The Illusion of Detail
Stuart Davies・20 minutes read
Artist uses unique techniques and materials to create fantasy paintings, focusing on dramatic skies and loose landscape edges. Prefers painting on wood for better scraping effects, offering painting courses in France at a reasonable price with a relaxed and informal teaching style.
Insights
- The artist uses a distinctive technique of loading the brush with varying amounts of color to create fantasy paintings with loose sky and landscape edges, preferring wood over canvas for better scraping effects.
- Despite preferring to create what they want rather than taking commissions, the artist offers reasonably priced painting courses, including a 5-day intensive course in France, showcasing a unique blend of informal teaching style and understanding of students' needs.
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Recent questions
How does the artist create fantasy paintings?
The artist creates fantasy paintings by focusing on the sky as the main element of the artwork, dedicating the bottom third to landscape. They use SAP green and red ochre with linseed oil on wood, loading the brush with more red on one side. The sky and landscape edges are kept loose to blend together for instant perspective, avoiding cliches like water pools and opting for unique light spots on the ground. By using big brushes for painting and occasionally adding details with q-tips or thin brushes, the artist achieves a unique effect in their paintings.
What materials does the artist prefer for painting?
The artist prefers painting on wood over canvas, specifically plywood boards over MDF for stability. They apply three coats of gesso before painting for better tooth and texture, enhancing the scraping effects they desire. For the sky, they use cadmium red and ultramarine blue to create dramatic skies with dark colors for contrast. Additionally, the artist uses kitchen paper for texturizing, aiming for a flat texture without repetitive patterns in their artwork.
How does the artist teach painting to students?
The artist offers a 5-day intensive painting course in France for 500 pounds, focusing on horizontal and vertical brush strokes to create a unique effect in paintings. They instinctively understand what students want to learn, making the course relaxed and informal. Despite challenges with teaching over Skype due to poor webcam quality, the artist ensures students leave with similar painting skills after the course. Accommodation options are available nearby for non-French speakers attending the course.
What is the pricing of the artist's painting courses?
The artist's painting courses are reasonably priced at 500 pounds for a 5-day intensive course in France, offering a more affordable option compared to other similar offerings that can cost between seven and nine hundred pounds. The price excludes full board and accommodation, but the artist ensures that students leave with improved painting skills after the course. For those interested in supporting the artist, they have a Patreon page where funds go towards art supplies and equipment, including a better camera for video recording to improve quality.
Why does the artist prefer using big brushes for painting?
The artist prefers using big brushes for painting to create a unique effect in their artwork. They occasionally use q-tips or thin brushes for distant details like tree trunks, but the main focus is on horizontal and vertical brush strokes. By using big brushes, the artist can achieve the desired scraping effects on wood, as well as blend the sky and landscape edges together for instant perspective. This technique allows for loose edges and dramatic skies with dark colors for contrast in their paintings.
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Summary
00:00
Fantasy Sky Paintings on Wood Panels
- Artist uses SAP green and red ochre with linseed oil for painting, loading one side of the brush with more red than the other.
- Main focus of paintings is the sky, with the bottom third dedicated to landscape, creating a fantasy painting.
- Artist uses brush tip for dark coverage and side of the brush to scrape away paint to reveal gesso on wooden panel.
- Prefers painting on wood over canvas for better scraping effects due to canvas texture.
- Sky and landscape edges are kept loose to blend together for instant perspective.
- Avoids cliches like water pools in landscapes, opting for unique light spots on the ground.
- Uses kitchen paper for texturizing, preferring flat texture without repetitive patterns.
- Uses cadmium red and ultramarine blue for the sky, preferring dramatic skies with dark colors for contrast.
- Uses big brushes for painting, occasionally using q-tips or thin brushes for distant details like tree trunks.
- Plywood boards are preferred over MDF for stability, with three coats of gesso applied before painting for better tooth and texture.
18:31
"Artist offers unique painting courses in France"
- The artist prefers creating what they want rather than taking commissions, focusing on horizontal and vertical brush strokes to create a unique effect in their paintings.
- Teaching painting over Skype is challenging due to poor webcam quality, but the artist offers a 5-day intensive painting course in France for 500 pounds, ensuring students leave with similar painting skills.
- The artist instinctively understands what students want to learn, making the course relaxed and informal, with accommodation options available nearby for non-French speakers.
- The artist's painting courses are reasonably priced compared to other similar offerings, which can cost between seven and nine hundred pounds, excluding full board and accommodation.
- The artist has a Patreon page for those interested in supporting them, with funds going towards art supplies and equipment, including a better camera for video recording to improve quality.
