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WILLIAM (BILL) ALEXANDER

Bill Alexander (1915-1997) Bill Alexander is the 'father' of the modern day wet-on-wet oil painting technique. Bill loved to paint! He knew early on that there had to be a way to capture an image on canvas before his passion for the image dimmed. He couldn't wait the necessary drying time with traditional oil painting methods and still keep his enthusiasm for the outcome. Hence, the reason for Bill's Wet-On-Wet Technique. Applying oil color to a wet canvas is not a new idea. For centuries, talented artist have used wet-on-wet techniques to express their individual style. Claude Monet was one of the better-known artists who painted using a wet-on-wet method. In our lifetime, the founder of Alexander Art, William Alexander, developed the products and popularized this method to make it possible for anyone to successfully paint, what is now called, the Alexander Wet-On-Wet Technique. Bill is the only artist to have won an Emmy for his television painting show.

BOB ROSS

Bob Ross (1942-1995) Bob was 18, in the Air Force, and stationed in Anchorage, Alaska, when he took his first oil painting classes. What started as a hobby was soon to become a lifelong obsession. During the next 20 years, Bob painted to supplement his military income and continued to study art at universities and colleges across the country. He also studied privately with numerous artist whom he greatly admired. It was in the mid 70's when Bob met and studied with Bill Alexander who had developed the modern day technique for applying paint wet-on-wet. He fell in love with the technique and became the foremost exponent of this art form. As such, he was one of the few American artists selected to demonstrate at the 1982 World's Fair. That was also the year Bob began appearing on TV. In 1987 Bob Ross Incorporated was founded and the rest is history. His PBS series "The Best of the Joy of Painting" has probably made him the most recognized artist of the day. Thanks to Bob, oil painting has reached more people than ever before. For more on Bob, click here.

OTHER ARTISTS

Over the years many artists have made use of the wet-on-wet technique or a technique that is very similar. Some of the art represented on this site may be based either directly or indirectly on thier works. These include but are not limited to the following; Bill Alexander, Wilson Bickford, Walt Burger, Charlie Carpenter, Joan Darflinger, Lea Myles, Buck Paulson, Sharon Perkins, Lynne Pittard, Ed Rivera, Bob Ross, Lowell Speers, Robert Warren and of course, me.

BOB'S PALETTE

You may lay out your palette anyway you like. Artists have their own preferences. The trick is to be consistent.

COLOR CHART

Several of you have asked for a color mixing chart. Click here. Abbreviations: AC-AlizarinCrimson    BU-BurntUmber    CR-Cadmium(Permanent)Red    CY-CadmiumYellow(Hue) PG-PhthaloGreen    PB-PrussianBlue    SG-SapGreen    TW-TitaniumWhite    VDB-VanDykeBrown    YO-YellowOchre.

COMPOSITION

hard understand Without sentence this be would composition to. Yes indeed, "Without composition this sentence would be hard to understand". If you had all the correct parts to a painting without composition it probably wouldn't look or feel right. When you arrange flowers you are composing them. When decorators work on a room they are composing it. Photographers take classes to learn about composing their photos. Musicians are known for their compositions. Like music there are various styles of composition. Some like rock, some like rap, some like classical, and there's various styles of jazz. So how do you decide which school of composition is for you? First, as in anything, there are some basics that should be mastered. Two of my favorite books for basic composition are Jerry Yarnell's 'Learning Composition' from his Paint Along With Jerry Yarnell series, and William Palluth's 'Composition Made Easy', published by Walter T. Foster. Once you have a basic understanding of composition then you may consider following the advice of Master Artist Buck Paulson. He told me to find an artist who has a style that I like and use it as a guide. I chose the early works of artist Lynne Pittard, paintings by George Innes and I watch and learn from Jerry Yarnell. Remember, without composition any sentence understand be hard would to.

DRYING TIME

Drying time will vary depending on numerous factors such as heat, humidity, thickness of paint, material painted on, etc. Another factor is the individual colors used. Different colors have different drying times (i.e., normally Blue will dry very fast where colors like Red, White and Yellow are very slow drying). A good average time for an oil painting to dry, when painted in this technique is approximately 2-3 weeks.To see if it's dry touch some of the paint that is on the side of the canvas.

I DON'T LIKE MY PAINTING

Painters can sometimes get a wee bit frustrated when their paintings don't come out quite like they expected. Come to my class a couple of times and you will more than likely hear me say, "If you only do this painting one time you are doing you and the painting an injustice." What I mean by that is, if you base the total experience on one attempt it would be like going bowling, not bowling a high game and giving up. Or quitting baking after the first cake flopped. One thing I have discovered is that I learn faster if I repeat the same painting several times. If you were to visit my little studio you'd find many copies of the same painting. My wife is a photographer and I've adopted the photographers attitude. If she gets 2-3 really good pictures out of 24 attempts she's ecstatic. And she'll take 3 or 4 of the same shot. So hang in there. Many of my students who are where you are today, are now selling their works in studios, giving art shows, andasking for more advanced work. But it didn't happen overnight. The main thing.... be gentle with yourself... and have fun.

Another alternative is to, once a year, invite your friends and relatives over for a canvas burning party. Just kidding.

MOUNTAIN MIX

Bob Ross' Mountain Mix is great for mountains (duh) but is also used as a base color for bushes, trees and other things. You can purchase it or make your own. Here's the formula. Use equal parts of Prussian Blue, Midnight Black (or Ivory Black), Alizarin Crimson and VanDyke Brown.

PUTTING A FINISH ON YOUR PAINTING

Putting a finish on your painting will protect it from the elements. Products made specifically for this purpose are available at art stores. Most suggest a curing period of between 6-8 months before application. Follow the product directions or have it professionally done.

SIGNING YOUR PAINTING

There are as many different ways to sign your painting as there are painters. And more than likely your signature will evolve over time. Some folks use their initials, some use pen names, others use their full name. The choice is yours. When you sign is also your choice. You can sign it when you are finished painting or you can wait till it's dry. I do suggest that you place the date and the name of the painting on the back side of the frame using a ball point pen. That way you will have a good reference later on.

SUBSTITUTIONS

The difference between Alexander and Ross supplies.

Though both Alexander Art and Bob Ross make supplies for painting wet-on-wet, there are some differences. Alexander paints are all thick / Ross dark base colors are thick while the warmer highlight colors are a bit thinner. Alexander's large brush is 2-1/2" / Ross large brush is 2". Alexander mediums are thin / Ross mediums are thick. Names of some of the paints are different. All of the mediums have different names. Some of the colors are a bit different and Alexander has a few more colors.

ALEXANDER COLOR   Titanium White Phthalo Green Phthalo Blue Prussian Blue Ivory Black Burnt Sienna Van Dyke Brown Alizarin Crimson Sap Green Cadmium Yellow Yellow Ochre

ROSS LANDSCAPE COLOR   Titamium White Phthalo Green Phthalo Blue Prussian Blue Midnight Black Dark Sienna Van Dyke Brown Alizarin Crimson Sap Green Cadmium Yellow Yellow Ochre

ALEXANDER COLOR   Indian Yellow Permanent Red Titanium White Soft Burnt Umber Deep Orange Permanent Rose Permanent Violet - Mediums - Magic White Magic Clear Black Medium

ROSS LANDSCAPE COLOR   Indian Yellow Bright Red Titanium White Soft (Floral) - - - - - Mediums - Liquid White Oil Paint Liquid Clear Oil Paint Liquid Black Oil Paint

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