Painting coach, mentor, teacher. Light transforms the ordinary or even beautiful into the exceptional. My quest is to capture these fleeting moments and help people see things again through new eyes.
To see more of my paintings go to my website: www.michaelorwick.com
Practical Tips: ● Experiment: Try both techniques on a small scale to see how they interact with your chosen palette. ● Patience: Both techniques require patience, as they involve building up layers and allowing for drying time. ● Balance: Use glazing for areas where you want smooth, luminous effects and scumbling for areas where you want more texture and variation. Both techniques can be used together to create a dynamic interplay of light and shadow, enhancing the overall impact of your artwork.
Scumbling Scumbling involves applying a thin, opaque layer of lighter paint over a darker, dry layer, allowing some of the underlying color to show through. This can create a textured, broken color effect. This technique is used to: ● Create texture and softness: Scumbling can soften edges and add a textured, atmospheric quality to your painting. ● Lighten areas: It can lighten parts of your painting without completely covering the underlying colors. How to Scumble: 1. Prepare the paint: Use a dry brush technique with a small amount of paint. The paint should be thicker and more opaque than a glaze. 2. Apply the scumble: Gently brush over the dry, darker paint layer. The goal is to create a broken, textured effect rather than a smooth layer. 3. Build texture: Different brushes or tools can vary the texture and effect. Benefits of Scumbling: ● Texture: Adds a textured, atmospheric quality to the painting. ● Softening Edges: Can soften edges and create a sense of depth and distance. ● Variety: Introduces variety and interest in the surface of the painting.
Hello Michael. I am new to your channel and I'm amazed with your easel. Did you make it yourself? If no then where did you get it? I am loving your work.
Glazing and scumbling are two essential techniques in oil painting that can add depth, texture, and complexity to your work. Glazing Glazing involves applying a thin, transparent layer of paint over a dry, lighter layer. This technique is used to: ● Enhance depth and luminosity: By layering transparent colors, you can create a rich, glowing effect that adds depth to your painting. ● Adjust color and tone: Glazes can subtly shift the color and tone of the underlying paint without completely covering it. How to Glaze: 1. Prepare the glaze: Mix your oil paint with a glazing medium (like linseed oil or a commercial glazing medium) to achieve a transparent consistency. 2. Apply the glaze: Use a soft brush to apply the glaze over the dry, underlying paint. Ensure the layer is thin and even. 3. Build layers: Allow each layer to dry completely before applying the next. Multiple layers of glaze can be built up to create rich, complex colors and subtle transitions. Benefits of Glazing: ● Depth and Luminosity: Glazes can make colors appear more vibrant and luminous. ● Color Adjustment: You can adjust the hue and value of underlying layers without completely covering them. ● Smooth Transitions: Glazing can create smooth transitions and soft edges, ideal for rendering light and atmosphere.
Box store plywood is notorious for not staying flat. If you go to a woodworking store you can purchase cabinet grade plywood, it will stay flatter. Quite often Rockler has sales on 1/4 inch thick, 12" square, cabin grade plywood.
This is one of the best art lessons I've ever seen, very good and covers several subjects, especially about the lines. Thanks, this is the first time I've seen your lessons.
I'm so happy you enjoyed it. The section about lines is from an article by Mary Pettis. I hope you sign up and find more of my classes help on your art journey.
Thank you for the lesson, Michael. For the demo. I see what you mean about achieving that glow from the sun, as you were saying and did, adding the reddish glaze around the trees, then the yellow. Fantastic!! And I like the blue fog and trees in the background. Let me ask you a question- how does the thicker overpainting of bluish tones for fog hold up? Does the light over dark opaque become pasty looking? Do you wipe it off? I’m watching to the end to find out!
I would experiment for sure. Just know the colors do mix. The top color shows more if I let the layers dry between applications. So, if you want bluer shadows, you may want to add that color last. Let me know what you learn as you play with it.
Hey 👋 Michael! I like this technique a lot. Having been in the commercial art world, now retired, and exploring plein air painting, I appreciate your style… and reminds me of Bernie Fuchs, using rags or towels to create atmosphere. Very nice! It’s a technique I learned in a Master Painting Technique college course in 1973. 😂 I’m going to try it again. And the fact you reference Bob Ross is fantastic!
Kimberley Brooks's book discusses the use of clove oil, the very odor of which can keep oil paints from drying (oxidizing). So I put a few drops of it on a cotton ball and place it on my palette, then cover it and the paints with sheets of "rescued" plastic salvaged from packaging (e.g. from unwrapping commerically made canvases.) And I learned a painting medium/brush cleaning recipe from Amery Bohling that eliminates solvents: 1/4 clove oil to 3/4 linseed oil. Dip & wipe your brushes between colors and at the end of the day and they stay ready to use for several days - you can also drip one drop of the mixture onto each dollop of paint you want to stay soft on your palette. No more solvents for me.
With only 15 strokes, simplicity becomes crucial. Simplify your subject even further. Focus on the absolute essentials. Bold Choices: Be bold in your stroke selection. Each one should contribute significantly to the overall image. Think about contrast, balance, and harmony. Expressive Marks: Use expressive marks-thick, thin, jagged, or smooth-to convey texture, emotion, and form. Remember, these challenges encourage you to think critically about your brushwork, composition, and storytelling. They’re not about perfection but about embracing limitations and finding creative solutions.
Im really wanting to try indian tellow now. Ive been using transparent yellow oxide as its more consistent than yellow ochre. Do you have experience ysing both indian yellow and TYO? Is it worth it for me to go buy indian yellow or do you think the "glowiness" is different? (I dont typically glaze). Thanks!
I googled Michael Stack. What an amazing eye for light and colour and form. It seems he passed in 2019 unfortunately. Thanks so much for introducing these artists! So much inspiration. Hester's brushwork is fabulous.
