Northern Lights. Painting #11. The Black Canvas Creates Stunning Effects.
Northern Lights
Date painted: February 9, 2017
Size: 16 x 20 canvas
“You need the dark in order to show the light.” – Bob Ross
The opening quote really sums up the theme of Northern Lights, a Bob Ross replica that I have painted three separate times. This one here is my 11th painting and first attempt at this scene. It comes after I had painted my first original painting. I was so happy with my first original and still had that excitement that comes with a new hobby and just couldn’t stop. Using the black canvas technique, thrice I was able to produce a startling rendition of a snowy landscape with the notorious lights of the northern sky.
Let’s Get Started
This post is about my version of Northern Lights by Bob Ross. First, I’ll talk about the inspiration for this painting. When I talk about inspiration in this blog, it will normally be why I chose a certain subject or Bob Ross episode to follow. Then, I will go over the colors and equipment I used and that you will need if you want to try your hand at it. Next, I will expound a bit about my process and how to paint Northern Lights even if you are a beginner and new to painting with Bob Ross. Finally, I’ll wrap up with some lessons that I learned from painting this picture and things I could have done better or wished I had known. So join me on this trip down memory lane as I recap my 11th oil painting.
The Inspiration
The inspiration for this painting came from S8E13. By this point, I had tried my own original painting and it turned out pretty good. I was still watching a lot of Bob Ross on YouTube and getting ideas to try new techniques. One of those techniques was the black canvas. The black canvas is when you cover the canvas with black gesso. This has many purposes, one of them being that it helps brighter colors stand out. You can also purchase canvases that are already black. I wanted to try the black canvas and the technique to create the auroras seemed cool. Black canvases are a fantastic way to paint northern lights and galaxy scenes.
Materials Required
Here are the colors and equipment I used.
Whether you want to continue on your journey after painting your first masterpiece from the Bob Ross Master Kit DVD or painting for the first time, here are the colors and equipment you will need for this painting. Although, I don’t recommend this one for a first timer. The kit includes everything you need to paint this painting in particular as well as many other spectacular Bob Ross masterpieces. Getting this kit will eliminate the anxiety of buying the right brushes made of the right materials or the right oil paints with correct firmness or pigment ratios. Everything you need is there and ready to go.
Colors (included in the master kit)
Mediums
Additional Colors (not included in the kit)
Equipment
There are a couple colors Bob uses that are not included in the kit. The Dark Sienna is not critical for it is used in the highlight of the cabin. You can make the highlight color by mixing some Van Dyke Brown with a bit of Titanium White. That is if you are brave enough to try the cabin. 😉 If you’re still working with your starter kit, you should have everything you need to paint Northern Lights. If you want to add a little bit more sparkle, I recommend getting yourself some Phthalo Green. Though not necessary, it’s a wonderful color to add to that dazzling sky.
I’ll admit, the Bob Ross starter kit can get a bit pricey. Here is an alternative starter oil paint set. Windsor and Newton is a solid brand. The only thing is it doesn’t come with any brushes or instructions.
Additional Items to Get Started
If this is your first time painting, you’ll need a few essential items. The Bob Ross kit doesn’t include everything you need to get started painting. It does include all the brushes and paint you need but in order to paint your own masterpieces like Northern Lights, you’ll need a few more things. I have you covered however.
Canvas
Stretched canvas is optimal here. You can paint on many surfaces but if you’re just getting started, I advise you to go with a basic stretched canvas. Most already come ready to paint on right out of the packaging. Above all, avoid canvas boards with this technique. Canvas boards tend to soak up the liquid white which is critical for this style of painting.
If you want to save yourself the hassle of preparing the black canvas, you can buy them already black. They are called black canvases. Who would have guessed?
Easel
You’ll want a sturdy easel to hold your painting surface. The kit I mentioned above does include a carrying case which I used as a makeshift easel. Beware if you do this, however. The canvas is not secure. You could also lay the canvas flat on a desk or table. With that being said, you don’t require an easel but it sure makes life easier! This easel has been great for me. I still have it to this day and it’s been wonderful.
Palette
The kit I keep mentioning over and over? There’s a reason. It really is a great starter kit to kick start your new painting hobby. You’ll need something to squeeze your paint onto. The kit comes with a small wooden palette. You can squeeze the paint directly onto it. However, if you want to keep your palette clean and smooth, you can put some palette paper on it. If you don’t have the kit, you can use paper plates or a piece of glass or Plexiglas. However, I highly suggest not using paper plates and use a hard flat surface.
Therefore, a nice large palette will be useful. You’ll need a palette that is big enough to give you sufficient area to mix lots of colors with the knife and big brushes. Plus, a proper palette makes you feel like a REAL artist! It did for me anyway.
Odorless Paint Thinner
The only small drawback with oil painting is the solvents required. You need to clean your brushes and odorless paint thinner or odorless mineral spirits work the best. To keep it contained, you’ll need a bucket. The Bob Ross company has the perfect thing. This bucket and screen combo will keep your thinner contained and secure. Surely after you clean your two inch brush, you’ll want to beat the devil out of it! But you certainly don’t want to do that in your home. Bob comes through again with a brush beater rack. Put this inside a box or waste basket and you can beat the devil to your heart’s content!
Before We Begin
Every Bob Ross painting begins by covering the canvas with a medium. In most paintings he starts off with the medium known as Liquid White. And this is where I would explain how to apply the liquid white because it’s not as straightforward as it would seem. In this Northern Lights painting, it’s obvious that there is no liquid white. Canvas prep for this one is a bit different. It requires one of the following.
- Black gesso
- Black Acrylic Paint. It doesn’t need to be fancy, and you’ll need a fair bit.
- Black Canvas
- Liquid Clear
If you’re not using a pre-made black canvas, you will need to do a little prep work. You will need to cover your entire canvas with either the black gesso or a flat black acrylic paint. For this you will need an old paint brush (I do not recommend using your Bob Ross brushes for this). Alternatively, you can use a foam brush. These are super cheap. You can get a few uses out of them if you clean them properly or you can just throw them out when you’re done. Also, they are everywhere from hobby shops to dollar stores. Another tool that works great for covering the canvas is a mini paint roller. These actually work rather well.
Once you’ve covered the canvas in gesso and let it dried completely, or if you’re using a ready made black canvas, you’re ready for the next step. The next step is to apply the base colors. There are two ways to do this.
Now, you don’t NEED liquid clear for this one. In the episode, Bob does not state that he uses liquid clear. In future black canvas episodes, he will normally make it clear, no pun intended, that he uses the medium. You can simply apply your base color directly to the canvas. If you do this, you will need a lot of color. Just load the brush with the color you want just like putting in a sky. Load the brush and scrub it in. If you’re not using liquid clear, it may be difficult to spread the color around. You may need to get tough with it. This is where the liquid clear comes in handy. I tried this method once and it didn’t quite work for me.
The Liquid Clear works similar to the Liquid White. That is it helps the paint move and blend effortlessly. The Liquid Clear however is not diluted by the white. Therefore, you retain the true value of the color. In the case of a black canvas painting, its primary purpose is to help the base color move and apply painlessly. Regardless of whether Bob explicitly states using liquid clear or not, I always use a thin layer of the medium when doing black canvases.
Liquid Clear
How to apply Liquid Clear. Applying Liquid Clear is much like applying Liquid White. The trick is to not apply too much. You really don’t need a lot. Bob once said on his show that one jar of Liquid Clear will last you a lifetime. He’s not wrong! I still have the first jar I bought nearly 4 years ago. Having the right amount of medium on the canvas will aid in blending everything together.
The best way to apply the Liquid Clear is to dip your brush into the medium then dab it all over the canvas. After you’ve dabbed it, then you start to spread it around. But, you don’t paint it on like you’re painting a fence. With this medium, you have to spread it around and scrub it in. Really get tough with it. Don’t worry, you’re not going to hurt your brush.
Ensure that you spread the medium evenly. To do this, I use the light of the room or outdoors. For example, I look at the canvas at different angles to pick out dry spots. Remember, you don’t need a lot of medium. Once it’s completely covered, take a dry brush or a shop towel and lightly wipe the surface. The medium you need should remain on the surface. Now it’s time to apply the base color.
How I Painted This Painting and Lessons Learned
Sky
This Northern Lights sky came out pretty well overall, I feel. I was impressed. The colors are stunning! This technique was really cool to try and it was amazing seeing it come to life.
To put in the sky, you apply the base color the same way you would any other sky. Use the little criss-cross or figure eight strokes. Blend the transition of colors with a clean, dry brush. This can get a little tricky since it’s difficult to see the colors.
Here is where I would suggest where to put the colors. But this is your world. You put the colors wherever you want. If you want to do it like Bob, do it like Bob. You can even use totally different colors, as long as they’re transparent. Transparent paint is a paint that let the light through to the underlying layer. So if you notice when Bob starts to paint the Northern Lights, you can’t see the color he already laid down. Adding a thin layer of white will mix with that transparent base color and show through.
The auroras are simple to put in. Just follow Bob’s instructions here and you can’t go wrong. There’s not really much I can add to explain it better. He does a pretty good job at demonstrating how to put in the auroras. Just remember, the upstrokes with the white are short and the upstrokes with the dry brush are long. This is important for bringing some of that spectacular color into the sky. The only other thing I would suggest is to carry some of that residual white from the brush all the way to the horizon area. This will come into play later.
Mountains.
I was able to achieve that classic Bob Ross “breaking” snow look for most of the mountain highlights. I think the reason I was able to get that breaking look was because I was a bit loose with the knife. That is the key. Just let it happen. No pressure with the knife. If you want a cool effect on the highlight, add just the lightest of touches of Phthalo Blue to sort of reflect a bit of that northern light aura.
Before you commit to your highlights and shadows, use brush strokes as you spread the paint down the mountain shape. This is actually a solid tip from Bob. Ever wonder why you scrape the paint and pull it down when you do Bob Ross style mountains? The purpose is to remove paint to make your highlights and shadows easier to apply. The brush strokes you can see in the right lighting also assists you in laying out the highlights and shadows before you apply the paint.
After rewatching this episode, I noticed something I never picked up on before. When Bob lays in the highlight, The first knife stroke is almost always downward as he curves his wrist. Then on the second stroke, he brings the highlight down then uses sort of a “J” motion to create a curve in the highlight before bringing the stroke back down. I hope I’m explaining that clear enough. If you don’t know what I mean, go back and watch Bob closely as he applies the highlight. Another thing I noticed is that he leaves some dark base color in the shadow area. This is really effective for adding realism and depth.
Background Trees
After you’re finished with the mountain, it’s time for the background trees. This is where putting a little light in the sky comes in handy. Use the fan brush turned vertically to paint the background trees. Angle the handle upwards and use the top part of the brush and tap and quickly pull down. Don’t forget to vary the height of the trees. I think Bob demonstrates this pretty well.
The reason the lighter sky is important is because you need a contrasting color for the background trees. Since there are no features on the right side of the painting, there’s nothing to contrast with the trees. Dark on dark is nothing. Light on dark is powerful. It doesn’t take a lot of light in this case just to give you enough contrast to see the background tree line. This light on dark contrast is also the key to the layers in front of that tree line.
Foreground and Trees
The foreground bushes and trees are painted the same way you do normal trees and bushes. This scene however requires a dark base color with plenty of blue. The blue in the base color will help give the snowy highlight a more interesting, frosty effect. In my painting, I could have used a bit more blue. Apply the highlights in the same manner as you would with normal foliage highlights. Lots of paint on the brush and liquid white to make it thin. I explain a bit more in my post about Winter Frost.
Cabin Chance
If you’ve watched this episode, you’ll probably notice that there’s something conspicuously missing. As you can see from the video, Bob adds a little cabin in the corner. He does this in a lot of his paintings. I chose not to put the cabin in because, well, it’s my world. No, but really, it’s because I still didn’t feel confident enough to try to paint one yet. I’ve always had trouble with perspective in drawing so I wasn’t ready to paint a cabin. Truth be told, I never really cared much for cabins in Bob’s paintings. I have painted cabins since then and I’ll explain the technique later.
Final Thoughts
I was pleasantly surprised with how my version of Northern Lights turned out considering it was my first black canvas attempt and only my 11th painting. The auroras were fun to make and I think the mountain turned out great.
Remember when you’re trying these and painting with Bob to take your time. Perhaps watch the episode a time or two before attempting it. Pause and rewind often if you need to. Sometimes we get all excited about painting, especially if something is coming out great and we’re feeling good, that we sometimes miss details in the painting or something Bob says.
Bob makes a little quip during the episode about favorite uncle, Uncle Sam, sending him to Alaska. I don’t mention this a lot but Bob and I share that same uncle. Uncle Sam has been a bit more kind to me. Although, it seems Bob became quite fond of his time in Alaska.
I don’t have any high quality photos of this one. The initial photos were taken in my poorly lit garage that I painted in at the time. I can’t take any more photos of this painting because I don’t have it anymore. It turned out to be pretty popular! I posted it on Imgur and it made it to the front page, which I didn’t realize or know that it was sort of a big deal at the time. My inbox blew up with inquiries about it from that post and someone wanted to buy it!
I hope you enjoy this painting. Give it a shot yourself then share a link to a photo of your rendition. Have a question? Comment below. Subscribe to my blog to stay up to date and be notified when a new post is live and learn more about the Bob Ross method and how far it can take you as a new artist. As I just mentioned, this one is no longer available However I have a much improved rendition of this scene available in my Art Store. Check it out if you want to see more of my work and see other paintings available. You can also follow me on all my social media sites.
Happy Painting!
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