In this tutorial we’ll paint a beautifully aged wooden spoon, using a surprisingly rich range of browns mixed entirely from our simple primary palette. I’ll show you how to create everything from pale golden wood to warmer chestnut tones, cooler greenish browns and deep shadows. Then we’ll work wet in wet, gently pulling those colours along the spoon and allowing them to blend softly while preserving the light. We’ll add the subtle grain and age lines of the wood, learning how quick, confident brush marks can suggest texture without making the painting feel overworked. We’ll also look at how lighting changes the character of an everyday object and how taking your own reference photographs can give you completely different moods to paint. It’s a lovely study in colour mixing, texture and observation – and a great way to practise a new material before using it as part of a larger composition.
