (opposite)...then once removed (either side)
from the compliment....then mix with white (tint)
Example: * Alizarin + Lime 2:1 then Aliz + Viridian and Aliz + Lemon
then Just a bit of white with each to see the tint
Us this to make your own Complimentary Wheel.

Aliziarin

le Ca
rp dm
Pu w
ium
w
e

w
Blu

w
w
ne

Or
an
ari

w w

ge
ram
Ult

w
w
w w w
w
w
w w
w
w

Yellow
Cobalt

w
w
w w
w w
w
w
w w
w
To

llow
urq

w
Ye
uo

w w
is

w
d
Gr

Ca
ee

w
n

w
Vir w
id m on
ian Le

Lime Yellow

Using a similar colour wheel

Earth Colurs in hue sequence can be used to make greys and browns.
Yellow Ochre - Indian Yell ow - Raw Sienna - Light Red - Indian Red -
Burnt Sienna - Burnt Umber - Raw Umber - Black
Black may be substituted for Blue if you wish..The Old Masters used Black. Blue was too expensive.
Black can still make nice greens and purples.

Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters 19

Nine basic tones Distance....Cooler Low contrast

Accurate tones are the

1
secret to realistic 5 5
painting....They convey the 2
truth of a picture, whether it
is real or not. Colour can 3
6 4
be subdued or exagerated.
Not so tone. 4
Arranged
for
5 3
Nine tones are arrived at by arial 7
subdividing black and white perspective
6
and it’s subsequent tones
7 8 2

8
9 1
9

Foreground. .Warm High contrast

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TONAL COMPOSITION 123456789012
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Using just the 3 basic tones for simplicity arranged in the proportion of 1:3:5 123456789012
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a popular formular for pleasant tonal visual realationship based on the golden 123456789012
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mean 22:7 123456789012
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then converting this to a circular format 123456789012
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we arrive at 6 possible variations. Six pleasant tonal picture possibilities. 123456789012345
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20 Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters

 Colour Wheel similar to used by Howard Pyle (American)
as outlined by Andrew Loomis
An Oriental influence in colour, using an
extra yellow shade in the colour wheel,
was used by many impressionists
This contains:
A. The basics of pure colour
mixing, using a hot and cold of
the each primary colour to
make a clean secondary
colour. B. Gives a truer
opposite or complimentary
colours. and
C. Warmer colour wheel.

The colours in this wheel are not accurate

Please use as a guide only

Analogous colour compositions and Complimentary colour compositions

Too much pure colour of similar tone is gaudy ....These basic colour compositions incorporating
colourful greys and browns in tones and hues will produce better pictures.

Complimentary Double Compliment Triadic Monochromatic

Analogous Variation Triadic variation

Analogous Split Compliment

A colours chroma can be heightened by
surrounding it with an outline of its compliment.
A tone can be lightened or darkened by putting Split compliment variation Complimentary variation
an outline of dark or light colour around it
These two practices can be combined.
When you consider the variations available to consider, you can understand why many
artists planned a painting beforehand. Every colour interacts with the others.
If you study closely the paintings you find attractive, you can evaluate parts that if
removed would detract severely if not included.
You can have a lot of fun trying out different combinations using coloured paper, tiles,
stones whatever and moving them around. Pastels are handy for experimenting.
Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters 21
 Select a Tonal Composition 1 2 or 3
Making Dark Colour Cold Black = Raw Umber. Viridian. Aliz / Hot Black = Brnt Sien. Aliz. Cobalt
Mixed blacks and greys are called optical. Use the transparent compliment of each colour

3
or

1
DARKS MEDIUM LIGHT
HUES * Y * * O * * R * * V * * B * * G *
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
TINTS

BROWN

GREY

Choose either MEDIUM LIGHT DARK

DARK TONE
MEDIUM Y * O * R * V * B * G * HUES
or LIGHT 2 3 5 6 8 9 10 12 13 14 15 18
TINTS
18 YG
Emerald 17 G
BROWN
16 BG
Viridian 15 GB
Torquois 14 B GREY
Cobalt 13 VB
12 BV
Ultram 11 V LIGHT DARK MEDIUM
Violet 10 RV HUES Y O R V B G
9 VR TINTS
2 5 8 10 13 15
Alizarin 8 R
CadRed 7 OR
6 RO BROWN

CadOra 5 O
4 YO GREY
CadYell 3 OY
Lemon 2 Y
Lime 1 GY
3
or

22 Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters

 SIMPLER TONAL PALLETE 7 hues each 5 tones
based on the ebauche

Mixed Black Warm

Virid+Purple+Aliz Grey

RawUmber
+Aliz Cold Grey

BntSienna CadRed
+Viridian

LtRed CadOrange
+Touquoise

IndianYellow CadYellow
+Purple

YellOchre Lemon
+Purple

RawSienna Viridan
+CadRed

BntUmber Cobalt
+Orange

Raw Sienna
+Viridian CadPurple

Darkest Tonally Pure Hue Lightest

Modified with Tube
Compliment or Colour
Earth Colour

Above is a tonal approach used

by the Max Meldrum Method using
impessionist colour mixing without
Ivory Black .
Ivory Black can still be used to
make a nice purple or green with
yellow if you wish.
Primary colours can be changed for
other basics Red Yellow or Blues.
Basic hues are darkend with
complimentary earth colours and
usual complimentary hue colour
Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters 23
Colour of shadows
A shadow can contains 4 colours. 1. The local colour (natural colour of the object in a
normal light) 2. the reflected colour (from the sky or ground or nearby object) 3. Plus a
darker version of the same colour or analogous colours close to it to make it darker 4.
plus add the compliment to darken.
Colour or lights
A light colour can contain 5 colours. 1. The local colour, 2. the colour of the light
source, 3. the reflected colour, and 4. an analogous colour for vibration (along side not
mixed in) 5.plus white.
Monet placed these colours side by side rather than mixing them or scumbled over the
top to get his dazzling effects. Other painters realised you could get an optical effect by
not mixing colours to often with the brush to obtain another colour often called broken
colour. It gave an effect similar to a the marbeling technique.used by book binders
where they stirred colours floated on top of water with a comb.

Puddle mixing for wet in wet impasto painting

Choose your colour scheme... mix a puddle for each layer - clean palette each time
Clean your brush in turps if necessary Plenty of rags and tissue. (toilet roll)
Some samples
Viridian Bnt Sienna
Light Red
Aliziarin
Ultra Blue Aliz +
Ultra Blue + Raw
Yellow Ochre
Cad Yellow
Aliziarin Lemon
Cobalt

MEDIUMS LIGHTS
DARKS
First layer Second layer Third layer
Mix up plenty of colour to finish the job with some over. Keep your colour clean Don’t
over mix. Scrape the palette if things are getting dull.
Clean your brush often with tissue or toilet roll - keep rags handy- use a large tin of
turps to clean your brushes in. Paint like a millionaire.
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

2 The basis of the

puddle No.1 is
called the key,
○ ○
1 mother,
○ ○
○ ○
○
○ ○
○
dominant or
○ ○
○ 4
○
3 ○
○ basic colour.

24 Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters

Puddle Mix Example 1 in colour (Trying to match the colours of Emmanuel
Phillips Fox) see next page Other artists I use for study are
David Davies, Charles Conder, Auther Streeton, Walter Withers, James Jackson, more
recently Doug Sealy, Kasey Sealy, Warick Fuller, Robert Wilson

1. DARK TONES - Light Red + Raw Umber with: Aliziarin Cobalt Viridian
DARKS
layer 1
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

4
Light Red+Burnt Sienna
○ ○

○
○
○ ○
○ 1
○
○
○ ○
○
○
3 2

2 MID TONES - Yellow Ochre + Indian Yellow with: Aliz Cobalt Cad Yellow

MEDIUMS
layer 2

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Lig
ht
Re
d+

○ ○
○ ○
○
Ye

○
○ ○
○
ll

○ ○
Oc

○ ○
h

3 LIGHT TONES - White + Indian Yellow with:

Alizarin Cad Red Cobalt Blue Cad Yellow
LIGHTS
layer 3
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

w
lo
l
Ye
n
ia
nd

○ ○
+I

○ ○
te

○ ○
○
hi

○ ○
W

○ ○
○ ○

Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters 25

 Ebauche Palette Sample of a layout
This is a planned method of painting in the studio
The same basic hues are laid out to mix the shades in the approximate amounts about
to be used in the composition a
Tones and hues are arrived at by dividing and mixing------ a a a
Each artist varied in his arrangement. Techniques varied a a
Y
B I VRO
Ga
o m
G

hr

bla
IB

ark
rk

ck
V

da

oD
s
R

ur

+9
O

ht t
l
Y

co

Lig

ton
b e
tu greys

es
Da
rk t
igh

to
to l
white light
t browns
white one
white
turps

Brown can be greyed.

Care is taken to avoid mud. No over mixing. Their should be the appearance of
some colour in browns and greys to be interesting. Premiere coupe or one stroke.
Scrape and repeat if not correct.
A limited pallet means that .....not all the hues and combinations have to be used
Greys and Browns are used to adjust the Tone and Chroma of Hues
Each layer as it is finished can be allowed to dry
for 8 days. Fat over lean. Several
canvases may be worked on one
after another. A thin layer of oil
with medium retouch varnish or
medium is applied before
commencing an over
painting. Lean varnish
then fatter varnish as
layers progress.
Glazing using various
clear varnishes and oil
or mediums allow great
control over gradual
toning for figure and
portraiture used by Old
Masters. Used in
conjunction with wet in wet
scumbling or scraping can be
effective. Used by Rembrabdt, Whistler
26 Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters
Keeping a simple palette layout
You know at every stage what you are doing and why
A look at the layout of an ebauche palette used for portraiture in the 19th century shows
you how they planned ahead and mixed only the colours they needed for the job

Some artists used ...a brown green or grey or both with colour ebauche. Transparent
glazing with oil and varnish was also used. It became more highly coloured during the
impressionist period becoming more wet in wet opaque impasto painting.
The ebauche was allowed to dry between layers, then sometimes scraped back a
number of times and used as a guide for final work. Parts of the ebauche were often
left as part of the final painting. For skin effects a pinkish semi transparent glaze was
used over green/ blue underpainting.
A simple version based on Delacroix’s palette
White ..yellow.. orange.. red.. violet..
indigo.. blue.. green
Light to dark in tube colours ...W Y O R
V I B G lay out for pallette
Then decending 3 tones of hot and cold
grey and brown depending on the
subject

Pallete layout for greys & darks mix

using primary and secondry opposite each other
The BLUE TRIANGLE
gives you an idea of how
each colour can be
blended with its opposite
when laid out on the
pallete this way.

Palette layout for brown and grey & dark mix

(bottom 1/2 colours transposed to arrange mixing with opposites)
move the BLUE TRIANGLE selector below to the chosen colour mix

juane brillant yellow och indian yellow raw sienna indian red

lemon yellow cadmium yell cad. orange cadmium. red alizarin cad purple

Greys mixture span. Move selector around as needed

cad purple ultramarine cobalt blue ceurelian viridian emerald green

light red burnt sienna burnt umber raw umber

Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters 27

To mix browns geys and clean colour
As there is a hot and cold of each primary colour, you can use the furtherest primaries
to mix a sad secondry colour or closest to mix them as pure clean colour.
Just move the selector to any pair of primary colours.
There are more secondry colours than primaries
Primary colours with some secondies make good browns. Secondry colours make nice
greys
Browns Earth Primary Secondry Tube Opposites
Colour Colours Mix to make greys

28 Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters

 AN ELABORATE COLOUR WHEEL

GREYS

BROWNS

TUBE COLOURS

TUBE COLOURS
1. LY = Lemon Yellow
SEMENT 1 2. CY = Cadmium Yellow
TUBE COLOUR Darks mixed with tube colour if neccessary 3. O =Cad Orange
Pure Medium+ White if necessary 4. CadR = Cad Red
5. Aliz = Alizarin Red
Lights + White if neccessary 6. P =purple
SEGMENT 2 7. Ult = Ultramarine Blue
BROWNS Darks. Tube colour + Compliment + 8. Cob = Cobalt Tourquoise
Black if neccessary 9. Emer = Emerald Green
10. Vir = Viridian
Medium. Tube colour + White if 11. Lime =Lime
necessary BROWNS
Lights. White + tube colour 1. JuanB = Juanne Brilliant
SEGEMENT 3 2. Y.Och = Yellow Ochre
GREYS Darks compliments mixed with tube colour 3. In.Yell = Indian Yellow
4. Gld.Oc = Golden Ochre
Medium + White if neccesary 5. R. S = Raw Sienna
Lights+ White if 6. Lt.R. = Light Red
necessary 7. I. R. = Indian Red
8. BSien = Burnt Sienna
9. BUmb = Burnt Umber
Use together with with colour composition on Page 20. 10. Rumb = Raw Umber
and over next the page. 11. Peach or Ivory Black
Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters 29
 Using the top three
colour wheels,
moveable dics can
be swapped around
to make the next
three colour tonal
compositions
remembering that we
have only 3 tonal
variations. As long
as the tones average
out then the
arrangement should
work out.

Just in passing
To get an idea of colour composition, choose your favourite artists paintings and
document their colour comps. Use them to paint another subject.
Monet and Picasso among others painted the same subjects many times over with
clever variations to great effect arriving at exciting colour comps through trial and error.
I can only assume that the practices of those times i.e. ebauche pallets and Old Master
techniques , encouraged these painters to this kind of excessive masterful studies or
endeavours.
Many miles of thoughtful brush strokes were achieved.
When looking closely at a reproduction of Delacroix’s palette I can only assume to
a method of the technique used around these times which might have gone along
these lines.
1 The study was painted. (many painted only one selected}
2 A colour scheme was selected (only after great consideration and trial)
3 The appropriate colours were laid out (if you had 2 an attractive assistant bon
chance)
These colours appeared in relatively small quantities, so further later addition may
have been necessary
4 A painting was executed with clean bold brush strokes (premiere coupe}
5 A party was held until early hours of the morning to celebrate (pop gurgle gurgle)
1
6 A quick departure was arranged for next week to avoid the creditors {zoom zoom)
Well.....times were hard
Artists made very little money in those days unless adopted by a large generally
overseas gallery or patron.

Area 1 for Largest area of paint . Darks Medium or Lights depending on

composition 3
Area 2 for second largest area of paint.
Area 3 for smallest area. Derived from the Tonal combination selected

Each area arranged hot to cold left to right.......Y O R V B G or your own preference
Darkest to lightest were from top to bottom
Suggest browns be warm.........to the left.........Greys cold ............to the right
30 Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters
Closing Notes
Scumbling or the dragging of a colour over another on rough canvas to leave the
underlying colour show through slightly, may be executed in later layers and must be left
untouched.

The same applies to broken colour or picking up 2 or 3 or even more colours at once
and mixing slightly as applied. A bit like marbling in appearance. The rule usually (not
always) used, is hot over cold, light over dark. Results are usually 50% accidental.

Painting outdoors means the addition of linseed oil or Art Spectrum No. 3 Medium to your
paint later on as it thickens on the palette which occurs faster in the summer specially for
fine lines which usually occur last. Hang a plastic bag off your easel to dispose used
paper wipes rags etc.

Smear vaseline on tube necks to stop lids sticking.

White umbrellas became popular for outdoor painting in the 1800s
Monet used a wheelbarrow to carry his painting gear.

Don’t spend too long looking at paintings you don’t like in books or galleries. They may
lodge in your memory and rise to the surface in your own work. Only expose yourself to
that work which has qualities or techniques you aspire to attain for yourself in your own
work. Specially just before starting a painting.

Train your creative memory by imagining the scene you may be studying or looking at in
oil paints. Try changing the mood or colours of what you are observing in your minds eye
or moving and objects around in compositions.
Imagine it in pencil pastel charcoal watercolour and so on. Can be done while waiting for
the bus.

Major artists paint manufacturers in an effort to reduce the price of oil paints have
increasingly used alkyds in the paint (a plastic that is soluble in oil i.e. smooth gel medium
& Liquin) and cheaper pigment mixed with their paint formulas.
This has altered the drying time (faster) and shelf life (shorter) of the products and their
fade resistance. Dearer old formula Artists colours cost $15 to $30 a tube upwards.
Gamblin, Bloncxs, Old Holland.
Gamblin Gamvar varnish, a synthetic resin varnish developed in conjunction with the
National Gallery in Washington, DC is used by conservators worldwide. This varnish
will not yellow, crack, or dull with age as other, non-synthetic varnishes will, and thus it
slows the aging process of the painting considerably.

The drying time for colours proceed from Light (slowest) to Darks and earth Pigments
(fastest) With Titanium White slowest to Raw Umber fastest This assists most oil
painters who paint Light over Dark and will help prevent cracking. When painting Dark
over light make sure there is Gel medium in the lights to increase drying. Or Poppy Oil
in the darks to slow drying.
To test the fade resistance of your different brand paints (specially reds) place a strip of
canvas with a sample strip of each of your colours in a direct sunny window and cover
half the sample with a strip of board. Compare the fading result of different brands.
Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters 31
To evaluate your painting when working you must walk back 6-8 feet or 2 plus metres.
If you cant use a small mirror over your left shoulder outdoors or a large mirror in the
studio up high at the proper angle is appropriate. Some artist use a dark glass to view the
painting to check tone.

Don’t let abstract artists say to you “Show me something interesting” or its all been done
before. Every painting is different. It takes the greatest difficulty to copy something
exactly and a great deal of time and care. Even the same painting done by the same artist
can be picked by an amateur.

Monet Van Gough and Picasso painted the same thing many times with great success,
changing it to suit a particular composition that came to mind, arriving at an effect by
experimentation.

Abstract artists like the term contemporary and modern often use rulers compasses printers
and projectors with their painting, and are only interested in, and find interesting their own
work or that of their closely knit group usually bohemian in nature. Partying, promiscuity,
alcohol and drugs use are often associated with modern artistic pursuits. I’m not saying
realists are angels.

A large abstract painting can be finished in 1-3 hours, leaving plenty of time for partying
marketing, selling, teaching and anything else to make money.
A Gallery can order 10 paintings from an abstract artist to be delivered in a week.
The result is a massive rise in the number of people pursuing this avenue and a lot of bad
work.
Creativity is defined by abstractionists as something that has not been created before.
This has resulted in some absurd behaviour in order to become recognised as a genius or
true creative.

There have been many exciting movements and changes in the last 100 to 1000 years.
Many of these movements influenced each other but often did not have time to be persued
to perfection.
Going back in history there are many unfinished threads and styles yet to be combined or
persued.
Streeton, Roberts, MacCubbin, E P Fox, Knox, Gruner and many others carried on the
work of impressionism and were the start of a new movement in Australia similar to many
in other countries at that time. Many still pursue this direction and have polished it to a
marvellously fine result.
Unlike music, art techniques tend to get thrown out and are replaced with archaic practises.
With music, jazz is still popular as is classical and past masterpieces are studied and
their methods taught in the academies.

There are many traditional Art Schools coming on-line as more artists seek this type of
information.

There is no END to the evolution of creativity .

32 Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters

Check with your favourite artist for colour composition
and mixing. For Example:
Emmanuel Phillips M Fox

Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters 33

 OUTDOOR P AINTING CHECK LIST
PAINTING Plein Air
Group Basicsneccesary for Painting see Asterix*
Check the weather is it 1 Wet 2 Hot 3 Cold 4 Windy
Oil Colour Water colour Gear &Extras Camping
W&N (Basics*) Windsor yellow Double Dipper* Tent & poles
Winsor Yellow or “ red Canvas Panels* Tent Peg Remover
Cad pale yellow* “ violet Paint Brush Holder* Folding table
Lemon cadmium “ green Mahl Stick* Windbreak
Indian yellow* Indian yellow Hat/Eye Shade*
Camp chair
Yellow ochre* Yellow ochre Sunglasses*
Mattress
Aust red gold Cad . deep yellow Block Out / zinc*
Sleeping bag
Cad scarlet* Aerolian Repellent*
Aliziran* Cad. red Arm Protectors* Clock radio
Perm rose madder Perm rose Liquid Soap*/Hand Lotion Toiletries
Cerulean quincodrine Rags* Electric razor
Cobalt Blue* Light red Roll Toilet Paper* Mirror
French Ultramarine* Venetian red (wipes) Torch & batteries
Cerulean Lunch/*Thermos Esky / food
Manganese blue Juice or water Bottle* Camp stove
French ultra Pliers* Tin opener
Cobalt Sketch Book*/Pencils
Camp dishes
Prussian blue Pencil Sharpener
Mug & Spoons
Viridian Pen knife
Tomahawk
Sepia Camera
Raw sienna Folding stool* Tools
Burnt sienna Sun / rain umbrella* Swimmers/Towel
Raw umber Rope&Peg&Hammer Clothes / jumper
Burnt umber Old Picture Frame Gaiters
Lamp black Canvas Shoulder Bag First aid*
Water & sponges EXTRAS
Gum paper Bottle Opener
Paper Water
Esky
Coat warm
Jumper/Warm Gear
Rain Coat/ brolly*
Beret
Dust Coat/ apron
W’proofMatches
Jar Vaseline*
Old Newspaper
to clean Brushes
If I have left anything
off let me know TC
34 Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters
 Artists Pigments and Hazardous Materials
Colour Chemical Source Symbol
Zinc White Zinc in oxide, silicate,sulfide, etc. Zn
Titanium White Titanium abundant in rocks and clays Ti
Ultramarine Blue Sulphur volcanic & certain stratified rock S
Strontium Yellow Strontium chiefly from celestite & strontianite Sr
Aureolin Potassium in wood ashes & many rocks K
English Vermillion Mercury occurs in nature chiefly as cinnabar Hg
Manganese Violet Manganese associated with calcium, magnesium, etc Ma
Flake White Lead found in galena & other ores Pb
Indian Red Iron as oxide & sulfide in many rocks Fe
Verdigris Copper widely distributed in ores Cu
Cobalt Blue Cobalt occurs as metal in meteoric iron Co
Viridian Green Chromium chiefly prepared from chrome-iron ore Cr
Lampblack Carbon in organic matter as coal, graphite C
Whiting Calcium In limestone, marble, coral, etc Ca
Cadmium Yellow Cadmium small amounts in zinc ores Cd
Barium White Barium found in combined form only, feldspar, mica, etc Ba
Emerald Green Arsenic abundant in native & sulphide forms As
Antimony Yellow Antimony occurs in limestone, metallic ores, etc Sb
Aluminium Stearate Aluminium abundant in clay, feldspar, mica, etc Al

wash your hands before eating, keep hands away from eyes nose & mouth when working
keep a tube of hand cleaner soap and towel ready plus rags and tissue

Mixtures to Avoid (due to chemical reaction causing darkening)

Flake White with...Ultramarine Alizarin Cadmiums Emerald Green Viridian

Alizarin with ... Yellow Ochre Raw Sienna

Chrome Green with ... Alizarin Cadmium

or Chrome Yellow

Cadmiums with ... Flake White Chromes Emerald Green Viridian

or you can use the fact that these colours darken to your advantage
Modern tube colours react less these days due to the use of substitute dye pigments and synthetic
vehicles

Safe Colours Titanium or Zinc.... White Rose Madder Scarlet Crimson

Lemon Yellow.... Indian Yellow

Cobalt Blue.... Ceurelian Blue Windsor Blue

Shades makes attractive mixes Experiment with your own

Alizarine darkened with Ceurelian ground shadows
Ultramarine darkened with Light Red darks
Raw Umber greys when lightened White (flesh tone)
Cadmium Redgreys when mixed Cerulean (fogs, smoke)
Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna Flesh when lightened On blue/green tonal underpainting
Indian or Venetian Red when lightened Salmon or Old Rose lights
Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters 35
 A gesso ground for canvas
8 Parts Wattyl Solaguard Low Sheen exterior acrylic paint
1 1/2 Parts Chemstick or Bondcrete PVA glue (is exterior quality)
1 1/2 Parts Selleys exterior Spackfilla or Plaster of Paris
2 1/2 Parts Titanium White Pigment

for pastel or chalk ground - add

2 Parts Pumice Powder extra fine ground

Mix the Spackfilla powder and Titanium gradually then PVA stirring well
using an electric drill with a paddle mixer attached for 10 - 15 minutes to
prevent lumps

This makes a thick paste which can be diluted with a dash of water.
Brushing the paint into the canvas well makes it go thinner.
Don’t add too much Plaster or the mix will go hard in the can.
Keep in a sealed container.
Stir well before using again. The titanium sinks to the bottom.

Dries in 2 - 3 hours. 2 to 3 coats are necessary

Leave dry for as long as possible before using, minimum 2 weeks.

A 10 oz. coarse or fine weave canvas can be glued to cardboard,

craftboard or ply with PVA glue or as a stretched canvas (seal the back of
a stretched canvas with a quality PVA before stretching) then gessoed
with the above recipe to make a permanent extra bright slightly absorbent
ground for acrylic or oil painting.

36 Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters

Suggestions Subject Matter or What to paint
Objects Depicted and their influences
A Still Life in & out of Picture Plane flowers dolls toys tractors trains objects
B Landscape fertile barren hard soft or geographic location
C Water rivers dams ponds lakes waterfalls action flow still reflections
E Seascape oceans boats wharves harbours rocks beach waves
F Animals horses cows sheep koalas kangaroos birds cats dogs dragons
G People crowds groups pairs lone young children old costume
H Figure Portraits nudes male female draped and clothed
Influences on subjects
1 Time of day sunrise sunset high noon moonlight in between
2 Time in history modern present frontier biblical mythological
ancient
3 View angle low level high
4 Subject angle rear frontal 3/4
5 Light direction back front (flash) 3/4
low level high
hard medium soft
bounced light
6 Seasons autumn summer spring winter
7 Weather Fog wind snow storm rain wind flood sunny hot cold
8 Gender male female bath toilet war sport dance play
angels gods mermaids fairies
princes witches devils wizards
9 Emotion death love holidays carnivals work poverty freedom fear
comedy

(X factor) happiness desire passion horror loneliness unhappiness

beauty emotive story event happening
ugliness drama nobility majesty utopia religious fervour
wind fire peace still touch friendliness and so on

Emotive power of pictures in different overall key colours mainly darks

different colours have a differing emotional response
match the overall dominant key colour to the emotion feeling story
e.g. green= envy, cold, rejection, fear, bad music, lunch, pastoral wealth, etc.

Make a list for your own direction

Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters 37

 STEPS for Antique or Sculptural Drawing (chiaroscuro)
as taught by Mr Gunther Seaforth Tech 1966

Straight Lines -Establish the size, using straight outlines and the attitude of
other
Proportion outlines and the centre line of masses or skeletal frame
Relationship of each part - sizes of negative spaces - relate to
Perspective classical models
Pivot Points of planes to horizon - direction of shading- foreshortening
shoulders hips joints neck feet - where flow changes direction
Rhythm - pressure points
of spaces lines objects adding to the flow or direction to the
Space Critical patterns and actions
-feeling your way slowly using feint lines - fuzz - light colour
deliberate searching till a subject emerges - simplify large spaces
and their relationship - find the planes to form masses - cubes
Skeletal Frame of simple mass - deliberate don’t scratch
- check the underlying structure - points where
Tonal bones lay close to the surface - hard or rocky outcrops
Perspective - lights determine the light source - lighter near light source and
darker further away - darks are lighter near the light source and
darker further away - outlines become heavy in shadow or where a
sharp plane exists & light or no outline on light side or where a
gradual plane exists
lines are darker in the foreground and lighter in the distance
Firmly Slowly lines follow the direction of the form surface in relation to
the horizon - let the subject suggest the technique
-look thrice think twice draw once
Tone Bias - lines becomes part of the shadow in the darks and
Overemphasize part of the background on the light side (generally)
-reinforce the overall tone of the object (not the detail)
-graduating darker away from the focal point - shape - form -
major character details - point of interest - by going over the
same steps again using a firmer approach
38 Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters
 GUIDE ONLY PRICING Oil Paintings
Multiply the width by the height.. add Quality 3% or more...add size o/heads...frame...etc.

Size Equals Quality +% Frame Comm- S/Tax Entry Fee Delivery Insurance Sales
inches 10,5, 3% o/hd ission Discount

6x 8 48 50 150 200 300 330

8 x 10 80 83 173 250 350 385

12 x 16 192 196 266 350 480 530

Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters 39

14 x 18 252 260 310 390 520 575

16 x 20 320 330 377 470 650 715

18 x 24 432 445 490 590 790 870

24 x 36 864 890 932 1050 1400 1870

30 x 42 1260 1300 1340 1460 1950 2600

 samples of paintings

The Shed Fagan Park Galston by Terry Clare

40 Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters

Samples of Puddle Mix Painting with wet in wet improvements

Lighthouse, Bradley Head by Terry Clare

Flinders Gums by Terry Clare

Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters 41
 AR
ARTT
Art is visual or aural creative expression, wooing emotion for
spiritual entertainment and enjoyment
Sometimes both aural & visual
It can take the form of Dance Theatre P ictures Music
S culpture Costume or Nature
Often complemented by combinations of these.
The five human senses with Imagination invoke Creativity
When in a calm pleasant unhurried environment
Within N ature, the Great outdoors or spectacular Architecture
Particularly when in the presence of similar minds sharing
the same experiences
Ideas come out of a spiritual ethos as if from elsewhere
Appearing in dreams and subconscious wanderings
If they are not recorded instantly they can disappear
Always have a notebook and pen handy
Unless creators are in a reasonable state of Grace or have
a level of Moral standing and Conscience
A lack of peace and calm can inhibit their creativity
Faced with a creative outcome of unusual ease and success
One can only wonder if they were the one and only sole instigator
Sometimes it is a whisper in the ear or it seems as if
The is work is progressing by itself and a sense of joy is ever present
Despair ensues when nothing happens
Pleasant persistence & perspiration is the only way forward.

42 Northern Promontory Plein Air Painters

NOTES

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