Creating patterns

I’ve been trying to learn to paint patterns. In the above painting (my copy of Eric’s recent demo), you can see the patterns of light and dark shapes that make this painting attractive to the eye. In the top area, there are three clumps of dark tree shapes and two light areas of sky. On the lower left, you can see the rounded shapes of the bushes with light areas above them. Attractive patterns make a good painting.

Ivy Green Cemetery in Bremerton is a peaceful place to paint because it’s a quiet place with few interruptions. Old trees stand guard over the graves and cast long shadows. I painted this one-color painting to try to establish some interesting patterns. I tried to make three clumps of tree shapes and two light areas of sky, using loose brush strokes, and a dark shape for the shadows. I was somewhat successful.

In my full-color painting, I lost some of my shapes. Instead of having three dark tree areas, they’re all spread out. In addition, I got too dark with the shadows, so I had to scrub them out and re-paint them. Not very successful.

Undeterred, I tried again. This time I did a little better with the tree patterns, but my shadows lack a good pattern. Once you start painting a watercolor, it goes fast. You have to move quickly to keep the paint fresh, and it’s easy to lose sight of the patterns that you originally planned on. Before you know it, it’s too late. Rats!

I like this scene, and I think I’ll try it again another time.