Along the Way
06/09/07 Update:
This past October, Rita and I had the privilege to travel in the Northwest!
Our days began before sunrise and generally ended after sunset. In between,
we were either driving or stopped to take some pics. This particular day, we
were on a gravel road in Northern California. We were miles from the nearest
town (or so we thought) and our hunger was beginning to make us drive a little
faster to find a resturant for lunch. We topped a small hill and saw this barn:
Now, given that you see the picture, you know we stopped. But that afternoon, the
discussion was more along the lines of:
Me: Is it worth going back for a picture?
Rita: I don't know! I may want to paint that!!
Me: I can turn around if you would like me to?
Rita: I know! Yes, I would like that!
Me: (Gravel spraying as I brake.) I may want a pic for my work also!
Rita: I just hope it's as pretty as I remembered it!
And the rest is history. I decided to not use the image for my work. But Rita
did go ahead and paint the scene! How fun!!
Oh, by the way, in the valley just beyond the barn (if you look just left of the
barn, you can see the mountains on the opposite side of the valley) there was a
small town with a general store. And they sold the best freshly-made sub sand-
wiches in the world (ok, they may not be the best, but it was close!)!!
06/23/07 Update:
Her first compositional decision was to determine the overall shape of the piece.
If you review the reference photo from the last update, you'll notice that it was
a traditional size image (2/3 ratio). However, Rita opted to go with a panoramic
view (1/3 ratio). And she really wanted to convey the broad expanse of the grass
in front of the barn. A full sheet of watercolor paper is 22X30. So she cut it in
half (11X30) and then stapled it to her board. You can see the staples and board
in today's image.
Composiitonally, Rita wanted the clouds to help direct the eye to the focal point,
i.e. the barn. Notice how the clouds point to the barn! Likewise the fence (just
penciled in) also performs the same function by leading the viewer's eye to the
barn. The fence also helps to create a sense of how broad of an expanse of grass
we have in the foreground. This was done by the size and distance between the fence
posts. How cool is that!
And finally, notice her placement of the barn. It's approximately 2/3's From the
bottom of the paper. And it's approximately 2/5's from the right side of the paper.
We've discussed the rule of thirds and fifths in previous how-to's, but notice how
she makes use of this as a guideline. Rita allows herself the freedom to place the
barn where it looks best from her perspective. If you're struggling with placement,
then sketch out the object on a separate piece of paper, cut it out and then move it
around on your watercolor paper until you can 'see' where you want it placed. In
short, have fun with it!
06/30/07 Update:
Last week's image:
This week's image:
Here's a list of the pigments Rita used for this piece:
- Windsor Blue
- Windsor Violet
- Lemon Yellow
- New Gamboge
- Brown Matter
- Burnt Umber
- Paynes Gray
- Quinacridone Coral
- Watercolor Paper White :)
To paint watercolors, you need a plan! Otherwise, you'll run the risk of losing
your whites, since the paper is your only white. For example the white in the
clouds is the white of the paper, i.e. no watercolor pigments applied to that
part of the paper. This is called negative painting. The clouds were defined by
where she did not paint the sky. And you'll notice that the barn has a milky
white appearance, this is a mask that Rita has applied to protect the paper
until she's ready to paint the barn.
Ok, back to the plan. In the first image, you'll notice that the background
trees were painted in a somewhat unusual shape. There is a big gap behind the
barn and the trees on the right side don't go to the ground. That is because of
the plan. If you look at the second image, you can see why the trees on the
right side were not painted to the ground. That was because Rita had planned
to paint the foreground trees in front of them. And obviously, Rita has planned
something behind the barn to fill the empty gap. But that will be seen in the
next update!
Normally, Rita will paint from the back of the image to the front, as she is
doing in this piece. However, it really doesn't matter what the sequence is, as
long as you, the artist know what the plan is. I'm always amazed at Rita's
ability to plan and then execute that plan when she is painting! But like any
skill, this can be developed by... practice! So, don't forget this reminder to
practice, practice, practice!!
Oh, I would be negligent to not mention, that watercolors on paper do not always
do what is planned! So a second attribute is flexibility to adjust the plan as
necessary! So, we may need to adjust this by saying that you, as a watercolor
artist, need a flexible plan! It usually doesn't take you to long figure that
out. But just in case, I thought it might be important for those who have not
painted before to consider. Regardless, have fun with your flexible plan!
07/15/07 Update:
Previous image:
This week's image:
In this week's update, you can see how Rita painted the 'planned' trees into
the empty spaces from the previous image. This completes the background trees!
How fun!
In looking at the previous image, you'll see three groups of background trees.
The center group is a combination of purples and yellows. The group on the left
has some purple, but more blues with some greens and yellows. And the far right
group has mostly greens with some blues and yellows. And now look at this week's
image and you'll see that the three new trees are all greens and yellows (with
much more detail added).
Now why did Rita do this? We've discussed this point in a previous how-to, but
it's been some time since we discussed it. Through the use of color, Rita has
created a 3D perspective on a 2D surface. When you analyze what is going on,
our brains sees the 2D surface. But when you look at the image just to enjoy it,
our brains interpret the image as a 3D image. How cool is that!
So the purple group of trees appear to be the furthest away. The bluer trees on
the left are closer than the greener trees on the right. And the trees added in
this week's image are closer yet.
Once Rita was done with the trees, she then removed the mask from the barn.
07/21/07 Update:
At art shows, Rita is frequently asked about her techniques. And certainly how
she gets her grasses is a pressing question for many artists. So today, we thought
we'd give you all three images pertaining to the build-out of the field in front
of the barn!
Image #1
Image #2
Image #3
In #1, Rita was attempting to define her lay of the land. By that she means, how
the land rolls. Gulleys/valleys tend to be darker than the top of the hills/knolls.
She also is painting the fence line a little darker given that the weeds/grasses
will be thicker around the fence. In this image you can begin to see the lines
associated with how she visualized the lay out. At this point she is painting with
a toothbrush and a fan brush.
In #2, she has continued to add more color/contrast to the scene. And she has added
new colors in the foreground along with more detail plants. Closer to the barn,
you can see that she is leaving a portion of the paper white. This will become the
sun high-lights on the grasses when she's done. In addition to the toothbrush and
fan brush, Rita has begun flicking on the paint with a normal watercolor brush. We've
described all of these specific techniques in previous how-to's, so will not repeat
that here.
In #3, the colors have become much more intense and help to create some visual 'pop'
against the background purple trees. You can still see the lines depicting the lay
of the land from #1. But in this image, Rita has woven them into the field to create
depth and add interest to the scene. Note how the lines help direct the viewers eye
back to the barn! Ah, you say! But what about the fence line going off to the left?
It doesn't direct your eye to the barn! And you'd be right at this time!! We'll solve
that issue in our next update!! How fun!!
08/04/07 Update:
Details, details, details! Rita has added more detail to the weeds, the fence posts
and wire, tree trunks (left side of the piece) and the barn!
From an eye movement perspective, everything in the image helps direct the eye back
to the focal point, the barn. The clouds, the background trees, the lay of the land,
and the fence! If you will recall from our last update, the fence appeared to be
taking the viewer's eye off to the left. But in today's image, you can see a 2nd
fence going from the left back to the barn. Yes, it's small, but that's to maintain
the right perspective. But the goal is the same, to move the viewer's eye throughout
the image and then back to the focal point.
The barn is interesting in that it introduces a new color! Or does it? Actually, it
does not. If you look at the foreground weeds, you can see the same shade of red. And
more subtle is the red in the trees, particularly the right side and the background
purple trees. All of these have the goal of integrating that color into the image. To
do this well takes planning! Also, note that the red barn/green tree behind it, helps
to create some pop similar to the pop of the purple background trees with the yellow
foreground grasses.
And finally, Rita signed the piece which indicates that she's done!
Well, that's a wrap for this how-to. If you have the opportunity to come to an art
show and see this piece in person, then you can even ask Rita your questions! Now, that
would be fun (for her and for you)!