Author: -N-

Sycamore Tree

Another painting from a photo I took.  Here, I am looking up into a tall, stately sycamore tree during its summer season.

I did a few things here.  First, I tried to use complementary colors for shadows and dark spots on the tree trunk and branches.  I used zinc white and a bit of ochre for the trunk, and for the dark spots threw in some violet and white and dark blue, eventually touching up dark areas with black and brighter areas with titanium white.  The thin branches are straight black.

Right now my palette is pretty muddy, so I sort of wash the colors left behind with a brush to find the remains of the pure color.  I decided to do this as I want to try a stay-wet type of palette to see if that helps me keep my colors cleaner, but I want to use up these colors as I practice.

I am also rinsing my brush out between colors, and drying it, too.  Little details like this are not something I think about, and so I am trying to create better habits for keeping my paints clean, whether gouache or watercolor, as it really does make a big difference.  For practice, though, my muddy palette will do as I practice techniques.

On the Edge

I think it was in 2017 our family did a long road trip through some of the incredibly beautiful parts of the American West.  We visited Mesa Verde, the Grand Canyon, Fort Laramie, Teton National Forest, and Yellowstone.  We were on the road about 3 weeks and in that time, driving on lonesome roads, the beauty of the country opened up around each corner.  Coming from suburbia, such emptiness gets a bit frightening – and enticing.  I used to live in the boonies, but as a kid – as an adult, I see the advantages and disadvantages, dangers and pleasures.

This painting is done from a photograph I took on the edge of the Grand Canyon.  Our B&B host gave us exact directions to a dirt service road, complete with mile marker.  There was a little turnout for parking and an easy mile walk through the pines.  At the end, the edge of the world!  Before us spread out the incredible vistas of the Grand Canyon.  The edge, though, before we met that vast expanse, had a wonderful scene of its own – trees, flowers, bushes, rocks – through which a hint of the Grand Canyon could be seen.

If you have never been to the Grand Canyon, take a trip.  Even a short stop will leave you in awe.

Beach Study

I like the beach, in case you haven’t noticed.  Grass, sand, cliffs, water, wind.

I broke down and did a value study for this scene.

Of course, I did it on an accessible page in my sketchbook, but since I did the study before the painting, I knew where I wanted lights and darks.  As I worked, I pulled dark areas together to contrast with lighter / brighter areas.  I mixed my colors using zinc white, but this time used titanium white straight out of the tube to highlight the ocean waves.

I’ve been wondering why people say “zinc for mixing, titanium for highlights.”  Zinc is a transparent white, so it blends with gouache and watercolors without distorting the values.  Titanium is a more opaque white, and as a result good for highlights, but not recommended for color mixing.