Morning class,
This week, I’ve been painting a small postcard study of a street scene in Mousehole on the Cornish Coast. It was a really grey day, full of a mizzle sky and lots of rain reflected on the road.
I liked how this view had dashes of yellow from the double yellow lines that had faded out. These matched the same colours as the hedge on the right-hand side.
There is some warmer orange yellow in the roof, and in the very far distance, just above the chimney, you can see the little cottages that go around the harbour. (You can see a sketch of the harbour towards the end of this article)
Downloadable Reference Image for the Painting:
If you click here is a 20 x 20cm larger scale version
Materials you will need:
- 4 x 4-inch or 6 x 6-inch square canvas board or canvas (It would also work on a larger scale)
- Palette Knife for mixing Oils Paints
- Pencil or Acrylic marker to draw out
- Hog hair round brush for blocking-in
- Small Round brush
Oil Paint Colours
This was the palette I used on for the painting, I wanted some low chroma colours. (You can learn about Chroma here)
- Titanium White (Winsor & Newton)
- Cadmium Yellow Pale (Winsor & Newton)
- Indian Yellow Red Shade (Michael Harding)
- English Red (Old Holland)
- Green Umber (Old Holland)
- Cobalt Blue Hue (Daler Rowney)
- Raw Umber (Michael Harding)
- Ivory Black (Zecchi)
Oil Painting Mediums
Gamblin Paints, Refined Linseed Oil
This is the only dilutant I used with the oil paints, just a small amount onto the brush. For the first block, I didn’t dilute the paints at all.
Drawing Out the Scene
I’m drawing out with an acrylic marker from Daler Rowney called an FW marker. It’s an empty marker that I have filled with a fluid acrylic called ‘high flow’ acrylic from Golden Paints.
Golden High Flow Acrylic, F & W Daler Rowney mixed-media paint marker
Preparing Your Palette: Mixing the Base Colours
I mix a few basic values and then block in a base colour with a hog hair bristle brush.
After the block-in I swap to a small watercolour brush and use this for the rest of the painting.
Refining the drawing and looking for a balance of values.
Mousehole in the Mizzle, Oil on Board, Will Kemp
How you enjoy it,
Cheers.
Will
Such colour in a grey day , what’s not to enjoy… always a little surprise in each letter , even the name of the area speaks to a painting .Great little study
Thanks Will
Cheers Kim, glad you enjoyed it.
Will
Hi Will. Thank you for this video. While I love watching your hand using a brush, I must comment also that at the beginning, when deciding on the tools and paint you will use, you touch each item with a reverence that honours the work you are about to do.
I mention this as it’s so special to see. I attended a workshop here in Canada where the instructor rifled through her toolbox, shoving and tossing tubes of paint aside until she found the ones she wanted. She made the moment about rushing to the next step rather than taking us, her students, to the gratitude one must have in order to have the magic of creativity visit our hands.
Thank you Will, for ALL of the aspects of the magic that you share.
Ahh, thanks Lori, yes, you’ve got to love the materials you’re working with, glad you enjoyed the clips.
Will
Hi Will,
I love it. I’m guessing it’s a cool and damp day and here you’ve shown us how to portray that. I recently broke down and bought a larger case for my paints, and looks like I’ll be adding a few more colors. I understand your point about using low chroma color … so I have to figure out a muted rose and green in WMO. If you have any suggestions, I’d appreciate it. This looks like such a great learning experience and I’m looking forward to it. Thanks.
Hey Laura, if you take the tube green and then mute it down with a touch of black or raw umber you can start with a lower chroma base for your mixes.
Will
Excellent composition, Will. Corrwall streets make wonderful subjects for Artists. Thanks for including OH Green Umber. It is a perfect addition for those muted greens.
Hi Will, I love this painting! I’ve been working on a rendition and I find it quite challenging to paint something on such a small scale. I’m not sure I’ve seen a video of you using several of the colors before, namely the Indian yellow, the English red, and the green ochre. I feel like I need to do a color chart to see how these mix up. Could you discuss further the color choices? I find the Indian yellow and English red to be really powerful. Thanks,
Catherine L
Hey Catherine, yes, the Indian Yellow has a real punch in a tiny amount. It acts as a yellow ochre alternative yet shifts a bit more towards green so can be nice for lichen covered roofs. It has a surprisingly strong tinting strength despite its luminosity.
English Red (sometimes called Light Red) is a wonderful earth pigment with a subtle orange-red undertone. It’s less intense than cadmium red but has this beautiful muted quality that works wonderfully in the colours of the brickwork.
Green Ochre is one of those under-appreciated colours that’s actually quite versatile. It’s more subdued than other greens and has a natural earthy quality that makes it perfect for foliage and shadows.
Creating a colour chart is an excellent idea! It would help you see how these colours interact, especially in various dilutions. Indian Yellow and English Red can create some stunning oranges when mixed, while adding Green Ochre to either produces interesting muted tones that have great depth.
Cheers,
Will