Today I painted two watercolors of subjects I’ve previously painted: the Emmaus Center and the warehouse on Kupreanof Island. It seems that if I paint the same subject over and over, eventually I start to loosen up and the painting looks better. That seems to be the case here.
For my birthday, Katy gave me some handmade watercolor paper that has a lot of character to it. I used it for these paintings and it seems to help me loosen up.
I’ve been drafted by our life drawing group to create a poster for our upcoming art show at the Bainbridge Island Library. So far I’ve created four draft posters for the event. The art work shown in these posters may change (I just used what I had available), and the details may be modified. Of the four, which do you like best?
Poster 3
Posters for SHAG Art Show Read More »
This week I tried to paint a watercolor of Hammer Slough in Petersburg, AK. It’s a picturesque scene, with rustic warehouses on pilings built over the tidewater slough, with a background of dark spruce trees. I made a value study in grays, then I made four attempts in color. I’m afraid none of them are satisfactory. Lesson learned? I really don’t have the skills to paint reflections on a tide flat yet. I’ll keep trying because this is such a classic scene to paint. But right now I think I’ll give it a rest. Watercolor painting is hard!
I’ve shown the value study first, then the four attempts with the earliest attempt first.
An exercise in futility Read More »
When I was in Alaska last month, I made a pencil drawing of a net shed on Kupreanof Island. These net sheds are used by fishermen to store their nets when not in use. At high tide a boat can pull up to the shed and unload or load the nets.
I made a value study in black and white that I like a lot. Then I made a color version that I didn’t like as much. I put too much color in the foreground rocks, then I had to wipe it out with a wet tissue. I think the foreground needs to be muted in order to draw attention to the shed.
Net shed on Kupreanof Island Read More »
Yesterday I made a copy of a portrait of a young man in Charles Reid’s book, Portrait Painting in Watercolor (pages 148-149). I was happy with the looseness of it, but the proportions weren’t very good. So I tried it again today and I like the results better. You can compare the two attempts below.
Two attempts at a portrait Read More »
In his book, Portrait Painting in Watercolor, Charles Reid includes some portraits that are just quick sketches, warmups in a way. They help keep you loose by leaving out some of the detail. Here are a couple of sketches I painted in that spirit.
I made this portrait from a photo on Museum/Sktchy trying to follow Charles Reid’s instructions on mixing skin color. I used Winsor red and Cadmium yellow pale (for warmth) with some cerulean blue (to cool it down). Also I tried to let some of the edges of the hair get lost, like in her left cheek and forehead. That way the border of the face isn’t just a hard outline, but has softness to it. Same thing with the loose brush strokes for her hair on the outside.
Skin tones and lost edges Read More »
While I’m on a roll, I thought I’d make another portrait. This one is also from the Museum app photos. I used color this time and tried to get the values right. I like the changes in the skin color and the light areas on the forehead. I find it really hard to get the dark areas of the face dark and make the transition from light to dark. But the shapes and values in this portrait are basically right.
Since I last posted, I’ve visited friends in Alaska and hiked the Aurora Ridge trail in Olympic National Park. So I haven’t been painting. But tonight I got back to the drawing board and made this portrait for the Museum app, using one of their photos as a reference. It’s good to get the brushes out again.
Portrait for Museum app Read More »
I haven’t been making watercolors because I’ve been busy with… well, life. I spent a couple of weeks working on Katy’s writing shed. I finished the drywall, mudding, taping, and sanding, and I laid the floor. It looks great. Then I went on two overnight hikes in Olympic National Park near Lake Crescent. So I’ve been busy.
But today I’m back in the studio, working on portraits. I made this portrait from a photo on the Museum app. This app is a platform where artists can upload their photos (“inspirations”) so that others can draw and paint them. It’s a young crowd, with lots of selfies.
I used the techniques described by Charles Reid in his book, Portrait Painting in Watercolor.
Portrait from Museum app Read More »