Based on a Bram Bevins tutorial.
16"x12" black canvas. Liquid Clear, Titanium White, Prussian Blue, Phthalo Blue, Phthalo Green and Carbon Black.
This is the second time I've tried to paint the milky way and the second time I've failed. Though both attempts still ended up looking okay. I can't get the milky tendrils in the sky to stay white. They just blend into the colour underneath. In the end I just made sure that I put more stars in that part. If anybody knows what I'm doing wrong, I'd really like to get it right. Too much liquid clear? Too much background colour? Blending too hard? If anyone has successfully done one of these milky way paintings and could point me in the right direction, I'd really appreciate it.
A useful trick is to wait until your painting is fully dry before applying your stars so if there are any you don't like you can easily remove them with a drop of paint thinner on a clean cloth.😉
Great tip Helen ✌️
Thanks for the help.
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Hi Regan, it's not easy getting it right first time. Its not a failure, its a learning curve. Looking at it your problem is likely a combination of too much oil, too much paint. You could be overworking it but if its too wet already you dont stand a chance with your blending. On a dryer background your tendrils will be much less likely to disappear, blending needs to be very light. Your stars look like fluttering snowflakes due to their shape, likely caused by flicking paint that's too dry or using a brush that is clogged with paint. I've had that issue. When a brush looks clean it can still have flecks of paint trapped between the bristles which will cause this effect. You need to aim for very tiny round shapes. Try a new brush for your stars with well diluted paint. If you don't have a new brush, try it with a cheap toothbrush. You can practice stars on coloured paper until you are happy with the result before applying it to your painting. Keep trying, it's worth it, you will get there. Your snowy groundcover is beautiful. Good luck.