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How to paint grapes with oil step-by-step tutorial

Yuri Klapoux. Grapes.

Acrylic background. Imprimatur for starting oil painting
How to start oil painting. First layer in oil

Acrylic background

1 step. As usual, we start with background in different colors from green to purple, keep it a bit darker, then all other objects will look much brighter on it.

When background is well dry make a sketch with white acrylic pencil o chalk. Observe all proportions and location of all objects of the composition.

2 step. Continue with coloring your sketch with acrylic. Even if you are planing the painting in oil, the acrylic under painting will very helpful to you as a first approach to the original.
Make the acrylic under painting always much lighter. After applying the oil layer, the acrylic sketch will be slightly visible and will give a glow and more light coming from the inside of the picture.
So, don't forget: acrylic sketch is always lighter on tone or two.

How to paint white and red grapes

Light spots on grapes

Some lights to achieve

the transparency

3 step.

White grape. Acrylic sketch in light green (some green with yellow cadmium for berries on the direct light and green with white for dark berries which are in shadow).  Wait for dry acrylic and start with oil.

 

Prepare a simple palette in oil. Simple means we do not need a lot of colors, just enough 3-4 from which ones we will get all the variety of the colors we need.
For white grapes prepare besides the WHITE a few more:
green grassy, cadmium yellow light, yellow lemon, cadmium red light and yellow ocher. Add some oil in each color to make them smooth.

For transparency make a border lighter than body. Do not forget to put lights on top in white. 

Blue and violet coating for grapes
Light spots on grapes

Blue and violet coating

First oil layer. Final result

Light spots 

4 step.

Red grape. Make the acrylic sketch in light rose for berries on the direct light and alizarin crimson for dark berries in shadow. When the acrylic sketch is dry start to work with oil.

 

Prepare a simple palette again. 
For red grapes we need a bit more colors besides the basic white:
So get blue ultramarine light, alizarin crimson, cadmium yellow light, yellow lemon, cadmium red light, yellow ocher. Add some oil in each color to make them smooth.

Keep an eye with the original.

Start from the central berry making literally "her portrait". Acrylic sketch will be very helpful now.

Complete red grapes with a blue coating to give the berries ripeness.

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Light spots near shadow looks much brighter

5 step. Finally, we put lights spots. Those lights might come from the top of the painting, for example, through the leaves of vines. For lights we use mixture of white a touch of lemon yellow.

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This is our final work in oil for grapes.

Our first class is finished for a while.

Next steps will be for red viburnum and leaves. 

See you on my next lesson.
 

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