Q. My paint just turns to mud — what am I doing wrong?
A. You may be using too much Liquid White when you begin the painting. When
you apply Liquid White, you only need enough to cover the canvas — there shouldn’t be so much that you can see brush marks in it.
Here’s a way to test it: when you press your index finger against the canvas, you should only see a “fingerprint” — if you’re seeing
more than that, it’s probably too much.
If you find that your highlighting of trees and bushes isn’t working very well, try using
less pressure. This also applies to snow on mountains. Remember that you need contrast in your painting to give it dimension, and
you can do this by using less pressure. Dark color is your friend — don’t cover it all up!
Q. I’m just beginning to paint. What kinds
of supplies should I buy?
A. If you can afford to purchase the Bob Ross Master Paint Kit, it is a good bargain. It will give you the
basic tools along with a good supply of paints and Liquid White. If you live near a Michaels Arts & Crafts store, this would be
a good item to buy with your 40% off coupon that’s in the Sunday paper — a great buy!
Don’t forget that floral paintings or wildlife
paintings have different brushes and paints. The supplies you need for any Bob Ross painting are listed in the book along with the
instructions for that individual painting. There are many Bob Ross books available at your local arts and crafts store, or by calling
the
Bob Ross Company at 1-800-BOB ROSS.
Q. I can’t make the brushes work the way I see Bob Ross do it. What am I doing wrong?
A. When
you watch Bob Ross on television, pay close attention to everything he says and does — it’s the little things that make the difference.
For example, when he highlights trees and bushes, he often says that he’s only using the corner of the 1” or 2” brush — he’s not laying
the entire brush against the canvas. I highly recommend that you take a class from a Bob Ross Certified Instructor, or purchase the
Bob Ross 3-hour video tape on his techniques. That tape is available from the Bob Ross Company (1-800-BOB ROSS), and you may also
find it in some arts and crafts stores.
Q. What is Black Gesso?
A. Gesso is a water-based medium (similar to acrylic paint) that is
used to under-paint the canvas. The Bob Ross gessos come in three colors: black, gray and white. Traditionally, gesso has been used
by artists to prepare the canvas surface for painting. Bob Ross began to use black and gray gessoes for underpaintings to create certain
effects. Black gesso can be used to create a night scene, and it can also be used to reduce painting time by eliminating the need
to add dark colors in certain areas of the painting. The advantage of using gesso is that it dries very quickly (1/2 hour), and you
can then proceed with oil painting. Remember that you can apply gesso or acrylic paint first, then use oils over it; but you can’t
apply acrylic or gesso on top of oil paints.
Questions and Answers
Stephanie (Stevie) Denny
Certified Bob Ross Instructor
Landscape, Floral and Wildlife
SteviePaints.com
For the Artist in Everyone™
Stevie Paints
