In this oil painting tutorial, realist painter Alex Tzavaras shows you how to create texture using a palette kinfe.

Texture is another key characteristic that we need need to think about when oil painting from life. It doesn't get spoken about as much as the other fundamental principles like colour and tonal values in oil painting, but it is very important because when we observe nature we see different textures everywhere. So when we are oil painting, in order to produce something realistic, as well as making sure our subject is the correct shape and colour, we also need to create textures with oil paint. This may sound challenging but actually, creating textures on canvas can make some complicated subjects easier to paint.

To demonstrate how this can be done, Alex completes a plein air oil painting using palette knife painting techniques. A palette knife is another versatile tool which can be used to apply oil paint in a variety of ways. In this landscape painting tutorial Alex shows you how palette knife painting can be really effective for creating texture on canvas.

Alex Tzavaras is a contemporary realist artist offering portrait painting and alla prima oil painting tutorials. Alex teaches the traditional painting techniques artists used to draw and paint from life up until the start of the 20th century.

For Alex's course on the fundamentals of oil painting visit:
  / simplifydrawingandpainting  

Or connect with Alex:
  / alex_tzavaras  
  / simplifydrawingandpainting  
  / alextzavaras  
http://alextzavaras.com