How To Paint Like Bob Ross (on a budget and with NO artistic ability)
Ok ya'll- as promised each post will be short and sweet here and hopefully helpful.
I have NO artistic ability- I made a B in art in school and it was more participation than anything.
I know I am not the only one like this, right?
Enter Bob Ross. We all know him. The soft-spoken guy that paints landscape portraits in 30 mins and who seems to paint blobs that end up being a beautiful mountain, forest, or beach scene. In his show he claims that anyone can be an artist, anyone can paint. Yeah right, Bob!
Credit: Bob Ross YouTube Channel
Well, believe it or not this person with no artistic ability started watching Bob on Amazon prime, and he inspired me to just pick up a brush and try- not expecting much at all. (Let's just say I am so glad you can pause and rewind on amazon prime lol) I had no expectations, and I let myself just follow him and even my family didn't believe the result of my first painting with Bob. See below:
Yes, no training, no ability, no nothing- just watching Bob Ross, buying some oil paints, cheap canvas and brushes and that was the result. Since then, a friend has bought one of my paintings and I continue to make them into gifts as well.
Now I am not saying this to make me look good- I am saying this to let you know- you should try it! It won't ever look exactly like his as a novice can tell you- I have been doing this about a year now. The beauty of it is he is so relaxing and so down to earth with his instruction- anyone can follow it! Some may take to it better than others, but I am telling you try it! Turns out believing you can do it may be half the struggle after all! And like Bob also says practice is key- no painting, no matter how unhappy you may be with it when you finish, was not wasted if you practiced some of the techniques.
Everything takes practice to achieve, but I promise you- trying this is relaxing no matter the result and you may just find an artist in yourself!
✸✸✸✸✸✸Some tips to keep painting with Bob Ross economical yet doable for beginners:
1. The only thing you really need in Bob Ross brand is his bases: liquid white, liquid black etc. This is the key to his method is painting on a wet surface. You only need a very thin even coat for his paintings so the pack you get lasts forever. His website is here and it does have sales! www.bobross.com
* If you want to be really economical just buy white acrylic paint- but note it dries really fast so it may limit how long you have to do your painting.
2. Use any size canvas you want- whatever makes you comfortable. He generally uses 18X 24. You don't need super fancy ones! Michael's and Hobby Lobby have them on sale all the time. Make sure it is a pre-stretched double primed canvas (most generally are)
3. Start with a tabletop easel- you can get these for a very economical price. This is the one I got: https://www.hobbylobby.com/Art-Supplies/Art-Fixtures/Art-Easels/Beechwood-Tabletop-Easel/p/5250
4. Start with hobby lobby oil paints- I get the pack that has several colors in small tubes and use my 40% off coupon. This is the pack I got: https://www.hobbylobby.com/Art-Supplies/Painting-Supplies/Oil-Painting/Masters-Touch-Oil-Paint---10-Piece-Set/p/100254
5. Basic brushes you need: 2 in. brush, fan brush (no. 6), script liner brush, painting knife. If he uses any other brushes than these, generally the 2 in. can be substituted instead. Again, watch those sales and please note that the brush needs to say you can use it for oil paints.
6. Use disposable plates instead of a palette- it works ya'll! I would recommend a styrofoam plate (you may need 2 or 3 to make sure you have a flat surface for each color to pull it out on your brush) because it is a firmer surface.
7. Odorless mineral spirits- you will need this to clean your brushes. I don't buy the odorless paint thinner at the art store because it is usually overpriced. I get this at lowe's in the general paint section and it lasts you a long time. You can just use a bucket you have laying around or buy one at hobby lobby- they are pretty cheap.
8. Find somewhere you don't mind getting stuff dirty to paint. In his method you have to clean your brush a lot in the mineral spirits and then you have to beat off the excess. So maybe do your painting outside, in the garage, or paint inside and just clean and beat your brushes outside.
9. Have fun- don't put any expectations on yourself, pause and rewind as much as you need to & let his calming voice relax you. You can find Bob Ross on Amazon Prime, Netflix, and he has a HUGE youtube channel with more content.
10. Please note it takes oil paints about 4-6 weeks to completely dry so keep it somewhere safe! :)
11. Generally, the first few episodes in a season are the easiest ones he does so try to stick to the first few episodes in a season to start with. :)
Questions? Did you try a painting? Let me know in the comments below!
I have NO artistic ability- I made a B in art in school and it was more participation than anything.
I know I am not the only one like this, right?
Enter Bob Ross. We all know him. The soft-spoken guy that paints landscape portraits in 30 mins and who seems to paint blobs that end up being a beautiful mountain, forest, or beach scene. In his show he claims that anyone can be an artist, anyone can paint. Yeah right, Bob!
Well, believe it or not this person with no artistic ability started watching Bob on Amazon prime, and he inspired me to just pick up a brush and try- not expecting much at all. (Let's just say I am so glad you can pause and rewind on amazon prime lol) I had no expectations, and I let myself just follow him and even my family didn't believe the result of my first painting with Bob. See below:
Yes, no training, no ability, no nothing- just watching Bob Ross, buying some oil paints, cheap canvas and brushes and that was the result. Since then, a friend has bought one of my paintings and I continue to make them into gifts as well.
Now I am not saying this to make me look good- I am saying this to let you know- you should try it! It won't ever look exactly like his as a novice can tell you- I have been doing this about a year now. The beauty of it is he is so relaxing and so down to earth with his instruction- anyone can follow it! Some may take to it better than others, but I am telling you try it! Turns out believing you can do it may be half the struggle after all! And like Bob also says practice is key- no painting, no matter how unhappy you may be with it when you finish, was not wasted if you practiced some of the techniques.
Everything takes practice to achieve, but I promise you- trying this is relaxing no matter the result and you may just find an artist in yourself!
✸✸✸✸✸✸Some tips to keep painting with Bob Ross economical yet doable for beginners:
1. The only thing you really need in Bob Ross brand is his bases: liquid white, liquid black etc. This is the key to his method is painting on a wet surface. You only need a very thin even coat for his paintings so the pack you get lasts forever. His website is here and it does have sales! www.bobross.com
* If you want to be really economical just buy white acrylic paint- but note it dries really fast so it may limit how long you have to do your painting.
2. Use any size canvas you want- whatever makes you comfortable. He generally uses 18X 24. You don't need super fancy ones! Michael's and Hobby Lobby have them on sale all the time. Make sure it is a pre-stretched double primed canvas (most generally are)
3. Start with a tabletop easel- you can get these for a very economical price. This is the one I got: https://www.hobbylobby.com/Art-Supplies/Art-Fixtures/Art-Easels/Beechwood-Tabletop-Easel/p/5250
4. Start with hobby lobby oil paints- I get the pack that has several colors in small tubes and use my 40% off coupon. This is the pack I got: https://www.hobbylobby.com/Art-Supplies/Painting-Supplies/Oil-Painting/Masters-Touch-Oil-Paint---10-Piece-Set/p/100254
5. Basic brushes you need: 2 in. brush, fan brush (no. 6), script liner brush, painting knife. If he uses any other brushes than these, generally the 2 in. can be substituted instead. Again, watch those sales and please note that the brush needs to say you can use it for oil paints.
6. Use disposable plates instead of a palette- it works ya'll! I would recommend a styrofoam plate (you may need 2 or 3 to make sure you have a flat surface for each color to pull it out on your brush) because it is a firmer surface.
7. Odorless mineral spirits- you will need this to clean your brushes. I don't buy the odorless paint thinner at the art store because it is usually overpriced. I get this at lowe's in the general paint section and it lasts you a long time. You can just use a bucket you have laying around or buy one at hobby lobby- they are pretty cheap.
8. Find somewhere you don't mind getting stuff dirty to paint. In his method you have to clean your brush a lot in the mineral spirits and then you have to beat off the excess. So maybe do your painting outside, in the garage, or paint inside and just clean and beat your brushes outside.
9. Have fun- don't put any expectations on yourself, pause and rewind as much as you need to & let his calming voice relax you. You can find Bob Ross on Amazon Prime, Netflix, and he has a HUGE youtube channel with more content.
10. Please note it takes oil paints about 4-6 weeks to completely dry so keep it somewhere safe! :)
11. Generally, the first few episodes in a season are the easiest ones he does so try to stick to the first few episodes in a season to start with. :)
Questions? Did you try a painting? Let me know in the comments below!
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