Hint of Fall in the Air!

There's a hint of Fall in the air with cooler temperatures, school starting back, and shorter daylight hours. In my watercolor classes I like to teach my students a painting that depicts the season. I wanted my beginning watercolor students to have a Fall painting that would teach them basic techniques while giving them a high level of success.

I decided pumpkins on a wooden bench would do just that. This painting teaches how to lay down a wash as well as blending and layering colors. Sketching this painting is easy as well - circles and lines.

Watercolor tip:
I painted the pumpkins a light yellow first leaving a few white highlights. While still wet I dropped in various shades of orange and sienna dropping in the darker colors in the shadow areas and leaving the highlights bright.

Get ready for Fall - there are wonderful Fall painting waiting to be done!

Texturizing A Background

The painting above is an example of two of the methods below to texturize a background. The background ferns are an example of both imprinting and stamping.

There are several ways to texturize a background. We will discuss three techniques for creating a foliage background using ferns or leaves: imprinting, stamping and stenciling.

1. Imprinting – This will create a colored image of the fern/leaf – usually with darker edges and a lighter center.
a. Prepare the surface of the paper with a wet wash of color.
b. Place the fern or leaf into the wet wash and leave it until dry before removing. This will create an excellent impression of the fern or leaf which can be left as is or touched up with a detail brush.

2. Stenciling – This will leave the area white.
a. Place the fern or leaf to be used as the stencil against the paper.
b. Use a soft brush (round or flat) to apply the dark background color.
c. Stroke over the fern/leaf and away from the center.
d. Carefully remove the fern/leaf and let the paint dry.

3. Stamping – This will create a “color copy” of the image.
a. Coat the surface of the leaf/fern with a heavy watercolor wash.
b. Press the coated leaf/fern to the paper. The paper can be white or a dry background color.
c. Cover with two sheets of paper towel and rub with your finger to transfer the moist paint from the fern/leaf to the paper surface.
d. Remove the fern/leaf and allow to dry.

Tips for texturing:
• Young tender plants are easier to use. Stiff contoured leaves need to be pressed and dried first.
• When the image and the background are dry, additional paint can be applied in washes to add shades of color.
• Details can be added with a detail brush or with a fine line permanent marker.

Granny's Rocker

Although the painting above is a very simple one, it is one of my favorites. What makes this painting stand out for me is the quilt. I love patchwork quilts and always admire the stitching and creativity of the fabric artist when piecing together a quilt.

This painting was created using only 5 colors. Paynes Gray and Ultramarine was used for the chair; the remainder of the colors were used in the quilt. The quilt was painted first, then the chair, and the shadows were put in last. The quilt is the most colorful part of this painting making it the focal point and the chair is simply its prop.

Watercolor tip:
When painting the quilt, don't use much detail. The detail is implied by simply adding paint to the wet surface. First paint the folds in the quilt using Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna - this creates the shadows made by the folds. Then block in the quilt squares and let the paint bleed. Use only a 3-4 colors so it does not look to busy or become muddy.

Line work details on the quilt blocks can be added after the area has dried completely.

Reflections

Who could resist painting this lake with the bright sunny colors of summer reflected in the water? The challenge to me was painting the rocks just under the surface and the reflections in the water.

Watercolor Tip: How to paint the underwater rocks
• Mask your rocks with masking fluid.
• Brush clean water over the water area.
• Mix Burnt Sienna with a little red/violet and using a medium round brush wash this mixture loosely over the shallow foreground of the water where the partially submerged stones are clearly visible.
• While the water is still damp, brush blue over the upper area of the water adding a little of the above paint mixture as you work down over the stones. Deepen the colors if needed with a 2nd layer of paint while still wet.
• Dip a medium round brush in clean water and gently lift off the flattened elongated shapes of underwater stones, varying the sizes. You may need to stroke the brush back and forth several times on the paper to loosen the paint.
• As you lift off each shape, dab the area firmly with a clean paper towel to remove any excess water. Turn and re-fold the paper towel each time you use it to prevent the risk of dabbing paint back onto you painting.
• Mix a dark brown shadow color from burnt sienna and ultramarine blue and using a medium round brush, use this mixture to loosely paint the shadows underneath the submerged stones. This makes the stones look three dimensional and allows them to stand out more clearly from the base of the lake. It also adds texture to the base of the water. Allow to dry.
• Rub off the masking fluid.
• Using a fine, almost dry brush, brush more water over the exposed rocks and then drop in a very pale wash of burnt sienna. Drybrush a darker mixture of burnt sienna on to the rocks in places, for dark accents. To make the rocks look more three dimensional, stroke on a little ultramarine for the shadow areas.
• Add additional detail as needed.

I am certain there are other techniques for painting underwater rocks, but the above technique is what worked for me.

Sunflower Season!

The sunflower above was created in pastels.

Sunflowers are my favorite flower and I plant them every year in our yard. Not only are they fun to grow, they are a joy to look at and a good way to feed the birds. After the sunflowers have bloomed, the seeds can be harvested to feed the birds during the winter. I like to let a few sunflowers go to seed in my garden to attract the birds---it is nature's own bird feeder. The remainder of my sunflowers I dry, place in a bag, shake the seeds out, and keep for winter feeding.

Sunflowers are easy to grow and easy to paint. I have painted several different sunflower pictures and have done sunflower paintings in different media: watercolor, pastels, and acrylics.

Watercolor tip for painting sunflowers
In the watercolor below, I masked off the sunflower blooms, leaves, and stem to paint the background. This allowed me to freely paint the sky and background using a wet on wet technique to touch in yellows and browns to indicate a field of sunflowers with only one large sunflower in focus.




Tip for Use of Pastels
I created the sunflower first and then put in the background. This was an easy way to help me not disturb the background when putting in the sunflower.

Create a sunflower painting to keep you smiling long past summer!

Covered Bridges -An Artist's Delight!

I enjoy finding and painting covered bridges. When we have traveled through different parts of the United States, we have located and photographed covered bridges. I do a Google search by typing in "covered bridges" and then locate the bridges in the area in which we will be traveling. Locations are usually given to locate the bridge and many Internet sites will even include a longitude and latitude for GPS tracking. We have followed written instructions and have wound up on a "wild goose chase" but have a great time doing it.

I never have time to paint the bridges "on location" but with photographs and a sketch journal it is easy to paint the bridge upon return to the art studio. The painting above is of a covered bridge located in Sevier County, Tennessee not too far from the Great Smoky Mountains. We have tracked down covered bridges in Tennessee, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Here is a short history on covered bridges:
Early bridges were often made of wood, especially where it was a plentiful resource. Wooden bridges tended to deteriorate rapidly from exposure to the elements, having a useful lifespan of only nine years. Covering them protected their structural members, thus extending their life to 80 years or more. Covered bridges were also constructed to be used by travelers during storms and inclement weather.

Most wooden covered bridges employ trusses as their key structural design element. A popular design was the Brown truss, known for its simplicity, but others were also used.

Watercolor Tip for my painting above:
After sketching, I masked in the bridge so that the background could be painted without worrying about getting any sky washes on my bridge. I also masked in the flowers in the foreground to paint the grasses.

Why Not Keep an Artist's Sketch Journal?

An artist's sketch journal is to an artist what a notebook or writer's journal is to an author. It's place to keep sketches, thumbnails, studies and plans for future paintings. Try it out on a vacation or a walk in the woods and I think you'll enjoy it enough to keep it handy for every day! Write down notes about what you see for a painting and it will be a valuable tool for those paintings you plan to get around to "some day" and will become a fun way to remember special days or "every" day!

How to Chose a Journal
I suggest a hardcover journal rather than just a sketchbook....try to find one that has paper heavy enough to stand up to "light" watercolor paint or watercolor pencils (which take less water and are more portable). I like one with an elastic band to hold a pencil as well as an elastic band to keep it closed and a built in bookmark. There are all kinds and sizes available at reasonable prices, so get one that will work for you. The one I use is pictured above. Samples of my journal pages are scattered through this entry.



How to Get Started
After choosing your journal, decide what types of work you plan to include: sketches only, watercolor pencils, watercolor paints, etc. I usually like watercolor pencils or sketching only when I am out. I throw all of this in a small pouch; add an eraser, a small round brush, and a small cup for water, and I am set for sketching or painting whatever strikes my fancy. You can paint or drawn on both sides of a page or only one side. Again, whatever works for you!



What Do I Include?
Include whatever is important to you and what info you might want for completing a painting: notes about color, shape, size, anything that will help you to remember and create a large painting from your notes.



I often carry a digital camera with me and take a photo of what I am sketching or painting. This helps me with the right shade of color when I am back home in my art studio. I often add notes about sounds, birds, weather, etc. in my the journal and when I sit down to paint, those notes takes me back in my memory to that location. See a couple of samples of the way I use my journal.

The more you use your journal, the more you will enjoy it. It is a wonderful memory book and a great way to "keep on painting" no matter where you are! Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Cades Cove - Great Smoky Mountains

Cades Cove is a beautiful section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The watercolor painting of the church above is one of the preserved building along this scenic drive in the Smokies. When you are traveling, take photos of whatever strikes your fancy that you think would made good paintings. I have included in this blog a photo used to paint the church above. Remember you can put in and take out anything you would like. Your painting is your interpretation of what you saw and does not have to be "exactly" like the photo.




My favorite part of this painting is the roof and I enjoyed how the paint was applied to create this effect.

Watercolor Tip:
How to paint the roof
Paint the roof using a wet on wet technique. Apply section at a time starting at the top and working to the bottom. Apply washes of Burnt Sienna, Payne’s Gray, and Ultramarine Blue.

Note: Use the colors sparingly and leave many areas of white paper. Layer these colors. The roof will be first layered in color, dry brushed, and then spattered. Using a liner brush apply a few uneven lines to indicate the indentations, etc.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July! Watermelons are a 4th of July favorite of mine...I love watermelon any time, but a good cold watermelon always reminds me of the 4th!

The painting above puts several techniques together that I have talked about recently. The special techniques used in this painting are:
1. The highlights on the bowl (both on the right and left) were made by using sandpaper to scrap away some of the paint after the bowl had dried.
2. Highlights on the small slice of watermelon on the right side were made using a craft knife and scraping down the edge and along the rind of the watermelon.
3. Highlights on the knife handle were also scraped in using a craft knife.
4. The wood grain on the handle was painted in with a dry brush after the initial wash had dried.

Watercolor Tip:
The drops of moisture on the bowl and in various spots on the watermelon slice near the knife were made using a very diluted wash of white paint. The paint was thinned with water just enough to allow the bowl and watermelon slice to show through, yet still retain the white color. Never use white watercolor paint to mix with other colors (like one would do when using acrylics); this will only "muddy" up the color. White paint is rarely used in watercolor painting. I only use it to add snow flurries or accents such as the water droplets in this painting.

Happy 4th of July! Enjoy some watermelon too!

Blueberry Pickin' Time in Tennessee

Since it is blueberry picking time in our area, I wanted to share a painting and technique that highlights blueberries. Painting this basket of blueberries can be as much fun and as easy as picking and eating them.

This painting was done using watercolor pencils. Watercolor pencils can be used in several ways and one or all of the ways can be used in the same painting. Below are some tips on how to use watercolor pencils:

How do I use watercolor pencils?
Using watercolor pencils is very similar to using a “regular” pencil or colored pencil. You hold them the same way, you sharpen them the same way, and they can be erased.

When water is added is then their uniqueness appears!

• You can use by painting with clean water over your drawing
• You can lift paint off of the pencil with a brush and then apply it to your paper
• You can wet the pencil and then draw with it
• You can wet the picture and then apply the pencil.
• OR, you can use all of the above in the same painting!


Applying a Wet Paint Brush to a Watercolor Pencil Drawing
By painting over a watercolor pencil drawing with a brush that has been loaded with clean water, the pencil lines “dissolve” into watercolor paint. The intensity of the wash produced depends on the amount of the pencil that has been applied to the paper; the more pencil, the more intense the color. Hint: It is easier to lay down color using a dull pencil rather than a sharp one). Be selective in which areas you turn into washes to make the most of the unique properties of watercolor pencils.

Lifting Color Straight Off a Watercolor Pencil with a Brush
To load a brush with a particular color, treat the pencil tip in the same way you would a pan of watercolor—wet your brush, then use the brush tip to pick up the color from the watercolor pencil.

Wetting a Watercolor Pencil Before Using It
If you dip the tip of a watercolor pencil into some clean water or dampen the tip with a wet brush, then draw with it, you will get lines of intense color. As the pencil dries out, the line will be become lighter.

Using a Watercolor Pencil on a Wet Surface
If you dampen your paper before you apply the watercolor pencil, you’ll get softer, broader lines of color than if you draw on dry paper. Work carefully; pencils that are extremely sharp may damage the surface of the paper.

Scraping Color off a Watercolor Pencil
To create texture: use a knife or palette knife to scrape off bits of pencil. Sprinkle these onto wet paper, or drop a bit of water on top of them and watch the color spread out.

Using Watercolor Pencils “Dry”You can use the pencils dry in the same way as an ordinary pencil. You can leave some of the pencil undisturbed or apply fine detail with a dry pencil once the washes have dried!

So "pick" up a watercolor pencil and work on a painting!