Hi Lipizzaner! First of all, don't lose heart - we've been through this before and we'll probably go through it again!
I don't know exactly what your particular problems are, but lets try and take some of the mistique out of it.
Lets take the first thing to do first; look at your paper. Is it 140lb (300gsm) or less? The thinner the paper, the less you can play with it. Try a heavier paper, or if you can't do that, stretch the paper by soaking it for a couple of minutes, then tape it down to a stable board. This will ensure that the paper stays flat when you wet it with paint.
Next, try putting down an even wash (for a sky, perhaps?) with Cobalt Blue with water added. Lay down this wash with a No16 Round (or a Large Flat). Ensure that you have enough paint mixed for the area you want to cover, then charge the brush and apply the paint in single strokes across the paper, moving down with each stroke, and perhaps adding a little more water with each pass. If you run the brush across the paper with one stroke, you will achieve a very smooth lay.
Next, add a touch of Alizarin Crimson to your sky colour and (when the base of the sky is dry) run across an undulating wash of this mix for some hills, perhaps adding a little Burnt Umber for the base of the hills.
Next, take a mixture of Ultramarine and Cadmium Yellow and, doing what you did for the sky, create a meadow in the foreground.
Try this, and come back to me, and lets get the Inspiration boiling again, and you'll be fine!
You can send any image to me at
stevewilliams87@gmail.com and I'll help as much as I can.
Good luck and very best wishes,
Steve Williams
PA & RSC Wigan area
