Doug Blanks -Demonstration

SAG once again welcomed back Doug Blanks to share some more insight into painting with oils. Doug works mostly in oils - finding it the best medium to paint in his chosen style, recreating the painting style of the 'old masters' like Rembrant.

A key part of this style includes using glazes to add depth and shadow into his work. His favourite glaze uses 50%Van Dyke brown with 50% OMS  (odourless mineral spirit). The glazes were applied to a couple of paintings - an old street scene, and a portrait of a woman, showing how the glazes add contrast and  depth. The glazes can be added  in several coats to deepen the shadow, or easily removed with a rag while the glaze is still wet.

Using a  picture of a girl in a blue head dress- Doug demonstrated how he approached painting a portrait. He shared his tips on what to look for, how to guage scale and proportion, as well as the practical set up of his easel  and palette. As always, he is very generous in sharing his techniques and the materials used.

Doug has presented to the Art Group on several occasions, and  each time there is something new to be learnt . I am also sure that even those artists who work in other mediums will have come away with ideas to use and inspiration to develop.