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Quick hints for an oil painting of a mountain landscape.
Use hardboard primed with two coats of acrylic primer and sketch the subject in 4H pencil. It is better to sketch than to photograph if possible. When using photographs artistic licence can be used to find the subject that you prefer, by adding or removing a tree to make a more balanced picture. The mountains are the important feature that people recognise when painting subjects such as the Lake District, whatever the foreground.
Acrylic paint dries quickly and can be used before applying oils. A stay wet palette made with damp blotting paper and greaseproof paper keeps the paint wet. With a lid the paint keeps fresh for weeks. Alkyd oil paints are also quick drying and allow you to paint over surfaces quickly.
Using a palette knife is a quick way of blocking out the foreground to establish the dark tones for the rest of the painting. One of the most difficult things is to provide life in a painting. Using warm and cool colours next to each other is one way of achieving this.
After applying paint to the sky with a knife merge the whole area by brushing gently with a fan shaped brush. The whole essence of a painting is the impression that vit gives to the viewer. Details are not as important as the overall impression. Always put paint on thinly and finish off highlights with a thicker layer. Painting is about problem solving, as it very rarely goes according to plan. Paint whatever is most pleasing to you.
A few horizontal strokes with a brush on a stretch of water give the impression of ripples and a gate hanging off its hinges can lead you into the picture. An oil painting should always be varnished to protect the surface. In 20 years time a gentle clean with cottonwool and soap solution will remove dirt from the surface and keep the painting fresh. © GMH
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