QA

Question: How Does Bob Ross Prepare His Black Canvas

How do you prepare a black canvas?

If you want the entire canvas black, paint one layer of black gesso over the canvas, with strokes running parallel from one end to the other. Allow it to dry completely, and then sand it slightly.

What does Bob Ross use to prime his canvas?

The Bob Ross Gesso is available in white, black and grey and is used as a primer and undercoat for the canvas before you begin painting. You can use the black gesso under the Liquid clear to create some interesting effects.

Is liquid black the same as black gesso?

The benefit of black gesso, however, is that it’s a water-based paint which means it dries in minutes, whereas if you were to coat your canvas in liquid black, it would takes several days to dry.

Did Bob Ross use oil or acrylic?

In ‘The Joy of Painting’ Bob Ross uses rather thick oil paints. Please be careful not to get acrylic based paints, as these will not work for Bob’s wet-on-wet-technique.

Does Bob Ross paint on a wet canvas?

If you’ve watched any of the old, great Bob Ross shows, you might have noticed that he paints on a wet canvas. This has become known as the wet-on-wet technique and it’s really popular with oil painters.

Is gesso the same as liquid white?

Some people may get confused between liquid white and white gesso. They are not the same thing. Liquid white is only used with wet-on-wet painting. White gesso is a primer that also gets painted on the canvas before painting, but it must be dry first before beginning your painting.

What is a black canvas good for?

Artists have used black canvases to create bright vignettes and moodier pieces because the canvas allows the artist to leave larger areas of the canvas unpainted.

What can I do with a black canvas?

10 Things to do with a Blank Canvas for Easy Home Decor Pour it on. Stencil it. Punch up a canvas with a paper punch. Ditch the paint. Line it up. Pick your favorite shade and play it up. Make some grown-up Drip Art. Add some Hollywood glamour.

What does Bob Ross clean his brushes with?

We wash our brushes with odorless thinner, shake them off and just beat the devil out of them. And that’s where you take out your hostilities and frustrations.

Should you wet a canvas before painting?

Even small canvases can prove unwieldy when wet. Be sure before you even start painting that you have a safe spot for the canvas to dry. Be very mindful if setting it to dry on newsprint or paper, as even the slightest touch to the paint can cause sticking and messy cleanup.

How do you make Bob Ross Liquid White?

All you need to do is dilute titanium white with linseed oil. Mix these together until you get a creamy consistency. Some artists choose to mix equal parts of linseed oil and Turpenoid (or turpentine) to create this homemade medium. So, linseed oil and titanium white (paint).

What does Bob Ross mean by magic white?

The secret to Alexander’s majestic landscape paintings was an oil-based, white mixture that he called “Magic White.” He would coat each canvas with a very thin coat of this before he began a painting. “Magic White” is, essentially, white pigment in linseed oil that is mixed to the consistency of cream.

How do you paint over a black canvas?

The use of fine lines is important when painting on a black canvas. Draw a sketch using a white or light-gray pastel pencil. Once done, cover the lines with white paint. Use a fine-line acrylic brush.

How do you paint a canvas with black acrylic?

You can also do a mixture of acrylic paint and gesso to cover over the acrylic painting. TIP: Try mixing carbon black with titanium white and gesso to get an opaque light gray surface. Experiment and see what works best for you and your painting.

Can you paint wet-on-wet with acrylics?

Acrylics can be painted wet-on-wet like both watercolors and oils, depending on your preference. Remember that acrylics dry more quickly, though, so you may have to add more water or an acrylic retarder to keep them workable.

Can you paint like Bob Ross with acrylics?

Paint with acrylics The iconic art style of Bob Ross is most easily achieved by using oil paints, but not everyone can afford to spend $11 per color on Bob’s licensed paints—especially when he uses over ten colors per painting. To make acrylics act like oils, use a slow-drying medium like the one here.

What paint is comparable to Bob Ross?

Gamblin 1980 Oil Paints The 1980 line of oil paints has been commended for their lack of oiliness, making them very well suited to the Bob Ross technique of wet on wet landscape painting. The consensus on our forums is that these are one of the best alternatives available.

What does Bob Ross put on canvas before painting?

Liquid Clear (also called Magic Clear under another brand name) is intended as a base coat, to be applied onto the canvas first before any color. This way you’re immediately painting wet-on-wet, which is fundamental to the Bob Ross painting method.

How do you prepare a Bob Ross painting?

Wash a thin coat of liquid white across the canvas with a 2″ brush or sponge applicator and let mostly dry. If your painting calls for black gesso prep also, let the liquid white totally dry and add the black gesso over it. Plan to pause, as the group will probably have varying degrees of ability to keep up with Bob.

What does Bob Ross call mistakes?

“We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents.”.

Is Bob Ross Liquid White gesso?

Available in White, Black and Gray colors, gesso is a flat acrylic liquid primer used in the Bob Ross Wet-on-Wet TechniqueΑΌ, when a dry pre-coated canvas is required. This water-based paint should be applied very thinly with a foam applicator (NOT A BRUSH) and allowed to dry completely before starting your painting.