How to paintan Owl with

Dimension Acrylic paint

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The materials for this lesson can be found at a Gold or above art centre.

Go to www.montmarte.net to find the one nearest to you.

PMDA0002 Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic Zinc White

PMDA0003 Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic Cream

PMDA0004 Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic Naples Yellow

PMDA0006 Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic Medium Yellow

PMDA0018 Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic Yellow Deep

PMDA0023 Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic Monastral Cerulean

PMDA0032 Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic Raw Sienna

PMDA0033 Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic Yellow Ochre

PMDA0036 Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic Burnt Umber

PMDA0037 Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic Raw Umber

PMDA0040 Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic Paynes Grey

PMDA0041 Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic Lamp Black

BMHS0016 Mont Marte Gallery Series Brush Set Acrylic 5pce

BMHS0017 Mont Marte Gallery Series Brush Set Acrylic 6pce

CMMD6090 Mont Marte Double Thick Canvas 60 x 90cms

MPB0054 Mont Marte Taklon Flat Wide Artist Brush 75mm

MCG0009 Mont Marte Oval Wood Palette

MAXX0019 Mont Marte Plastic Brush Washer

MAMD0001 Mont Marte Acrylic Medium Gloss

Also Required:

Water

Materials List . . .

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Step 2. Under painting

The under painting comprises 2 colours: 1 for the timber and 1 for the Owl. The timber tone is made up of 2 parts Monastral Cerulean, 1 part Burnt Umber and 1 part Zinc White. Mix in an equal proportion of gloss medium and then scrub this into the proposed timber area. Use a large wide flat Taklon brush to apply this. Once the Blue tone is on, create another mix for the base coat for the Owl. Create this mix with 1 part Zinc White, 1 part Naples Yellow and 1 part Burnt Umber. Scrub this over the Owl. The next stage is to paint the area around the Owl, and the shadow cast from the piece of timber above the window with Paynes Grey. Add a little water to help the paint flow nicely. Let this dry. The final step in the under painting stage is to lay a wash of 1 part Burnt Umber to 3 parts Medium and cover the blue coat. Vary the strength of the coat in areas to provide tonal nuances. This reason for this will be apparent when the top coat is laid on. Let this dry.

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The ratios I suggest are a rough guide, so one may have to make fine adjustments. In the under painting stage it is imperative to ensure that the under drawing is visible beneath the under painting coat. If the line work cannot be seen add more medium.

Step 1. Transferring the image

Refer to the first image in this PDF and, with a pencil, transfer the drawing as accurately as you can. You can do this directly or the grid system could be used also. The third method is to project the image onto the canvas with an overhead projector.

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Step 3 Top coating the background

a) The first step is to lay in the dark grain lines on the area that will be timber. Create a mix of 1 part Paynes Gray and 1 part Raw Umber. Add a touch of water so that the paint flows smoothly. Use a medium size flat brush held on its side and create a series of lines parallel to one another down each panel. Try to make the lines as consistant as you can. Add knot holes and fasteners at this stage also and vary the line weight slightly.

b) Next create a mix of 2 parts Cream to 1 part Medium and using the same Brush lay this colour in between the dark grain lines.

c) Using Ivory Black paint in the wording and logo on the sign. Use a small flat brush and when finished, let this dry prior to the next step.

d) Create a mix of 1 part Zinc white to 3 parts Medium and lay the colour over the sign face. Use the large flat taklon brush and ensure that you can see the underlying Black writing and logo. If you cannot see it then add more medium. Let this coat dry.

e) Next create a mix of 1 part Burnt Umber to 4 parts medium. Paint this over the Zinc White. Let this dry.

f) Follow the steps in step (c), but instead use Paynes Grey. Don't forget to paint the edge of the sign. Let this dry.

g) Paint the inside of the logo with Brilliant Red. Mix in a little water so that the paint flows smoothly.

h) To suggest surface rust, apply Yellow Ochre that has been thinned with water so that it has the viscosity of milk. It is best to use a round brush and make the rust spots randomly shaped. The next step needs to be done whilst this is still wet.

i) Apply straight Raw Umber into the centre of each Yellow Ochre shape.

J) Create a translucent mix from 1 part Raw Umber to 2 parts medium and lay in a cast shadow under the sign.

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Air Dry Clay can dry very quickly. To combat this it can be given a mist from a water sprayer. It is also important to wrap any work in cling film to halt this drying, if you wish to leave it a while between work sessions.

Step 4. Painting the Owl

The basic rule to follow is to start from dark moving to light, there is of course times when one will have to go in and reapply spot colours.

a) Start with straight Paynes Grey and paint in the eyes. Dip the brush into the water and scrub the resulting wash into any areas of shadow around the eyes. Use a small flat brush and lay in the patterning over the head. Work your way down the head and adjust the size of the patterning accordingly as you move over the shoulders . Lay in the primary feather lines at this stage. Switch to the filbert brush and lay in the dark markings on the chest. Take note of the shape of these as the top and bottoms are tapered. Use the flat brush to add the pin feathers on the chest also. Dip the brush into water and scrub any areas of shadow, like around the feet and the inside of the left wing.

b) Next use straight Burnt Umber to add more markings into the breast area. Reinforce the shadow areas as well. Add little bits of the Umber into the markings on the head and around the face, and then lay the markings onto the shoulder area.

c) Create a mix from 1 part Raw Umber, 1 part Paynes Grey and 2 parts Cream. Paint this into the facial disks around the eye. Ensure the strokes emit from the eye in the appropriate direction.

d) Use Yellow Deep paint to paint the beak in. Tint the side in shadow with Raw Umber and create a highlight on the leading edge by painting it with a tone mixed with Cream and Yellow Deep. Paint in the feet with this mix as well.

e) With the small flat brush lay Cream in to the plumage on the head inbetween the Paynes Grey patterning. Add littles areas of colour around the face. Lay Cream into the facial disks. Ensure that the strokes emit out from the eye in the appropriate direction. Paint the other facial disk. Switch to the large Flat Brush and block in the markings onto the top of the wing. Work down the wing and lay in the markings on the primary feathers. Pay close attention to the reference photo regarding the shape and size of these markings.

f) Lay in Burnt Umber in between the Cream markings on the wing.

g) Start to lay in the fine pin feather plumage into the breast region with Cream. Use the medium flat brush on its side to ensure the strokes are thin. Using the same method lay in Burnt Umber strokes also, and then some Yellow Ochre strokes also.

H) Create a mix from 1 part yellow to 1 part Cream and glaze over the feet.

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It is very important to watch the accompanying video to familiarise yourself with the steps in this project. Keep a second blank canvas beside you to test any colours before you apply them to the actual canvas.

Step 5. Detailing

Obviously with a project like this there is many little details that must be finished so that the painting looks complete, so here is a list of the details that need to be finished.

a) Black glaze into the window area.

b) Cream highlight on the claws.

c) Raw Umber shadow under the feet.

d) Ivory Black in any deep shadows

e) A Grey single spot in each eye to suggest a highlight mixed from Cream and Paynes grey.

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