Tag: preliminary sketch

Changing Seasons

It is really important that if you study art that you make studies! I’ve been following along in my haphazard manner a number of teachers I like, online, and am trying to implement what I am learning. Or what is being taught – and then working conscientiously to absorb some of it. Being a magpie doesn’t help as I am so easily distracted by this and that. Focusing on one thing really helps bring mastery, but I get bored with doing only one thing. I know a lot of single-minded people, and I rather envy them. However, we all have to follow our own drummer.

The focus here is to lead the eye to the orangish, autumny trees in the distance. The water does it primarily, but I hope the curves of the field do, too, as well as the lines along the horizon. I am not too thrilled with the trees on the right, but c’est la vie.

So many artists say a value sketch is important. I like to think I can create the values in my head as I become more sophisticated in my abilities. I have decided to create some kind of preliminary sketch before painting as a habit and that is not an easy task for me – even if it only takes a few minutes. Well, the one below is not really a value study, but it did help me work on some compositional elements. Hmmm.

Kilimanjaro rough 140# paper; watercolor.

Somewhere in Wyoming – Notes to Myself

Broken bones aside, I want to paint.  Moving house to accommodate workers over the next two weeks aside, I still want to paint!  I tell you, chaos exudes in my studio at the moment.  Most of the shelves are empty, books are packed up, art supplies are vanishing hither and thither, and I feel like I am living in a tornado – and will be for a while as repairs are underway in the back half of the house as floors are replaced, walls painted, bathrooms repaired and updated.  It’s really a mess.

This morning, I finally found some time to do a few things with this painting.  Choosing colors and values with swishes of watercolor across the ink drawing showed me I had non-waterproof ink on the paper.  Oh, well,  such is life.  Here are this morning’s labors – in a monochrome study and some colors for consideration.  Messy but useful, like my house.

Notes:  In future sketches, have a margin for testing colors or shades.  Move house to left.  Tree and mountain in background too close to same tone.  Don’t use water soluble ink!

Notes:   Use a margin around edge of painting to test tones or shades.  Barn / house move to left.  Trees – need some variation in color compared to grass above road.  House too similar in color to red rock mountain behind.