7 Things You Should Know Before you Paint with Bob Ross
If you have been convinced by the smooth talking bushy haired man to pick up oil painting as a hobby, you are not alone. Bob Ross and his television show, The Joy of Painting, has become a household name since the show began in 1942. Today his seemingly simple techniques and encouraging demeanor has inspired anyone to become an artist. If you have embarked on the joy of oil painting, learn from my mistakes — it’ll make your life easier I swear.
- Be Prepared
The tools that Bob uses are essential. Everything; the paints, the paint brushes, the size of the canvas, and most importantly: the paint thinner. If you do not have all of the tools, it is still ok to improvise. For my painting I used a smaller canvas, therefore I never used the 2 inch brush, I only used the 1 inch.
2. The Kits.. Do Not Have all the Essentials
There are Bob Ross painting kits on the market that claim to be the “complete” set, that are not a complete set. It is an awesome gift for the amateur painter, but I would argue that the set is the skeletons to a collection you will need to add onto. Some tools that Bob used in the video that I was missing was a small knife, the color “burnt Sienna”, canvas, and the biggest loss; paint thinner (it is also helpful to have multiple 2 inch and 1 inch brushes).
3. Paint Thinner (paint brush cleaner) — is Necessary
It is impossible to experience the gratification Bob experiences to “beat the devil out of it,” if you do not have paint thinner. Most importantly, you cannot clean your paintbrushes. Therefore, it can become incredibly hard (and messy) to blend and paint without being in severe stress.
4. Bob Paints Really Fast
Finally you have gathered all of your supplies and you are ready to paint! You choose your desired episode and then suddenly watching Bob paint is now you also painting.. and it is quite difficult trying to mimic what he is doing perfectly. Creating classic landscape paintings in less than 30 minutes is not an easy task, yet Bob makes it look easy. Don’t be afraid to pause what Bob has to say so you can paint at your own pace. It takes years of practice to master some of the techniques he’s using, so take your time!
5. It’s Hard
Oil painting is hard. Once again Bob’s years of experience and training are apparent the moment you put brush to canvas. The traditional techniques that Bob uses may not work exactly how you imagined, but it will be unique in it’s own way. Don’t be discouraged if something doesn’t come out quite right, like everything, practice makes perfect.
6. It Will Not Look Like Bob’s
Every painting is different, and most likely, your painting will not come out like the one you see on TV. Just because it is not perfect does not mean it is not a good painting. Hang it up! Be proud of your work.
7. You Will Make A Mess
It’s the nature of painting, be prepared. I ended with paint on my face and all over the bathroom sink.
