Mikhail Evlakov. Autumn Winter landscape. Texture in tempera painting.

I work in various techniques and with different materials, but most of all I love tempera. I like the consistency of the paint, the opacity and richness of the colours. I like that it is completely unpretentious when you use it: there is no need for long preparations, no solvents are needed. Paper, paints, brushes and water - everything is simple and quick. The paint dries quickly, unlike oil, and the coating is elastic and durable, like oil. This is very convenient in the open air and when travelling.

Most often I work on thick paper. This can be simply a sheet or a sheet pre-stretched on a wooden pad. To do this, I thoroughly wet the sheet with water, dip it directly into the water and keep it there for 1-2 minutes, then place the sheet on the table, face down, and place the pad in the middle of the sheet, so that 5-7 cm of paper remains on each side. Next, I begin to bend the ends of the sheet around the perimeter of the pad. Next, I attach the ends of the paper around the entire perimeter to the pad using a stapler, push pins or PVA glue. It's always better to start from the corners - this way there will be no wrinkles. I place the stretched tablet against the wall and wait for the paper to dry, which usually takes 2-3 hours. The paper dried on a pad in work is very similar to a well-stretched canvas, only without the texture of the canvas, of course. It is pleasant to work on, the surface is smooth and does not deform from water and paint, like a regular sheet. When the work is ready and the paint surface has dried, I cut it off the pad and stretch a new sheet.

Today I will be working on an autumn landscape. The plot of the landscape is that turning point in nature when winter gives way to autumn. The bright, yellow-red leaves on the trees are still burning, but snow has already fallen. And everything froze. This condition will not last long, usually a day or two and the leaves will finally fall and real winter will begin.

I like to work with texture, for this I will use acrylic primer - it is universal. Initially, I only used it to prime canvases, preparing the surface for painting with tempera or oil. But somehow, in the open air, while working on a landscape, I wanted to add textures, but I only had primer at hand, I started working with it and it worked out for me, I liked it, and since then I’ve been using it often. Today I will do the drawing, apply primer and create textures, and tomorrow I will start painting. It is necessary to give the primer time to dry on the surface of the paper. First of all, I work with a pencil, mark the sheet, create a composition of the landscape, designate the main objects: the horizon line, the contours of trees and bushes, the lines of hills. Having finished with the drawing, I proceed to textures: I apply primer with a brush, forming the textures of objects 

In the foreground, the texture is most voluminous and expressive, so I apply more primer to make the texture more expressive. I work with a hard bristle brush, the bristles of which help me create an interesting and expressive texture. During work, the soil dries out a little, becoming thicker and this makes the relief even more interesting. The soil is much more mobile and elastic than texture pastes, which is why I love it. On distant objects I use less ground: the texture should be less voluminous so that it does not clash with foreground objects.

After I've primed all the objects, I work on the textures. I start from the background. Using a palette knife I create the texture of the trees and bushes, trying to make it rhythmic and interesting. Before moving on to the foreground textures, I wait about half an hour for the previously applied primer to dry and thicken a little, then the texture will be clearer. Also, with a palette knife, I create the relief of the trunks, the lines of the branches and the outlines of the foliage in the foreground. Having finished with the primer, I leave the work to dry until tomorrow.

First, I create a general background by covering all the white pieces of paper with colour. The background consists of fragments of the sky and a field covered with the first snow. The sun is about to set, so the sky has turned orange and pink and the snow looks a muted golden yellow. 

The palette of the landscape:
1. Titanium white (P.W.6 *** ■), 2. Cadmium lemon (P.Y.35 *** ■), 3. Cadmium yellow medium (P.Y.35 *** ■), 4. Cadmium orange (P.O.20 *** ■), 5. Cadmium red light (P.R.108 ***■), 6. Neon pink (P.V.1 * ◨), 7. Quinacridone rose (P.R.122 ***■), 8. Ultramarine (P.B.29 *** ■), 9. Phthalocyanine blue (P.B.15 *** ■), 10. Ceruleum blue (HUE) (P.W.6 P.B.15:1 ***■), 11. Gold ochre (P.Y.42 *** ◨), 12. Emerald green (P.G.7 *** ■).