- Hi, welcome back.

Certainly glad you could join me today.

Today, let's do just a happy little painting.

It's such a fantastic day.

I'm glad you're with me.

So, I'll tell you what, let's start out, have 'em run all the colors across the screen that you need to paint along with me.

and today we have, as you can plainly see, a black canvas up here.

Now, to get a black canvas, all you do is take a white canvas, and cover it with black gesso.

Allow that to dry completely, and then we cover it with a thin even coat of transparent color.

Today I've used a mixture of phthalo blue, with a little bit of sap green into it, and I've just covered the entire canvas with just a thin coat and you can just sort of touch it and if you get on your finger here, if you get a little bit of color, than that's just right.

You don't want it too thick or it becomes very difficult to work with, just thin even coat.

And that's the hardest part of this painting, is putting that paint over the black gesso.

The rest of it's easy.

Let's try it out today with the old two inch brush.

Go into a little bit of titanium white.

You know, as I've mentioned before when I do these black canvases, if you're ever painting in front of friends or family, do these black canvases and put the color, the base color on, before you go out to do your demonstration, and then when you hit this with white paint, beautiful colors happen and people think there's something magic happening and don't tell them the secret.

That's between you and I.

Now then, maybe we'll have a little bit of light up here in the sky.

I think we'll do a happy little waterfall today.

So were just gonna start right up here.

Just pick out an area.

Just making little criss cross strokes.

Just begin laying in a little bit of color, and you can see how that just comes alive.

That blue and green underneath there.

Just really makes it jump out at you.

Super, super nice way of making very effective little paintings, and color stands out so much brighter on a black canvas.

And now you can keep going back and make this as light as you want it or leave it very dark.

It's totally up to you.

Painting is a very individual thing.

So, create your own world.

Make it the way that you want it, and then it's just right.

Okay, now we have a little light area up in the sky.

Let's wash our brush.

And we'll just scrub it off, good 'ol odorless paint thinner.

Got a screen in the bottom of the can, so it allows the solid materials to sort of settle down to the bottom, shake it off, and just beat the devil out of it.

Now, as I mentioned before.

You can change the decor of your room in one heartbeat doing that.

One thing I want to show you.

I've got a lot of letters in, people saying, "how do I contain this?"

So I brought a little brush beater rack out here to show you today.

So very simple little device, and it just goes right in the bottom of a wastepaper basket, and you shake the brush inside of the basket then you beat the bristles firmly against this.

It contains it, only a couple of bucks, and it'll save your happy home, your marriage, you can't believe.

Let's start out today.

I'm gonna use, we'll just take the ol' one inch brush, let's get in and touch the phthalo blue, a little brown, be right back, maybe a little black, a little crimson, I'm just looking for a dark color here.

There we are.

A little more of that crimson, I like that.

Alright, maybe there's a little hill back here, far away.

Let's just take this, tap down.

Just make the indication of a little hill far away.

Not looking for a lot of detail here, it's too far back.

There we go.

Just blend it on down.

We're gonna cover most of that up.

A little bit of it we'll show, I think, and that will give us an indication of a hill far away.

Tap it a little bit, help create the illusion of mist.

Life slightly upward.

That's all there is to it.

That easy.

Today let's use this old big brush.

Sometimes we're so afraid of this brush because it's big.

But let's use it today and show you what you can do.

We'll take a little blue on it, let me grab some sap green here.

I need some sap green.

Now then, let's begin.

We'll just tap it a little here.

Let's begin deciding where little individual trees live here.

These are closer, they have a little more detail and I'm just using just the brush, just tapping this big brush wherever you want them.

Back up in here, maybe there's just all kinds of little trees that live way back in there.

Excuse the noise, that's just where I'm tapping.

There we go.

There we go.

Just wherever you want them.

Alright.

Now, these are just going to be indications of trees and bushes and stuff that are far away, far away.

Now, want to pick that same color, liner brush, paint thinner, make it very thin.

Turn that brush, turn it.

Okay, now then.

Maybe back here we can make out the indication of some little tree trunks here and there, not a whole bunch.

Just a few.

There.

Now you can do these with a light color also and they'll stand out.

Very pretty.

We'll add a little white to that.

Make it a little bit lighter and watch how they stand out.

There.

Okay, just wherever you want them and as many or as few as you think should be there.

Now, let's have some fun.

Maybe in our world, there's a big waterfall that lives right here.

We gonna give you the bravery test right here.

This is your bravery test.

Let's see.

If our waterfall lives here, this is just titanium white on a large brush, decide where he lives, touch, like so, and pull it down.

Just touch it and pull it.

What could be simpler?

Touch and pull.

There we are.

And decide how big he is, just pull him straight down.

This ol' big brush will do some fantastic things for you.

There.

Okay.

Now then, maybe down at the base of our waterfall there's some beautiful mist and for that, I'll just use the old fan brush and a little bit of the titanium white.

Okay, we gotta make some big decisions here.

Maybe our waterfall just hits right down in here and I'm just spinning that brush, just spin it, wiggle it, push it, make all kinds of just beautiful little shapes.

Just get crazy with the brush.

Just let it go.

There.

It's just where you take out all your frustrations, just let that rascal spin in there and carry on and it's picking up the color that's underneath.

There.

See normally if you do this on a canvas, you've just ruined it.

But here, this is where you have fun.

This is where you have fun.

Now we take a clean two inch brush and very gently just begin winding that up.

Just blend it.

Blend it, blend it.

You can create some of the most beautiful little misty areas.

Tap it.

Blend, tap.

That tapping really diffuses it.

Just wherever you want them There we go.

Just create all kind of misty areas and very lightly.

Then we can blend out all the little marks.

It looks like we just have a cloud of mist hanging there.

Maybe a little more right in here.

I want this to be a little bit brighter.

So, you do the back one first, and then it'll be like there's another layer of mist laying here.

But do the back one first.

Have it totally finished and then start this one.

If you want to create several different layers within this misty area.

Okay, we'll just blend this one.

Blending, blending, blending, tapping.

There we go.

Okay, give it a little, fluff it, like so.

And we're in business, we have another layer of mist.

And you can just make layer after layer after layer and create unbelievable depth in your painting.

Okay, about time to wash your brush here.

Scrub it off.

And we're in business.

Alright, and we're back to the big ol' two inch brush here.

A little bit of the blue and, be right back, a little sap green.

And then we can begin just putting some thing over here.

Some very basic little shapes.

Maybe there's trees that live on this side of that big ol' waterfall.

Just think about what basic little shape you want.

All you're doing here is just tapping, just tapping.

There we are.

Now I'm going to begin adding the least little touch of the yellows, A little yellow ochre, a little cad yellow, same old brush.

Just begin putting the indication here and there, just a little highlight, a little more detail.

There.

That's hanging right out over here in front of the waterfall.

See how that pushes that waterfall back though?

It creates another plane in your painting.

And that's exactly what we're trying to do.

I'm gonna add a little black to that.

Get up in here and put some darker things.

These are farther away, they're dark.

Basic tree shapes.

I'll tell you what, I'm gonna be tapping in some of these little tree shapes.

You know, painting is so fantastic, because, over the years, I've met literally hundreds and hundreds of beautiful people and they've painting with me and they've brought a lot of joy to my heart.

I'd like to share a little piece of film with you and show you somebody here.

I think you'll like it.

The opportunity to travel to Music City, USA, Nashville, Tennessee and paint with one of country western's living legend's, Mr. Hank Snow.

Annette Kowalski and I had a private class for Hank and several of his friends from the Grand Ole Opry.

One of the participants was Grant Turner, the voice of the Grand Ole Opry and the only announcer to be honored in the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Also present was Fred Purdue, a fantastic gentlemen who makes everything work behind the scenes at the opera Jimmy Snow, Hank's son, allowed us to paint in his television studio for a couple of days.

Jimmy and his wife Dotty recorded this historic event on film so we could share a couple of minutes of it with you.

Now, here we are on the last day of painting.

- I've learned more in the last couple of days than I could learn in a year, really.

- Well, thank you.

You're doing an almighty painting there.

Son of a gun.

He'll have his own t.v.

series coming up real soon.

(laughing) Look for Hank Snow and the Joy of Painting.

(laughing) Hank, thank you very much.

- Thank you.

- [Bob Ross] I've really enjoyed painting with you.

- My pleasure, Bob.

- [Bob Ross] Can I show them your hand?

- Sure.

The other one's worse.

- [Bob Ross] Hank paints his hand too.

(laughing) Isn't that fantastic?

I thought you'd enjoy seeing Hank, and boy, that son of a gun's a fantastic painter.

You know, he's so talented.

He can sing and he can paint.

I don't think there's anything the man can't do.

And I was very honored to have the opportunity to paint with Hank and Grant Turner and Fred.

They're fantastic people and from the bottom of my heart, I thank them for allowing me to be a little part of their world.

Okay, I just tapped in some little things here.

Now I've got the liner brush and I'm going through a little bit of black and the colors and I want to put in the indication here and there of a few little tree trunks that are way back here in the distance.

Way back here.

When you're doing this, if you have trouble making the paint stick, all you have to do is just add a tiny bit of paint thinner.

And see, you can just put all kinds of little limbs and sticks and, wherever you want them.

Just sort of think about where they would live in there and drop them in.

That's all there is to it.

Same ol', same ol' brush here, we're going to the Indian yellow.

Cad yellow, yellow ochre, just mix these colors up.

Now then, all these dark colors we've put in here.

Now I'm just going to begin putting some highlights here.

I want this to stay very dark.

So I'm not looking for a lot of color.

Just indications.

Begin thinking about individual little trees though in here.

There's a nice one.

Maybe a little light's hitting him.

He's standing out here in the sun.

Look at that.

See, just using this big ol' brush, you can make all kinds of things.

There we go.

Maybe here's another one.

Look at that.

There he is.

Big ol' tree, he lives right up there.

There, here's another one.

And you can put layer after layer after layer of beautiful tree indications without really doing a thing.

This is the lazy man's way of painting.

Okay.

Now then, this old waterfall is coming way off up there, splashing, making all that.

Shoot, it's time to have some fun.

Let's go into some Van Dyke brown, a little dark sienna, get some black.

Looking for a very dark, dark color.

Let's go up here.

Maybe there's a big stone that lives right about here.

Boy, look at that rascal.

You just have to make a decision, where does he live.

Drop him in.

Then we just paint that in with a fan brush.

There.

Okay, now that same old color, maybe there's some little stones back in here.

You know, if there's all these big stones there's gonna be little stones.

Now, just by changing the brush strokes here, with the least little amount of color, we'll use a little dark sienna, a little white, but the least little amount on the brush.

We want this to stay dark.

You can create the illusion of all kinds of little rocks and things happening.

But mainly, with just your brush strokes, you really don't have to work a lot.

See, already that looks like big old rocks and yet, it's just the brush strokes.

Let 'em work for ya, shoot.

If you can do it easy, why work at it?

Maybe there's some mist down here at the bottom of this.

Kay, we'll take old brush and just tap this and work it.

All kinds of nice misty areas down here.

Just let that blend right up into your rocks there.

Just lay that son of a gun right down into the mist.

Alright.

Now, I'm gonna dip the brush into the smallest amount of liquid white and go into the titanium white.

Load the brush full of color.

And out of this mist back here, we're gonna begin seein' water coming.

It's gonna fall and splash and have fun.

We don't know where all it goes and where it's headed.

Push upward to make little foamy things.

There, and there's stones underneath the water that you don't see.

Just let it go, let it go.

Just sort of think about where a little stone lives.

Push, bend, all kinds.

These little streams are so much fun to do.

Just think like water, you run it along here and having a good day, it's a good day.

And all of the sudden some son of a gun pulled the bottom out and you fall.

Just make up little stories, see there?

There he comes.

White little stream just keeps on a movin' and meandering down there.

Wherever you want him.

Maybe he just comes right on out, still falling in places.

There's rocks and stones and old trees, there we are.

Maybe there's a little beaver hidin' under there.

Whatever, that's a pretty fast stream for a beaver but maybe, maybe he's a fast beaver, whatever.

Kay, now then, let's put in a few more stones.

And when you're doing yours, put in as many rocks and stones and things as you want in there.

You can just drop 'em in.

Maybe there's a big one that lives here.

Big rock over here.

Now, once again, just use brush strokes and the least little amount of color and you can create all these illusions of little stones and rocks.

But it takes very, very little paint, very little paint.

Let that old fan brush just work.

There.

I love these little black canvases.

They are so, so effective.

There we are, maybe.

Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe right there.

We'll just put another rock.

See just sorta make up ideas and drop 'em in.

Whatever feels good, do it.

If it feels good and it doesn't hurt anybody else, then it's alright, it's alright.

Now then, here we go.

We just change that to a little waterfall that falls right off there.

And it splashes up against the base of these rocks.

There it goes, right on out.

Shoot, maybe just runs right off the canvas over here.

We don't care, wherever you want it.

This is just titanium white, a little liquid white to thin it a tiny bit.

And then it's picking up the color that's on the canvas.

So, the canvas is working for you.

You don't have to do anything.

Just rub a little white paint on it.

I get so many letters from people that have tried this and it's working for 'em and whole new worlds have been discovered.

And especially my young friends.

There's so many young people all over the country who write in.

You can't believe what they're painting.

You just absolutely can't believe.

And it creates an interest in art and a caring for nature and anytime you can instill that in a young person, it's so fantastic because they're the greatest people in the world and we gotta keep this old planet together boy, 'cause it's all we got at this point.

Maybe one day we'll have somethin' else, right now though, this is it, so we have to take care of it.

It's one of the reasons I like to show all the little birds and stuff on the show.

We don't wanna lose 'em.

And people like the bird lady here in Muncie that take care of 'em.

They're special people, special people.

There's probably someone in your area that does the same thing.

Should go see 'em.

They're usually glad to show you what they're doing.

They need your support and help.

They're really providing a worthwhile service.

Somebody has to take care of these little rascals.

I'm just doin' the same old thing here.

Get off my soap box, I talk too much sometime.

There.

Shoot, I'ma grab another fan brush maybe down here.

Maybe we'll take a little blue, go into this, the yellows.

Want this to be dark, let me grab a little more black.

It's too light, there.

Just right on the fan brush, a little bit of that dark greenish color.

Maybe there's some little grassy things that live down here.

Right down here.

Isn't this a beautiful place to come and hike or fish or whatever you do?

I love to fish, I'm an avid fisherman.

But I'm not a very good fisherman.

Shoot, I catch fish, I put a little Band-Aid on him, give 'em a little CPR, pat him on the tutu, put him back in the water, wish him well.

Come back next week, try to catch him again.

If we leave him there, then he's there for the next time.

Back to the old big brush.

Other fishermen sorta frown upon me, sometime the way I fish.

But, I think that's the way to do it.

That way everybody has a chance to catch 'em.

There we are.

I'm just putting all kinds of indications here, just bushes and stuff, not looking for a lot of detail.

When things are so thick like that and they grow together, it's hard to find individual details.

Kay, maybe right here lives just a happy little rascal.

And all we're doing right here is just taking this large brush and tapping downward.

You know, a lot of times when there's this much water, You have a lot of moss and a lot of trees that hang, they have a lot of hangy downs on 'em.

And it's so pretty, it's beautiful.

Just let it hang right out over the water there.

There we go.

Kay.

Now then, let's take our little liner brush here.

Gonna go right into, this is sort of a grayish color.

Let me get a little more thinner.

I don't have quite enough thinner, right back, there we are.

Want this to be very thin, almost ink consistency.

And here and there, and there and here, back here in these trees, I just wanna sneak back in here.

Put the the indication of some tiny little tree branches and stuff that are growing, just a few.

Adds a little detail to your painting.

And if you're out selling paintings, course we don't do that, but if you're ever out selling paintings, this is what makes your painting sell while somebody else will stand there and frown at ya, cause their painting doesn't sell.

It's these little details, the fact that you care enough to do the extra things, that's what makes it nice.

Years ago I used to travel all over and do demonstrations and sell paintings and sometimes people would get so angry because my paintings would sell and theirs wouldn't.

And I'd invite 'em to come over and paint with me.

Shoot, I try to tell people, if somebody's doing better than you are, don't get mad at 'em, figure out what they're doing that's working.

Shoot, don't waste your time getting mad 'em.

Just learn what they're doing and out do 'em.

You can do that, you can do anything.

Just here and there.

We just got all kinds of sticks and twigs.

Kay, maybe over here there some growing over here.

Maybe a bird dropped a little seed here and there just a little tree came up.

There he goes, he's tired little tree.

Boy, he's had a tough life out here.

Tough old life, like me, he's had a hard time.

(groans) There, you've gotta make those little groany, moany noises or it doesn't work.

You're doing a tree that's tired?

Then in your mind think about being tired.

There.

Alright.

Tell you what, let's go over here.

Grab my old fan brush that's got the dark color on it.

Get a little of the brown and the black.

I'm gonna just put the indication right in here under this.

There's some nice stones.

These little stones with a fan brush here are fun to make.

You can just put as many or as few as you want in your painting.

Just keep 'em going, there we are.

Sure hope you enjoyed seeing Hank, Grant, and Fred painting with me.

Well they are some of the most super people.

I've met so many wonderful people painting.

I wished I could show you everybody that I've met.

And maybe one day I will.

And if I get to your area to paint or to do a demonstration, please come out and see us.

I really enjoy meeting you.

Or send me photographs of what you're doing.

Every once in a while we put 'em together and we show 'em on a big board here.

We like to show people what everybody across the country's doing.

And maybe your painting will end up on TV here with me.

And that would be very nice and very special.

I'd love to be here with you.

Shoot, I think we about have a finished waterfall here.

I hope you've enjoyed this one, I'm gonna sign it I believe.

Take a little paint thinner, a little red.

Shoot.

Let's go right down here.

We'll sign this rascal, call it done.

Try this.

Basically all you need is a two inch brush, fan brush, palette knife a little bit, you really don't even need that much.

Very limited amount of equipment, very limited palette, and you can do some beautiful paintings.

And once again, let me hear from ya.

Let me know what you're doing and how it's working for ya and if you have questions or problems, please write.

Feel free to ask any old question, (laughs) just about any old question, and I'll be glad to answer 'em for ya.

From all of us here, I'd like to wish ya happy painting.

God bless, I look forward to seeing ya again.

(soft instrumental music)