{"id":421,"date":"2026-07-31T21:52:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T21:52:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/?p=421"},"modified":"2026-07-31T21:53:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T21:53:00","slug":"live-painting-session-woodland-passage-6x8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/?p=421","title":{"rendered":"Woodland Passage 6&#215;8 &#8211; Live Painting Session!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"video-container\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The making of Woodland Passage 6x8 - Live!\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YaUywiS1Eak?feature=oembed&#038;wmode=opaque\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Transcript and Key Insights<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s your painter in residence, Michael Francis McCarthy. Today I think I\u2019m a little ahead of schedule because instead of scrolling through Reddit this morning, I decided to go through my mounds of reference material. I didn\u2019t know exactly what I wanted yet, so I went for it and came up with a forest scene. While digging through my photos, one jumped out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A lot of times, my little reference additions here at the studio get me going late, but this setup is good enough. I want to make a green painting while keeping the light warmer than my photo manipulations allowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reference has some issues: there\u2019s just plain sky at the top which I don\u2019t usually like, and the tree placement is a bit tricky. But I think it\u2019ll work because we\u2019ve got one strong tree splitting off into a branch, and a real strong light down here on the road that will pull the eye up against the contrast of the dark tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"767\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Woodland-Passage-6x8-1-767x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-425\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Woodland-Passage-6x8-1-767x1024.jpg 767w, https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Woodland-Passage-6x8-1-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Woodland-Passage-6x8-1-768x1025.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Woodland-Passage-6x8-1-1151x1536.jpg 1151w, https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Woodland-Passage-6x8-1-1535x2048.jpg 1535w, https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Woodland-Passage-6x8-1-scaled.jpg 1918w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ve got my trusty \u201cstubby\u201d brush, a worn-out number two that\u2019s still springy. As long as your brush isn\u2019t stiff, it works. If a brush is stiff, it\u2019s like painting with a stick. We\u2019re ready for the grid. I actually changed the canvas size from five by seven to six by eight because I didn\u2019t want to paint something too small.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Underpainting &amp; Drawing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u2019s get this drawing done. Yesterday I was working on a very sexy nude figure, but today we\u2019re focused on these woods. I\u2019ve moved the trunk slightly to give it a lean; I don\u2019t want the whole tree to lean, but the slight offset dark trunks create that contrast I\u2019m attracted to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As you can see, this tree just peters out around here (below). You can\u2019t really have trees that peter out; if the reference shows it doing that, you have to fix it in the painting. If we paint half a tree people will say, \u201cOh, that\u2019s cool,\u201d but secretly they might think, \u201cWhat a fool.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There\u2019s not much back here, just some light and movement. I\u2019m finding that underpainting is critical because it allows us to work out the masses before diving into color. You don\u2019t have to define everything based on the reference; in fact, defining too much early on can ruin your painting later. We\u2019ll work with tones and shapes first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now let\u2019s get rid of this grid overlay. We need that simplified mass approach. I\u2019m looking for areas where there is no definition, working with just tones and shapes is the challenge here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Color Mixing Session<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Okay, reference check: it\u2019s mostly green, but I don\u2019t want it to look like \u201cthe green scene only.\u201d That\u2019s why I\u2019ve put so much red in the underpainting; it will support all that green coming later. I also love the tone of the sky here, though I don\u2019t want to go full gold or green.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u2019s mix the sky first. I have Mars Yellows here. We need a neutral gray, not overly warm. Mixing Mars Yellow with gray can push it too far into orange, so I\u2019ll compensate with some raw umber to keep it neutral. I don\u2019t need to mix infinite whites either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For my darkest darks, I\u2019m adding plain Mars Black. It has a little color in there already, which is fine, but that\u2019s going to be our deepest value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now for the greens. We are going to use an alternating green-red strategy. I haven\u2019t done this consciously often enough, but today we will. There\u2019s a lot of dark green in this scene, so I need plenty on my palette. I\u2019ll bring in some Burnt Sienna to warm up the mixes and prevent them from looking too cool or \u201celectric.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the reds, I\u2019m making an earthy red mix using burnt sienna, not a bright reddy-red. I might splash dots of that later, but for this scene, earth tones are key. If you\u2019ve watched my last talk, you know we want to avoid color questions like \u201cIs that supposed to be there?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u2019s mix the lightest greens. These need to be coolish but not icy. I\u2019ll use Cadmium Yellow and Permanent Green. We\u2019re meeting up over here with a lighter color that\u2019s grayed out but bright, basically a plan of cool grays and warm highlights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the road behind, we want something very cool and light. I\u2019ll probably mix that same sort of thing as the sky: titanium white buff with a bit of raw umber and maybe a touch of Mars Yellow to get that specific gray-lightness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, a couple of colors for the foreground road. Starting with a neutral gray based on Mikes Gray and Raw Umber, then warming it up slightly with a touch of Ivory Black if needed. I want a color where red is floating in it, green is floating in it, it\u2019s got latitude. It doesn\u2019t have to be perfect right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alright, palette cleanup complete. Let\u2019s go paint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Full Painting Session<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hello! Back from lunch. Got my brushes selected. For the sky, I want a flat number two; this worn-out three might come in handy for something later. We\u2019re going to start with the darks and work our way up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019m finding the corner of this flat brush just right for what I\u2019m doing now. I\u2019m lightly getting some of those bunchy bits, discernible strokes, rather than just making a big bunch of mud. We can add highlights later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Sky<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u2019s put in the sky color first. It\u2019s quite a bit cooler than the reference, which is exactly what I want right now. If I need to, I can always come in with lighter colors and warmer tones over the top later. A good general rule: you can\u2019t have anything brighter than your sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Darks (Foliage &amp; Tree Trunk)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now we paint the darkness. We are going to focus the darkest dark right in here. As it goes up, it gets lighter; as it goes down, it gets lighter, except for that specific patch which needs to remain darker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I could keep using the stubby, but I think I\u2019ll have better success with a bit more flexibility. This Silver Grand Prix number one is pricey, but when you want control, it works well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019ll keep using the same black, just thinned a bit and applied sparingly. The painting is coming together nicely now. I found this reference years ago; it\u2019s not special except for the light, which is what attracts me to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Adding Color<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ready to come in with some color. We\u2019ll use that nice filbert, a long hog bristle filbert. The super-long ones have their uses, but this length is optimal right here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notice I put a little Burnt Sienna in the mix for the further back section? It\u2019s not <em>that<\/em> far back, but I want it warmer. Things get cooler as they get darker because we are in the shadows. But, I\u2019ve never been one for all those rigid rules. In general, I\u2019m going to want to change things up for the ground. Same basic color, but a lot more Burnt Sienna in there. I might do a little Mike\u2019s Gray real soon so I don\u2019t forget it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s right, I just snuck some blue in there because what I want is a cool&#8230; nice gray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Red Accent<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now remember how we mixed that red? We\u2019re not seeing it much in the reference, but trust me. Get it on the brush and start painting around. You\u2019re going to go, \u201cOh yeah, this is good.\u201d It\u2019s very similar to the board color we leave peeking around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mostly it\u2019s green coming next, but having a bit of a change-up with that red\/orange gives us a break from all the super-greenness. Don\u2019t worry about the edges right now; we\u2019ll soften them later. We\u2019re basically done with this pass, oh yeah, maybe a little more yellow-green coming in to make sure I got my lightest lights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Refining &amp; Highlights<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I gone a little too far initially with the lightest greens. I don\u2019t want them too chromatic, but I do want them very chromatic. The white serves two purposes: to lighten the intense green and to kill the chroma slightly so it doesn\u2019t vibrate against the darks too harshly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ll use the sky brush for the tiny edges that need diminishing, or a dark brush even if it has no paint in it, just to pull things together. We\u2019re basically done with this layer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I see some small spots going on because they are kind of similar in size. Let\u2019s diminish one a bit. Actually, I think we could use that same bright green; maybe it would be nice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Oops. I see something here. The filbert isn\u2019t great for that job; we\u2019re going to use the sky brush, clean it up, and tap in just a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Actually, in many ways I think a dark brush would be better for these final details, even if it\u2019s got no paint in it. Yeah, I really like this painting. It looks like a painting now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alright, that\u2019s it my friends. We\u2019re ready to go. See you later. Bye!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mike&#8217;s New Site<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.substack.com\/subscribe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Substack<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.landscapepainter.co.nz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Painting Website<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.landscapepainter.co.nz\/mailing-list\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mailing List<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.landscapepainter.co.nz\/products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Store<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/abyssm.bandcamp.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">My Music<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.landscapepainter.co.nz\/donate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Support<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCS6NSbrJaICWu2Oztt_PXeA\/join\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Members Area<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>M Francis McCarthy, Your Painter in Residence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Transcript and Key Insights It\u2019s your painter in residence, Michael Francis McCarthy. Today I think I\u2019m a little ahead of schedule because instead of scrolling through Reddit this morning, I decided to go through my mounds of reference material. I didn\u2019t know exactly&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":422,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-painting","rsfv-has-video"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=421"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":427,"href":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421\/revisions\/427"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}