Work artistic magic with contre-jour: learn how to create the illusion of light in your oil painting.

Good contre-jour artworks look like a kind of magic, with hazy light and colour singing out from the canvas. This book demystifies painting in oils, and provides a practical guide to creating the illusion of light in your artwork.

Through step-by-step painting demonstrations and clearly explained methods of working, renowned artist Jenny Aitken shows you how to fill all of your paintings with light, no matter the subject. From skies to landscape to portraiture, the art of sparkling contre-jour – painting looking towards the light – begins with careful observation of colour values and temperature.

• Includes information of simplification, tone, capturing accurate colour, working indoors and out, landscapes, still life, how to create atmosphere, create the illusion of space and much more.
• Troubleshoot tricky paintings – and build an understanding of light and colour, so you'll find success the first time round.
• Includes 10 step-by-step exercises and projects.

Reknowned for her techniques for painting light on water, Jenny Aitken delivers perfect guidance to the intermediate artist on how to paint light in plein air and much more.

Learn how to successfully paint scenes that that capture magical effects of light from behind the subject. Good contre-jour – painting into the light – artworks cause the viewer to squint, with light seeming to glow from the canvas. They can look like a kind of magic, with their hazy light and colour singing out. This book demystifies lighting in oils, and provides a practical guide to the process, showing exactly how to create the illusion.

Inside, you'll find a wealth of information on simplification, tonal control, capturing accurate colour, working both indoors and outdoors, painting landscapes and still life, creating atmospheric depth, and even mastering the illusion of space. Through detailed step-by-step demonstrations and beautifully illustrated techniques, Jenny Aitken reveals how to infuse every painting with vibrant, lifelike light. A section on troubleshooting tricky paintings will show the reader every painting is salvageable, but with an understanding of light and colour, it’s much more likely that they’ll find success the first time round.