Stamping

  This entry was originally posted on Saturday, August 4, 2012

Stamping is a great way to paint.

Stamping can be used when creating grass which is what I did in the above painting.

And you don't have to paint every single blade of grass.

To stamp grass, you will need to make your own stamp out of illustration or matte board.

First cut out a small square of the board, then use an x-acto knife to scratch in some grass like blades.

 

I also use a piece of tape on the back to make a handle for the stamp. 

Now you put paint on the stamp and add it to your painting. 

 

Spritz the stamp with some water so it doesn't look so contrived.

 

Now you can go paint a whole meadow with just one stamp.

 

Creating Distance in Grass

  This entry was originally posted on Thursday, June 7, 2012

Homestead

7x10.5"

 

When creating the sense of distance with grass,

remember that things up closer will appear larger.

 

The grass up close will be longer and taller. The strokes of grass will get smaller and smaller the further back it goes.

Eventually, it will just become color without any strokes.

Creating Light Grass

 This entry was originally posted on Wednesday, June 6, 2012

 

When trying to create lighter grass, it is sometimes easier to think of making it by painting dark grass instead.

Load up your fan brush with dark paint and stroke it into the lighter areas.

This especially works well when bringing it in from a shadow area.

 

Study for Marsh's Edge

Marsh's Edge Study

11x14"

    This was a quick study from a photo I took while exploring the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge. I wanted to get the brush wet and spend an just an hour playing with the paint. It felt good and discovered what I need to do and not do if I decide to go larger with the painting.