Well, this is my last live painting class post for a while. I have enjoyed it so much, but I need to clear my plate to focus on some other projects for a while. It has been a learning experience for me and a great source of joy during these tough times! I really appreciate everyone who participated and sent me pictures of their work, notes, and e-mails telling me about their painting journey and how this class has been a bright spot for them, too.
I can’t tell you how many people started painting along with me simply because they’ve always wanted to try it. I can tell from the work I’ve been receiving that there are a lot of people who found a talent they didn’t know they possessed. It makes my whole year to hear that!
This isn’t the end, though. I’ll be back when my schedule allows and I may just schedule a random live painting class here and there over the summer if I have the time. Until then, there are so many wonderful art classes available. I am a particular fan of Jeanne Oliver’s courses (and she’s having a 50% off sale now) and there are so many good, free tutorials on YouTube.
Anyway, this is the cow we painted in the live class. It’s a royalty-free image I sourced online. I’m pretty sure I cropped this image out of a larger grouping of cows.
And here is the painting I did during the live class…
I painted on a 9 x 12 canvas panel using oils.
Here are the three options for watching the class…
YouTube Full – This one is edited a bit and it doesn’t include the comment thread.
Facebook Full – This is the entire live class with all of my chitchat and the comment thread from participants.
5-minute time-lapse – If you don’t want to watch the entire video, but want to see my process, you can watch this sped-up version.
And here are the paintings from one of the class participants! As always, I was so impressed with these and loved looking at the different style choices, brushwork, etc…
I have to make a quick commentary on the painting below. This was her 5th painting ever! Can you believe that? I told her she needs to keep at it.
Here is the supply list if you’d like to paint this cow. The live painting class videos will remain posted to my blog as well as YouTube and Facebook.
- Oil Paints – Buy the best you can. This is where you want to spend your money, because artist-grade paints have more concentrated pigments, so you can mix the colors without making mud. I like Windsor & Newton and Gamblin. (See below for some alternatives.)
- Titanium White – W&N Titanium White
- Ultramarine Blue – W&N Ultramarine Blue Green Shade
- Yellow Ochre Pale – W&N YOP
- Burnt Sienna – W&N Burnt Sienna
- Cadmium Yellow – Gamblin Cadmium Yellow Medium
- Gamsol (This is to thin the paint and clean brushes. You can also use turpentine, paint thinner, etc.) – Gamsol 14 oz bottle
- Container for Gamsol/solvent (You can also use a glass jar with a screw-on lid) – Leak-Proof Solvent Container
- 8 x 10 canvas or canvas board. If you are painting on something else, that’s okay, too! You don’t want to go too small with this cow or it’ll be trickier to get in the details. Going a little larger is better in this case!
- Palette – I use a wood palette, but you can order a glass one (white or gray), a paper palette (again, white or gray), or use a paper plate, a piece of cardboard, or even a piece of glass in a cheap/old frame.
- Paper towels
- Ziplock bag
- Soap to clean brushes & hands – I use Murphy’s Oil soap to clean my brushes and baby oil to clean my hands. You can also use an olive-oil-based soap or any soap that will clean off oil and grease.
- Easel – You don’t have to buy an easel, but could purchase an inexpensive tabletop easel. If you want to get a little fancier, you can buy a pochade box that has an easel and palette built-in. Really, though, you can paint flat or just prop your canvas up on some books or a cardboard box. Don’t let the lack of an easel stop you from joining us!
- Brushes – The bushy brush I’ve been using is actually not an Eclipse, but a Master’s Choice Long Filbert No. 4. You can get it HERE, too. The stiff-bristled brush I use is the No. 1 Ivory Long Flat (you can get it HERE, too) both from Rosemary & Co. Both of these shops (one in the US and one in the UK) are shipping to customers. For animals, I like using a short filbert (aka “cat tongue” brush) and you’ll need a fine brush, like a thin liner.
If the paints are sold out or back-ordered, try Blick, Jerry’s Artarama, or Utrecht.
And, if you’d like to take more free painting classes, here are the rest…
Still life with glass & flowers
Under Painting & Still Life Pear
mixing color charts & books for beginners
When are you selling the cow paintings
I really need one.
I was so excited to see your announcement that the paintings were for sale…and, alas, they were all sold so quickly. Next time I’ll be quicker to respond! Best wishes! L.
I am behind in the classes. I had a new grandson and have been taking care of their other two boys almost every day. I am looking forward to getting caught up in the next couple of weeks. I am really anxious to paint the cow. Thanks again for taking so much time to help us paint.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. My supplies were delayed so I never participated except for watching your live classes. My goal now is to get started next week and be all caught up and able to fully participate when you reconvene in the fall. I would have never in a million years tried this without your encouragement. Thank you again !
I hope you keep all the old painting classes up for a while because I was able to do one of them with you but would like to continue some of them. I want to thank you so much for spending time with all of us! Thank you so much!!
Hi Marion,
This was the first time that I’ve seen these painting classes. Are the others available on your blog or Facebook? I had no idea you were sharing these. Please give me more information. This was very enjoyable!!
Thank you
The links to all of the classes are at the bottom of the post and all of the videos are linked.
This is so exciting! The cow is exactly what I’ve been looking for. I love your particular style of painting and I can’t wait to try following along. Thank you so much for making this available!
What fun and such talented artistes!
Thank you for sharing your time and art classes with your readers/girlfriends! Looking forward to the Fall classes!
Thank you for taking time to share your talent with us. It really was a blessing to look forward to painting along with you. I have learned some new skills that have helped me improve my painting. I missed the cow painting class but I look forward to doing that one as well. Again thank you,
it was so much fun painting along with you!
I love seeing all the cows! We all painted from the same photo, but each painting is unique. Thank you again for being so generous with your time and knowledge. I’ve never considered myself artistic, but you made trying oil painting so accessible and gave the right amount of coaching and explanation and I now have a new hobby. My family have all been pretty surprised at the paintings I’ve done. I’m going to try to do 100 landscapes since you said you learned so much from the process of painting the series. Thank you for all you do.
Marian, your cow painting is beautiful! I love seeing how you paint, and how you come up with such fine detail and such a ‘likeness’ !!!! Also, I love seeing all the other artist’s versions, and styles of their work too! I LOVE seeing the differences, the styles, are amazing, some so folk art, some so smooth, some so linear,…love them all!
thanks for including mine too!
this was SO MUCH FUN
and I can’t tell you how inspiring, and how almost fearlessly now I just pick up my brushes and paint! and with OILS, YES, it’s NOT SCARY ANYMORE ! ty Marian!!!
and…..if anyone else out there is hesitant about painting, Marian is a great one to paint along with, to take those first steps along with her, and once you do! …you will know what I mean !
p.s. be prepared to be mesmerized by ‘clouds, ( you will start to see things you didn’t before, and in a different way !) shadows, lights, darks, the impressionists, selected first hand by Marian/ how to books and research books, beautiful oil paints and supplies/affordable ‘choices’ PLUS so much advice on doing things with what you’ve got on hand too……well such a LOADED blog with such good advice, PLUS not to mention Marian’s heart warming personality and all her sharing and encouragement !
ty Marian, so much 🙂