American Campfire
By Jake Tedesco
Brought to you by.
Introduction
-Today we will be painting a night time landscape inspired by nights around the campfire and an amazing American artist named Albert Bierstadt.
-Let's look into the history and inspiration before we get started.
-We will be using multiple brush techniques and examining the way light reflects and casts shadows to create a “glowing” scene.
Who was Albert Bierstadt?
-Bierstadt was born in 1830 in Germany.
-He moved with his family to Massachusetts in 1833.
-He took up art early, and in 1857 dedicated his life to painting in oil.
-His style was part of the “Hudson River School”, defined by careful detail, glowing light, and natural elements like fog, clouds and mist.
Who was Albert Bierstadt?
-In 1859 he joined his first U.S. Government Land Surveying Expedition.
-Cameras were not available, his job was to document the expedition with drawings.
-He sketched scenes from the unexplored west, as well as life on the trail.
-Once he returned home, he turned the sketches into paintings from memory.
-Today his work is visible in museums countrywide, and he has a lake and a mountain named after him in Colorado.
Our Inspiration
Oregon Trail (Campfire) 1863
Materials
- Blue paper
-Paint tray with 5 colors.
-(White, Black, Light Yellow, Orange and Dark Green)
-Large square paint brush
-Small round paint brush
-Sketch Pencil
-Paper towel
Step 1: Sketch
1. Draw the horizon line.
2. Draw an ellipse for our fire ring.
4. Add some trees.
3. Add some mountains.
Step 2: Paint with Big Brush
1. Use orange paint to fill in ellipse.
2. Use green paint to cover mountains.
4. Use black to paint tree trunks.
3. Continue with green to fill in foreground.
Step 3: Paint with Small Brush
1. Use white to paint stars and a moon. Add a serpentine line to start the fire.
2. Use light yellow to add reflections on the trees and add to the fire. Add reflection rings around the fire.
4. With your black paint, add logs under your fire. Add some branches. You can add white if it's too dark.
3. Use orange to add more reflections on the trees and rings around the fire. Add a little to the fire as well.
Painting Details
1. With black paint, add the silhouettes of critters or plants. Whomever is sitting by your fire.
2. Continuing with black, add shadows pointing away from the fire for everything you added.
4. Take credit for your work. Make sure to sign in the bottom corner.
3. Wipe black paint off of your brush with a paper towel. Now, dip in yellow and add reflections on everything you added.
Congratulations!
Excellent job, you're done.
Step back and enjoy your work.
Take in the glowing campfire, and remember the importance of reflection and shadow when creating “light” in art.
Thanks for painting with me.