Lesson 31 – ‘Learn To Enjoy Painting’ with Paul Taggart

This series of lessons would suit complete beginners and those seeking to understand the traditional layering technique in oil painting – starting at Lesson 29 – in which Artist and Author Paul Taggart will guide you gently and in detail through the various stages. The traditional oil painting technique of working through from dark to light forms the basis of this set of lessons. You can either work along with him on the same subject, or select one of your own - whatever you choose to do, you are encouraged to treat it as an exercise, rather than a painting composition. Trees, rocks and water are some of the most commonly requested subjects for demonstration and this is why Paul has included these elements in the study that he works on from start to finish – all filmed in real-time. The experience of painting in oils can vary considerably - from working in one layer right through to maximising the traditional technique of working in layers to exploit the full potential of richness that can only be achieved in this medium. HAVE YOU ATTEMPTED TO DEPICT A DENSE AREA OF TREES, BUT STRUGGLED WITH THE BALANCE OF INDIVIDUAL TREE DETAIL AND AN OVERALL SUGGESTION OF TREES? THEN THIS IS THE LESSON FOR YOU! LESSON 31 – as with all of Paul’s tutorials – IS PACKED FULL OF HINTS, TIPS and TECHNIQUES. Having completed the first impasto rendering of the sky, Paul now moves forward to the background wooded area of various trees. You will learn how to determine the direction from which sunlight is coming into the composition; thus how to deal with reflected light and shadows. Paul refers to the method he uses to describe the trees as ‘carving them out, much like a sculptor’; using impasto brushstrokes to achieve the desired structure and form. You will learn about internal blending and softening of outer edges - not to mention how to deal with skylines; in this case that between the sky and the upper edge of the treeline. Finally, you will learn how to use negative painting to correct anything that offends on that skyline. NO SPEED-PAINTING HERE, you are watching every stroke as it is applied in real-time and at such close quarters that you can clearly see how the strokes work on the canvas. Alongside these lessons, you will find a growing collection of related Painting Topical Tips, Painting Equipment Focus, Painting Problem Solvers, Workshops and SBS Tutorials; plus more Learn To Enjoy Colour Mixing and other related tutorials. As the lessons unfold, so will the related films; until the final lesson brings this series of lessons to a close. MEANWHILE - check out the Masterclass playlist and Paul's Original Paintings Reveals playlist for more examples of oil paintings produced using the traditional layering technique.