The short answer: the television painter before Bob Ross was Bill Alexander, a German-born artist whose programme The Magic of Oil Painting ran on American public television from 1974 to 1982. Bob Ross learned the wet-on-wet method from him and launched The Joy of Painting in 1983.
Many people assume Bob Ross invented painting on television. He didn't, and knowing who came first makes his story, and the method you can learn today, much more interesting. I'm certified in both the Bob Ross and the Bill Alexander methods, so this is a subject I enjoy.
The first TV art teachers
Art lessons were on American television long before Bob Ross. Teachers such as Jon Gnagy, who is often described as one of the first television art instructors, were showing viewers how to draw in the late 1940s. They proved that people would happily sit at home and follow a painting or drawing lesson on the screen.
Bill Alexander: the painter just before Ross
The direct predecessor was Bill Alexander. A German-born painter, he presented The Magic of Oil Painting on public television from 1974 to 1982. In each episode he produced a full landscape in a few minutes, working with bold, theatrical strokes, a large palette knife and a thin white base coat which he called Magic White.
The speed was the point. Viewers saw a blank canvas turn into a mountain scene in half an hour, and many of them, Bob Ross included, tried it for themselves. If you want to know more about the man himself, I've written a full profile on my Bill Alexander page.
How Bob Ross took the idea further
Ross studied Alexander's method, became one of his instructors, and went on to make 403 episodes of The Joy of Painting between 1983 and 1994. The technique was recognisably the same, so what changed?
- The pace: where Alexander was energetic and theatrical, Ross was calm, slow and reassuring.
- The steps: each landscape was broken into small, repeatable stages that a beginner could follow.
- The encouragement: "happy little trees" and "happy accidents" told nervous viewers it was fine to make mistakes.
- The reach: a long run of episodes on public television and the Bob Ross brand of paints and brushes made his name known around the world.
The two men later fell out, with Alexander feeling his former student had copied him. You can read the full story in Who Taught Bob Ross to Paint?.
A much older tradition
Neither man invented painting wet paint into wet paint. Artists have worked this way for centuries, and it's known as alla prima. What the TV painters did was turn it into a method an ordinary person could follow, which is why so many people still paint this way today.
Learn both methods in a day
In my classes in Whitstable, Kent, I teach the Bob Ross style step by step, with some of Alexander's bolder palette-knife work for mountains and rocks. No experience is needed and you finish a complete landscape to take home. Take a look at the upcoming class dates, or try the free video lesson first.
"Bill Alexander showed the world that anyone could paint a landscape in an afternoon, and Bob Ross showed them it could be relaxing too." – Mark Terrell
Frequently asked questions
Who was the painter before Bob Ross?
Bill Alexander, a German-born painter, hosted The Magic of Oil Painting on American public television from 1974 to 1982. Bob Ross learned the wet-on-wet method from him before starting The Joy of Painting in 1983.
Was Bob Ross the first painter on TV?
No. Art lessons were on American television decades earlier, with teachers such as Jon Gnagy in the late 1940s, and Bill Alexander had a successful painting series in the 1970s before Bob Ross began.
What was Bill Alexander's TV show called?
The Magic of Oil Painting. Alexander painted a finished landscape in each episode using the fast wet-on-wet method with his own white base coat.
What did Bob Ross change?
Not the technique, but the teaching. Ross slowed the pace, spoke softly, broke each scene into simple steps and encouraged beginners, which brought far more people to oil painting.
Can I learn Bill Alexander's method today?
Yes. Mark Terrell of Paint with Mark is certified in both the Bob Ross and Bill Alexander methods and teaches one-day classes in Whitstable, Kent.