Gray Mountain. Painting #42. Vibrant Sky, Majestic Mountain, and Lush Greenery

Gray Mountain is painting #42. It was painted about a month after the last one and it features an incredibly awesome sky hovering over fantastic, snow-covered mountains and glass-like reflections of greenery.

Let’s Get Started

This post is about my version of Gray Mountain 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 or something similar. Next, I will expound a bit about my process. 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 16th oil painting.

The Inspiration

My version of Gray Mountain was inspired by another Joy of Painting episode. I wasn’t close to as prolific as I was when I lived in England but I started watching a lot of the show again and came across this one. I loved the colors in the sky and I also wanted to try the different mountain highlight again, like the last one.

For this one I followed along with S24E1 of The Joy of Painting.

Materials

Here are the colors and equipment I used to paint Gray Mountain. You can find most of the colors included with the Bob Ross Master Paint Set. 

Colors

• Alizarin Crimson
• Bright Red
• Cadmium Yellow
• Dark Sienna
• Indian Yellow
• Midnight Black
• Phthalo Blue
• Phthalo Green
• Prussian Blue
• Sap Green
• Titanium Hwite
• Van Dyke Brown
• Yellow Ochre
• Don’t forget the Liquid Hwite!

Equipment

• 2 Inch Brush
• 1 Inch Brush
• #6 Fan Brush
• Large Palette Knife
• Script Liner Brush

Check out my Getting Started page for more items and materials you may need.

Before We Begin/Medium Application

Liquid White

How to apply liquid white. The first thing to do with any Bob Ross painting is to apply the liquid hwite. The trick is to not apply too much.  Having the right amount of medium on the canvas will help lighten your value in the sky and aid in blending everything together.  

I learned that the best way to apply the liquid white is to dip your brush into the white then dab it all over the canvas. After you’ve dabbed it, then you start to spread it around. However, 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. 

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.  To check if you have applied the right amount, lightly press your fingers on different spots on the canvas. You should be able to see your fingerprint.  If you can’t, then you’ve put too much on.  Don’t worry.  Simply take a paper towel and lightly wipe the canvas.  The liquid white you need will remain on the surface.

How I Painted This Painting and Lessons Learned

Sky

The Gray Mountain sky is a colorful one. That’s one of the reasons I chose to paint it. 

It starts off with some Indian yellow around the center of the canvas. Without washing the brush, go into a bit of yellow ochre and put it just above and reflect it where the water would be down below. Next, add some bright red just above that and blend it into the yellow just a bit. The yellow on the brush will soften the brightness of the red you just loaded and the blending will make a nice soft orange color. Do this in the water area as well. Top it off with the classic alizarin crimson/phthalo blue mixture to any value you wish and add it to the corners where the color lives. This whole time, I haven’t washed the brush. The clouds in this sky are subtle and easy. Just take a bit of that crimson/blue mixture and tap with the two inch brush and soften.

Mountain

I was able to achieve that classic Bob Ross “breaking” snow look. Using a mixture of white and a bit of black, I angled the highlights to give them more depth. The color mixture is what gives the painting its title, Gray Mountain. What really makes these mountains stand out is that, even though the highlight is gray, there appears to be a subtle red tint in there. Juuuuust enough to make it look like a bit of sunlight reflection.  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. 

In one of my previous posts, Mountain Reflections, I talk about my struggles with putting in a smaller, distinct mountain in front of a big almighty mountain. There was an opportunity to do it again in Gray Mountain. I think I did a little better job here but not quite as effective as Bob. Rewatching the video, I realized a couple of things. The base of the large mountain must be misty and blended a bit at the base where you would put the smaller mountain. The smaller mountain also has to have darker shadows.

Trees/Bushes

Beginning with the background hills. That feature couldn’t be easier to paint! I just used a dark color mix but made sure to throw in some sap green. Load up the two inch brush and take it away. All you have to do is tap the brush where you want your hills. Bob demonstrates a neat little trick to make it look like there are some distant trees using the same big brush. Lightly pulling up on the edge of the hills with a light touch creates that subtle but powerful effect.

The rest of the trees and bushes in Gray Mountain were created using standard Bob Ross techniques. The evergreens were painted with the fan brush and the bushes with the one inch brush. All of it was highlighted with cad yellow and green. A bit of yellow ochre was sprinkled in here and there.

Final Thoughts

My Gray Mountain painting is one of those paintings that I wasn’t too thrilled with when I first finished it. I was having a wee bit of trouble putting on the mountain highlights. I don’t know why. Another thing I wasn’t too thrilled with was was the small mountain in front of the big one. I still need to work on creating that separation and distance. However, the more I look at this one , the more I like it. Despite my troubles at the time, I love the way the mountain highlights came out. There appears to be a bit more depth and action. This painting seemed to be a hit with the fans. It took a little bit but it eventually sold.

If you look closely, it sort of looks like there’s a face hiding behind the mountain.

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. You can find more just like this in my Art Store 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!