Sean Dye: Palette Knife Landscape with Water-Soluble Oils & Mixed Media

Learn to combine materials to create vibrant art from mixed-media artist Sean Dye.

You will learn how to layer materials, in order to achieve the versatility of mixed-media, without sacrificing long-term survivability. Sean demonstrates the tools & techniques to combine charcoal, India ink, acrylic gouache and water-soluble oils on the same canvas. For Sean, each layer defines a different aspect of his process: vine charcoal to define shapes; India ink to plot values; acrylic gouache to create a foil for the colors he places using the final layer of water-soluble oil. His final layer of palette knife water soluble oils establishes color and texture. Sean works from an oil pastel reference painting.

In this workshop you'll learn to layer materials to achieve the versatility of mixed media without sacrificing long-term survivability. Mixed media artist Sean Dye blends and combines materials to create vibrant art that defies traditional methods of painting. He introduces you to the world of mixed media with a colorful landscape.

Sean has a passion for the technical aspects of art. He shows you the tools and techniques you'll need to combine charcoal, ink, acrylic gouache, and water-soluble oils, all on the same canvas. You'll learn how Sean applies color theory to fine-tune his work. His in-depth discussions of pigments and mixing provide tools and principles for all artists, and he offers special rules and tips for successful palette knife painting.

Sean begins the workshop with a charcoal sketch that frames only major shapes, then plots values with India ink. During these initial stages, Sean refers to his reference materials and teaches you how to see shape, value and color as distinct elements of composition. He brushes on an acrylic gouache underpainting, creating the color opposite of his final design. Before Sean picks up his palette knife for the final layer, you begin to grasp the intricacies of mixed media.

To complete the landscape, Sean uses rich blends of water-soluble oils. He demonstrates varied knife strokes and methods for achieving clean applications of pigments. He uses the physical properties of his medium to his advantage, blending colors on the canvas and manipulating paint long after its initial application. Throughout the workshop, Sean emphasizes archival methods and media combinations that create solid, permanent bonds. He pays particular attention to transparency and permanency of pigments. To create vibrant paintings that last a lifetime, join Sean Dye in Palette Knife Landscape in water-soluble oils and mixed media.

BONUS CLIP: Warm Sky in a Palette Knife Landscape

In this clip from his video workshop, Palette Knife Landscape, Sean Dye shows you how to paint a warm afternoon sky instead of the standard blue found in most landscapes. Sean offers tips for mixing paint to avoid garish colors and get great texture as you apply thick layers with your knife. You also learn to add warm reflections in the water to harmonize your landscape with the sky.