Interview with Professional Artist Andy Russell

Professional Artist Andy Russell shares his techniques and process on how he captures and creates vibrant, colorful & amazingly detailed artwork

When I do layering I use either a glazing wash of watered down color or a scumbling technique of rubbing one color over another. Sometimes to get a smooth transition of say, dark green to light green I go back and forth from one to the other until it smooths out. I will then rub a light yellow over where I want the highlights. This entire process gives it a glowing look.

To get “atmosphere”  or create a sense of distance of something in the background I will paint full strength but then glaze or scumble antique white over it and wipe it with a paper towel. Large areas with several colors can sometimes take 6 to 8 applications.

My favorite Acrylic paint is Matisse Professional Artists Acrylic.

“I use mostly the Matisse Flow because I usually paint in thin layers. Occasionally I will use Matisse Structure Heavy Body For A more impasto look. I love Matisse because of their rich , creamy texture, and intense pigmentation. The flip top cap is great too! Very convenient. No more caps rolling around or tubes bursting trying to twist off a stuck cap. They also offer some unique colors such as Matisse Rose Madder, Matisse Indigo, Australian Salmon Gum , Australian Blue Gum , Australian Sky Blue, Matisse Emerald, and Australian Sienna. These are wonderful colors to add to my pallet. For covering large background areas in my work nothing beats Matisse Background colors. They they are opaque and easy to apply”

Many times as a final touch I will glaze / scumble a brown like burnt umber over purple or magenta. Or a dark red over blue or purple. Or a dark red over Green. These all help create a glow.

To paint the type of tree foliage that I am talking about in the video I would start out with a dark green. Then do a  light yellow green kind of stippling or blotches. Then I will put dark green centers in them to give them a roundness. Then I will highlight the outer edges in light yellow on the illuminated side and aqua on the dark side. I will follow with a glaze / scumble of Matisse Acrylics Southern Ocean Blue in the center part . I will then do  the highlights again on both sides and towards the center. The finishing touch to give it volume is to glaze / scumble dark red in the center part. This entire process gives it a glow.

Occasionally I will mix a color on the pallet. For instance the dark background color of the Earth Slumber Series in the video is not black. It is cadmium red deep and hookers green which gives a rich deep almost black color.

My dreams have definitely come true! Learn More About Andy Russell and To Purchase His Artwork (see links below)

Website: http://www.andyrussell.com/

Artwork: http://www.andyrussell.com/artwork.html

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Andy-Russell-Artwork-187985951242371/

Professional Artist Andy Russell | Matisse Acrylic Paints