Connecting to Nature with Plein Air Painting

[@leesaunders5495]

I love the way you simplify what you are seeing. I often feel overwhelmed with information when painting plein air so this is really helpful to watch.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

You are so welcome. My goal is to simplify the painting process in my videos, so happy that I am succeeding

[@gregwing6409]

Thanks Ian, I wasn’t one of those who asked about how to glue a canvas on a panel, but I certainly am going to give it a try as you make the process look so simple . Cheers-Greg

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Wonderful. Good luck Greg!

[@judithslawter372]

Thank you Ian, it is always a pleasure watching and learning from you.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Thank you Judith. Glad you are enjoying the videos so much

[@ARTPAINTING101]

One of the things I love about your work is your color interpretation, the cliff face being much more violet than the orange I am seeing, the use of greys in the midground. I need to stop trying to be such a realist in color rendition, as I am not a realist painter by any stretch. Thanks for your time.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi James, I find the main thing is you need to be accurate with the value and the intensity. The hue can range quite a bit and still look fine. Either by accident or choice it's the piece with the most leeway.

[@ARTPAINTING101]

@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition Interesting thought I could see how that would work

[@zvarda]

Every Tuesday I’m waiting for your weekly demonstration,I enjoy and learn.Thank you so much.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

That makes me very happy to hear. Thank you Varda

[@gaylemartin6498]

Ian, once again, you have provided valuable information and another very nice painting. Thank you! g

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

You are so welcome Gayle. Hope you are doing well. All the best

[@beverlyglover-wood3247]

Thank you for the glue demo, I'm just now watching this!

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

You are welcome Beverly.

[@AfzalShaikh-oh3it]

Fun is not the paintings part, but biggest fun is to see Mr. and Mrs Ian Roberts together enjoying the plein air painting and his wife supporting him in all aspects of life. Hats off to madam and a salute. May god bless you both with all the happiness of the world at your footsteps Aameen .

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Thank you so much Afzal. It is a blessing.

[@AfzalShaikh-oh3it]

@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition 🙂

[@julieismert4874]

Thank you for the demonstration of putting a canvas on a panel. Much easier than I thought it would be. Todays video was informative and made me start thinking about possibly trying plein air painting. Thank You for the time you take to do these videos and looking forward to Saturday's utube

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Glad it was helpful Julie. Thanks so much. Go out there and have some fun painting

[@BibleStudyPastor]

Oh, how I wish I lived closer to the coast! :🙂 Beautiful!

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi Ralph, it still amazes me to stand there looking out over the Pacific. It is BIG.

[@martimajor4766]

So helpful. Your thinking process, your composition, the way you build the layers of overlapping shapes. You are a gift to us. Thank you for sharing.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

You are so welcome Marti.

[@OurWisdom-10]

Always waiting for your educational videos. Thank you for your generosity! 🙏🌟

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Glad you like them!

[@Coco2345ful]

Love this! Watching this over again this morning.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Glad you enjoyed it Dee.

[@georgesmith8072]

Hello, Sir. I watched a dozen of your videos this morning and just bought paints for the first time in my life. You're an inspirational man, I appreciate the generosity of your videos

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi George. That is so exciting. I will be offering a course in the new year that you might find interesting, I devote a whole weekly youtube video to what it is about in January. All the best.

[@candacetroystudios]

Great demo! Specially liked the book titles, ha ha!

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Glad you enjoyed it Candice.

[@jimorlowski5051]

great mix of open air techniques, and demo of gluing, AND a Saturday promise - should be great!

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Thanks Jim and see you Saturday.

[@josephineherrera8508]

Great information, Ian. I am so happy that I found you. I have bought three of your books. I have even gifted them. That’s how much I appreciate your insights.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

That is very kind of you to say. Thank you so much for your support Josephine. All the best

[@laurataggart8018]

Thanks for both demonstrations. Love your painting and needed the canvas on panel glueing demo.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

You are so welcome!

[@roxykcny]

Beautiful painting. And thank you so much for the demo on how to glue canvas on a panel. I'm getting ready to go to Paris in September, first time, planning on making a watercolor journal. Traveling light. I hope to take a lot of photos. Busy learning some French online. But I know I'm learning so much from your videos.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

That sounds like a great trip Kathy. I hope you have the most inspiring trip. All the best.

[@timcat61]

Once again a great demo. Thank you Ian!

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

My pleasure Tim!

[@sandradodson540]

Beautiful painting and excellent demo. Very informative Thank you.

[@orlane219]

Thank you. I love your painting and your process and it is so nice to hear the ocean in the background.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Thank you so much Hannah

[@robinmcewan7390]

Awww! Used to live there. Makes me want to be there! The color choices surprised me comparing to the actual but I see how well it causes middle ground and background to recede. And yet the color is still rich and beautiful.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi Robin, it's nice overlooking the ocean isn't it? Still feels new to me even though I've been here over 10 years. There was a big shift from the light on the panel when I painted (in shadow so cool light) and the warmer light in my studio when I took the final picture. Doesn't affect me much when I paint but the camera definitely picks up the difference.

[@nickfanzo]

I’ve been mostly photographing and dark room printing the past two years but you inspired me to take up more painting again. Thanks!

[@TopTenSite]

I KNEW you would be outdoors this week. I would have bet my life savings on it (twelve dollars!) I could feel your enthusiasm for plein air in the previous video. I love this painting! Just what I needed. I'm in Spain right now, painting on the coast, and what I really needed was a reminder and a demo about simplifying my subject. Thank you!

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi Terry, it's true I couldn't help myself. I hope you have a wonderful time in Spain and find some great things to paint. All the best.

[@christianday6759]

Great demo on the panel. Lovely painting. Fabulous teacher.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Thank you so much Christian.

[@christinehuszagh4456]

Thank you so very much Ian for the great outdoor demo and also for demonstrating how to glue a canvas to a hardboard. Your response on how to deal with the inevitable shrinkage of the canvas (cotton or linen) was also very helpful and will save me from ending up with the board showing at the edges. I would love for the live session to address the difficulty in accurately judging values when painting outdoors or even indoors. Again, thanks for your generosity in sharing your immense painting knowledge. Christine

[@kimstepney9370]

Thank you for answering my question about gluing canvas onto panel-- very useful explanation, so now I'm ready to go! Love your very informative and practical videos. See you Saturday!

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Glad it was helpful Kim. All the best.

[@megustacalleja4601]

Fantástico Ian, me gusta ver como pintas y compones tus cuadros. Muchas gracias.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

You are most welcome.

[@ejfalias4696]

wow that was great. Thank you. My painting is improving and my understanding of why something is or isn't working is becoming easier.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Wonderful. That is great Ejf. Glad you are seeing progress

[@craigseaborn4222]

Another wonderful video Ian with a great painting and I loved the bonus part with gluing the canvass/linen on to the panel. Thanks Craig

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Delighted you enjoyed it Craig. All the best

[@Stefanwhiting]

Really great video as always thank you so much

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Glad you enjoyed it Stefan. Thank you

[@marieradi-nahas767]

As usual this is a great informative video and a great reminder of how to simplify a painting. Looking forward to the live session on Saturday.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Marie. See you on Saturday

[@annmarielopiccolo-carlsen7263]

Your enthusiasm for plein air painting is infectious! I can’t wait to experience it…..the good, the bad, and the ugly! (And, preferably, in the reverse order!) It is enjoyable to watch your painting process, to see your choice of colors and to watch you determine their values, and then to simplify masses to create an outstanding painting. I particularly struggle with color and value, many of which I do not adequately or accurately see. For example, the grays and greens in the foreground, and the warm pinks and lavenders in the cliffs. I am too focused on replicating the actual colors than taking liberties with an interpretative one. In the end, your color choices are instinctual and visceral…….they appear to more ‘accurately’ represent the images, as we imagine or recall in our minds, and the result is more appealing and satisfying! I see your use of a strong compositional structure,, similar to a ‘letter z’ or ‘s’ form, leading the eye directly to the portion of the cliff which is your focal point. You reinforce this with the value masses, once again in all areas: foreground, mid-ground, and background. Though, I continue to struggle with seeing the comparative values in actual colors………their relationship to one another…….I can discern the color saturation but not always the value difference or similarity. Another area I continue to have difficulty is determining the ‘story’ I wish to tell…..deciding on what details are important to include and which are distractions to be eliminated. This compositional finesse is what distinguishes the expert from the amateur! Another great instructional piece……….thank you! Looking forward to joining you on Saturday, the eleventh!

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

HI Ann Marie, again, I'm of course delighted you enjoyed the video. And we all have those days of the good, the bad and the ugly. It just trying to get the percentage in your favor. As I read your comment I see how your are analyzing the process. The thinking is right. If you think you are getting the color right but not the value (in truth that means you haven't got the color right since the hue and value are embedded in the same color) try doing it in black and white. The color rests on the accuracy of the values. See you Saturday.

[@brandoncornwell52]

That is a great picture. You nailed the color as good as I’ve ever seen in your work. Thank you, as always for instructing on composition in depth as you do. It has been invaluable to my work

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Glad you liked the painting and the video Brandon.

[@janleitch]

Thank you so much Ian for these practical examples of the real world scene and how and why you render it as you do. The colour choices were so much nicer than what was there. Looks like as long as the tone is correct, you can use any colour you prefer. Purples and pinks are much nicer than browns. I struggle with composition, but these videos are helping me to grasp how to approach my own work. My friend and I have successfully glued watercolour paper to a board and that works as well. You have to varnish the painting after fixing it. It is a nice way to display watercolour without the glass covering.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi Jan, glad you found the video helpful. It's true what you say. Of the three pillars of color, hue, value and intensity, hue in many ways is the least important. all the best

[@sbinnr]

Elmer's Glue! Ha Ha Ha! I love it! Thank you so much!

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

You are so welcome Sarah! Thank you

[@engleharddinglefester4285]

Excellent and helpful as always!

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Wonderful. Thank you Englehard

[@constancescott4039]

Thanks for another wonderful video, and the canvas panel gluing was brilliant! I love little tricks like this, so helpful!

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

You are so welcome! Thanks Constance

[@margomcgrew7154]

Great composition. I love to watch you paint so effortless. One day I might get there. I only just started painting after I retired, so about two and a half years. My current focus is upping my drawing skills. Rusty. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

HI Margo, delighted you enjoyed the painting process. And bravo, brava(?), for getting into painting now, I think it is common for those watching my videos. Most of us in our 60s and 70s. I'll be mentioning a drawing course I have coming up in the new year on the call. It might be of interest to you. All the best.

[@evandegenfelder4554]

"...you can use rabbit skin glue, but it smells like a wet dog." That gave me a laugh out loud moment Ian, and so thanks for that. The 'how to glue segment' was much appreciated, I will give that a try. Beautiful painting too; you're lucky to have such great sunny weather, I'm envious!

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Delighted you enjoyed the video Evan. Yes, it's the curse of LA. Perfect weather day, after day, after day. No seasons. Just sunshine.

[@evandegenfelder4554]

@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition Yes, we lived in CA for a number of years. I'm sorry that I didn't realize then that I'd eventually get interested in plein air painting again and make good use of that never ending sunshine

[@ianbrowne8871]

As usual my Tuesday afternoon treat! There was some very interesting Geology in the cliff you were painting with the ginger coloured overburden on top of much lighter rock formations below. It was fascinating to see how you dealt with this as we watched the process of painting unfold. The you did not go directly to some form of sienna to depict that top layer but to a warmish purple which became more rosy as it approached the focal point. These pinking tones started to vibrate against the various shades of green near by. When I looked at the finished painting I could see the final colours were closer to nature but there was a warmth imparted by what was underneath - this made it subtle as well as effective. Looking at the erosion in the foreground, your painting may be a useful record if the cliff is undermined in rain or storms. I now know what pva stands for!! When I have glued canvas on to a panel I have wrapped and glued the canvas underneath but this would not help when travelling. Perhaps drawing a 10x8 outline in pencil on the limp canvases before travel and painting might help alignment when it comes to attaching to a panel. I shall have to get a brayer - it would be useful for all sorts of things when you are troubled with air bubbles! I used to babysit for an art historian and his wife when i was a student - he was an expert on Dutch 17thC painting. He described a woodcut for a child's ABC book for alphabet learning. C was for a comb for delousing with the Latin tag Purgat et Ornat. This translated - 'It purges or removes and beautifies.' This sums up so many of your films - you show us what to remove and and how to achieve some sort of beauty. As a Canadian, I think you can have a coat of arms - this would make a very good motto to go with it!! As usually many thanks.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi Ian, a number of people have mentioned the shift between the colors when I did the painting and the final. But it was mainly the cool light on the painting while I painted it shifting to the warmer light in the studio when I got home and photographed it. It doesn't affect me so much, but the camera really notices the difference. I always mark off the dimension 8 x 10 and so on in pencil on the canvas with an inch or so on each side in addition. I like the Latin quote. It's interesting the root beauty has with ornament there. Something on the surface, attached, rather than embedded within. I bet there is a Latin word that is closer to that meaning of beauty. Have to look that up. And those cliffs are eroding year by year. All the best.

[@maryannnash653]

Beautiful painting!! Such a great video. Feeling so grateful right now and inspired. Plus, love reading other artists comments and input of their own appreciation, tips, and experience.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

You are so welcome! Glad you are enjoying the videos so much

[@SBClaude]

As I was watching your process, I was struck by the colors differences between your blocking and the subject (I actually liked your colors better than the actual ones but that’s me). When you showed the finished painting, you had got drastically closer to the actual colors that, as a longtime LA resident, I am so familiar with. I know you’re getting more and more comments, as your reputation keeps (deservedly) increasing, but I would appreciate it if you could say a few words about this, Ian. And, as always, thank you!

[@mattwj77]

Just speculating, but that shift could be from painting outside where the camera picks up a lot of blue light, and then the final image is from a different camera indoors with more balanced light.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

That's exactly it Matt. I should have mentioned it really. I don't see it when I'm painting. But the camera notes the difference.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi Claude, Matt mentioned it. When I was painting with the panel in shadow it has the cool blue light of the sky flooding it. When I take it indoors to photograph it in the studio, the studio lights are warmer. But the camera sees that difference way more than my eye does. So I am matching the colors pretty well as I go along and the studio lights are capturing it more accurately as well. All the best.

[@SBClaude]

Thank you Matt and Ian. Very helpful.

[@lorrainesaliba5469]

Hi Ian ! Thank you ever so much for you demo ! Always love to learn new things ! I throughly enjoyed watching you paint ! The colors of the underpainting were really nice and then you finished the painting with such a wonderful sunny glow in the cliffs ! I also love the blue of the water ! Always a joy to watch and I truly appreciate this week after week ! Wish you a great week ! Warmest regards ... Lorraine 🤗🎨😀

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Thanks so much Lorraine for letting me know you are enjoying the videos. Actually the color of the painting did change from when I filmed it to when I photographed the finished image in the studio. That was just the cool shadow on the canvas as I painted and the more balanced light in the studio. Does not affect my painting much. It is much more what the camera is seeing than what I am seeing.

[@song4night]

masterful, Ian! Thanks so much!

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you

[@GrandmaMuggy]

Great information about mounting canvas to panel! See you Saturday!

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Can't wait! See you there Joanne.

[@joanistotler8804]

The plein air painting turned out beautifully! It's always so helpful to have the voiceover of your reasoning behind each stroke. The demo on gluing a panel was terrific, too, thank you for that. My question for next week's live: Could you address ways to prevent making the lights too light and also the tendency to end up with an overall dark painting. P.S. Love learning more about Ann! :O)

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi Joani, rather than typing it again see if what I said to Paresh above applies to you about the vase. Without actual images to see it is hard to know how to solve a general problem like that. Email me a couple so I can see what you mean. I'll show some of Anne's painting this week. That's a good idea.

[@isabellefoubert785]

Ian, j'ai découvert récemment ton beau travail sur cette chaine. le problème c'est que je ne pratique pas l anglais, c'est pourquoi j'apprécie particulièrement cette vidéo avec sa traduction française. Au delà de ton style et tes couleurs que j'aime, tout ce que tu expliques est parfaitement clair. Merci.

[@KathyBrooksArt]

Got Dec 11th on my calendar! Loved the demo and also learning how to glue a canvas to a panel. Thanks so much!

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

You are very welcome! See you on Saturday

[@G1g1658]

Like Joani, I have had my plain air paintings turn out too dark and want to prevent that. Also, let’s hear a little more about the greens you use. Looking forward to Saturday!

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi Patricia, you can go to my channel and search for How to Paint Green and Demonstration: How to Mix Subtle Greens (both from last July). It's hard to say right off about why your plein air paintings are too dark. You mean they looked OK when you did them but seemed to dark when you got home? The most obvious reason for that is you have your panel in the sunlight. You need to have the panel out of the sun. If it is a mixing problem independent of that, I'd have to see an image to see what you mean. You can send me one if you like if you think it is not the sun on the panel problem. See you Saturday.

[@PleinAirAdventureswithTezDower]

I'd love to paint that part of the Californian coast one day and hopeing to see Colombo come walking along 🎨😁

[@pbriggs2774]

I always look forward to your Tuesday morning videos! I see quite a bit of color difference between your working painting and your final finished you show at the end of the video. For example, in this demo the rock face is quite pink when you are painting it, yet your finished has more yellow and closer to the reference photo. A video starting where you leave off with us, and how you work it to a finished painting would be very informative to see you make the adjustments and details. Thanks!

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Delighted you enjoyed the video. That shift in color was the camera picking up the difference between the cool shadow while I painted it and the warmer studio light when I photographed it at the end. I hardly made any changes at all from when I finished painting onsite. It is a way more dramatic shift for the camera. I don't notice it that much when I am painting.

[@atmamo]

Thanks Ian for these videos. I prefer to glue the canvas to the panel before I paint on it, and often I just put three coats of gesso on panels and paint straight on to them.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

HI Anthony, I prefer to use premade panels normally too. My point about glueing the canvas to the board came from the previous week's video when I travel to Europe and say do 50 paintings I don't want to carry a whole suitcase full of panels. So I do them on canvas and glue them when I get home.

[@atmamo]

@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition That explains it. Thanks Ian.

[@bobgoodnoe4583]

Very well done, sir.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Thank you kindly!

[@nurymo-simf9347]

Thank you for this good explanation.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

You are so welcome Nury

[@maxlinesartist]

Excellent Tutorial

[@thebirdartistscottage]

You make this look so easy! I was enchanted by how the painting came together. Seeing the thumbnails and your discussion of how the values contributed to the composition was very helpful. Your mastery of the medium and technique is awe inspiring! Thanks for sharing how you laminate canvas to panels, too-I’ve done paper but not canvas so this was very useful. Thanks, Ian!! Happy Holidays from Oregon! - Tara Kate

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

So delighted you found the video helpful Tara. And all the best for the holiday to you as well.

[@steamyb2]

Elmer's Glue Alll is archival, so no gesso on the panel! Wow, that saves a lot of time and trouble. Beautiful painting, I sure would not get that from your thumbnail. I would have made a greater distinction for each area leading back to the cliff & probably screwed it up. I am not as subtle as you in applying paint. Great to watch you painting outside & what a glorious day!

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi Steven, it was a glorious day. You do need to put a coat of gesso or some kind of sizing on the canvas before you paint on it or if you are using oil paint the paint will eat the canvas. So coat of gesso on the front of the canvas and glue on the back. The thumbnail is mainly about placement and structure. Hardly anything else.

[@francoforleo4971]

Thank you for the gluing demo as well as painting… I was given a pad of canvas and wasn’t quite sure as to how to glue it down…🙏🎨🙏

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks Franco for watching

[@jacquelinehall7112]

Great Robert❤

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Thanks so much

[@vijaypundkar2792]

Very nice work

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

I'm delighted you enjoyed it.

[@markhope170]

Hi Ian!!! Im from your old stomping grounds in Georgian Bay, Ontario. Your plein air video was wonderful...I would have enjoyed seeing your wife's image too!! In your demo of gluing canvas to panel, I use acrylic gel medium (the cheap stuff of course). It works extremely well and has the added benefit of creating a stable barrier between the painting and the panel. I also use Terraskin as my painting surface. Easier to cut, stable and a lovely surface to paint on.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi Mark, I feel in many ways Georgian Bay is my...what, spiritual home? Love it. My wife had finished her painting. It was 24 x 24 I think and she went back another time to finish it. I haven't ever tried Terraskin. I'll have to look into it. Thanks for the suggestion. All the best

[@dawnreardon67]

Thank you for doing this. Are you using any medium while painting?

[@mbegonasastre6938]

Thank you

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

You're very welcome!

[@pleinaire8698]

A lovely painting but I was hoping you would have done more of the ocean!!

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Thanks so much

[@kamleshsunak3176]

Thanks Ian. Gluing demo is very help. My question for this weeks live is how to create atmospheric perspective in painting? For example In today’s lesson - the distant green mountains are greyed out and do appear to be at distant. I struggle with this.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi Kamlesh, yes I can talk about atmospheric perspective on Saturday. See you there.

[@karencase8495]

The demo was lovely andthe painting is great as usual. And the canvas/panel was helpful to see. What are you using for canvas and how do you prepare it for painting?

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi Karen, delighted you enjoyed the video. I usually use Claessens linen. #15. It comes oil primed and I cut it into various sizes when I go over the Europe. You could use that, or acrylic primed cotton canvas (you just need to take a tube to roll the canvas onto or it gets creased, or just cotton canvas and give it a coat of gesso yourself.

[@suepidlubny3183]

Thanks. I enjoyed your process today. Just wondering, Ian, why not stretch the canvas before painting? Perhaps I missed your explanation. Cheers.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi Sue, glad you enjoyed the video. The point came from last week's video where I said I'd go to Europe and paint say 50 paintings just on canvas, not on panels. Then when I got home I could mount the ones I liked most. Hence the demo on mounting them. If I'm just going out to paint here I use one already mounted.

[@solea59]

Hello Ian , for the live show. My question is : you have mentioned alzrizin crimson plus pthalo green for black/ dark areas. But are there any other mixtures that you use/ favour personally ? Thank you.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

OK Brian. Good question.

[@swapneelswami7925]

Really helpful 👌 see u Saturday

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Looking forward to it. Thank you! See you there.

[@lizj3591]

I have a question for the live stream if you have time. I’m fairly new to painting and I’ve been painting with acrylics. I’ve been thinking I should switch to oils - seems more ‘painterly’ somehow. What are your thoughts about the pros and cons. Thanks.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

HI Liz, sorry i didn't get to your question on Saturday. I love the viscosity of oil paint. Rich and thick. I find the texture of acrylic and the way it goes on less aesthetically appealing. But it is such a personal decision. Some painters love acrylic. You can make changes more easily with acrylic. When it's dry just paint right over it. I don't think the nuanced range of surface of oils is possible in acrylics. But I know some great acrylic painters. Look at Marcia Burtt for example

[@josephfcampisejr7816]

Ian...I enjoyed this short video of the coastline...but I notice when you paint you just place the brush on the canvas in small shapes ..not moving the brush consistently...yet you make it look so easy to "fill in" ...I have to try this...

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

HI Joseph, if I understand you, I often move the brush quite slowly because i am draw the shapes I see. Not filling in an area. So the movement is short and at least trying to be precise to what I see.

[@foolfortools58]

A question for the live show - what medium do you use when you do your block ins?

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Just a bit of odorless mineral spirits (Gamsol). So the paint is still dense enough to cover the canvas opaquely but easy to paint on in larger fluid strokes.

[@beverlyglover-wood3247]

Great help, even though I am an acrylic painter. What glue do you use to attach a canvas sheet to a panel? Thanks so much.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

PVA. Elmer's white glue.

[@sketchbuch]

Thank you so much! Fantastic video. Sometime I'd love to hear your thoughts on focal area/center of interest. What do you do when all lines in the composition lead to nothing exciting? Can you will a focal area into existence by adding something not there in the photo? Is a center of interest always vital in a painting?

[@GalleryBry]

Perhaps I can assist! You can add anything you like to the painting. It’s your world. So you can do anything you like. Often times you will find that it’s hard to find the right composition in life. A tree or power line might be in the way. Or maybe you want to add a tree or building where there is none to spice it up. A painting doesn’t have to have a focal point but it makes it more interesting. And extreme analogy is a white square. It can certainly stand on its own, but if you put a red dot somewhere inside the square, now you have something to catch the eye of the viewer. So it all just depends on the story you want to tell and how loud you want to say it. Was that helpful at all?

[@sketchbuch]

@@GalleryBry thank you yes that is helpful! I know I can move change or add anything to my paintings, and I often do. But I personally find that when I try to add something such as a structure to serve as a focal point, it seems hollow and somehow doesn’t ring true to the painting. I can add supporting elements, but I have trouble with adding a focal point. I also relate the focal point with the reason why I’m painting the thing in the first place, and if it’s not naturally there, then I’m conflicted with why I decided to paint it in the first place. But then maybe I’m overthinking it. Can the focal point just serve as a design feature, something independent from the narrative?

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Thanks Bry.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Great question. Delighted you enjoyed the video. So you are using a few terms here. Composition, focal point, and in your comment below, narrative. So the way I think of it is the compositional structure embraces the whole picture plane. Orchestrates it. Towards a focal point. That focal point is usually, for me, at the intersection of the main horizontal and the main vertical in the composition. The focal point isn't necessarily a thing, or an object. But I think you need it. Have you seen the 20 minute video I made recently on the 2 most fundamental ideas about composition. If you haven't you'll probably find it helps answer this. You can go to my website ianroberts.com and click there for access. It's free. If you are on my email list you won't be able to access it and you'd have to go to the email itself, the P.S. for the link. Hope that helps. And finding good compositions is hard. It takes a lot of walking around.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hope the above response helps answer this too.

[@waleezeart4295]

I find it easier to turn the glued canvas painting side down and lay the panel glue side down on top so I can make sure it’s resting inside the marks, then flip it to set the weights on it to dry. Maybe you’ve tried that?

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

I do that with blank canvases I am gluing to panels. But when I am gluing a painting I like I prefer to see it as I'm gluing it. Just to make sure something weird happened on the image while I glued it. Probably just being over cautious.

[@kimbakerpaints]

Thank you for this video! Enjoyed the painting and great to see the mounting of the canvas. Do you often just buy rolls of canvas and mount them yourself?

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi Kimberly, delighted you enjoyed the video. When I travelled to France each year I'd usually get oil primed linen and cut that up for the trip. When I'm home and not carrying so many panels I just use RayMar panels and stretched canvases from Blick.

[@kimbakerpaints]

@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition thanks Ian!

[@joycebutler3494]

👍❤️

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Thank you Joyce!

[@geraldmiller347]

Thumbs Up

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Thank you Gerald!

[@joannesharpe6137]

Hi Ian, thanks for doing another live session this Saturday; the previous one was terrific! I have a question for Saturday please. During the last live session (at around 52 mins), you showed us a picture, that was initially painted in monotones and then with yellow ochre added - and a single green focal point. I tried this on a sketch of my own and was very pleased with the outcome. Could you please expand on this as a strategy for landscape painting please?

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi Joanne, let me see if I have any others so I could make a more expanded point of it. I'd need more to do that. But it's a good suggestion. Thank you.

[@larryharris7351]

Ian , Can you use that glue to mount a watercolor painting on a board? Larry 06 Mar 2023

[@paresh4914]

Thanks Ian for another amazing demo!!! I just finished a still life but I faced difficulties painting a white ceramic vase, I couldnt make it shine as much as the real thing :(

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi Paresh, I was going to mention this on the call on Saturday because someone else was asking about this. If you look at that vase, I think you'll see there are highlights on it. So think how dark the vase has to be in order for you to see the highlights gleam. The vase is in the light but it is far from white. Because the highlights are much lighter than the rest of the vase. I hope that makes sense.

[@paresh4914]

@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition Thanks Ian, will try to maki it a bit darker so the highlights pop.

[@sarahboyd3959]

I would like to echo the request by P Taylor for a video on developing the finished painting in the studio after your plein air session. Thanks!

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

HI Sarah, that shift in color was the camera picking up the difference between the cool shadow while I painted it and the warmer studio light when I photographed it at the end. I hardly made any changes at all from when I finished painting onsite. It is a way more dramatic shift for the camera. I don't notice it that much when I am painting.

[@joannschoenleber813]

Fantastic! Your tutorials are amazing 🤩. Just one thing about gluing the canvas: the smell of wet dog may appeal on a subliminal level to a large subset of prospective buyers!!😜

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi Joann. You can buy "essence of wet dog" and just add it to the glue you know.

[@domipro123]

I think I recognise a drawing (middle left side) from streets with a canal from Bruges in Belgium... isn't it?

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

I'm never been to Bruges but I want to go.

[@shradhathorat]

Hello Ian.. Great video and great painting again.. Would you be taking questions from last session which couldn't be addressed? Or do you want us to repost them here for convenience?

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi Shraddha, I still have your question about art movements. So no need to repost it. It's a good question and I'll try and get to it early. See you Sat.

[@shradhathorat]

@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition sure, thank you so much! ☺️

[@tomplatt1256]

Another very informative vid. Thanks Ian. Love the added tip on how to glue a canvas to a panel. Where do you get your panels and canvas? Is your wife an oil or acrylic painter?

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi Tom, glad you like the video. I buy the panels from Ray Mar. Claessens Linen #15 and the canvas I just get at the local Dick Blick. Anne has painted oils for decades and seems just now to be switching to acrylics.

[@tomplatt1256]

Do you prep the canvas sheets with gesso?

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

HI Tom, I have oil primed linen or canvas that I paint on. Both usually preprimed in the factory although I'll add a coat of oil prime to an acrylic primed canvas. You need to seal the canvas before you put oil paint on it.

[@joanistotler8804]

What kind of canvas on a roll do you use for making your paintings that you attach to the panel?

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi Joani, usually I buy Claeseens linen. Sometimes just some acrylic primed canvas cut from a roll at Blick's Take a tube to have them roll it onto though or it'll crease and be ruined.

[@joanistotler8804]

@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition Thanks, Ian, good to know!

[@TopTenSite]

Question for your upcoming live session. I live in England and our landscape contains more greens than you could possibly imagine. Depending on the species of tree, shrub etc, it's not unusual for the foreground greens to be cooler than the background greens or at least the mid-ground greens. How do you get around this and create convincing perspective? Than you!

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi Terry, if you go to my youtube channel and type in July 20 and July 27 I have two videos on painting muted greens. One a long form demo. As far as the cooler grasses in the foreground, you can image and landscape with green grasses in the foreground and orange-ochre grasses in the midground and you won't confuse that's happening. It is true things do get cooler as they recede but not slowly and you still need to respond to the local color as you see it. Do you know the English painter Patrick George. I have a book of his and he paints what I imagine you are looking at. See if you can some of his images online.

[@TopTenSite]

@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition Thank you Ian. I have now looked at the works of Patrick George, I like him a lot. I will re watch your videos too. I am getting the feeling that, for the sake of perspective, it is necessary to modify botanically accurate blue-greens in the foreground and yellow greens further back. The botanists will be on my case, but I'm not afraid of botanists - I'm a painter!

[@inez4985]

Ian, thank you so much for your weekly videos. I have only begun painting this year and the ideas of value and shape have helped me to improve so much -- I pretty much had monotone paintings at first. As a beginner I have a basic question -- how do you prop up a canvas panel so it does not move? I have an easel and so far have used hardboard on which I tape sections of canvas in the center. Panels are obviously too heavy to tape up. Also, is there another way to sign a painting, without paint? I have a shaky hand when it comes to painting a clean signature. Excited about Saturday!

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

HI Inez, if you go to my youtube channel and type in Sept 14, 2021 that video is a studio tour and I show the thing I put on my easel to solve that very problem. I can't remember exactly when I mention it but you can skim through to find it. Also on smaller panels that I do in one go I sign my name by scratching my signature in the wet paint and you see the white canvas through the paint. It's just like writing.

[@inez4985]

@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition Thank you!

[@Surai00]

Been painting for a long time and I'm still afraid to scrape my canvas with a tool. I think I've traumatized myself going too hard and ruining work in the past. It's just one of those techniques I think I never made space for in my tool belt. I love texture though, maybe I'll give it another try.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi Ian, not sure what you're referring to here. I use a palette knife sometimes to scrap wet paint off the canvas because I want to repaint it. But it isn't a rough process. The paint comes off really easily while it's wet.

[@michaelfuerst4576]

At around 7:08 you say "And there is the finished painting" But all the colors changed from what was visible 10 seconds earlier.

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi MIchael, that's because while I was painting, with the panel in shadow it has a blue cast from the sky. When I take it indoors and shoot the photo under the warmer more balanced light of the studio, it looks warmer. But that is more what the camera is doing than what I am seeing. I don't see it as blue when I paint it. But I should have mentioned that color shift because it was pretty pronounced.

[@magslisa]

Why is it important to use untempered masonite?

[@IanRobertsMasteringComposition]

Hi Lisa, the main problem I find with tempered masonite is it is too hard. You can cut untempered with a utility knife. I do think some masonite is infused with oils I think but whether that is problem archivally I don't know. I do know people have been painting on masonite for over 70 years and I think they are surviving alright.