Life Gives You Lemons

I have never painted a still life before. A simple piece of fruit seemed like a good start. The reference photo is from Will Kemp Art School. His tutorials are amazing. I have been watching them in the evenings for some time. He teaches colour mixing and acrylic techniques in a beginner friendly manner.

I used an 8x8 canvas board and the colours included Titanium White, Burnt Umber, Cadmium Yellow Medium and Cadmium Red Medium. I watched Will Kemp's tutorial last night but did not follow it when I painted, instead opting to just paint freely. It seems that I have a way to go before free works for me.

Valuable lessons learned today:

• It takes a lot more yellow than red to make orange. Add the red to the orange in very small amounts.
• Acrylic paint seems to dry more quickly on the palette than on the painting. Do not rest your hand on the painting until it is dry.
• Lemons are harder for me than I thought. They're not bright yellow, but they are not as orange as this painting either.