Materials Needed:
heavyweight paper
acrylic gesso
paintbrushes
burnt sienna oil colour
any white oil colour
solvents (Turpenoid)
clean rags
masking tape
canvas board or drawing board
still-life objects
1. Arrange the objects as a still-life. See the article Still-Life Paintings for more information on setting up a still-life.
2. Prime a sheet of heavyweight paper with at least three coats of acrylic gesso, allowing each coat to dry inbetween each application. See the article Painting Surfaces for more information on preparing a painting surface.When dry, secure the paper to a canvas board, drawing board, or any other sturdy surface with masking tape. You may want to set your painting surface on an easel.
3. Prepare a diluted mixture of burnt sienna, using solvents, in a can, jar or dish. The mixture should be very runny, but should maintain the color of burnt sienna. See Figure A.
4. Using a rag, apply the diluted burnt sienna to the paper by rubbing it in like a stain. Be sure to give the paper an even coat without over saturating it. The paper should be lightly stained, not very wet, and should dry fairly quickly. This burnt sienna wash will be the absolute medium value around which your painting will be based. All other values will either be darker or lighter (tinted with white) than this medium value. See Figure B.
5. Begin to organize the composition of the objects on your painting surface with a shade of burnt sienna only slightly darker in value than the medium value. In order to get a darker value add less solvents to your painting mixture. The less diluted the paint, the darker the value. Gradually work toward increasingly darker values, until the darkest of shadows are in place. See Figure C.
6. Once the dark values are painted, white can be used for the most bright values of the objects. Use the most concentrated white in areas where there are strong highlights. See Figure D.
7. Once a broad spectrum of values is established, details can be added, if desired. I prefer to leave this exercise without detail since the concept is based primarily on understanding value.
You may feel that your first burnt sienna painting doesn't seem quite right to you. For instance, if you step back and notice the painting to have more darks than lights, or vice versa, just try again! The beauty of this exercise is that it is quick and easy.
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