When working on a large canvas, painting small details can be surprisingly tricky.
Whether you’re painting grazing cows, distant fences, birds, horses, or trees, small forms are easy to lose or overwork.
In the Instagram Reel below, I demonstrate a helpful, quick trick for painting small details. This keeps the details sharp and easy to manage, without getting bogged down in fussy brushwork.
Here’s how to do it!
Start with a toned acrylic ground on your canvas. Sketch the small shapes with a Molotow black liner brush marker pen, or another permanent marker. The Molotow markers are ideal for creating crisp, clean gestures from the start.
Next, block in the forms with black gesso. This will keep the shapes bold and clearly defined. For less prominent details, you can go straight to painting; however, for focal shapes, this extra step is a time-saver.
Once the oils are applied, the marker keeps the forms readable and defined. You will spend less time fixing blobs!
It’s a simple technique that saves a lot of time, mess, and trouble later in the painting process.
Here’s the finished painting, “Valley Light’ 30×48 ©2025 Lori McNee
Want to learn more behind-the-scenes techniques like this? I teach online painting workshops where we dive into landscape painting in water-mixable oils and gouache—no travel (or cattle) required. 🐄🎨 >>> Lori’s Fine Art Tips School
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