Thanks for the tutorial! I am a beginner, but I love painting night scenes. I’ve found it difficult to keep the dark mysterious nature of nighttime while creating distinct elements. I find either I end up with it being a bit too dark or it’s muddy trying to create depth. More experience is probably the key, but I do need to start using gesso instead of black oil over the liquid clear. Lots to experiment with. Thanks again!
Yes. I found it impossible and obtained unfavorable results when using black oil paint. When I make my universe paintings, I use black gesso, let it dry, then cover with my version of "liquid clear". Also, if I add mountains say instead of just painting a Nebula, then I don't cover the whole canvas with clear, only the areas which I want to blend well. I know black gesso has a tendency to look a bit too "light or matte" but in the end, after months of letting your work dry, once you varnish it then the dark sky looks much more rich. Lastly, you can use acrylic paint for your background layer, it does not have to be gesso. Most people say that using a matte is easier for oils to stick to than a satin or gloss but acrylic paint is cheaper than gesso and is a fine alternative. Just fully let it dry. Oil can always go over acrylic but never acrylic over oil.
Hey Steve, thanks for this video I've made some amazing paintings based of your technique. Only bit of advise I would offer to others is to add the dark colour for the mountains and then don't add any colour for a couple of days. Painting on the acrylic loses the key to the canvas plus takes longer to dry, as soon as you try to add colour to your mountains it just slips/drags the dark from underneath rather than added colour to it. Amazing work though Steve, I've not seen anyone else having this kind of success with oil paints on a night sky like you.
Putting tape on an easel before painting like a maddog. Damn. Wish I would of thought of that. I get paint all over the easel which affects the next canvas but I forget the paint is still wet. This would prevent a good portion of that.
Amazing painting!! I’m going to give this one a go, but with my OCD it will take me a week instead of an hour lol. I received a Bob Ross painting set, along with every Bob Ross accessory and it was the best and worst gift I could have ever received lol. I love and can’t stand painting. Never get a painting set for someone that has bad OCD. I don’t know how many times I’ve wiped a beautiful completed canvases completely off, because a branch doesn’t look right, or spend hours wiping off water reflections just to get them right. Just last night I wiped off the reflections last night 6 times until I got it the way I wanted it. Let’s say my paintings start off wet on wet lol. Sorry for the rambling, again amazing painting!!
Hello! Amazing job. Do you prepaint the black background? I’m new new to all of this and I know it takes oil longer to paint; so did you paint it black days before and then before this painting you added the clear? :) thanks in advance. I hoped my question makes sense.
Thank you for watching my video and the nice comments. I first applied a coat of black gesso to the canvas and allowed it to dry (maybe an hour.) You can also speed up this step with a hair dryer. Next, I applied a very thin coat of Bob Ross’ Liquid Clear. While the canvas is still wet, I then added my transparent colors to the areas I knew I wanted color. This allows the colors to “pop” once you add the white. I hope this helps and good luck with your paintings.
Great job Steve. One suggestion... Lay the canvas on the floor when adding stars.
Thanks for the tutorial!
I am a beginner, but I love painting night scenes. I’ve found it difficult to keep the dark mysterious nature of nighttime while creating distinct elements. I find either I end up with it being a bit too dark or it’s muddy trying to create depth. More experience is probably the key, but I do need to start using gesso instead of black oil over the liquid clear.
Lots to experiment with. Thanks again!
Yes. I found it impossible and obtained unfavorable results when using black oil paint. When I make my universe paintings, I use black gesso, let it dry, then cover with my version of "liquid clear". Also, if I add mountains say instead of just painting a Nebula, then I don't cover the whole canvas with clear, only the areas which I want to blend well.
I know black gesso has a tendency to look a bit too "light or matte" but in the end, after months of letting your work dry, once you varnish it then the dark sky looks much more rich. Lastly, you can use acrylic paint for your background layer, it does not have to be gesso. Most people say that using a matte is easier for oils to stick to than a satin or gloss but acrylic paint is cheaper than gesso and is a fine alternative. Just fully let it dry. Oil can always go over acrylic but never acrylic over oil.
Kudo Sir! You are a great teacher. Give some classes man, you did have my full attention 👌
Hey Steve, thanks for this video I've made some amazing paintings based of your technique. Only bit of advise I would offer to others is to add the dark colour for the mountains and then don't add any colour for a couple of days. Painting on the acrylic loses the key to the canvas plus takes longer to dry, as soon as you try to add colour to your mountains it just slips/drags the dark from underneath rather than added colour to it.
Amazing work though Steve, I've not seen anyone else having this kind of success with oil paints on a night sky like you.
I stumbled on your video and wanted to say you did an amazing job! I don’t paint but I love seeing peoples interpretation of the galaxy!
Putting tape on an easel before painting like a maddog. Damn. Wish I would of thought of that. I get paint all over the easel which affects the next canvas but I forget the paint is still wet. This would prevent a good portion of that.
The Milky Way sky is awesome.
Amazing painting!! I’m going to give this one a go, but with my OCD it will take me a week instead of an hour lol. I received a Bob Ross painting set, along with every Bob Ross accessory and it was the best and worst gift I could have ever received lol. I love and can’t stand painting. Never get a painting set for someone that has bad OCD. I don’t know how many times I’ve wiped a beautiful completed canvases completely off, because a branch doesn’t look right, or spend hours wiping off water reflections just to get them right. Just last night I wiped off the reflections last night 6 times until I got it the way I wanted it. Let’s say my paintings start off wet on wet lol. Sorry for the rambling, again amazing painting!!
Best 7th grade science teacher. Ever!!!!😆😆😆
Hello! Amazing job. Do you prepaint the black background? I’m new new to all of this and I know it takes oil longer to paint; so did you paint it black days before and then before this painting you added the clear? :) thanks in advance. I hoped my question makes sense.
Thank you for watching my video and the nice comments. I first applied a coat of black gesso to the canvas and allowed it to dry (maybe an hour.) You can also speed up this step with a hair dryer. Next, I applied a very thin coat of Bob Ross’ Liquid Clear. While the canvas is still wet, I then added my transparent colors to the areas I knew I wanted color. This allows the colors to “pop” once you add the white. I hope this helps and good luck with your paintings.
Please get closer to the canvas as we would like to see more details as most of us use our phones. Thank you
Hi what colour did you use to tone the entire canvas before you start this video? Couldn't hear clearly from video.
Bob Ross died of lymphoma from the odorless paint thinner.
Well done from Shaun and rubymay in England
Dang. I see faces in the center of the MW.
Hi mr Whitfield.