Oil Painting: Technique for Painting Copper with Helen Van Wyk

Video Description

In this lesson, Helen demonstrates her technique for painting metals (copper, brass, silver). She emphasizes the importance of a single light source when painting metals, explaining how this light source provides the strong contrasts necessary for visualizing and rendering metals. She outlines her unique approach to painting metals. Unlike painting glass, where the highlight is added last, Helen teaches us to begin with the highlight when painting metals, marking it as a crucial step in achieving a realistic appearance. She also stresses the importance of keeping the highlight color mix vibrant by mixing it quickly. This video is a valuable resource for artists looking to master the depiction of metallic surfaces. 00:00 Intro Graphics and Music 00:14 Introduction to Painting Metals Helen Van Wyk welcomes viewers to her studio, where she demonstrates how to paint various metals, including copper, brass, and silver. She emphasizes the importance of her north light, which provides the necessary contrast and visibility for her work. 01:29 Metals Start with Highlights Helen explains that painting metals involves starting with highlights to avoid contamination and achieve the desired effect. She uses a mix of bright cadmium red and orange to create a brilliant spot on the canvas, making it larger than necessary to refine it later. 06:45 Metal Reflections 10:30 Mass Tone Sourounding Objects 11:15 Working Top Down 13:15 Adding Reflections 14:50 Paint Multiple Planes 15:40 Recognizing Limitations Helen discusses the importance of recognizing the limitations of a two-dimensional surface and using practical techniques, such as wiping away excess paint with a rag. She shares anecdotes about her experiences with students and the support she receives from a lady in Pennsylvania who sends her rags. 16:19 Creating the Translucently Helen demonstrates how to create the illusion of light passing through a thin membrane by using darker tones to make lighter areas stand out. She highlights the significance of working from the top down and using quick, vital brushstrokes to maintain the vibrancy of the paint. 18:15 Painting Reflections Helen explains how reflections and shadows play a crucial role in painting metals and how different colors, such as violet for shadows on yellow, can enhance the overall effect. 20:00 Soft Blending 20:39 Quality Matters Helen discusses the importance of each stage of the painting process, from composition to mass tones, and advises against leaving things unfinished. She plans to show viewers how to paint silver with flowers in a future lesson and emphasizes the value of doing each stage well. 21:32 Time Constraint Matters Paintings can have different looks depending on time spent. If it has the same consistent look overall, it's okay. 22:36 Final Thoughts and Future Lessons Helen wraps up by promising to demonstrate the impact of backgrounds on subject matter in the next session and humorously suggests she might also teach viewers how to make soup.