Welcome!
On most Wednesdays, check this blog for a strategy, process, or reflection for illustration with the iPad app ProCreate. This Wednesday Wrap Up shares my progress with learning to paint with oils, digitally.
Oil Painting with Jennifer Nichols
For the four eggs in the top illustration, I followed the lesson from
Jennifer’s Creative Journey Community where she hosts all her classes now. She’s got a sale now for membership, and a free class. See her IG post on her birthday promotion.
If you decide to join, if you click “join here” I’ll receive a bit as an affiliate. Use the code “BIRTHDAYMONTH” for 25% of during November, 2023.
She explains how to use the brushes and “see” what’s in the reference photo rather than just look and paint what you think you see. For instance, if you look carefully at the lowest fold, you’ll “see” the white line of light on the folded area, reflecting off the other lighted areas. You will “see” the different shades of dark in the shaded areas. And how about that lightest area in the upper right? Painting is “seeing” what’s there, not what we expect or think is there.
Jennifer shows how to blend the oil brushes in strokes that mimic oil painting, of which there are many styles as her IG description explains.
She also shows different ways to get the effects desired. I choose to do separate layers for the eggs and the cloth. That helped me get the darkest lines where I needed them beneath the eggs.
I struggled learning this more realistic style. I had such a hard time choosing brushes and deciding what kind of strokes to make. My color picker picked such dark colors too– even for the light areas. Oil painting is a slower process.
I wanted to remember the struggle and the learning, so I tried with an acorn reference photo as well. It was much easier to choose a brush in the provided oil brush set because with practice, the brush whose stroke gives the desired results becomes a favorite.
Here are my notes on which brushes in the set I worked with:
I’m actually pretty pleased with both illustrations.
Try It: Join the Community or Just the Classes
Jennifer Nichols has so much to share about Procreate: lessons, styles of painting [pastels, watercolor, oils, chalk], free brushes and textures, and much more. In addition, the community is friendly and supportive, with many people joining in conversations and our zoom Question/Answer sessions. It’s wonderful to share with other artists and learn together.
And, as you can see, even I, a non painter, was able to create a digital oil painting!
If you decide to join, if you click “join here” I’ll receive a bit as an affiliate. Use the code “BIRTHDAYMONTH” for 25% of during November, 2023.
And you’re welcome to follow this blog for art inspiration. We can share with #warmup4art to enjoy our work together! I look forward to your sharing and find me at @42Sheri, on Mastodon Sheri42, on Flickr teach.eagle Sheri 42.
I wonder, if I draw a line... 
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