4 Heritage Flower Farm Inktense Watercolor pencil sketches on one 9x12 canson multi-media paper

 

scanned in 1/2 page at a time.

Greendale Village Stream 7x10, 8/16/20, Derwent InkTense watercolor pencils

7x10 is a really good size to scan. Next scanner I buy needs to be able to scan larger pictures. It's difficult to get proper lighting here. The light is either too blue or too dark.

I really like these Derwent pencils. Can wet and layer them pretty well. Plus they are easy to use anywhere. I can work on paintings while talking and being with my husband.

Painting/sketching animals from life from Gurney Journey

 Painting animals from life by James Gurney, 

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezrRr-PNUWI&feature=youtu.be

This looks like fun!

my notes:

• taxidermy
• sleeping animal
• someone hold animal
• profile pose 
• treat
• multiple poses, similar animals
• amuse animals somehow

Composition of Outdoor Painting by Edgar Payne notes

 I borrowed this book from a friend for a week, so quickly skimmed it. 

This is a very dense book. Information can be learned from practically each paragraph

Chapter 2; Selection and composition, just some of the things that he shows through line sketches

• multiple examples of varying/rearranging subject to highlight motif
• pictorial designs by European artists
• original sketch and how by selecting part of the view you highlight motif
• things to be avoided in composition

Chapter 3; Types of composition. He suggests you study and experiment with each one.

• Steelyard
• Balance Scale
• Circle or 0
• S or Compound Curve
• The pyramid or Triangle
• The Cross
• The Radiating Line
• The Ell or Rectangular
• The Suspended Steelyard
• The Three Spot
• The Group Mass
• The Diagonal Line
• The Tunnel
• The Silhouette
• The Pattern

Addenda by Evelyn Payne Hatcher

• Practice in drawing from nature helps you to see

Her Father's painting steps

1. Select and arrange the elements of the scene. Then once he decided on main subject, he tried out differing compositions.
2. Sketch scene on canvas
3. Establish pattern of darks and lights
4. Establish color scheme
5. Apply thicker pigment to dark areas. Modeling of forms

Two of her mother's exercises for students

• Make compositions with black, white, and gray only.
• Paint strips of black, white, and grey in varying proportions and orders. Then add landscape touches to half of the strips

3 Greendale Derwent Inktense pencil sketches on 9x12 canson multimedia paper 8/14/20

 When I listened to Eric Rhoads Plein Air Podcast interview of Brienne Brown, https://www.outdoorpainter.com/pleinair-podcast-184-brienne-brown-on-painting-with-watercolor-and-more/, I decided to try her exercise of painting multiple sketches plein air.  However, instead of staying in one location I walked around. (I cut the paper in half and scanned it. Tried photographing it outside but the light is too blue and totally wrecked the colors.)

She also mentioned that she uses a process to seal her watercolors so she doesn't need to mat and put them behind glass. I remember in one of the early podcasts, a female painter had to switch from oils to watercolors and did some spray varnish? process on her her watercolors for plein air competitions. She would paint on matboard. I do not remember her name.

 https://www.outdoorpainter.com/category/pleinair-podcast/

I did a little research. The processes I found seem rather tedious because they start with mounting the finished watercolor painting onto a board or panel after painting the picture. That seems like it would be too easy to wreck the painting. I'd rather just start by painting on a panel.

• https://www.justpaint.org/
• https://www.outdoorpainter.com/can-watercolors-be-varnished/
• https://matthewbird.com/blog/2019/11/4/my-watercolor-varnishing-process
• https://www.wikihow.com/Varnish-Watercolor-Paintings

Boerner Waterfall 7x10 Derwent InkTense watercolor pencils 200809

I started a sketch onsite. Then came home and did a new one based on a photo. The photo did not show the variations in the shaded portion at all. It just looked like a black shadow.

Started reading Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting

 This is basically notes on what I have read so far.

He has a theory on how different plane angles affect the value of a specific plane. 

For example

• Light Source = sky
• Lightest value = horizontal plane
• Medium value = slopes (mountains, hills, etc.)
• Darkest value = Verticals like tree mass

Basically you try to define the masses of values into a few large shapes.

He also discusses the different weather affecting the quality of light and values.

When you first start to paint you should note what about the scene catches your eye. Then design your painting to emphasize that motif.

Diagram 

• 16: initial boring sketch
• 12: emphasizes ground to left
• 13: emphasizes sky's effect
• 14: trees are prominent
• 15: intimate view of buildings

Available light affects the tone and edges of objects. 

Would be a good idea to take lay a brilliantly colored object on a white cloth and study the effects of differing light (such as sunlight, gray day, moonlight, twilight) upon it.

To be continued?

Color Notes From Bob Blast #318 and book mentioned in Judith Reidy's Creative Zone

 I listened to Bob Blast 318 and he mentioned toning down bright colors with their complement. So I took my bright Derwent InkTense watercolor pencils and experimented. Some real interesting blends were made. 

Only half of swatch brushed with water

brush with pigment from above swatches.

Then Sherri Thomas in Judith Reidy's Creative Zone Zoom meeting recommended "Limited Palette, Unlimited Color by John Pototschnik. I found it here https://lilipubsorders.com/products/limited-palette-unlimited-color-book

In the discussion, Color Harmony Schemes were mentioned. I remember reading a book that sounded similar to John Pototschnik's book but I can't remember the name. I'll see if it sifts up in the future. 

Meanwhile I found a pdf by Bernina on Color Harmony Basics 

https://weallsew.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2017/02/Color-Harmony-Basics-Printable-Cards.pdf