Tag: trees

Adobe

Yesterday was Easter, a quiet time for us. The day was gorgeous and the weather so pleasant – perfect Spring. I love the way the light catches as the seasons turn, and the clear, dry air of the southwest pushes colors to a harshness which at high noon can be glaring, but early or late in the day, when the shadows are long, the light is clear and bright but doesn’t hurt your eyes.

For the past several days I have been working in watercolors on smooth paper to practice pale colors which would work well with ink. I think I am getting it. Easter Sunday, though, I was getting a bit bored with the colors I was using as well as the lack of papery tooth to hold colors. As a challenge, I decided to paint a building. I realized why I am intimidated by buildings – they have straight lines and a jerk of the brush can ruin a good, hard edge.

A few straight line glitches, but I will say I am pleased with what I did here. I took my time and tried to create a simplification of a complex structure that works well with shape, shadow, contrast. I know where I messed up my straight lines, but you can find them and tell me if you like!

Watercolor, Arches CP 140# paper, 9×12.

Too Dark

I just realized that if I want to do good – in my eyes, of course – or better ink and watercolor drawings, I need to work a bit more on my colors. For many years my colors were anemic and paintings ended up pale and wan. To compensate, I made my colors more intense – more pigment, less water. However, I think if I really want to do ink and wash, I need to learn to moderate the color intensity a lot. Next painting I do will have color swatches on another piece of paper before applying them to the paper.

This is a very contrasty painting – and it doesn’t really play well with the eye. The shadow along the dirt road, on the left, is too green. The darks between the trees, from shadow and overgrowth, are not well done. I liked the ink drawing but think I could have made better color choices. Unfortunately, when you use a limited palette of only 10 basic colors, color mixing becomes a bit of a challenge. That is not to say these were not good quality paints – they are Schminke pan paints which are very intense – but I need to work more with moderating the colors.

Well, I didn’t paint anything yesterday, but I am beginning to work on cleaning up and getting rid of stuff. Yesterday I worked in the garden, straightening things up, getting rid of debris, and taking apart the drip system. With fewer plants it is unnecessary. This morning, sorting through clothes and mish mash in the in the garage.

However, painting continues!

Sketchbook across 2 pages, about 6×16 inches; ink and watercolor.

Under the Cottonwoods

Cottonwood trees make bright yellow splashes of color in autumn. The dark trunks and limbs curve in between and the drama of these trees cannot be underestimated in the muted colors of the desert. For me, they epitomize the southwest in fall, and to see them in full color is really wonderful.

Here, another painting in gouache, and this time one that was difficult to do. Somehow I don’t think it has the crispness of the day I was trying to express. The drama of the light – dark contrast is there, but perhaps because the leaves of the cottonwoods are always more detailed in my eye than is shown here. At first I thought my scanner was a bit soft, but I really don’t know. Oh, well!

I did this painting on tan toned paper. Perhaps that adds to my sense of it not being quite what I wanted. Below is the original painting in my sketchbook.

Whatever – it is certainly something for me to think about. Gouache is opaque unless really diluted, so I am not too sure how much the toned paper is affecting my color perception.

Gouache, 9×12 toned paper, painting about 7×10.

A Bow to Loiseau

Not too long ago a painting done by Gustave Loiseau called Les Peupliers (The Poplars), ca 1898, caught my eye. I really liked the composition, colors, and overall atmosphere – a bright, sunny, breezy day in the countryside. I will leave it to find it based on my rendition of Loiseau’s lovely painting.

As with yesterday’s painting, this is done in gouache on Strathmore Vision paper. I painted in the underlying colors with an angle brush and then used a finely pointed round to do the remainder of the work.

Gouache is, to me, a rather strange paint, but one which I really enjoy using. The colors always strike me as a bit unreal, but not necessarily in a bad way. They always seem to end up rather cheery, even when I use them to create a rather monochrome or dull scene. It can be used really thin, as a wash, as well as thicker – it all depends on the amount of water you add to it. It is designed to be opaque, but its opacity depends on how much water you add. I think I am on a bit of a gouache streak as I have at least another painting to show you . . . .

Strathmore Vision 140# CP watercolor paper, gouache, 9×12.

Winter Valley

Today I thought I would be a bit self-disciplined and work with only two colors to create a winter landscape. I used MaimeriBlu’s “Faience Blue” and somebody’s artist quality Burnt Umber. Add to that, as needed, some white gouache.

I have never used MaimeriBlu paints, much less Faience Blue. This blue seems a bit of a cold one, which is perfect for a winter day. The Burnt Umber, mixed with the blue, produces a nice dark as well as plays into the coldness I am trying to express.

The first part of the painting was done with the sky – start at the top and work down. This is pure color, diluted, to create a sky. First the paper in the area of the sky was wet, and then the blue brushed in. Before the paper dried I lifted out the color.

Next I painted the distant hills and background area, solid in color, but varying the intensity of the colors and mixes of brown and blue. I painted through where the trees in the mid-ground would be as I knew the tree branches would be a bit darker once painted. Next came the trees in the foreground right and shrubs and grasses on the left as well as under the trees. All dried with the hair dryer. The middles areas were done after these dried.

Finally, the snow was tinted with blue in varying strength, bits of grasses, and final details. The snow on the trees was done with white gouache, as in the front left shrubs. Once the gouache dried, a mix of blue and brown was glazed over it to tone it down. Finally, a light wash was put into give a sense of dimension to the snow.

In the end, I am rather pleased with this painting. Using triads made me recall some other watercolor exercises I have done with limited palettes of color. The cold is much to my liking as is the complexity of the foreground giving way to simpler forms in the distance.

Arches 140# CP paper, MaimeriBlu “Faience Blue” and Burnt Umber. 10×14 inches.