For my watercolor class assignment last week, I painted a series of watercolors with stormy skies, inspired by our winter weather. I began by painting some wind-tossed trees, and I liked the watercolor a lot. Unfortunately, it suffered from the beginner’s mistake of painting objects in an even row, with no variation in spacing. So for my next attempts, I separated the trees on two sides of the painting and added a barn and some cows to give a sense of scale. I first made a black-and-white watercolor, on the suggestion of our teacher, then I made several color versions.
First attempt. I like the looseness of the trees and the way they bend in the wind. The skies are blustery and spattered.My one-color version, again nice and loose.I didn’t intend to have a warm yellow sky above the mountains, but that’s the way it turned out. The trees are stiffer.I had intended to paint a soft background of trees behind the water, but I ended up with a hard line of dark trees.
In his demonstration video last week, my watercolor teacher Eric Wiegardt showed us how to paint figures so they blend together and show action. He painted five or six blobs on semi-wet paper so that the colors ran together. After they dried a bit, he added heads and legs. For the legs, he made two quick dry strokes that skip across the paper, giving a dry-brush look. Making one leg longer than the other makes it look like the figure is walking. Adding a background across the top of the figures sets them off, with a little white paper showing on the head and shoulders.
I practiced painting figures and after several tries, came up with a good representation. Then I painted a crowd of people disembarking from the ferry. I thought I could do better, so I tried again, but I’m not sure it was an improvement.
These figures blend in well, and their legs show action.My first attempt at people disembarking the ferry.My second attempt at painting people leaving the ferry. This painting isn’t as fresh as my first try.
Some of my favorites subjects are the old farms, barns, and farmhouses scattered throughout Kitsap County. Not only do they evoke the memories of a slower era, but they make great subjects. Nearly every week on my way to Poulsbo Artist League, I pass an abandoned farmhouse near the corner of Finn Hill Road and Rude Road. It’s been abandoned and shuttered for years while the owners presumably make plans for some big development.
Last week when I drove by, the winter sun was slanting across the property, lighting up one end of the building. I found a place to park on the busy road and got out to make a photo. When I got home, I made it into a watercolor. My goal was to spotlight the sunny end of the farmhouse and show the light streaming across the grass. My execution was a bit clumsy, but I got the general idea. Below you can see the photo and the watercolor.
Abandoned farmhouse, corner of Rude Road and Finn Hill near Poulsbo.
After watching some videos about painting skies in watercolor, I decided to try to create some sweeping, dramatic skies like those of the English watercolorists. Paintings by Edward Wesson, Trevor Chamberlain, and Edward Seago show moist, colorful English skies, and they’re my models. The sky above us seems blue but it usually has more colors in it, and pale washes of blue, red, and yellow help bring the sky alive.
For my first scene, I painted a wet, cloudy sky and let it blend into the field below, painting around the barn. Then I added trees, the barn colors, and the foreground.
First attempt at skies
I liked the way that turned out, so I decided to do it again. This time I added a slash of sunlight coming across the field, which adds a lot of interest to the scene. I also put a few cow-like figures in the field.
Second attempt at skies
I liked that even better, so I copied a Joseph Zbukvic watercolor for my next attempt. This is an Australian farm, and you can imagine the summer heat. I’m pleased with the way the washes ran together in places, bringing the painting together. This is the way I’d like to paint — loose and suggestive.
