Being Emotionally Impelled

Value Study - Summer Flowers: Clintonia

2011-11-29T06:32:00.001-08:00

Preliminary Drawing

Value Study for Summer Flowers: Clintonia

Digital drawing, 600px x 600px

Today is a sunny day in November, very nice in its own right, but my mind wants to hold on to pleasant memories of summer wild flowers.

This drawing is of a lovely wild lily with small yellow flowers, variously called Clintonia, or Carrion flower, or Blue bead lily. The blue beads are the seed pods or berries of this plant, which are as startlingly bright a blue in the fall as the yellow is a shimmering chartreuse in the early summer.

How wonderful to recall things like this.

Texture Study - Rocks, Ripples and Refractions

2011-11-26T18:48:00.000-08:00

Preliminary Drawing

Texture Study - "Rocks, Ripples and Refractions"

Digital drawing, 800px x 600px

I always found what goes on at the bottom of a pond fascinating to watch.

Underwater, rocks and sticks that look so clearly defined on land get covered with a gooey brown blanket which obscures their features. On the surface of the water, there are waves and bubbles and patches of light which compete for your attention against the objects lying on the bottom. And where the sun shines through those waves, patches of light and shadow get projected, with reflections and refractions, onto the underwater rocks and sticks that are already barely recognizable.

It's a real game to figure out what you are looking at. And it's mesmerizing to simply follow the shapes made by the flow of the ripples back and forth. Surface and bottom. Bottom and surface. Light and shadow. Fascinating.

Texture Study - Toad in a Jar

2011-11-20T16:53:00.000-08:00

Preliminary Drawing

Texture Study - "Toad in a Jar"

Digital drawing, 800px x 600px

Sometimes while you are watching the ugliest things in the world, they become things of great beauty and fascination. Take this toad, for example. Warty and totally unappealing, dumped in a glass jar, no wonder he was so grumpy-looking.

And then, I saw the attractiveness of all those textures, the shininess of those deep, dark eyes.

Don't get me wrong, I still don't want to kiss the fellow, but I was pleased to release him into a friend's garden to start a new career keeping the insects at bay.

And he left me wondering if I could possibly capture the beauty of this creature.

Preliminary Drawing - Lodge Bay 2 - Ice Edge

2011-11-12T20:59:00.001-08:00

Preliminary Drawing for Bones of the Earth series
"Lodge Bay, Labrador 2 - Ice Edge"
Digital Drawing, 800px x 600px

Edges or boundaries mark where one thing ends and another thing starts.

The edge of the ice is the place where liquid water turns solid. An edge is generally not abrupt but rather is created as a process. The changes at the edge of the ice are gradual and are subject to conditions like wind and water current and temperature.

This drawing is another preliminary study for a painting I have underway. The drawing is done in a technique called grisalle, featuring marks of black and white on a gray surface. I like grisaille because it enhances the sense of three-dimensions in the drawing, and because it emphasizes the details the image that I will eventually paint in colors.
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Preliminary Drawing - Lodge Bay - November Thaw

2011-11-10T21:41:00.000-08:00

Preliminary Drawing for Bones of the Earth series
"Lodge Bay 1" - Labrador
Digital Drawing, 800px x 600px

On a foggy November day, with late fall ice melting in the calm still air, I was enjoying driving over a new bridge on a new highway.
I suddenly felt disoriented.
After a moment, I realized why - this new road had brought me to a house I had stayed in many years before.
But I had gotten there by a different route and I was looking at it from a different angle than I was used to.
I pulled off the side of the road to enjoy the experience.
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Preliminary Drawing - Pinware River 5 - Rocky Textures

2011-11-08T19:11:00.000-08:00

Preliminary Drawing for Bones of the Earth series
"Pinware River 5, Labrador" Rocky Textures
Digital Drawing, 800px x 600px

Drawings are made up of marks of different sizes and shapes that resolve in the viewer's mind and suggest the experience of looking at something tangible - in this case, the rocky textures along a riverbank, above and below water.
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Preliminary Drawing - Pinware River 4 - Value Sketch

2011-11-04T09:11:00.000-07:00

Preliminary Drawing for Bones of the Earth series

"Pinware River 4, Labrador" Value Sketch

graphite on paper, 9" x 14"

One way for an artist to check that a composition will work in a finished painting is to do a preliminary value sketch in tones of black and white. The artist ensures that areas of one tone lie against areas of contrasting tone.

Textures and details are not important in a value sketch, just placing tonal masses so that the composition reads well.
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Preliminary Drawing - Pinware River 3 -Rapids

2011-11-03T17:25:00.000-07:00

Preliminary Drawing for Bones of the Earth series
"Pinware River 3, Labrador - Rapids"
Digital drawing, 800px x 600px

I realized as I was completing this drawing that a rapids is a waterfall inside a river. Wow!

For computer drawing, I use a digitizing tablet and stylus, and a graphics software that lets me use layers. In this drawing, I used one layer for the black lines, another layer for the airbrush gray spray and a third layer for the white background. Keeping each component separate simplifies how I work. When I have finished the drawing, I flatten all the layers together and save the drawing in its final format to use online.
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Preliminary Drawing - Pinware River 2 - Waterfall

2011-11-02T18:46:00.001-07:00

Preliminary Drawing for Bones of the Earth series
"Pinware River 2, Labrador - Waterfall"
Digital drawing, 600px x 600px

Over time, even the smallest waterfalls split open rocks and create their own erosion zones. This is another preliminary drawing for a painting I have underway.

This technique of creating an image in white and black on a gray background is called grisalle.
Grisaille creates an enhanced sense of three-dimensions in the artwork. Some artists use grisaille as the background for painting, because it gives strongly modeled forms. I am using it as a way to explore the way streams of water fall over rocks and break apart over obstacles in their way.
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Preliminary Drawing - Pinware River 1

2011-11-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

Preliminary Drawing for Bones of the Earth series
"Pinware River 1" Labrador
Digital Drawing - 800px x 600px

Water flows downhill, seeking its easiest path. As it flows, the water cuts its way through layers of rocky riverbed. Over time, at this place along the Pinware River in southern Labrador, a break in the rocks has eroded and become a funnel for the full force of the river.

This drawing is a value study for a painting I am working on. One of the tricky parts about painting water is that water tends to look like a mirror and not like a solid material. When the surface of the water is uneven, it reflects the texture of the surroundings to a viewer in unexpected ways. An artist has to take into account depicting the texture of the trees, rocks, clouds, as well as the reflections off the water. This drawing is a study in putting the lights and darks in their appropriate places to show these textures and surfaces.
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Picking Redberries - Digital Drawing

2011-10-19T18:23:00.001-07:00

Picking Redberries
Digital Drawing - 600 px x 600 px

In other parts of the world, these berries are known as Lingonberries, or Partridgeberries, or Foxberries. Whatever they are called, these berries are appreciated for their tart, rich fruity taste and for their health-promoting nutrients. Around here, people simply call them Redberries, and they get out their recipes for redberry muffins, jams, puddings, cakes, breads and steaming spicy redberry teas.

I had the good fortune to go wilderness berry picking several times in the past few weeks, and besides bringing home buckets of these bright red beauties, I also brought back a store of ideas of images and stories that I want to illustrate.

I will be experimenting with my digital graphics tablet and from time to time, you will get to see these explorations. And if you have some Redberry muffins or Redberry tea at hand while you are following my explorations, so much the better!
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Bones of the Earth - Capstan Island Battery

2011-10-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

Bones of the Earth - Capstan Island Battery
Oil on Canvas, 11 3/4" x 15 3/4"

detail: Bones of the Earth - Capstan Island Battery

No matter how ancient and impressive the geology might be, there are times when it is outstripped by the fleeting drama of the clouds and the transient character of the foliage in a scene.

Each of these natural processes take place in its own time frame and with its own cycle of activity. That's a lot to think about when you are looking at a painting!

Preliminary Drawing: The Battery 1

2011-10-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

Preliminary Drawing for Bones of the Earth series
"The Battery" - Capstan Island, Labrador
Graphite on paper, 7" x 14"

The weathered cliff face of "The Battery" rises to a height of over 900 feet above sea level on the Labrador side of the Strait of Belle Isle in eastern Canada, between the communities of L'Anse au Loup and Capstan Island.

This astonishing formation is made of layers of different types of rock which settled at the bottom of a primordial ocean thousands and thousands of years ago. Nowadays in the summertime on this headland, we can see green and brown stripes of vegetation clinging to the hills, and in the winter, we can see blue and white stripes of ice and snow blown into crevices.

That we get to see anything at all is because of geological forces which pushed this mass of rock well above sea level as part of the Appalachian mountain chain, and because of weathering forces which have eroded this ancient peak into its present rugged form.
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Preliminary Drawing: Littoral 1

2011-09-28T09:24:00.001-07:00

Preliminary Drawing for "Bones of the Earth" series
"Littoral" - The Strand, Red Bay, Labrador.
Graphite on paper, 9" x 11"

At the same time as I am having fun observing the erosion effects of the rocks in this area, I am also having fun with the technical names of the features I am portraying.

The word "Littoral" relates to a shore, especially the sea-shore, and most particularly in a coastal region, the shore zone between high and low water marks.

I suppose I could have said, "Rocks at Low Tide" but that other word is a lot more interesting!

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Bones of the Earth - Point Amour

2011-09-12T10:05:00.000-07:00

Bones of the Earth - Point Amour
Oil on Canvas, 16" x 20"

detail: Bones of the Earth - Point Amour

There are a number of remarkable things to see at Point Amour. One is the lighthouse, completed in 1857, one of the tallest in eastern Canada at 109 feet (33m), and a visible landmark for miles in the Strait of Belle Isle. Another is a burial site of the Maritime Archaic Indians dated from approximately 7500 years ago, which reveals the richness of the marine environment then as it is now.

For me, I was struck by the "terraced beach" at Point Amour. A terraced beach is formed as seabed, that has been weighted down with glaciers, gradually springs back up after the glaciers melt, and creates a new shoreline with the water. Well, the glaciers are long gone, but there are beaches all along this coast whose profile shows the terraced look of their icy past.

Bones of the Earth - L'Anse au Clair

2011-09-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

Bones of the Earth - L'Anse au Clair, Labrador

Oil on Canvas, 16" x 20"

detail - Bones of the Earth - L'Anse au Clair, Labrador

For a long time, I have been fascinated by the rock formations that I recognize driving through western Newfoundland and southern Labrador. In some places there are towers of rock and in other places craggy cliffs or piles of boulders and rubble. Here, years ago, a forest fire opened up the rocky surface, which hasn't yet grown over again. It's as if the broken soil has exposed the Bones of the Earth.

Special Effects in Photoshop - American Toad

2011-07-07T19:09:00.001-07:00

Special Effects in Photoshop - American Toad

Post Process Digital Photograph, 800px x 600px
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Imagine finding this at the bottom of the garden!

As with yesterday's image, the post-processing for this picture involved cropping and reducing the resolution of the photo, setting up an edge mask and applying several filters, and placing the resulting image on a neutral background in another document.

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Special Effects in Photoshop - Twisted Stalk Flower

2011-07-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

Special Effects in Photoshop - Twisted Stalk Flower

Post-process digital photograph, 800px x 600px
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I've been exploring the capabilities of my new camera, which has incredible zoom and phenomenal macro features. Now to bring up some Photoshop tricks to match these wonders!

This is a photo of a "Twisted Stalk" wildflower, which grows in zig-zag segments, each segment with a tiny, exquisite flower, hanging bell-like under its own leaf.

The post-processing for this picture involved cropping and reducing the resolution of the photo, setting up an edge mask and applying several filters, and placing the resulting image on a neutral background in another document.

You can bet I'll be playing with more images like this!
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Contour Drawing - Touching the Surface with the Pencil

2011-07-03T18:56:00.000-07:00

Contour Drawing - Touching the Surface with the Pencil

Graphite on paper, 8.5" x 10"
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One of the challenges of learning how to draw is the exercise of "Contour Drawing."

When you make a blind contour drawing, your eye travels along the contours of an object and you convince yourself that the pencil in your hand drawing on the paper is actually touching the surface where your eye is tracking. You don't take your eye off the object, and therefore you don't get to see the drawing develop on the paper. That's what makes it a "blind" drawing.

This exercise is like practicing scales on the piano, it's not supposed to look good, it's just part of getting better as an artist.
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All Thumbs!

2011-07-02T18:17:00.001-07:00

All Thumbs!
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Graphite on Paper, 9" x 11"
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When I was in school I used to doodle in my books. A lot of the time it was "thumbnail sketches," quick scribbles I made of my thumb. I liked the visual pun, I liked the escape of drawing in class, and I liked that I could erase the pencil sketch quickly before I was caught.

No longer - now I fill the pages of my sketchbooks with studies of hands, feet and anything else I am interested in observing.
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Linoblock Print: Pincherries 1

2011-07-01T18:41:00.001-07:00

Linoblock Print: Pincherries - 1 - Planning

Digital drawing, 800px x 532px
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Relief printing from a linoleum block is a technique that can be as simple or as complex as you choose to make it. I have a drawing of pincherry blossoms that I want to print in three colors - yellow, green and blue. I can print this from a series of three linoblocks, one for each color, or I can print it as a reduction print, cutting the same block down each time I change colors. The multi-block technique gives me additional colors, while the reduction print on one block is easier to register each time it goes to the press. I'm still trying to decide.

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Color Layers

2011-06-30T22:39:00.001-07:00

Color Layers

Digital drawing, 800px x 600px
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Colors put on separate layers in a digital drawing can be "mixed" differently, depending on the order in which the layers are stacked. When the colors are completely opaque, the one on top masks the one beneath, and so on to the bottom of the stack. When the opacity of the colors is adjusted, an artist can control the blending of the colors.

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Split Complementary Color Scheme - Tertiaries

2011-06-29T19:16:00.000-07:00

Split Complementary Color Scheme - Tertiary Colors

Digital drawing, 800px x 600px
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In nature, colors tend toward less intense and less saturated and away from stark primary and secondary colors. Nevertheless, when you find a natural scene that attracts your eye, you are likely to spot color harmonies within the dull and near-neutral colors.
In this image reddish-brown colors contrast with yellow-greens and dull middle and dark greens, demonstrating a split-complementary relationship.

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Split Complementary Color Scheme - Yellow

2011-06-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

Split Complementary Color Scheme - Yellow

Digital drawing 800 px x 600 px
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The colors in this image aren't fully saturated, which gives a gentle and peaceful sensation to the design.
The base color of this triad is yellow and it shows full contrast with the blue-violet and red-violet split complementaries. However, since the overall effect is high key or very light in tone, the line drawing is necessary to separate the flower from its background.
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Split-Complementary Color Scheme - Blue

2011-06-24T07:27:00.000-07:00

Split-Complementary Color Scheme - Based on Blue

Digital drawing, 800 px x 600 px
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In this design, the base color is blue, and the split-complementary colors are red-orange and yellow-orange. There is good contrast because these colors are fully saturated, and the effect is bold but more pleasing visually than a blue-orange contrast would be.
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Split-Complementary Color Scheme

2011-06-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

Split-Complementary Color Scheme

Complementary colors sit opposite to each other on the color wheel. To reduce visual tension while maintaining a good contrast in the design, artists can use the two colors adjacent to the complement of the base color. This is called the split-complement. In this design, the primary color red is the base color, and the split-complementary colors are yellow-green and blue-green.
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Monochrome Color Scheme - Green

2011-06-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

Monochrome Color Scheme - Green

Digital drawing, 800 px x 600 px
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The human eye can detect more tints and shades of green than any other color. I guess this is because we evolved in the trees needing to identify food plants and plants for other uses.

In this drawing, I used dark and middle dark shades of green, a saturated green and a pale green, plus a black line drawing to pull the design together.
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Monochrome Color Scheme - Red

2011-06-20T06:05:00.000-07:00

Monochrome Color Scheme - Red

Digital drawing, 800px x 600 px
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This is the final version of the monochrome image, with the four layers for pale pink, rose, saturated red and brown opened on top of each other. The black layer that you saw earlier is hidden.

All these colors are based on a hue (color) of red, with variations on their saturation (intensity) and their value (lightness or darkness.)
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Monochrome Color Scheme - Red [Level 2 - The Brown Layer]

2011-06-19T16:23:00.001-07:00

Monochrome Color Scheme - Red [Level 2 - The Brown Layer]
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Digital Drawing, 800 px x 600 px
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I am working through the various color levels in this image, and placing each color on a separate layer. This makes it easier for me to see the effect of each color on the entire drawing, and yet make corrections, if I find it necessary.

This layer shows the brown tone in this design. Of its hue, saturation and value, the hue is red, the saturation is full, and the intensity is about half that of a brilliant red. That is the only difference between the colors brown and red, they're the same, but brown is darker.

Still more to come!

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Monochrome Color Scheme - Red [Level 1 - The Black Layer]

2011-06-18T10:02:00.000-07:00

Monochrome Color Scheme - Red [Level 1 - The Black Layer]

Digital drawing, 800 px x 600 px
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My working method for these digital drawings is to use layers to separate the colors I am using. I am finding that each layer has its own charm and individual beauty beyond its contribution to the finished drawing.

Although the basic hue in this monochrome image is Red, my starting point is usually a drawing in black to establish fundamentals of value and contrast, and to place the various shapes and areas of tone. So, from my work-in-progress, here is the black component.

There's more to come!
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Monochrome Color Scheme - Yellow

2011-06-17T19:08:00.001-07:00

Monochrome Color Scheme - Yellow
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Digital drawing, 800 px x 600 px
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Monochrome means one color, and this monochrome color scheme is based on the single hue of yellow.
Other characteristics of color are saturation and value. There is only one saturated yellow in this design, all the other yellow tints and yellow shades are based on this one hue.

The background is a neutral gray, to provide contrast against the yellows.
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Analogous Colors: Violets

2011-06-16T22:02:00.000-07:00

Analogous Colors: Violets

Digital drawing, 800 px x 600 px
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Violet is a mixture of red and blue. Analogous relationships based on violet hues include red-violet, violet, blue-violet and blue. Combinations of tones of violets give a cool quiet sensation in a design.

Analogous Colors: Oranges

2011-06-15T19:25:00.001-07:00

Analogous Colors: Oranges
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Digital drawing, 800 px x 600 px
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The relationship between these analogous colors is with the hue orange, a secondary color made up of the primary colors red and yellow. These are all warm colors as well, and the red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, and yellow shine against a flat black background.
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Analogous Colors: Blues

2011-06-14T17:58:00.000-07:00

Analogous Colors: Blues
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Digital drawing, 800px x 600px
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Analogous colors are related, they share a common hue, and they can be found next to each other on the color wheel. This abstract landscape drawing is made up of yellow-green, green, blue-green, blue, and blue-violet. All these colors contain a proportion of blue, and because of this relationship, they remain harmonious when they are used together.
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Color Triads: Red-Orange, Red-Green, Yellow-Green

2011-06-13T12:01:00.000-07:00

Color Triads: Red-Orange, Red-Green, Yellow-Green

Digital drawing, 800px x 600px
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A tertiary triad is made up of three colors which are each mixed from a primary color and a secondary color. The use of tertiary colors in a design gives a subtle effect and provides backgrounds that contrast strongly with saturated primary and secondary colors.
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Color Triads - Orange, Green, Violet

2011-06-12T18:41:00.000-07:00

Color Triads - Orange, Green, Violet

Digital drawing, 800px x 600px
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The color scheme of a secondary triad is made up of the three secondary colors, orange, green and violet. This combination gives an energetic feeling to a composition, but the impact of the colors is not as intense as from a display of the primary colors.

Color Triads - Red, Yellow, Blue

2011-06-11T18:55:00.001-07:00

Color Triads - Red, Yellow, Blue
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Digital drawing, 800px x 600px
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Most of the emotional impact of a design comes from the artist's choice of colors, sometimes called the color scheme. Many color schemes are based on three colors, called triads. The triad of red, yellow and blue is called the primary triad, because it is composed only of primary colors and it gives the sensation of being bold and lively.
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Cool Colors

2011-06-10T09:18:00.001-07:00

Cool Colors

Digital drawing, 800px x 600px
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For the month of June, I am concentrating on drawing using a digital tablet and stylus. There is some eye-hand co-ordination involved in this, and developing different methods, but in the end, drawing is still drawing and making-images is still making-images. I know there will be a lot of experimentation here, so we're in for some interesting sailing.

This image demonstrates a cool color scheme, using green, blue-green, blue, and blue-violet against a greyscale background.

Speaking of sailing, this drawing is of the Norma and Gladys, one of the last wooden fishing vessels from Newfoundland, built in 1945, used in the Labrador fishery until 1951, turned into a floating museum in 1973 and lost at sea in 1984.
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Warm Colors

2011-05-15T19:47:00.000-07:00

Warm Colors

Colored pencil on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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The colors we know can be divided into two groups - warm colors and co0l colors. We can place a dividing line on the color wheel between yellow and violet to identify these two groups.

We generally associate red, orange and yellow hues with the sun or fire, and call them warm colors. We also associate blue, blue-green, green, and violet hues with water, sky and atmospheric conditions, and call them cool colors. However, the perceived qualities of warmth or coolness in a color can be influenced by other colors near it.

In this drawing, I used twelve separate pencil colors, six highly-saturated colors from the color wheel, two browns and four paler tones of yellows and pinks.
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The Color Wheel

2011-05-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

The Color Wheel
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Colored pencil on paper 7.5" x 7.5"
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Studying color relationships has been part of an artist's education for centuries, and the color wheel is a visual aid for exploring and organizing the use of colors.

A color wheel takes the spectrum of hues, red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet, in the order that they appear in when white light is split by a prism, and wraps them around into a circle. Seeing color relationships becomes easy using this chart.

Complementary color pairs (red/green, blue/orange, yellow/violet) appear on opposite sides of the color wheel. The intervals of triads of colors, such as primary colors (red, yellow, blue) or secondary colors (orange, green, violet), create triangles within the color wheel. And using a color wheel, an artist can easily identify analogous colors which sit next to each other, or warm and cool colors which fall on one side or the other of the color wheel.

Using color relationships in a painting or a drawing lets an artist select colors that will best communicate the intended meaning of the artwork, and the color wheel is an efficient visual aid for identifying those relationships.
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Complementary Blends 3 - Yellow and Violet

2011-05-13T08:01:00.000-07:00

Complementary Blends 3 - Yellow and Violet

Colored pencil on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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When colors are chosen and organized in particular ways, they can give a three-dimensional sense to a picture. Colors that are complementary to their background tend to "pop out" or to occupy a space in front of the background.

Yellow is a high-value warm color and at its most saturated, it appears to "advance" or be closer to the viewer. Violet is a cool color and at low intensity it tends to "recede." In this drawing, the triangle of bright yellow appears to be floating in front of its background. The background of the various greyish-browns resulting from mixing the single spectrum-yellow and spectrum-violet seems to fall back behind that central rectangle.

Knowing how colors behave in combination with other colors is vital when an artist wants to emphasize an area of an image, or wants to develop a composition that leads the viewer's eye through the picture.

Complementary Blends 2 - Blue and Orange

2011-05-12T07:52:00.000-07:00

Complementary Blends 2 - Blue and Orange

Colored pencil on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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Hue, saturation and value are different ways of looking at colors. With complementary pairs, there are only two hues, just two colors, in this case orange and blue.
Saturation, or color intensity, is a way of noticing how brilliant or dull a color looks. As complementary color blends approach a neutral tone, they become lower and lower in intensity.
Value is a way of describing how light or dark a color appears.

The two hues in this drawing are blue and orange. I used a single blue pencil as close in pigment to a spectrum blue as I could find in my 120-pencil universe, and a single orange pencil, also as close in pigment to a spectrum orange as possible.

The colors in this complementary pair are at their highest saturation. They are as intense as the pigment will allow. When I blended the orange and blue to make different tones of browns, the saturation got less and less as the color got closer to a pure brown and away from the bluish tones or the orangey tones.

The value, or the lightness, of the orange is higher than the value of the blue. In other words, the blue is darker than the orange. As the blue and orange are blended, the value of the resulting brown also blended. The orangey-browns are higher in value than the bluish-browns.

Knowing how to use the intensity of the color to create contrast or emphasis in a drawing, and knowing how to manipulate the lightness and darkness for atmospheric or emotional effect are useful tools for artists.
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Complementary Blends 1 - Red and Green

2011-05-11T07:40:00.000-07:00

Complementary Blends 1 - Red and Green
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Colored pencil on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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Many artists are interested in exploring the effects of colors, for example Johannes Itten, Josef Albers, Mark Rothko and Frank Stella. They have followed the path of scientists like Sir Issac Newton and J. W. Goethe in making charts and designs that demonstrate how colors interact with each other. In this series of drawings, I wanted to look at how many tones of browns I could make with just the two colors of a given complementary pair.

I drew a design that would give enough spaces to show a range of tones, and I repeated the design three times, for the red/green, blue/orange and yellow/violet pairs. The most highly saturated colors of each pair are in the center of the chart. I got them, along with the neutrals caused by blending those most-intense colors, by applying the hardest possible pressure on the pencil. Around the outside I colored a base layer of one of the pair of colors on each side of the design, with varying pressure on the pencil, from heaviest application at the bottom to lightest at the top. Then, I put a second layer of the complementary color on top of the first, with light pressure, to yield a range of tones of browns.

In this drawing, after coloring the center rectangle, I colored a base layer of red on the left, using less and less pressure in the spaces going to the top, and on the right, a similar base layer of green. Then, on the left, I colored an even layer of green over all the spaces, and on the right, an even layer of red.

The design shows a range of seven reddish-browns and seven greenish -browns, in contrast to the fully saturated red/green complementary pair from which they were made. It also demonstrates how the under-color influences the tone of brown that results from the blend, and how the most neutral of the resulting browns is achieved by a relatively even application of both colors in the pair.

Complementary Pairs 3 - Yellow and Violet

2011-05-10T18:10:00.000-07:00

Complementary Pairs 3 - Yellow and Violet

Colored pencil on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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Yellow and violet are the final pair of complementary colors. Like the other two complementary pairs (blue/orange and red/green), these two colors show high contrast against each other, especially since yellow is a high value or high key color and violet is a low value or low key color. Like the other complementary pairs, yellow and violet also blend together to yield a neutral tone.

To set up this drawing I sliced a lemon into quarters, revealing the pale yellow fruit inside the bright peel. Then I arranged grapes on the same plate, showing dark rich violets and paler tones of pinky maroon. I used three different colors of yellow pencils and three different colors of violets pencils to show the colors of the fruit and the neutral tones of the highlights and shading in the still life.

Complementary Pairs 2 - Red and Green

2011-05-09T10:54:00.000-07:00

Complementary Pairs 2 - Red and Green
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Colored pencil on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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Red and green are anoather pair of complementary colors. Like the other two complementary pairs (blue/orange and yellow/violet), these two colors show high contrast against each other, yet when blended together they yield a neutral tone.

For this drawing I found a supermarket package of watermelon, showing a lovely rich saturated red fruit and a beautiful pattern of greens in the peel. Complementary colors in one item! I used four different colors of red pencils to get the range of reds and four different colors of green pencils to show the pattern of the peel and the reflections in the packaging tray.

By blending reds and greens, I was able to get the dark brownish tones in the seeds and the stem of the watermelon, and to suggest the shadows under the fruit.
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Complementary Pairs 1 - Blue and Orange

2011-05-08T17:18:00.000-07:00

Complementary Pairs 1 - Blue and Orange
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Colored pencil on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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Blue and orange are complementary colors. Like the other two primary and secondary complementary pairs (red/green and yellow/violet), these two colors show high contrast against each other, yet when blended together they yield a neutral tone.

For this drawing I chose a blue mug, its glaze is almost a pure ultramarine blue, and a plate of orange sections, with the sun shining through the fruit to give luminous orange tones. I used only four different colors of orange pencils and two different colors of blue pencils on white paper.

The dark brownish tones in the reflections in the mug came from darker blue and orange colors, and the shadows on the fruit and under the plate are a lighter tone from the lighter blue and orange colors they were blended with.

Color Variations 7 - Complementaries

2011-05-07T13:15:00.000-07:00

Color Variations 7 - Complementaries

Colored pencil on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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A complementary is something that fills up, completes, or makes something else perfect. A "pair of contrasting colors that produce a neutral color when combined in suitable proportion" is Webster's dictionary definition of complementary colors. Red and green are complementary pairs, so are blue and orange, and so are yellow and violet.

An artist who knows that 1) these pairs of colors show a strong contrast when placed next to each other, and also that 2) they mix together to give neutral brownish-grays has two marvellous options for working with color.

I pressed hard on the colored pencil to give as saturated a color as possible, and in the drawing, the ribbon of red, orange and yellow shimmers with a high contrast against the corresponding green, blue and violet sections of the background.
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Color Variations 6 - Secondary Colors

2011-05-06T17:22:00.000-07:00

Color Variations 6 - Secondary Colors

Colored pencil on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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Orange and violet and green are known as the secondary colors, because each one is mixed from two primary colors. Orange is a mixture of the primary colors yellow and red. Depending on the proportions of pigments used, the orange will have a yellow tone or a reddish tone. Green is a mixture of yellow and blue, and violet is a mixture of red and blue.

In this drawing, I used premixed secondary colors, and I blended the edges of the primary and secondary colors together as I applied them to the paper.
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Color Variations 5 - Primary Colors

2011-05-05T16:56:00.000-07:00

Color Variations 5 -Primary Colors

Colored pencil on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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The primary colors are called that because they are the three colors which cannot be mixed from any other colors, and from which any other colors can be mixed.

The appearance of the red and yellow and blue colors will vary in different pigments, paints or other art supplies, but if you have any red, any yellow and any blue, you will be able to mix other colors from them.

In this drawing, the red I chose appears to be more of a red-orange than a true spectrum red, and the blue is not as saturated as a true spectrum blue, but the yellow is very close to a true spectrum yellow. Remember, too, that computer monitors are not all calibrated equally and that color-matching is a pretty imprecise science. What you see is what you get!

Color Variations 4 - Value

2011-05-04T20:43:00.000-07:00

Color Variations 4 - Value

Colored pencil on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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Value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color. As an artist adds white to a color, it becomes paler or higher in value, and as an artist adds black to a color it becomes darker or lower in value.
Different hues have different values, for example yellows have a relatively high value and reds generally have a low value. Artists can use this knowledge to put yellows next to blacks for greatest contrast, or next to whites for less contrast. In the same way, dark blues or reds will not stand out well against black, although they do show up very well when placed next to white.

In this drawing, I placed yellow lines against a white background. Because the yellow and the white are almost the same value, the lines appear to be fading away, giving a sensation in the picture of blinding white light exploding into a dark space.
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Color Variations 3 - Saturation

2011-05-03T20:10:00.000-07:00

Color Variations 3 - Saturation
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Colored pencil on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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Saturation, or the intensity of a color, is another way of describing a color. Saturation refers to the purity of the color, or how much the color has been dulled by the addition of any other colors. A color with high saturation is as brilliant and clear as possible. A color that is de-saturated is reduced to a tone in a gray-scale.

Adjusting the saturation of a color allows an artist to emphasize or de-emphasize certain parts of an image, to make a brilliant red flower stand out against a reddish-brown or a dull pink background. An artist can add depth to a landscape painting by reducing the saturation of colors representing areas in the distance, while reserving the most highly saturated colors for areas in the foreground.

In this drawing, I made all the colors as saturated as I could, by pressing hard with the colored pencils to cover the paper completely, so that the white of the paper would not make the pencil colors appear pale and dull.
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Color Variations 2 - Hue

2011-05-02T19:48:00.000-07:00

Color Variations 2 - Hue

Colored pencil on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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One way to describe a particular is to refer to its hue. The hue of a color is simply the name of the color.

The color names on the pencils from the package I have been using include red, red-orange, orange, yellow, sky blue, blue and violet. In an art supplies store, you can find other color names that refer to the chemical composition of the pigment or dye (phthalo blue), or the source of the colorant (Chinese white), or the name of a person associated with that color (Payne's Gray).

Being able to identify a color with a commonly understood name is a powerful tool for artists and for the people who appreciate their work.

Color Variations 1

2011-05-01T19:04:00.000-07:00

Color Variations 1

Colored pencil on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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Color! A lot of artists base the use of color in their artworks on trial and error, or on suggestions from teachers or from other artists, or even on lucky guesses.
Although there are many scientific methods for studying color, most artists work in an intuitive way with color, using their instincts to make adjustments to color in their artworks.

Despite a Western art tradition of color being used in an emotional way, we still need an objective method of referring to the characteristics of color, we need to have a common and shared terminology.
So, we can talk about the hue of a color, or its saturation, or its value. We can discuss complementary colors, analogous colors, primary and secondary colors, tones and tints and shades.

For the next month on this blog, my focus is color, and my materials are colored pencils and paper. Check back and explore color from a different viewpoint, every day!
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Apples 7

2011-04-30T10:22:00.000-07:00

Apples 7

Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"

Apples sliced horizontally, across their equators, show the core of the apple as a star. The star is a group of pods gripping the apple seeds in place with just a tiny bit of room for expansion when they sprout.

With daylight from the window raking across the flat cut surface, you can see the structural details of the apple, too, reinforcing the pentagon geometry of this fruit, and you can also see the lights and darks of the paper underneath the apple.

Apples 6

2011-04-29T11:50:00.001-07:00

Apples 6

Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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The surface of the apple has dappled color markings, as well as tonal gradations from the apple's spherical shape. It also has highlights and shadows from lighting, and more lights and darks from reflections.

Graphite leaves a grey mark on paper, and the softer the grade of graphite, the darker grey the mark is. The trick to drawing with graphite is to use different grades of graphite in order to achieve a complete tonal range that can represent all the lights and darks needed in the drawing.
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Apples 5

2011-04-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

Apples 5

Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"

You don't think of still life arrangements as having movement, and you don't think of apples sitting on plates as giving gestures, but they do. This is a gesture drawing of an apple, selected out of a sheetful of apple gestures.

So what gesture does an apple have? An expression of weight, of sitting balanced on a base point, of mass, of a spherical form, and overall an expression of how the fruit grew from the core out to the surface. That is the gesture of an apple.

Apples 4

2011-04-27T09:14:00.001-07:00

Apples 4

Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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This somewhat lopsided apple shows highlights from two windows and reflections from around the room and also reflections from the shiny plate it is sitting on. The shiny plate acts as a mirror, too, reflecting the apple back to itself. The only true shadow areas are underneath the apple where it touches the plate, and at the boundaries of the spherical form.
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Apples 3

2011-04-26T08:59:00.000-07:00

Apples 3

Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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An apple cut in half yields two hemisperical forms each with a flat plane revealing the inside of the fruit. Cut from top to bottom, the apple's core shows a seed pod, with its distinctive oval shape, and tiny protective capsules holding the tear-drop shaped seeds.

Drawing the seed pod is a challenge because it is so small and so intricate, and while its lights and shadows can be suggested with graphite, the marks must be accurate to make the flat plane surface look like something is resting underneath.
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Apples 2

2011-04-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

Apples 2
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Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"

The spherical form of an apple displays beautiful gradations of highlights and shadows. The apple's peel is shiny and reflects its surroundings, so the highlights and shadows are changed.

Drawing a spherical form in graphite could become a mechanical job, but with the irregular form of the fruit and the reflections from the surroundings, observing and recording the apple becomes a lot more interesting.

Apples 1

2011-04-24T11:57:00.000-07:00

Apples 1

Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"

Apples are great to draw.

Apples are generally round, which gives the artist the challenge of rendering lights and darks on a spherical surface, except when they are cut open, which provides another challenge of rendering planes in perspective.

Apples seen in bright light catch highlights and produce cast shadows of interesting shapes and tonal ranges, and apples placed on a shiny surface give the artist an additional set of reflections to puzzle over.

But when the drawing is done, the benefit of drawing apples is that you get to eat them!

Rocks 6

2011-04-23T11:25:00.000-07:00

Rocks 6
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Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"

Shape. Well, form, really. Shape is the two dimensional aspect of what we see and Form is the three dimensional aspect. Cezanne said there are four basic forms: the cone, the cube, the cylinder, and the sphere.

Rocks are "formed" chunks of solidified magma that have been chipped apart and worn away to varying degrees. The more the rocks are weathered and tumbled by wind and wave motion - and depending on the softness of the materials they are made of - the smoother the surface and the more rounded the form they have.

To draw realistic looking rocks requires paying attention to how the 3D form of the rock produces highlights and shadows, and then to rendering them as lighter and darker 2D areas flat on the paper.

Rocks 5

2011-04-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

Rocks 5
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Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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Lines don't exist in nature. So why is it that we see lines everywhere we look? Well, lines are a shortcut that our minds use so we don't have to process all that other information.

In these three rocks we can see lines, or bands of contrasting material in the rock. These stripes of white running all the way around the outside of each rock are actually narrow layers of quartz sandwiched inside the rock mass. The wider the line, the thicker the layer of quartz. The banding looks different on each rock because the part we see follows the outside contours of that rock. We don't see the rest of the quartz layer that's on the inside of the rock.
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Rocks 4

2011-04-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

Rocks 4
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Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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There is a logic to the arrangement of lights and shadows in a drawing. Some of the light and dark tones come from the color of the object being drawn, and some more come from the highlights and cast shadows that are created by illumination on the object. As well, some light tones and dark tones are placed by the artist to make the drawing look better or work better as a composition.

In this drawing there is a single light source, the sun, which is coming from the upper right, and casting shadows under the left sides of the rocks. There are surface shadows on the rocks as well, indicating texture, and there is reflected light shining into the darkest areas of the still life and revealing hidden forms. The effects may appear subtle, but light and shadow are what make a drawing.
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Rocks 3

2011-04-20T12:12:00.000-07:00

Rocks 3
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Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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As we generally see rocks, they are part of a larger group, a pile of boulders, a beach full of pebbles, an aggregate of gravel in cement or asphalt.
If you select one single stone, weigh it in your hand and observe its contours and colors and markings, you will start to become aware that it has a unique appearance. You could easily identify this rock from a group of others. It assumes an individual quality.

In drawing these rocks, I set them out almost like putting characters on a stage, the "star performer" in the front and the "chorus" at the rear. To separate them, I made use of design techniques such as value contrast, overlapping and variations in sizes. But what really happened is that the individual characteristics of each stone become apparent. I think that's what the drawing really communicates.
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Rocks 2

2011-04-19T08:11:00.000-07:00

Rocks 2

Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"

In this arrangement, there are two beach rocks, which have been tumbled and rubbed by wave action for many years, and one pebble from a pile of gravel, which was crushed to a standard size and deliberately made sharp and rough for industrial purposes.

Just as there is a difference in the texture of these rocks, there is a difference in the way we react to them... the beach rocks are pleasant to hold, smooth and firm. The piece of gravel is easier to grip and the crystals of quartz exposed on its surface sparkle in the sunshine.

In the end, they are just rocks, but what a difference between them!

Rocks 1

2011-04-18T15:57:00.001-07:00

Rocks 1

Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"

Still life studies are great for training the eye's observation and also for developing the skills of technique.

Rocks are tricky objects to use for still life... rocks are not as attractive as flowers or fruit, and they are not regular in shape, and thus not as easy to represent as vases or books are.

And, if you still think that rocks are easy to draw, remember that our minds have learned to estimate the shape and weight of objects from the arrangements of lights and shadows that our retinas receive. And in order to look "real," a drawing of rocks must refer to the laws of physics every bit as much as a drawing of flowers or vases does.

Rocks are a challenge... and I enjoy challenges!

Tonal Variations - Floating

2011-04-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

Tonal Variations - Floating

Graphite on paper, 10" x 13"

These drawing experiments are each based on a quick scribble drawing that defines shapes and areas for me to work in. Then I imagine a light source and what kind of shadow values it would create on these shapes. I pick up which ever grade of pencil I feel appropriate and I start to fill in lights and shadows to indicate three dimensional forms on the paper.

Today I am working with a new kind of paper, made of cotton fiber, in a lighter weight sheet, with a fine textured surface. For today's drawing, I used 3B and 5B grades of graphite, which this new paper accepts well. I am pleased with the fluidity and the gentle movement of the 3-D forms I have created.

Tonal Variations - Angles

2011-04-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

Tonal Variations - Angles
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Graphite on paper, 7.5" x 11"
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Depending on the mood or emphasis I want for the drawing, I might start with defining the lighter tones and work toward the darker ones, or I might launch into building up the darkest areas and then work my way back into lighter and lighter shapes. In this drawing, I found that the areas I wanted as the darkest weren't as dark as the softest 6B graphite could give me, so I added extra dark shapes for greater depth and enhanced emphasis.
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Tonal Variations - Twist

2011-04-15T09:58:00.001-07:00

Tonal Variations - Twist
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Graphite on paper, 7.5" x 11"
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By layering the various grades of graphite pencil, HB, 3B, 5B, and 6B, you can achieve a large range of tonal variations, from the darkest, most intense shades to a workable midrange gray. The lighter tones, of course, are represented by the paper showing through the places where the graphite hasn't been applied.
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Tonal Variations - Stripe

2011-04-14T18:25:00.001-07:00

Tonal Variations - Stripe
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Graphite on paper, 5" x 7.5"
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While I have been able to achieve variations in dark and light tones using greater or lesser pressure on the pencil, another way to achieve a wide range of tones is with pencils containing different grades of graphite, from HB, a standard hardness, through 3B, 5B to 6B, the softest lead, containing the greatest proportion of graphite and the least amount of binder.
Using different grades of pencils, I was able to go from the lightest light grey to the absolute darkest shade. But watch out! That 6B graphite is so soft, it smears over everything it touches, hands, papers, fingers, clothes...
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Elizabeth's Walk - Climbing - Final Layout

2011-04-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth's Walk - Climbing - Final Layout

Graphite on paper, 3" x 5.5"
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This is the final layout for the linocut I mentioned last week, one of a series depicting an annual springtime cross-country walking expedition by Innu elder Elizabeth Penashue.
If you compare the two preparatory drawings, you will notice that the trees on the left and right sides are in the same positions, but the small tree in the center foreground is gone and the climbers are spread farther apart enhancing the diagonal movement in the drawing.
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Ice on the Churchill River

2011-04-12T10:51:00.001-07:00

Ice on the Churchill River

Graphite on paper, 11" x 15"
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Graphite HB pencil, on Rising Stonehenge watercolor paper. The graphite deposited well without a lot of pressure onto the soft thick paper, giving a lot of tonal variation.
From the lookout at Dome Mountain, the Churchill River is still covered with ice, and there is still snow and ice on the streams in the woods.
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Open Water - Tonal Variations on Rice Paper - 4

2011-04-11T06:47:00.001-07:00

Open Water - Spring on the Churchill River

Tonal Variations on Rice Paper - 4

Graphite on rice paper, 7" x 9"

This is HB pencil on the shinier side of the rice paper. The dark tones laid down fairly easily, but the paper was very unforgiving when I attempted to create a very light shade.

Spring is here, the ice is breaking up and there are ducks in the open water. The reflection of the sun on the snow gives a brilliant overall light to the landscape that you don't see any other time of the year.

Tonal Variations on Rice Paper - 3

2011-04-10T09:27:00.000-07:00

Tonal Variations on Rice Paper - Version 3 - A Different Pencil

Graphite on rice paper, 7" x 9"

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Today I experimented with using a different pencil - it's listed as HB and a lot softer than the #2 pencil I used before. I drew on the fuzzy side of the rice paper, and I found the paper accepted the HB graphite much better - with less working to lay down layers of tone. Even though the paper surface did fill in with the particles of graphite, I was able to build up darker tones than before, and I was able to create a greater range of tonal variations.

Y'know, we assume that just because it's an ordinary pencil, it will do just an ordinary job, but I can say from these results that you'll only know if you try, and experiment to see what even the most common tools will do.

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Tonal Variations on Rice Paper - 2

2011-04-09T10:34:00.000-07:00

Tonal Variations on Rice Paper - Version 2 - The Other Side

Graphite on rice paper, 7" x 9" .

In yesterday's experiment with graphite drawing on rice paper, I determined that the soft and velvety surface of the rice paper didn't allow the graphite to create a full range of tones. The opposite side of the paper has a smoother surface, still soft but a little shinier, too.

So, with the same yellow #2 pencil, I made another drawing using the same method, starting with a loose scribble drawing, and filling in the shapes with curlicue lines, going over and over on the same spot to make denser layers of graphite and create darker tones.

Once again, the fragile rice paper didn't hold the graphite as well as a more robust paper might have done, but I find that the delicacy of tonal variations is very pleasant to look at.

Tonal Variations on Rice Paper

2011-04-08T06:30:00.000-07:00

Tonal Variations on Rice Paper
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Graphite on rice paper, 7" x 9"
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One of the pleasures of drawing is trying out different materials. Different pencils, different inks and brushes, different markers, and today, a different paper. From a roll of rice paper, I cut several pieces of the tissue-thin stuff to experiment with drawing on it. I chose a regular yellow #2 pencil, because I wanted to see how this soft and slightly fuzzy rice paper works with ordinary graphite. I found that I had to use a surprising amount of pressure to achieve tonal gradations. I found that I could leave an initial mark on the paper by just touching the surface with the pencil lead, but to get a full range of tones, I had to draw over and over on a spot to darken it. And I found that the fibers on the surface of the paper have a tendency to clog with graphite and not allow more to be deposited. As for erasing... I didn't even go there! Overall, I found the rice paper to have a nice tooth and a velvety touch, but it is so soft and so feather-light that the action of making marks on it with graphite feels awkward to me. If I am going to use it again for graphite drawing, I am going to have to develop a "rice paper technique" to use.
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From a Page of Hands

2011-04-07T12:23:00.000-07:00

From a Page of Hands

Graphite on paper, 6" x 6"
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Drawing is a way of making a record of what you see, and it is also a way of sharpening your powers of observation. This drawing is one of a group of quick sketches I made of my left hand holding a pencil which my right hand is drawing. As I was progressing around the sheet of paper, I kept noticing details that I incorporated into the next drawing. I also found that the marks I made became more and more firm and confident as I got better acquainted with the form of my hand. Practice, practice, practice!
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Elizabeth's Walk - Climbing

2011-04-06T07:47:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth's Walk - Climbing

Graphite on paper, 3" x 5.5"
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I am working on a folio of linocuts depicting a springtime cross-country walking expedition by Innu elder Elizabeth Penashue , with members of her family and guests. I want to change the composition of the photograph I am working from, and this is one of a series of sketches to try out different arrangements of the scene. As I was drawing, I could see more and more possible solutions, and ways of adding visual elements or taking them away to come up with a sense of balance as well as a dynamic feeling of movement in the image. This may not be the final arrangement, but I'm getting close!
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Sitting At The Dock

2011-04-05T07:34:00.001-07:00

Sitting at the Dock

Graphite on paper, 7.5" x 11"
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This drawing shows a portion of a larger composition that I am getting ready to transfer to a canvas. The finished painting will show a family group relaxing on a summer afternoon, with the theme of renewal and continuity. Watch for more preparation drawings to come!
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Gradations and Textures

2011-04-04T11:03:00.000-07:00

Gradations and Textures

Graphite on paper, 11" x 15" .

Today I sat with a quarter-sheet of watercolor paper and a regular yellow #2 pencil and started with a scribble drawing all over the page.

Marvellous things suggest themselves from scribble drawings, from observing castles in the clouds to perceiving methods of blending areas of tone.

In this drawing, I used two main ways of laying down graphite on the paper. One was sketching a sequence of curved lines, positioned close to each other, and roughly following the contour line of the "object" I was depicting. The other was moving the pencil lightly over the surface of the paper in a tight curlicue line, touching the same spot over and over to make it darker and darker. Each technique has its merits. I still don't know which one I like better.

Sisters

2011-04-03T08:42:00.000-07:00

Sisters

Graphite on paper, 5" x 4"

Graphite is such a versatile medium, it is so suggestive and so easy to use.

Beware! Danger lurks for the unwary... variable tonal ranges and inadvertant textures are the least of the pitfalls.

But when it works, graphite is so satisfying. Ah, graphite!

On My Back Door-Step # 11

2010-09-17T14:55:00.000-07:00

Fireweed Turning Color (#11)

Watercolor on paper, 11in x 15in
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In summertime, the fireweed plant has the-pinkest-of-pink blossoms that shimmer and are practically florescent in the sunlight, along with a subtle, sturdy green color for its leaves and stems.
But in the autumn, it is the foliage of the fireweed that has the showiest display, in fiery (of course) reds, oranges, yellows, and various shades of chartreuse.
In painting #10, I was unhappy with the mixes I had achieved with a limited palette of three colors, prussian blue, cadmium yellow medium and rose red quinacridone. Today, I added viridian and cadmium red medium to the lineup, and I substituted hansa yellow lemon for the cadmium yellow. Well, what a difference!
Today was a sunny fall day and the light kept moving through the trees, changing the intensities of the colors on the ground even as I was watching them brighten and fade.
Nevertheless, I am happy with what I recorded today. Never satisfied, but happy!
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On My Back Door-Step #10

2010-09-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

Fireweed Blossoms (#10)

Watercolor on paper 11in x 15in

For many years, I have worked with a limited palette of colors: a bright yellow, a red usually in the pink register, and a blue of some sort. Since I started these back door-step paintings, I have been using my outdoor sketching supplies, which include a portable box of a dozen pans of watercolor, two yellows, two reds, two blues, two greens, two browns, plus a black and a white.

Well, it's starting to get chilly outside, so on some days for this project I confess, I am actually doing the painting indoors once the drawing is established. And yes, I am noticing a difference in how I am handling the paint.

Indoors, I take more time in applying the color, and today, when I used tube color instead of my trusty little paint box, I fell back into my comfort zone of the limited palette of three colors. Honest! I didn't mean to! I did take out five tubes, but I only squeezed paint out of three of them, cadmium yellow medium, rose red quinacridone and prussian blue. So, there I was working with a limited palette again.

And what did I learn? I found I was unhappy with the approximation of the colors I was mixing, and with how distant those hues were from what I knew I had seen. In working outdoors, I have learned to perceive more of the colors that my eyes can distinguish.

I want to go back outside and paint this image again.

On My Back Door-Step #9

2010-09-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

White Berries for the Birds (#9)

Watercolor on paper 11in x 15in
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It's been chilly for the past few nights. I guess the birds know that it's time to get ready for their winter migration, and they have been descending on the trees and bushes fattening up on berries and bugs.

I have been watching this particular red osier dogwood bush for several days. There have been mixed flocks of adult and juvenile robins, white crowned sparrows, fox sparrows, juncos, chickadees and yellow warblers, and probably more birds that I haven't identified. It's comical to watch the smaller birds zoom in between the branches and the huge robins shake out the entire bush searching for berries and bugs. Those robins can manage to get an entire white berry into their beaks at a time, all the while bouncing around on a bent-over branch.

It's a great comedy to watch!

On My Back Door-Step #8

2010-09-09T17:38:00.001-07:00

Berries and Leaves (#8)
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Watercolor on paper, 11 in x 15 in
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It was a bright sunny afternoon after several days of overcast skies and rain, a bit windy, but there was nothing in the weather to interfere with a great painting session. I was ready for it, and I settled in to enjoy myself.

The sunlight was dappled all through the trees, and throughout the afternoon the masses of leaves I was painting shifted in color from luminescent yellow-green to inky blue-green and back again. The hill in the background did the same in tones of olive-greens and sepias. I was working back and forth to depict what I was seeing at the moment. And I was mixing colors on the fly to match the changes.

Well, now that this painting has dried, I find the colors thin and, well, yes, watered-down. I realize now that I would have had a better results if I had mixed larger quantities of the main colors I was seeing at the beginning, and simply dipped into each batch as the light changed throughout the afternoon.

This is part of preparedness, having enough containers and enough surface area to mix colors comfortably and efficiently. And also having the foresight to bring enough clean water to keep my paint from getting muddy. Oh and paper towels to blot up runny wet splashes that go in the wrong direction.

We learn from our experiences.

On My Back Door-Step #7

2010-09-08T18:08:00.000-07:00

Red Osier Dogwood Branch (#7)

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Watercolor on paper 11in x 15in

It was another rainy day, and in order to do today's painting indoors, I picked a branch of Red Osier Dogwood, a bush with pearly white berries and flashy red stalks, from my back door-step and I put it into a jar as my model.

I was still penciling in my drawing when I realized what was happening. My still life was withering in front of my eyes. Leaves were flipping over and showing different colors, and stems were curving down with gravity. Negative shapes kept changing, and I had to work really fast to fill in color areas and keep my original composition.

I added a flat dark gray layer to isolate the branch from its background, and I realized effective watercolor sketching means that I need to be able to work very very quickly.

And to do that I need be able to do a lot of visual problem-solving on the run!

On My Back Door-Step #6

2010-09-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

Bunch of Fireweek (#6)

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Watercolor on paper 11in x 15in
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It's a rainy day and not good for watercolor painting outdoors. So I set up my painting gear in the light coming through the back door, put a handful of fireweed flowers into a Mason jar, and settled in. Indoors or out, I still have to record the image before the light moves, so once the pencil sketch was established, I applied paint just as loosely as I would do out of doors.
This painting is a great example of wet-into-wet washes, without doubt the loosest of watercolor painting techniques.
Wet daubs of pink blurring into pale green stripes give the gentlest of neutral shadow tones. A fat painty brushstroke touching into a clear water shape defines a flower form. Then there's the background, all water and paint with a characteristic back-flow effect revealing the blue and brown pigments that this gray was mixed with. Back-flows can be disastrous or very effective, and this painting has examples of both.
So be it.

On My Back Door-Step #5

2010-09-06T18:03:00.000-07:00

Fireweed in Dappled Light (#5)

Watercolor on paper 11in x 15in
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Sunlight which is filtered through a canopy of trees reaches the ground in patches of various colors, depending on what happens with reflections and highlights and shadows.
Objects which are struck by this dappled light appear to lose their solid form due to these mottled highlights and shadows. The whole scene becomes a floating mass of light and color.
I tried to anchor this painting with the color of the fireweed blossoms, but I believe it is the mobile textures of branches and stems, leaves and foliage that have won out.
Makes for a lively painting, though!
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On My Back Door-Step #4

2010-09-05T17:48:00.000-07:00

Fireweed and Branches (#4)

Watercolor on paper 11in x 15in
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Contrast. It's out there all around.
I didn't realize how much contrast I was dealing with until I started to get into it. As I set out my paints, I thought "Today I'm working with the contrast of complementary colors - the pink of the fireweed flowers against the green of the foliage."
Well, fine, but then there's the contrast of the small size of the pink area and all those masses of greens, and the contrast of the highlights in yellow-greens against the dark-olive shadows. And the contrast of the horizontal curves of the branches against the vertical curves of the stems and leaves. And the thickness of the tree trunk against those same slender stems.
Contrast? I got a lot more of it than I had bargained for... and you know the best part? The next time I go looking for contrast in a scene to paint, I will probably find even more to play with.
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On My Back Door-Step #3

2010-09-04T19:08:00.000-07:00

Fence Rails and Bushes (#3)

Watercolor on paper 11in x 15in

Creating a composition is a vital part of making an image. Composing a scene for a landscape photograph seems absurdly simple, you point the camera at what you want to capture, frame the scenery so it looks good, and - snap - press the button.

Well, it's another matter creating a composition for a landscape painting, plein air. First, there's so darn much scenery all around, it's easy to get distracted. And then, as you are glancing up and down from the vista to the painting, it's hard to keep your eye on the thing or things that attracted your attention in the beginning.

My problem-solving solution... ta-dah! the old trick of creating a composition using a viewfinder. From of a plain piece of paper, I cut out a rectangle with the same proportions as the paper I'm painting on. I peer through the cutout, and I can sketch my scene onto my paper with some accuracy. Once the main elements of the composition are in place, things are going to run a whole lot more smoothly.

Of course, there are many things about painting outdoors that a viewfinder won't help with, but it makes a good start!

On My Back Door-Step #2

2010-09-03T21:52:00.001-07:00

Fence Rails (#2)
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Watercolor on paper, 11in x 15in
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When I am making a painting outdoors under direct sunlight I see an incredible variety of colors.
Since I am using no intervening technology in the process of translating the scenery in front of my eyes into the paint I put onto the paper, I have no easy filtering or simplification of information, compared to painting indoors from a photograph.
Painting outdoors, I also see a massive variety of textures in the foliage, the grasses, bark, flowers and wood, which I depict in shapes and masses of lighter and darker tones of colors.
My first job is to make sense of what I am looking at, and my second job is to make my record of the scene comprehensible to someone else.
Practice, practice, practice.
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On My Back Door-Step #1

2010-09-02T19:26:00.000-07:00

Birches in Sunshine #1

Watercolor on paper, 11in x 15in

I am such a sucker for a challenge.

So when that Ol' Pointy-Toe Boot of Patricia's nudged me into starting some new daily landscapes, I took the good advice (thank you!) and I got started.

This is a challenge to do 30 paintings on my back door-step, and by co-incidence the number matches with "30 Days Hath September," and so this is my September project.

For now, I am exploring with watercolor paints, on quarter-sheets of paper. The media may change during the month, but I have accepted the challenge, and I can't wait to see the results. What fun!

So, check back during the month of September and see the things I can see from my back door-step. I'll be out there with my paints every day, and if you're here, you can see the results!

Thanks!

An Apple A Day 25 ... Acrylics - Layering

2010-02-10T13:39:00.001-08:00

Apple on a light surface, acrylic layered painting.
Acrylic on paper, 7 in x 10 in.

An Apple A Day 24 ... Acrylics - Layering

2010-02-09T13:27:00.000-08:00

Apple on a dark surface, acrylic layered painting.
Acrylic on paper, 7 in x 10 in.

An Apple A Day 23 ... Watercolor - Wet into Wet Washes

2010-01-23T19:10:00.000-08:00

Apple quarters on a plate, wet into wet washes.
Watercolor on paper, 7 in x 10 in.

An Apple A Day 22 ... Watercolor - Wet into Wet Washes

2010-01-22T17:52:00.000-08:00

Apple on a napkin, wet into wet washes.
Watercolor on paper, 7 in x 10 in.

An Apple A Day 21 ... Watercolor - Wet into Wet Washes

2010-01-21T04:23:00.000-08:00

Apple on a napkin, wet into wet washes.
Watercolor on paper, 7 in x 10 in.

An Apple A Day 20 ... Watercolor - Wet into Wet Washes

2010-01-20T04:20:00.000-08:00

Apple on a napkin, wet into wet washes.
Watercolor on paper, 7 in x 10 in.

An Apple A Day 19 ... Watercolor - Wet into Wet Washes

2010-01-19T17:30:00.000-08:00

Apple on a plate, wet into wet washes.
Watercolor on paper, 7 in x 10 in.

An Apple A Day 18 ... Watercolor - Wet into Wet Washes

2010-01-18T17:26:00.000-08:00

Apple on a napkin, wet into wet washes.
Watercolor on paper, 7 in x 10 in.