Billings, Let’s Paint Happy Little Trees with the Great Bob Ross

I don't think there's a better role model for the human race than Bob Ross. The popular television artist that inspired so many people around the globe to embrace their inner peace and enjoy their life has also left his mark upon my life. I decided I was going to try and paint a landscape just like Bob did, because he always says that we can do it. Let's get started.

The painting started off with excitement, but quickly got stressful.

Bob makes his paintings look so easy, but I began to run into problems after I started to paint the clouds. It ended up picking up the color underneath and burying the cloud in the color, so it basically looked like I was doing nothing but smearing paint. I was starting to wonder if I could really do this.

Eventually, I found out that I was basically becoming what Bob calls a "mud mixer." The paint thinner I bought wasn't really working well, and it was completely causing my paint to smear and look terrible. I also didn't really perform the techniques well enough to paint the trees and mountain exactly like Bob does in the episode.

However, I think it turned out pretty well regardless.

I have never painted before in my life, so when I eventually had a somewhat viewable painting, I actually thought I didn't do a terrible job. I definitely want to try it again, and I want to make sure I'm better prepared for the painting with better thinner, and perhaps better technique. We have a full time-lapse video of my process below, take a look and experience The Joy of Painting with me.

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If you're interested in painting along with Bob, make sure you have the proper tools and paints. He recommends using dry and thick oil paints, as well as odorless paint thinner to wash them (which I didn't use). A full list of the color of paints, liquid white, brushes, and other tools can be found online. Have some fun, like I did, and you'll never make a mistake. Only happy accidents.