Acrylic paint-along · beginner

A plump black-capped chickadee perched on a curved autumn branch, with four red, orange, and gold leaves, against a soft, misty sunset forest.

Start on a plain white canvas. Paint the sky first, then each part of the scene from farthest to nearest, each straight over the one behind it. Then the main subject, texture with simple brush moves, shadows, and highlights last.

11 stepsCanvas: 14 x 11 inFocal point: The chickadee's head and black bib, at about 48% across and 20% down in the frame. Light: The low sun, upper right of the bird at 66% across and 15% down in the frame. Lit edges face up and to the right.How this lesson was made

The finished painting — Where you'll end up

What you need

Tubes

Titanium white
Yellow deep
Raw sienna
Flesh tint
Orange
Permanent red
Purple red
Light magenta
Ultramarine
Burnt sienna
Burnt umber

Brushes

1 inch flat: the glow and hazeFlat: square end, for big areas and straight edges
#6 round: the sunRound: pointed tip, thin or thick depending on how hard you press
#10 flat: pulling the trunksFlat: square end, for big areas and straight edges
old stiff flat or 1/2 inch flat: tapping foliageOld stiff flat: worn, splayed bristles, for rough texture like grass and foliage
#8 round: outlining the branchesRound: pointed tip, thin or thick depending on how hard you press
1/2 inch flat: filling the thick partFlat: square end, for big areas and straight edges
#4 round: the twigsRound: pointed tip, thin or thick depending on how hard you press
#2 round: the stemsRound: pointed tip, thin or thick depending on how hard you press
Liner (#1 or #0): the white feather edgesLiner: long, very thin bristles, for fine lines like twigs and grass

Also

A 14 x 11 in canvas, landscape (hang it that way). Positions in the steps are percentages across and down: each 10% is 1.4 in across and 1.1 in down.
Water jar and paper towel
Palette or paper plate for mixing

Your paints

Every paint in the lesson. You don't have to mix them all at the start: each step lists the paints it uses with their recipes, so you can mix a little as you go before it dries. Parts are by volume.

Misty lavender3 parts flesh tint, 1 part ultramarine
the soft gray-lavender haze at the edges and bottom · First needed in step 1

Haze blue1 part ultramarine, 1 part flesh tint, 1 part white, a touch of orange
the cooler blue haze low on the left and bottom · First needed in step 1

Sunset gold3 parts white, 2 parts orange, 1 part flesh tint
the warm glow around the sun · First needed in step 1

Glow peach3 parts flesh tint, 1 part orange, a touch of light magenta
the peach glow between the gold and the haze, under the bird · First needed in step 1

Sun cream6 parts white, 1 part orange, a touch of yellow deep
the small pale sun · First needed in step 1

Trunk gray1 part flesh tint, 1 part ultramarine, a touch of orange, a touch of white
the soft far tree trunks · First needed in step 2

Rust orange2 parts yellow deep, 2 parts white, 1 part purple red, 1 part permanent red
the darker foliage dabs · First needed in step 3

Foliage peach1 part flesh tint, a touch of purple red, a touch of yellow deep
the lighter foliage dabs · First needed in step 4

Bark dark1 part burnt umber, a touch of purple red
the branches' dark base and undersides · First needed in step 5

Bark mid2 parts burnt sienna, 1 part burnt umber, 1 part white, a touch of permanent red
the lit tops of the branches · First needed in step 6

Bark light2 parts white, 1 part burnt umber, a touch of orange
the pale patches on top of the big branch · First needed in step 6

Leaf gold2 parts orange, 1 part white
the top leaf and the lit half of the bottom-middle leaf · First needed in step 7

Leaf orange1 part orange, a touch of yellow deep, a touch of purple red
the bottom-middle leaf's darker half · First needed in step 7

Leaf red1 part raw sienna, 1 part permanent red, a touch of yellow deep
the two red leaves · First needed in step 7

Flank buff2 parts raw sienna, 1 part flesh tint
the bird's peach-buff side and belly · First needed in step 8

Breast creamFlesh tint, straight from the tube
the bird's pale breast on the lit right side · First needed in step 8

Wing gray2 parts flesh tint, 1 part ultramarine, 1 part white, a touch of raw sienna
the bird's wing and tail · First needed in step 8

Feather dark3 parts ultramarine, 2 parts burnt sienna, 2 parts white, 1 part raw sienna
the dark stripes between the wing feathers · First needed in step 10

Cap black3 parts ultramarine, 1 part orange, a touch of raw sienna
the cap, bib, eye, beak, and feet · First needed in step 9

Cheek white3 parts white, 1 part flesh tint, a touch of burnt umber
the white cheek and feather edges · First needed in step 9

The steps

STEP 1 OF 11

Paint the misty sunset glow

The light comes from the low sun, upper right of the bird (69% across, 15% down). Keep every highlight on that side.
1 inch flat, creamy Sunset gold: X-stroke a glow around the sun spot, 50 to 90% across, top edge to 35% down.
Blend Glow peach outward from the gold and down the middle to about 65% down, in soft cloudy patches, not clean bands.
Misty lavender down the left side, right edge, and bottom; Haze blue low on the left and in faint upright smudges along the bottom. Blend joins wet.
While the gold is wet, dab a 1/2 inch Sun cream sun at 69% across, 15% down. Let it dry.

Paints for this step5 paints, 5 new

Sunset gold new3 parts white, 2 parts orange, 1 part flesh tint
Glow peach new3 parts flesh tint, 1 part orange, a touch of light magenta
Misty lavender new3 parts flesh tint, 1 part ultramarine
Haze blue new1 part ultramarine, 1 part flesh tint, 1 part white, a touch of orange
Sun cream new6 parts white, 1 part orange, a touch of yellow deep

Colors dry a little darker: test each mix on the palette edge before the big areas.

Brushes

1 inch flat#6 round

Strokes

X stroke. Criss-cross the flat in overlapping X shapes so neighboring colors melt together with soft texture.

Wet-on-wet blend. Brush lightly back and forth over each join while both colors are wet.

Watch out: Don't leave white where the bird and branch will go: cover the whole canvas, edge to edge.

Watch out: Work fast; stop blending as soon as the paint drags, or it turns muddy.

Drying: About 10 minutes between steps (a hair dryer on low speeds it up). An hour after the last step before handling.

How this picture was made Render · 1 try · $0.019

Why this step, now: Everything sits on the glow, so it goes first and runs straight under the bird and branch so the blend never breaks.

Why this tool: Render from the finish with later parts left off: no composite tool exists yet (#8), and hiding the bird, branches, and foliage means inventing the haze behind them, which a throwaway inpaint can't do.

No diagram: A blended background; the step picture shows where each color sits.

Render 1low quality · $0.019Each step is the finish with later parts not painted yet; no composite tool exists (#8), and hiding the bird, branches, and foliage needs the covered background invented, which inpainting can't do

STEP 2 OF 11

Add the misty far trunks

With the #10 flat nearly dry, pull Trunk gray straight down from the top edge to the bottom edge for a slim trunk at 77 to 81% across.
Pull a wider trunk the same way at 85 to 92% across, splitting it in two near the top.
Add a short faint trunk at 37 to 42% across, from 62% down to the bottom edge.
Soften each trunk's edges with Misty lavender, and haze over the glow beside the right trunks (70 to 80% across, 30 to 60% down). Let it dry.

Paints for this step2 paints, 1 new

Trunk gray new1 part flesh tint, 1 part ultramarine, a touch of orange, a touch of white
Misty lavender from step 1, mix more if it has dried3 parts flesh tint, 1 part ultramarine

Try a dry-brush stroke on scrap paper first.

Brushes

#10 flat

Strokes

Dry brushing. Wipe the flat nearly clean, then pull down with light pressure so the haze shows through the trunk.

Watch out: Dark, crisp trunks look close. Keep them pale and soft-edged.

Drying: About 10 minutes between steps (a hair dryer on low speeds it up). An hour after the last step before handling.

How this picture was made Render · 1 try · $0.019

Why this step, now: Farthest solid things; pale and soft so they stay in the haze.

No diagram: Three vertical strokes, placed by the numbers.

Render 1low quality · $0.019Each step is the finish with later parts not painted yet; no composite tool exists (#8), and hiding the bird, branches, and foliage needs the covered background invented, which inpainting can't do

STEP 3 OF 11

Dab the rust foliage

Load the corner of a stiff flat with creamy Rust orange and tap loose clusters, 1/4 to 3/4 inch each.
Cluster them thickest around the right trunks and down the left side, and fewer and softer inside the gold glow.
Leave lavender haze showing between the clusters. Let it dry.

Paints for this step1 paint, 1 new

Rust orange new2 parts yellow deep, 2 parts white, 1 part purple red, 1 part permanent red

Test a few taps on scrap paper first.

Brushes

old stiff flat or 1/2 inch flat

Strokes

Dabbing. Tap the brush corner straight down with light pressure, turning it a little each tap so the marks vary.

Watch out: Even rows of dots look like polka dots. Tap in loose groups of three to six.

Drying: About 10 minutes between steps (a hair dryer on low speeds it up). An hour after the last step before handling.

How this picture was made Render · 3 tries · $0.059

Why this step, now: The foliage is a dense dab texture, so it's split into passes; the darker rust goes first.

No diagram: One repeated tapping mark.

Render 1low quality · $0.019Each step is the finish with later parts not painted yet; no composite tool exists (#8), and hiding the bird, branches, and foliage needs the covered background invented, which inpainting can't do
Review round 1redoneThe faint middle trunk at 39-43% across grew to start about 28% down instead of 62%.
Render 2low quality · $0.020Redo from the review; the step is the finish with later parts removed, which no filter can make
Review round 2redoneThe gold glow shrank to a small patch around the sun, and the rust dabs didn't line up with the rust under the peach in the next step and the finish.
Render 3low quality · $0.020Redo from review round 2; the step is the finish with later parts removed, which no filter can make

STEP 4 OF 11

Dab the peach foliage

Wipe the brush, then tap creamy Foliage peach on the top, sun-facing half of each rust cluster.
Leave the rust showing on the lower half of every cluster, and the haze between them.
Tap a few new peach clusters into the open haze, as the picture shows, and a few soft Sunset gold taps near the sun. Let it dry.

Build the depth, dark first
Value	Paint	Where
dark	Rust orange	lower half of each cluster (from the last step)
light	Foliage peach	top half of each cluster, facing the sun

Paints for this step3 paints, 1 new

Foliage peach new1 part flesh tint, a touch of purple red, a touch of yellow deep
Sunset gold from step 1, mix more if it has dried3 parts white, 2 parts orange, 1 part flesh tint
Rust orange from step 3, mix more if it has dried2 parts yellow deep, 2 parts white, 1 part purple red, 1 part permanent red

Brushes

old stiff flat or 1/2 inch flat

Strokes

Dabbing. Tap lightly with the corner over the dark taps so both colors show.

Watch out: Covering all the rust flattens the foliage; about half should still show.

Drying: About 10 minutes between steps (a hair dryer on low speeds it up). An hour after the last step before handling.

How this picture was made Render · 1 try · $0.019

Why this step, now: Second pass: peach on the sun-facing half of each cluster, so the foliage builds up instead of arriving finished.

No diagram: The same mark over the last one, with a values table.

Render 1low quality · $0.019Each step is the finish with later parts not painted yet; no composite tool exists (#8), and hiding the bird, branches, and foliage needs the covered background invented, which inpainting can't do
Review round 1redone neighbor foliage-dark: the finish has foliage across the center too, so the rust pass was the one too sparseAdds whole new foliage clusters where the rust pass had plain haze (center and upper middle).

STEP 5 OF 11

Block in the branches

Let the background dry. With the #8 round and creamy Bark dark, outline the big branch as the diagram shows: in at the bottom-left corner, peaking at 50% across, 58% down, out the right edge at 87% down.
Make it about 2 inches thick at the bottom left, tapering to 1/4 inch past the middle. Fill the thick part with the 1/2 inch flat.
Pull the thin branch from the big one at 9% across, 68% down, straight up to the top edge at 4% across, with a twig to 15% across, 10% down.
With the #4 round, press and lift three twigs off the right half, as in the diagram. Let it dry.

Paints for this step1 paint, 1 new

Bark dark new1 part burnt umber, a touch of purple red

Brushes

#8 round1/2 inch flat#4 round

Strokes

Thick-to-thin. Press the belly of the brush down at the thick end and lift slowly as you pull, so the line tapers.

Press and lift. Touch down, pull a short stroke, and lift off to a point for each twig.

Watch out: An even-width branch looks like a pipe. Press hard near the trunk and lift as you go.

Drying: About 10 minutes between steps (a hair dryer on low speeds it up). An hour after the last step before handling.

How this picture was made Render · 2 tries · $0.040 Diagram · free

Why this step, now: The branch is the nearest big shape behind the bird; a flat dark base first.

Why a diagram: A long arcing branch that must taper, with a second branch and twigs joining it; where each starts isn't obvious.

How it broke the shape down: The big arc first, thick end at the corner, then the thin branch up from its join, then the three twigs.

Checked against the picture: Arc peaks near the middle at about 58% down and leaves the right edge lower, as in the step image.

Where this came from: beginner check

Render 1low quality · $0.020Each step is the finish with later parts not painted yet; no composite tool exists (#8), and hiding the bird, branches, and foliage needs the covered background invented, which inpainting can't do
Review round 1left: outside the step's regions, so lock-steps put the earlier pixels back (no render)The faint middle trunk reappears from about 22% down instead of 60%.
Render 2low quality · $0.020Fix from the step review (shape_change); the step is the finish with later parts removed, which no filter can make

Lay in the branches from the thick end

1 Big arc, thick to thin

2 Thin branch up from it

3 Three twigs

Dashed outline: what to paint in that picture. Arrows: which way to move the brush.

STEP 6 OF 11

Light the bark

With the #8 round and creamy Bark mid, stroke along the top half of both branches, following the curve.
Leave a strip of Bark dark showing along every underside, with a few Haze blue touches under the thick part.
Add a few short Bark light patches on top of the thick part, 12 to 34% across, and touch Bark mid along the twigs' tops. Let it dry.

Build the depth, dark first
Value	Paint	Where
dark	Bark dark	the underside of each branch and the twigs
mid	Bark mid	the top half, facing the light
light	Bark light	a few patches on top of the thick part

Paints for this step4 paints, 2 new

Bark mid new2 parts burnt sienna, 1 part burnt umber, 1 part white, a touch of permanent red
Bark light new2 parts white, 1 part burnt umber, a touch of orange
Bark dark from step 5, mix more if it has dried1 part burnt umber, a touch of purple red
Haze blue from step 1, mix more if it has dried1 part ultramarine, 1 part flesh tint, 1 part white, a touch of orange

Brushes

#8 round

Strokes

Curved strokes that follow a form. Pull each stroke along the branch's length, bending with its curve.

Watch out: Covering the dark underside flattens the branch: it's what makes it look round.

Drying: About 10 minutes between steps (a hair dryer on low speeds it up). An hour after the last step before handling.

How this picture was made Render · 1 try · $0.019

Why this step, now: Mid and light on top of the dark base give the branch three values and its roundness.

No diagram: Strokes along the branch already laid in; a values table shows where each value goes.

Render 1low quality · $0.019Each step is the finish with later parts not painted yet; no composite tool exists (#8), and hiding the bird, branches, and foliage needs the covered background invented, which inpainting can't do

STEP 7 OF 11

Paint the four leaves

Build each leaf as in the diagram: a center line, then each half outlined with the #8 round and filled with the 1/2 inch flat, to a point. Notch the edges a little.
Leaf gold at the top, 15 to 32% across, from the top edge to 18% down. Leaf red below it, 10 to 23% across, 14 to 37% down, tip down.
Pull a thin Leaf red stem down from the big branch at 65% across, 67% down.
Hang a Leaf orange leaf from it, gold on its right half (49 to 65% across, 71 to 93% down), and a Leaf red leaf at 65 to 79% across, 79% down to the bottom edge.
Blend Leaf orange into one half of each red leaf, as the picture shows. Let it dry.

Paints for this step3 paints, 3 new

Leaf gold new2 parts orange, 1 part white
Leaf orange new1 part orange, a touch of yellow deep, a touch of purple red
Leaf red new1 part raw sienna, 1 part permanent red, a touch of yellow deep

Brushes

#8 round1/2 inch flat#2 round

Strokes

Building from pieces. Outline one curved half from the stem end to the tip, fill it, then do the other half.

Watch out: Round, blobby leaves: lift to a sharp tip at the end of each half.

Drying: About 10 minutes between steps (a hair dryer on low speeds it up). An hour after the last step before handling.

How this picture was made Render · 1 try · $0.019 Diagram · free

Why this step, now: The leaves hang from the branches, so they go on after them and before the bird, which is the front-most thing.

Why a diagram: Four shaped leaves appear at once.

How it broke the shape down: A center line, then a curved half on each side, the way press-and-lift leaves are taught.

Checked against the picture: Two halves to a point match the pointed, slightly lopsided leaves in the image.

Where this came from: beginner check

Render 1low quality · $0.019Each step is the finish with later parts not painted yet; no composite tool exists (#8), and hiding the bird, branches, and foliage needs the covered background invented, which inpainting can't do

Build a leaf from two halves

1 A center line

2 Left half

3 Right half, to a point

Dashed outline: what to paint in that picture. Arrows: which way to move the brush.

STEP 8 OF 11

Block in the bird's body

The bird goes on dry paint. With the 1/2 inch flat and creamy Flank buff, paint an egg-shaped body, 37 to 60% across and 26 to 56% down (about 3 by 3 1/4 inches).
Wet-blend Breast cream down its right, sun-facing side.
With the #8 round, lay a Wing gray wing along the body's left side and a long tail to 13% across, 61% down, as in the diagram.
Leave the head area as background for now. Let it dry.

Paints for this step3 paints, 3 new

Flank buff new2 parts raw sienna, 1 part flesh tint
Breast cream newFlesh tint, straight from the tube
Wing gray new2 parts flesh tint, 1 part ultramarine, 1 part white, a touch of raw sienna

Brushes

1/2 inch flat#8 round

Strokes

Curved strokes that follow a form. Stroke around the oval, curving with the body, so it looks round.

Building from pieces. Body oval first, then the wing over its left side, then the tail.

Watch out: A flat, pancake body: keep the oval full and round.

Watch out: This is the ugly stage, when a painting often looks wrong. That's normal; keep going.

Drying: About 10 minutes between steps (a hair dryer on low speeds it up). An hour after the last step before handling.

How this picture was made Render · 2 tries · $0.039 Diagram · free

Why this step, now: The subject gets a teacher's steps: the body shapes first.

Why a diagram: An animal appears whole in one step.

How it broke the shape down: An egg-shaped body, a long wing ellipse tilted down-left over its left side, then a tail wedge to the lower left.

Checked against the picture: Body a little taller than wide, tail tip at about 13% across, 61% down, as in the image.

Where this came from: beginner check

Render 1low quality · $0.019Each step is the finish with later parts not painted yet; no composite tool exists (#8), and hiding the bird, branches, and foliage needs the covered background invented, which inpainting can't do
Render 2low quality · $0.019each bird stage has to be the finished bird minus later work; no filter can take away just those parts

Build the body from simple pieces

1 An egg-shaped body

2 Wing over the left side

3 Tail down to the left

Dashed outline: what to paint in that picture. Arrows: which way to move the brush.

STEP 9 OF 11

Paint the head

With the #8 round and Cap black, paint a rounded cap over the head, 38 to 58% across, top at 11% down, as in the diagram.
With Cheek white, paint the cheek band right across the head below the cap, 38 to 55% across, 21 to 29% down.
With Cap black, add the bib below the band on the right, 47 to 58% across, down to 32% down, over the top of the breast. Two coats if it looks gray. Let it dry.

Paints for this step2 paints, 2 new

Cap black new3 parts ultramarine, 1 part orange, a touch of raw sienna
Cheek white new3 parts white, 1 part flesh tint, a touch of burnt umber

Brushes

#8 round#4 round

Strokes

Building from pieces. Cap, then the white band under it, then the bib.

Watch out: Black and white side by side smear into gray. Let the cap dry before the cheek.

Drying: About 10 minutes between steps (a hair dryer on low speeds it up). An hour after the last step before handling.

How this picture was made Render · 4 tries · $0.089 Diagram · free

Why this step, now: The markings are what makes it a chickadee, so they get their own step on a dry body.

Why a diagram: Three markings in a set order on a small head; the reviewer found the cheek band and bib easy to get wrong.

How it broke the shape down: Cap over the top, a white band below it right across the head, then the bib below on the right.

Checked against the picture: Matches the redone head step and the finish: the white band separates cap and bib.

Where this came from: beginner check

Render 1low quality · $0.019Each step is the finish with later parts not painted yet; no composite tool exists (#8), and hiding the bird, branches, and foliage needs the covered background invented, which inpainting can't do
Render 2low quality · $0.019Redo from review round 2; the step is the finish with later parts removed, which no filter can make
Review round 2redoneThe black cap ran straight into the bib with no white between, unlike the next step and the finish.
Render 3low quality · $0.032the head stage must match the later bird's shapes; no filter can remove only the feather detail
Render 4low quality · $0.019each bird stage has to be the finished bird minus later work; no filter can take away just those parts

Head in three pieces

1 Cap over the top

2 White cheek band

3 Bib below, on the right

Dashed outline: what to paint in that picture. Arrows: which way to move the brush.

STEP 10 OF 11

Shade the feathers

With the #4 round and Feather dark, paint three or four stripes along the wing, down-left. Let them dry.
With the liner, edge each stripe with a thin Cheek white line, and pull a few Feather dark and Cheek white lines along the tail.
Flick short fur strokes around the body's curve: Flank buff underneath and on the left, Breast cream on the right side facing the sun.
Soften the cheek's lower edge with short Cheek white flicks. Let it dry.

Build the depth, dark first
Value	Paint	Where
dark	Feather dark	stripes between the wing feathers
mid	Wing gray	the wing and tail between stripes
light	Cheek white	thin feather edges

Paints for this step5 paints, 1 new

Feather dark new3 parts ultramarine, 2 parts burnt sienna, 2 parts white, 1 part raw sienna
Cheek white from step 9, mix more if it has dried3 parts white, 1 part flesh tint, a touch of burnt umber
Flank buff from step 8, mix more if it has dried2 parts raw sienna, 1 part flesh tint
Breast cream from step 8, mix more if it has driedFlesh tint, straight from the tube
Wing gray from step 8, mix more if it has dried2 parts flesh tint, 1 part ultramarine, 1 part white, a touch of raw sienna

Test the liner on scrap paper first.

Brushes

#4 roundLiner (#1 or #0)

Strokes

Liner work. Thin the white to ink and pull light, steady lines along each feather.

Flicking. Light load, a quick short stroke from the body outward, lifting at the end.

Watch out: Fur strokes all in one direction look flat; follow the body's curve.

Drying: About 10 minutes between steps (a hair dryer on low speeds it up). An hour after the last step before handling.

How this picture was made Render · 3 tries · $0.057

Why this step, now: Shading and texture after the base shapes, before the tiny details.

No diagram: Stripes and short strokes on shapes already painted; the picture shows them.

Render 1low quality · $0.019Each step is the finish with later parts not painted yet; no composite tool exists (#8), and hiding the bird, branches, and foliage needs the covered background invented, which inpainting can't do
Render 2low quality · $0.019the bird's feather stage must be painted from the finish's bird; no filter can remove just the eye, beak and feet
Render 3low quality · $0.019each bird stage has to be the finished bird minus later work; no filter can take away just those parts

STEP 11 OF 11

Add the eye, beak, feet, and highlights

With the #2 round and Cap black, dot the eye at 47% across, 21% down, and a small pointed beak right of it.
Paint the feet in Cap black at 43% and 52% across, toes curling over the top of the branch.
Add a tiny Cheek white dot in the eye, and a few Sun cream touches on the bird's right edge and the sun.
Add Bark light flecks on the branch top and Leaf gold veins on the leaves.

Paints for this step5 paints

Cap black from step 9, mix more if it has dried3 parts ultramarine, 1 part orange, a touch of raw sienna
Cheek white from step 9, mix more if it has dried3 parts white, 1 part flesh tint, a touch of burnt umber
Sun cream from step 1, mix more if it has dried6 parts white, 1 part orange, a touch of yellow deep
Bark light from step 6, mix more if it has dried2 parts white, 1 part burnt umber, a touch of orange
Leaf gold from step 7, mix more if it has dried2 parts orange, 1 part white

Brushes

#2 roundLiner (#1 or #0)

Strokes

Dotting. Touch the brush tip straight down once for the eye and the highlight.

Liner work. Thin paint to ink for the toes and veins, and pull light lines.

Watch out: Feet floating above the branch: wrap the toes over its top.

Drying: About 10 minutes between steps (a hair dryer on low speeds it up). An hour after the last step before handling.

How this picture was made Render · 3 tries · $0.188

Why this step, now: Eye, beak, feet, and brightest highlights last, over dry paint.

No diagram: Small marks placed by grid numbers.

Render 1high quality · $0.067No filter turns a reference into an acrylic painting on canvas; every step copies from this finish
Render 2high quality · $0.067Repaint of the finish to fix its colors; no filter can change the haze's hue only between the foliage dabs
Render 3high quality · $0.054the eye, beak, feet and leaf veins have to be painted; no filter can add them

Behind the easel

How this lesson was made

You don't need any of this to paint. It's for the curious: how Claude read your photo, picked a technique, and chose between free filters and paid image renders for every picture above.

notes from the studio

Filterfree, built in

Beginner versionReferenceValue studyPalette

Throwaway filterfree, written for this photo

not needed

Seeded renderpaid, started from a filter

not needed

Renderpaid, image model

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Numbers are steps. A dashed, struck-through number was tried on that rung first and didn't hold up. Claude starts at the top and pays for a render only when nothing free will do.

How Claude read your photosubject, light, layers

Before starting

Subject: A chickadee on an autumn branch against a misty sunset forest

Found in the image: just the picture

Done: none

Why: No screen, page, or border around it.

Fitted to your canvas

Canvas: 14 x 11 in, landscape (an 11x14 hung sideways)

Done: crop

Left out: about 11% off the top (the top of the gold leaf and some glow) and 11% off the bottom (the tip of the lower red leaf and haze)

Why: The picture is square; fit-canvas picked landscape and a crop, which keeps the whole bird, the branch, and all four leaves.

Beginner version

What made it too busy: Tiny separate things: yes, dozens of thorny nubs and buds along every twig. Textures of hundreds of items: yes, feather-by-feather fur and a thick bark patchwork. Detail inside big shapes: yes, veined, jagged leaves and textured misty trees. Parts: about 9, over the budget of 8.

Changed: Dropped the twig nubs and most tiny twigs; bark became a smooth branch with a dark underside and a few lighter strokes; misty trees became a few soft trunks with loose foliage dabs; the bird's fur became smooth blended paint and the wing three or four stripes; leaves became smooth with one vein.

Why: With those gone the picture is about 7 parts, each one a shape or one repeated mark.

A soft, glowing autumn picture: the chickadee is the whole point, so its black cap, white cheek, and black bib must read crisply against a hazy, warm background. The hard parts are the bird's shape and markings, and keeping the background misty instead of busy.

Subject: A plump black-capped chickadee perched on a curved autumn branch, with four red, orange, and gold leaves, against a soft, misty sunset forest.
Focal point: The chickadee's head and black bib, at about 48% across and 20% down in the frame.
Light: The low sun, upper right of the bird at 66% across and 15% down in the frame. Lit edges face up and to the right.

What it saw, back to front

misty sunset glow and sun
far trunks
foliage dabs (rust, then peach)
branches
bark light
leaves
bird body, wing, tail
bird head
feathers
eye, beak, feet, highlights

Why this techniquePaint along, back to front

The owner named acrylic-paint-along-beginner.

ChosenPaint along, back to frontStart on a plain white canvas. Paint the sky first, then each part of the scene from farthest to nearest, each straight over the one behind it. Then the main subject, texture with simple brush moves, shadows, and highlights last.

The owner named paint-along, and it fits: a soft background first, the branch on top, then the bird built from simple shapes, the way YouTube bird tutorials go.

Passed onBlock in, then build up (acrylic-block-in-beginner)

Not chosen: the owner named the technique. Block-in's toned ground and sketch would also fight the soft, wet-blended glow.

How the paint recipes were worked out20 paints, free

Paint doesn't mix like light on a screen: blue and yellow make green, not gray. So the recipes come from a pigment mixing model (Mixbox), not a guess. For each paint it tried every simple recipe from your tubes, up to three colors plus white, and kept the one that lands closest to the color in the painting. Delta E is how far off it lands: under 2 is hard to see, under 5 is close, and over 8 means these tubes can't quite make it.

Misty lavender Delta E 0.7
in the paintingthe recipe mixed
Mixer: 3 parts flesh tint, 1 part ultramarine
Written by eye first: 4 parts white, 1 part neutral gray, a touch of violet
Haze blue Delta E 1.1
in the paintingthe recipe mixed
Mixer: 1 part ultramarine, 1 part flesh tint, 1 part white, a touch of orange
Written by eye first: 4 parts white, 1 part neutral gray, a touch of ultramarine
Sunset gold Delta E 1.4
in the paintingthe recipe mixed
Mixer: 3 parts white, 2 parts orange, 1 part flesh tint
Written by eye first: 4 parts white, 1 part yellow deep, a touch of orange
Glow peach Delta E 1.0
in the paintingthe recipe mixed
Mixer: 3 parts flesh tint, 1 part orange, a touch of light magenta
Written by eye first: 3 parts white, 1 part orange, a touch of yellow ochre
Sun cream Delta E 0.9
in the paintingthe recipe mixed
Mixer: 6 parts white, 1 part orange, a touch of yellow deep
Written by eye first: titanium white with a touch of medium yellow
Trunk gray Delta E 1.1
in the paintingthe recipe mixed
Mixer: 1 part flesh tint, 1 part ultramarine, a touch of orange, a touch of white
Written by eye first: 2 parts neutral gray, 1 part white, a touch of ultramarine
Rust orange Delta E 0.9
in the paintingthe recipe mixed
Mixer: 2 parts yellow deep, 2 parts white, 1 part purple red, 1 part permanent red
Written by eye first: 2 parts orange, 1 part white, a touch of burnt sienna
Foliage peach Delta E 0.8
in the paintingthe recipe mixed
Mixer: 1 part flesh tint, a touch of purple red, a touch of yellow deep
Written by eye first: 3 parts white, 1 part orange, a touch of cashew
Bark dark Delta E 1.9
in the paintingthe recipe mixed
Mixer: 1 part burnt umber, a touch of purple red
Written by eye first: 2 parts burnt umber, 1 part burnt sienna
Bark mid Delta E 0.8
in the paintingthe recipe mixed
Mixer: 2 parts burnt sienna, 1 part burnt umber, 1 part white, a touch of permanent red
Written by eye first: 2 parts burnt sienna, 1 part white, a touch of orange
Bark light Delta E 0.9
in the paintingthe recipe mixed
Mixer: 2 parts white, 1 part burnt umber, a touch of orange
Written by eye first: 3 parts white, 1 part cashew, a touch of neutral gray
Leaf gold Delta E 0.6
in the paintingthe recipe mixed
Mixer: 2 parts orange, 1 part white
Written by eye first: yellow deep with a little medium yellow
Leaf orange Delta E 0.8
in the paintingthe recipe mixed
Mixer: 1 part orange, a touch of yellow deep, a touch of purple red
Written by eye first: orange with a touch of permanent red
Leaf red Delta E 0.6
in the paintingthe recipe mixed
Mixer: 1 part raw sienna, 1 part permanent red, a touch of yellow deep
Written by eye first: permanent red with a touch of orange
Flank buff Delta E 1.4
in the paintingthe recipe mixed
Mixer: 2 parts raw sienna, 1 part flesh tint
Written by eye first: 2 parts cashew, 1 part orange, a touch of yellow ochre
Breast cream Delta E 3.2
in the paintingthe recipe mixed
Mixer: Flesh tint, straight from the tube
Written by eye first: 4 parts white, 1 part cashew
Wing gray Delta E 1.3
in the paintingthe recipe mixed
Mixer: 2 parts flesh tint, 1 part ultramarine, 1 part white, a touch of raw sienna
Written by eye first: 3 parts white, 1 part neutral gray, a touch of ultramarine
Feather dark Delta E 2.1
in the paintingthe recipe mixed
Mixer: 3 parts ultramarine, 2 parts burnt sienna, 2 parts white, 1 part raw sienna
Written by eye first: 2 parts neutral gray, 1 part permanent black
Cap black Delta E 3.4
in the paintingthe recipe mixed
Mixer: 3 parts ultramarine, 1 part orange, a touch of raw sienna
Written by eye first: permanent black with a touch of ultramarine
Cheek white Delta E 0.7
in the paintingthe recipe mixed
Mixer: 3 parts white, 1 part flesh tint, a touch of burnt umber
Written by eye first: titanium white with a touch of cashew

Furthest off: Delta E 3.4. Real tubes vary by brand, so mix, compare with the step picture, and nudge.

Why the steps go in this order11 steps

Back to front: the glow and haze over the whole canvas, the far trunks, two passes of misty foliage (dark, then light), the branches (dark, then lit bark), the leaves on the branch, then the bird body, head, and feathers, and the small details last.

1. Paint the misty sunset glow
Everything sits on the glow, so it goes first and runs straight under the bird and branch so the blend never breaks.
2. Add the misty far trunks
Farthest solid things; pale and soft so they stay in the haze.
3. Dab the rust foliage
The foliage is a dense dab texture, so it's split into passes; the darker rust goes first.
4. Dab the peach foliage
Second pass: peach on the sun-facing half of each cluster, so the foliage builds up instead of arriving finished.
5. Block in the branches
The branch is the nearest big shape behind the bird; a flat dark base first.
6. Light the bark
Mid and light on top of the dark base give the branch three values and its roundness.
7. Paint the four leaves
The leaves hang from the branches, so they go on after them and before the bird, which is the front-most thing.
8. Block in the bird's body
The subject gets a teacher's steps: the body shapes first.
9. Paint the head
The markings are what makes it a chickadee, so they get their own step on a dry body.
10. Shade the feathers
Shading and texture after the base shapes, before the tiny details.
11. Add the eye, beak, feet, and highlights
Eye, beak, feet, and brightest highlights last, over dry paint.

Filters it tried11 free looks

render filter output — Drop the thorny twig nubs and bark patchwork, and turn the fur and foliage into loose dabs Try 1 made the misty foliage bright saturated orange; try 2 kept more of the haze, so it was kept.

simplify filter output — Flat patches with crisp cap edges Wiped out the eye, beak, feet, and leaf stems.

value-study filter output — The three value masses Dark cap, bib, and branch; mid haze and trunks; light glow, cheek, and breast.

palette filter output — The main colors to mix Lavender-gray haze, peach, rust, dark brown, cream.

fit-canvas filter output — A chickadee perched on a curved branch; the whole bird, the branch it sits on, and the leaves near it must stay

grid filter output — Measure positions in the frame for looks_like and regions

Where Claude drew diagrams4 steps, free

The bird, its head markings, the leaves, and the branch arc each needed a picture of how to build them; the background steps are blends and dabs the words cover. Checking the words against the canvas grid corrected two sizes: the body is about 3 by 3 1/4 inches and the branch about 2 inches thick at the bottom left.

Step 5: Block in the branches beginner check
Noticed: A long arcing branch that must taper, with a second branch and twigs joining it; where each starts isn't obvious.
Pieces: The big arc first, thick end at the corner, then the thin branch up from its join, then the three twigs.
Step 7: Paint the four leaves beginner check
Noticed: Four shaped leaves appear at once.
Pieces: A center line, then a curved half on each side, the way press-and-lift leaves are taught.
Step 8: Block in the bird's body beginner check
Noticed: An animal appears whole in one step.
Pieces: An egg-shaped body, a long wing ellipse tilted down-left over its left side, then a tail wedge to the lower left.
Step 9: Paint the head beginner check
Noticed: Three markings in a set order on a small head; the reviewer found the cheek band and bib easy to get wrong.
Pieces: Cap over the top, a white band below it right across the head, then the bib below on the right.

Looked at and left without one

Step 1: A blended background; the step picture shows where each color sits.
Step 2: Three vertical strokes, placed by the numbers.
Step 3: One repeated tapping mark.
Step 4: The same mark over the last one, with a values table.
Step 6: Strokes along the branch already laid in; a values table shows where each value goes.
Step 10: Stripes and short strokes on shapes already painted; the picture shows them.
Step 11: Small marks placed by grid numbers.

What the reviewer caught30 notes

A second Claude, with fresh eyes and none of this reasoning, compared each picture with its neighbors and the finish. It gets two rounds of fixes, then stops; anything still off is flagged on its step. A third checked each step's words against a measured map of what the picture changed, asking whether a beginner following them would get there.

Finish check The haze between the foliage dabs turned a clear sky blue instead of the beginner version's muted gray-lavender
Finish check The background foliage dabs were brighter and more saturated than the soft, hazy peach-orange of the beginner version
Finish check The warm glow around the sun was too small; it should spread from behind the bird's head to the upper right
Round 1 Step 3: The faint middle trunk at 39-43% across grew to start about 28% down instead of 62%. (redone)
Round 1 Step 4: Adds whole new foliage clusters where the rust pass had plain haze (center and upper middle). (redone neighbor foliage-dark: the finish has foliage across the center too, so the rust pass was the one too sparse)
Round 1 Step 5: The faint middle trunk reappears from about 22% down instead of 60%. (left: outside the step's regions, so lock-steps put the earlier pixels back (no render))
Round 2 Step 3: The gold glow shrank to a small patch around the sun, and the rust dabs didn't line up with the rust under the peach in the next step and the finish. (redone)
Round 2 Step 9: The black cap ran straight into the bib with no white between, unlike the next step and the finish. (redone)
Text check: flat Step 1: The sky is cloudy, with peach and lavender patches mixed, but the text gave clean color zones. (fixed)
Text check: missing Step 1: Faint blue-gray upright smudges rise from the bottom and no instruction makes them. (fixed)
Text check: missing Step 2: The glow beside the right trunks turns lavender (70-80% across, 30-60% down), more than softening edges. (fixed)
Text check: drift Step 3: The middle of the glow turns blue-gray haze with no instruction. (left)
Text check: diagram Step 3: Proposed a tap-by-tap cluster diagram. (skipped: one repeated tapping mark; the picture shows the clusters, and the beginner check found no shape to build)
Text check: drift Step 4: Rust clusters from the step before move or disappear; the bottom-left one becomes haze. (left)
Text check: missing Step 4: New peach clusters appear on bare haze, but the text said peach only on the rust. (fixed)
Text check: wrong_result Step 5: A branch over an inch thick can't come from the #8 round's thick-to-thin stroke. (fixed)
Text check: drift Step 5: Foliage clusters near the branch change. (left)
Text check: shape_change Step 6: The thick part of the branch from the step before gets much thinner. (fixed: the branches step differed from the finish, so it was re-rendered to the finish's outline ($0.020) and locked again)
Text check: missing Step 6: Blue-gray patches on the bark that no instruction covers. (fixed)
Text check: missing Step 6: The twigs get lit mid brown, but the text said to keep them dark. (fixed)
Text check: wrong_result Step 7: Leaves 1.5 to 2 inches across with notched edges can't come from one press-and-lift per half with a #8 round. (fixed)
Text check: flat Step 7: The red leaves have a dark half and a light half, but the text gave one color. (fixed)
Text check: drift Step 8: A thin strip of the branch top under the bird changes slightly. (left)
Text check: drift Step 9: A patch of the body from the step before gets darker. (left)
Text check: layering Step 10: White edges went on the dark wing stripes without letting them dry. (fixed)
Text check: drift Step 10: The cap and bib from the step before are redrawn, with white now behind the eye. (left)
Text check: diagram Step 10: Proposed a feather-stripe diagram. (skipped: the stripes sit on the wing already built in the body diagram, and the picture shows their direction)
Text check: vague Step 10: The tail lines named no paint or brush. (fixed)
Text check: vague Step 11: The feet named no paint. (fixed)
Text check: drift Step 11: The edges of the cap and bib shift again. (left)

The receipt$0.64 in image renders

canvas$0.023

medium quality

beginner$0.024

medium quality

beginner$0.024

medium quality

1. Paint the misty sunset glow$0.019

low quality

2. Add the misty far trunks$0.019

low quality

3. Dab the rust foliage$0.019

low quality

3. Dab the rust foliage$0.020

low quality

3. Dab the rust foliage$0.020

low quality

4. Dab the peach foliage$0.019

low quality

5. Block in the branches$0.020

low quality

5. Block in the branches$0.020

low quality

6. Light the bark$0.019

low quality

7. Paint the four leaves$0.019

low quality

8. Block in the bird's body$0.019

low quality

8. Block in the bird's body$0.019

low quality

9. Paint the head$0.019

low quality

9. Paint the head$0.019

low quality

9. Paint the head$0.032

low quality

9. Paint the head$0.019

low quality

10. Shade the feathers$0.019

low quality

10. Shade the feathers$0.019

low quality

10. Shade the feathers$0.019

low quality

11. Add the eye, beak, feet, and highlights$0.067

high quality

11. Add the eye, beak, feet, and highlights$0.067

high quality

11. Add the eye, beak, feet, and highlights$0.054

high quality

Filters (12)$0

Diagrams (4)$0

Planning, review, writing$0*

Total, 25 renders$0.64

Gesso POC 0.21.0 (5295da7) on 2026-11-11

thanks for painting!

* Claude did this in Claude Code on a subscription, so there was no API charge.

What Claude would do differentlyfor the next lesson

fit-canvas picked landscape for a square picture with --orientation auto; it worked here, but the skill doesn't say how a square picture picks its orientation.
The canvas fill render also warmed the colors a little inside the canvas area; the painter never sees the filled bands, so no harm, but the render isn't strictly 'change nothing'.
On a misty picture both the beginner version and the first finish pushed the haze toward saturated orange and clear blue; the finish prompt needed an explicit 'keep it misty' line.
Mean shift at strength 2 was the right reference for a small bird: Kuwahara at 2 and 3 erased the eye, beak, and feet (adds to the stars note in step 1).
Round 2's review contradicted round 1 on where the rust dabs go; comparing with the finish settled it (dabs everywhere the finish has foliage, fewer in the glow), and the plan's looks_like was corrected to match.
The research notes don't cover birds or fur; the bird's construction (egg body, wing, tail, then cap, cheek, bib) comes from general drawing practice, not the cited notes.
step-pairs reads the canvas/ crops from the last publish, so after a redo and lock-steps it shows stale pictures until publish (or canvas-view) runs again. The skill's order (publish, then step-pairs) hides this, but a redo between them doesn't.
The step review found that step-sized leaves (1.5 to 2 inches) can't come from one press-and-lift per half with a #8 round; on an 11x14, shapes over an inch need outline-and-fill with a flat.