Hi friend, come on in!
Grab your tea and curl up with me — it was a cozy rainy Sunday here, the perfect kind of day to paint. I turned on the soft light in the studio and started this Halloween raven under a glowing full moon, and I thought, we just have to paint this one together.
This is Part 1 of our 2-part painting, and I filmed it in real time so you can truly paint along with me, brushstroke by brushstroke. No rushing, no skipping steps.
I'm using water-mixable oil paints, but don't worry — this tutorial is totally acrylic friendly. If you have acrylics, just use what you have and follow along the exact same way.
What we're painting together
A handsome black raven sitting beneath a big, glowing full moon. It's Halloween, but in a calm, serene way — more moonlight and magic than spooky. If you've been wanting an easy Halloween painting to try, this one is for you.
In Part 1, I'll walk you through:
1. Our reference photo I'll show you the raven image so you can copy him and use him.
2. How to transfer it to canvas with carbon paper No drawing stress! I'll show you my simple carbon paper method to get the raven onto your canvas cleanly.
3. All the paint colors I'm using and what to use if you don’t have a color.
4. The brushes I'm using Just a few basic ones
5. Our roadmap Before we touch paint to canvas, I'll give you the whole plan so you know exactly where we're headed.
6. Real-time painting together This is my favorite part. You'll see my canvas and my palette at the same time while I mix colors and tell you exactly where to put them. Pause as much as you need.
Perfect for you if...
You're a beginner looking for a relaxing step-by-step Halloween painting, you love paint-with-me videos, or you just want to reconnect with your creative, serene side through art and nature.
This video ended up being almost an hour long once I edited it so I split it into two parts.
In Part 2, we'll finish the raven, build that soft moon glow, and add all the final details that make him come to life.
Thank you so much for spending your Sunday with me. I hope this brings you a little creativity, kindness, and giggles today.