Landscape with Water 04 - Cliffside Erosion

Light and Shadow on Weathered Rock

Thousands of years of freeze and thaw...  

...glaciers and wind and rain reveals the texture of the rock.   

These rocks are among the oldest in the world, and people study them for what they reveal about the history of the Earth. Torngat Base Camp, Torngat Mountains National Park, northern Labrador, Canada.     

Landscape with Water 03 - Calm Water Reflections

Calm Water Reflections of Clouds and Mountains

Early Morning Quiet on the Water...  

...shows a mirror reflection of mountains and clouds.   

In a landscape as weathered as this, an hour of calm and quiet must be a rarity. Torngat Base Camp, Torngat Mountains National Park, northern Labrador, Canada.      

Landscape with Water 02 - Hills and Sunshine

The Depth of Mountains Behind Mountains

Gradations of Tone Simulate Three Dimensions...  

...with light and shadow on the mountain side.   

Light and shadow on the mountain ridges gives depth to the scene. Torngat Base Camp, Torngat Mountains National Park, northern Labrador, Canada.      

Landscape with Water 01 - Hills and Reflections

Mountains Rising From the Sea

Lights and Darks and Gradations of Tone...  

...mountains rising from the sea.   

Eye and mind combine to give an impression that comes from memory and imagination. Torngat Base Camp, Torngat Mountains National Park, northern Labrador, Canada.      

Torngats Sketches 8 - Sheltered Beaches

Sheltered Shoreline 

Away From the Action of Ocean Waves...  

...sheltered beaches rise gradually from sea level.   

Perfect for landing small boats, these protected beaches make for easy access to the island.

       

Torngats Sketches 7 - Seaward Facing Cliff

Weathered and Eroded Cliff Face

Rocks Exposed to the Open Ocean...  

...wear away faster than similar rocks that are in a more sheltered location.   

The rock at the base of this cliff is shattered by frost and washed away by wave action. The rock towards the top of the cliff is more stable but eventually it will break away and fall into the ocean, too.

       

Torngats Sketches 6 - Dome Mountains

More Hills Through The Notch

Rounded Hills Rise and Fall...  

...with more hills in between.   

Distant hills that would be hidden, like this one, are revealed in the valleys between nearby peaks.        

Torngats Sketches 5 - Shadows in the Cliffs

Lights and Shadows Show the Textures of the Rocks

As the Sun Moves...  

... the look of the cliffs changes.   

Even the reflections on the water change as the lights and shadows change on the cliff face.        

Torngats Sketches 4 - Bird's Eye View

View from the Hill

With Height, You Can See More...  

...and more, and more.   

Standing at this elevation, you can see from sea level at St. John's Harbour clear across to the mountains on the other side of Saglek Fjord. A very nice perspective.        

Torngats Sketches 3 - Mountains Behind Mountains

Receding Landforms

Higher Peaks In The Distance...  

...minimize the landforms closer to the viewer.   

The height of these mountain tops dominates the nearby islands.         

Torngats Sketches 2 - Sketching Forms

3 Dimensions into 2 Dimensions

Transcribing the Massive, Solid, Rounded, Rock Forms of the Mountains...  

...to a thin film of inked lines on paper, is a huge transition.   

The mountains of the Torngats rise above sea-level to heights of 1,000 and 2,000 feet to over 3,000 feet.  Capturing this in a drawing is impossible, and even suggesting it is tricky.           

Torngats Sketches 1 - Getting Started

New Season, New Project

Everything Starts Somewhere...  

...and these drawings may lead me somewhere, too.   

Pen and ink drawings fall somewhere between line studies, value studies and texture studies. Using the reference photos I took last month at the Torngat Base Camp, I plan to spend this month building up some sketches and drawings of the incredible terrain we encountered there.         

Contour Drawing - Touching the Surface with the Pencil

Contour Drawing - Touching the Surface with the Pencil

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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!

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

Linoblock Print: Pincherries - 1 - Planning

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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

Color Layers

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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

Split Complementary Color Scheme - Tertiary Colors

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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

Split Complementary Color Scheme - Yellow

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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

Split-Complementary Color Scheme - Based on Blue

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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

Split-Complementary Color Scheme

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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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