Breaking Free from Tight Brushwork: Techniques for a Loose Painting Style

[@elsawessels3044]

How wonderful it was to attend this lecture of your wonderful lesson 😊

[@MalcolmDewey]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@janapeony8561]

just brilliant piece, brusch strokes, colors, everything ...Thank you Malcolm

[@MalcolmDewey]

Many thanks!

[@brendamathieu1069]

Truly love the colors, the light and the softness… Lovely painting! From the USA!

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thank you very much!

[@glendabpospisil3851]

Greetings from Australia Malcolm. I watched you for the first time just now and was mesmerized watching you paint and by your colours. Loose is what I need to be and I'm hoping that by following you I will learn to be. Thank you for sharing your talent.

[@MalcolmDewey]

Welcome and thanks for watching 😊

[@davidengler123]

Thanks Malcolm. A brilliant distillation of how to paint the landscape. Love when you said you can paint a tree in three brushstrokes!! I’ve been trying for years to capture that truth in my painting. So appreciate your sharing and generosity.

[@MalcolmDewey]

It's a pleasure, thank you

[@traceyferreira8042]

As always Malcolm, I get great enjoyment watching you paint. It’s like watching poetry!

[@MalcolmDewey]

Wonderful, thank you very much

[@nanvaughn2258]

This painting has such an airy sun drenched feeling. Brilliant! 😊

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thank you!

[@marypartridge5154]

Im weird I know but I loved how it looked in the block in stage. The dark blue with the pale road looked great.

[@jillhunter7147]

Thank you!!! Another wonderful lesson - my fellow artists in our Saturday group laugh at me when I finish a painting in a few hours with my acrylics -- I feel a little more emboldened to keep on painting loose and impressionistic after watching your demo. I think my downfall is I'm listening to watercolor artists!! LOL

[@MalcolmDewey]

😅 that would do it!

[@SumanSingh-lm3yi]

😊

[@kathrynszymanski2392]

Thank you, you break it down into easy manageable steps.

[@MalcolmDewey]

@@kathrynszymanski2392 good to hear that, thank you

[@davidengler123]

Thanks!

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thank you!

[@soutieprophet]

Thanks so much! I have so many photos of Nieu-Bethesda over decades but often can’t see the painting in them with very bright but desaturated light. Your style has inspired me to rethink how I see these scenes.

[@MalcolmDewey]

You're very welcome!

[@darlenelaursen6856]

Thank you so very much for another great video. You are very easy to understand and follow. Than you!!!

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thanks for watching!

[@prachyasky7765]

Thanks so much for all your wonderful videos. I especially like this one, you are great at explaining colours and brush strokes. It reminds me of Gauguin’s landscapes in Brittany.

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thank you so much!

[@marianastroh9977]

Thank you from Namibia!

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thank you too!

[@DogerBoi124]

I didnt think you'd pull it off from that reference.. but you never disappoint Malcolm!

[@MalcolmDewey]

Close call 😉

[@timrosenthal46]

Fantastic. A great tip was regarding the blue sky and shadow colours in reference photos. Great tutorial I really enjoyed it, thank you ..

[@MalcolmDewey]

Awesome, thank you!

[@pauladavidson2529]

I really enjoyed your tutorial! I think this is something I can do. Love your style too, you don’t over explain or go too fast. Thank you and looking forward to seeing more from you.

[@MalcolmDewey]

Glad it was helpful! Go for it!

[@michelledaley55]

NZ really enjoyed. Looking for more to emulate.

[@elizabethlineham4065]

I loved watching this painting develop.....thank you Malcolm from NZ

[@MalcolmDewey]

It's a pleasure

[@ritastutler1470]

I always love art that is loose and flowing and not too contrived…perfect sir . I am just learning, ❤❤❤

[@MalcolmDewey]

Wonderful!

[@Frances-m1h]

Well, can't fault that, BRILLIANT 👍🖌️ From Frances uk ♥️

[@dollyhare5186]

Amazing how you added so much beauty to that bland little photo! Thank you for the great tutorial!

[@MalcolmDewey]

It's a pleasure

[@ruthconnell6093]

Wonderful painting demonstration!

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thank you very much!

[@natalykenny2069]

Beautiful! I remember we did this scene in watercolour and pastels in one of your courses in the Academy a couple of years ago ! Love it in oils. Thank you so much, Malcolm, for another great tutorial!❤❤❤

[@MalcolmDewey]

Yes, it is a favorite of mine, thank you

[@sdc9572]

Very nice. You are an excellent teacher. Thank you

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thank you very much!

[@kayra7066]

Another day, another masterpiece ✨

[@MalcolmDewey]

😅 thank you, it's a relief when they work out.

[@SuzanneAllardDesign]

So good Malcolm. Love watching you paint and your membership looks amazing. It's on my list

[@MalcolmDewey]

Awesome, thank you!

[@mariajesuscoronadogonzalez5223]

Me parece genial, he visto casi todos tus videos y me encanta lo que pintas. Un saludo desde Malaga, Spain

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thank you very much!

[@ivocarvalho7135]

Um bom trabalho , maravilhoso

[@arniemiller6907]

Finally got here can’t wait Nashville,Tennessee, usa

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thank you

[@SteveL2012]

Fantastic!

[@MalcolmDewey]

Many thanks!

[@barbaralouisebenjamin5918]

I love your palette

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thank you!

[@minabattagin6042]

Thanks from Canada

[@MalcolmDewey]

You're welcome

[@DeniseBuck-n5l]

Beautiful , your work and explanation is so inspiring thank you.

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thank you!

[@katewilkinson5894]

Love it! Thank you.

[@MalcolmDewey]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@charlesa3374]

Great video! Malcolm....I noticed you didn't tint the canvas and that you chose blue in which to sketch your layout...do you have any hints or basic rules as to what color one should choose when sketching a preliminary work? Thanks in advance...

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thank you - mostly I prefer a warmer earthy tone. Burnt sienna, raw sienna and even a red on occasion. I like to think of it as building up from basic earth color like a landscape is put together.

[@charlesa3374]

@@MalcolmDewey Thank you for the valuable feedback...I seem to never know which color to choose thinking that it will destroy my final product...thinking of trying that 'red'!

[@chemunzel1238]

Very inspiring, thank you. I’m new to your channel and hope it’s ok to ask a question about the warm yellowish colour you painted the hills in the background rather than a cooler couple, perhaps blueish or violet so would recede. Can you explain your thinking there, please?

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thanks - the hills in the reference are an ocher color. They are a little darker than I painted them. However, the soft edges and lack of details still push the hill back sufficiently. I wanted the hill to be light and atmospheric and not contrast too much against the lighter sky. Yes, blue and violet would achieve recession. You have options. Consider sunset light on a mountain. That warm light on a distant mountain still makes sense even though the landscape is in shadow. So be guided by the scene and adapt color, value, and edges accordingly.

[@arabellahorwitz2622]

Love it xoxo

[@imn0tokay]

Hi! I would like to ask how can i decide the color of the shadow of the objects and the color of the lightest light in my painting? I always think the lightest light is white but when i put white on my painting look cold and flat 😂 I'm really struggling with that now 😢

[@mona2242]

Same here

[@MalcolmDewey]

A starting point is to make the sky the lightest light (sun) and warm up the white with a little yellow and maybe a little blue. Shadows are cool and blue is the cool range of colors so add blue to colors to make them shadow-like. That is a very simplistic explanation. I have more vids on shadows you can find in the search.

[@trudylookinglass4079]

I noticed you did not start with an under pinning colour , whereas you usually do- it there a reason for this? Thank you- loving your videos!

[@MalcolmDewey]

Ideally I will tone the canvas a warm color. Here I think it was just a matter of time on the live demo. I prefer to have the tone dry a little first.

[@Calme1918]

No experience with oils. Love your loose style. Try wish gouache Great video

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thank you!

[@40bdg]

Nice! Is there a particular reason you didn't add the darker tones on the wall and bushes in front , as shown in the reference?

[@MalcolmDewey]

I always think darks up close are the camera overcompensating. So I make the darks lighter, still shadows, but we can see much more into shadows than the camera reveals.

[@40bdg]

@MalcolmDewey That makes sense. I knew you would have a good reason. 😉👍 Thanks for explaining!

[@mona2242]

This was a great tutorial, lots of helpful tips. I find it difficult painting alla prima ad you did, I usually end up with muddy colors. Any advice on this would help. Should I change brushes more often? Thanks Malcolm

[@MalcolmDewey]

Glad it was helpful! Probably just need to wipe them clean more often. Every two or thee strokes.

[@mona2242]

@@MalcolmDewey looking forward to your next demo. Btway, do you offer live on line classes?

[@MalcolmDewey]

@@mona2242 Yes, in the course guide swiy.co/CourseGuide are live classes too

[@adrianadebeer4958]

Love it

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thank you!

[@andrewmurray5542]

Malcolm, i found this a very inspirational video and am learning a lot. Thank you. Do the layers dry quickly enough so that the paint on top doesn't end up mixing? I always seem to end up mixing colours on the canvas by mistake. How can i avoid this?

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thank you. It is actually easier to apply thicker layers wet over wet. The trick is having a lot of paint on the brush. Then a quick light sideways motion of the brush. Like icing a cake.

[@andrewmurray5542]

Thank you for the swift reply. I hadn't really tried that so I'll give it a go and see if I can adjust my technique. I guess it's all about practice. We can't expect to be expert artists straight away. musicians can't expect to pick up an instrument and be concert standard overnight, it takes practice and a lot of mistakes on the way.

[@MalcolmDewey]

@@andrewmurray5542 oh yes, lots of mistakes

[@julieellis3437]

Thanks so much. Julia from NZ 43:22

[@MalcolmDewey]

Its a pleasure

[@lenitaashton8146]

👏👏👏🎨🎨🤩