Bob Ross

I like that painting Jack - nice mood with the glow through the trees.

Jack, wonderful painting! I love the affect of the light through the trees also.

Just posted three new Bob Ross style W/S oils to my site. They are labeled so you can tell which is which. I made a brief comment on each one. The only advantige I see with Bob's style is that the paint goes down easier. You still have to wait up to three or four weeks before they dry enough to do a scan or to store them in your folio. And I guess you could do a painting in the traditional style, with drying between each layer, in about the same time. I will probably wind up using both styles.


My site: www.edwardreinhart.com/

Since my limited experience with oil painting is using the Bob Ross method maybe I am missing something. But learning about the "Fat over Lean" principle got me wondering how Bob's method avoids cracking. Sorry if this was covered in a thread already.

He starts his paintings putting on Liquid White (or liquid clear or sometimes liquid black) which I assume has some oil in it to allow the paint to flow. It is a very tiny tiny amount. Then he puts on paint from the tube. His motto is "A thin paint will stick to a thick paint" and usually he thins with odorless paint thinner which I would assume would make the paint leaner than the layer below. Doesn't that run the risk of cracking?

I guess after decades of using this method if it was a big problem they would change something.

Mes2370
I'm not really the one to answer that question. I would contact Bob Ross, Inc, they are on the web. Personally I don't worry my head about it. I apply the paint if it sticks, if it won't stick I usuall thin it with some W/S thinner or a couple drops of W/S linseed oil. At the prices I post on my site, if a piece lasts 5-10 years, I would say the buyer got his moneys worth. But I don't really try to sell, it is just a hobby. Good luck and have fun, that is the main thing.

Good question!

I don't have an answer but I do know that they always say that the Bob Ross paints are specifically formulated to be used for his technique. I have paintings I did with his paints between 12 and 16 years ago and they have not cracked.

Of course, I painted them before I knew about the fa over lean rule so I never worried about it.

If you come up with an answer, I'd love to know.

Judy

The fat over lean rule does not apply when you work wet on wet, only when you allow layers to dry and then paint additional layers over the top. So any wet on wet painting - or alla prima - is only one layer of paint and you need not worry about fat over lean.

I don't think there is anything specially formulated in Bob Ross paints. You can use his method with any paint, but, as I'm sure Bob mentioned many times, the paint should be fairly thick. So, the thinner, more buttery paints may not work as well. Generally, any paint right out of the tube should be thick enough.

For those of us who are older you might recall that the "original" wet on wet painter on PBS was Bill Alexander and his Magic of Oil Painting show. He was my inspiration for oil painting!

Don

Thanks Don,

That clears up a lot. Now it makes sense. BTW I watched Bill Alexander, too and learned from him, also.

Judy

I was wondering about Alla Prima and fat over lean rules as well. That's great to know that it's not a factor. Thank you Don!