Ghost Town

I like painting different parts of the country - each has its own special charm. The painting above is of an old abandoned store in the Southwest. This is another painting from the book I mentioned in my blog that was a present from my son.

Painting the Southwest gives you opportunity to paint deserts and barren land; however, there are still touches of color in the desert with bushes and trees as well as mountains.

The sagebrush in the lower left is done with a brush with missing bristles to give spiky textures. You can purchase a special brush made specifically for that purpose or put to use an old brush that you have given a "haircut." The small branches in the tree and in the shrubs were "painted" by using a small palette knife loaded with painted and pulled across the painting.

In desert scenes, don't overpaint the ground....let some white paper show through and add a little spatter here and there.

If you have not painted the desert yet - give it a try!

Sometimes Less is More

Sometimes less is more, especially in a painting like the one above.

Color: I used a muted palette and only two compatible colors to set the tone of this old "momma dog" looking forlornly at the viewer.

Subject Matter: The main objects in the painting are the dog and the doghouse...everything else is just background.

Space: When I first started painting, I thought I had to fill in every space on the paper...the sky, the grass, everything. However, leaving empty spaces sometimes keeps the eye on the most important part of the painting. More detail would simply be clutter and detract from the painting.

When painting, remember sometimes less is more!

Reflections......and Memories!

The painting above, titled "Breakfast Anyone?" is a good illustration of reflections; and, it brings back memories to me of breakfast at home. We had a coffee pot like this one when I was growing up and when I see one of these coffee pots, I can smell coffee! I can't remember the last time I saw a coffee pot like this any place other than a yard sale. But, you can have one of these coffee pots and still go to Starbucks by painting one like this.

Reflections in watercolor paintings are easy to achieve by simply laying in stripes or sections of color along with the color of the object. Reflections are found most often in water, skies, and shiny objects.

Below are instructions for painting reflections in a shiny coffee pot.
1. Sketch the coffee pot.
2. Dampen one section of the coffee pot with clear water.
3. Work with only one section at a time to prevent drying.
4. Start at the top section (not the lid) and work down.
5. Lay on stripes of color and let them bleed together. Colors used in painting a coffee pot are painted in this order from left to right:

Payne’s Gray + Ultramarine Blue
Light Orange or Peach
Payne’s Gray
Ultramarine Blue
Payne’s Gray
Yellow Ochre
Payne’s Gray

6. Let section dry and move to the next section.
7. Paint top and bottom of the coffee pot in the same way. Add reflections of surrounding objects such as a basket, tablecloth, reflected light, etc.

Now, does anyone smell coffee?

Velazquez Palette

My son surprised me this Mother's Day with an excellent watercolor book titled, Creating Nature in Watercolor - an Artist's Guide by Cathy Johnson. He knows I am always looking for new books for watercolor tips and to share with my watercolor classes. He made an excellent choice!



The painting above was taken from this book and uses a limited palette, a variation of the Velazquez Palette. The Velazquez Palette was named after the Spanish artist who used it so frequently in which Burnt Umber acts as the red, Yellow Ochre acts as the yellow and black (and in this case Payne's Gray) acts as the blue.

No drawing is required. Simply lay in a wash of Payne's Gray with a touch of Yellow Ochre about 3/4 of the way down the page. While this is still wet, lift the clouds using a paper towel. Dab in washes of Burnt Umber, Yellow Ochre, and Payne's Gray to suggest the trees and shrubs. While still wet, scratch in the branches using a piece of a credit card. Add shadows under the trees and shrubs and a small bird in the sky! A fun painting and an excellent exercise using a limited palette!

I can't wait to try some of the other tips in this book and painting samples. Thanks again, Shawn!

Which pencil is best for watercolor sketching?

While there is no need for more than a small selection, pencils are a valuable part of your "painting" equipment. The photo above shows you a sample of what I use and keep in my art studio.

The most common use of pencils in watercolor painting is to make the initial sketch of the painting and put in the main lines of your subject as a guideline for applying the paint. Detailed drawing and shadings are not necessary, waste time, can damage the paper, and interfere with the paint application.

Although graphite pencils come in a very soft to a very hard range, the more extreme choices are actually less useful: very soft pencils can smear while very hard ones make light marks and can "dig" into the paper and leave dark spots and discoloration when the paint is applied. I usually use an HB or a 2B pencil--both are medium hard graphite pencils.

Watercolor pencils which are water-soluble can be used as well for sketching. However, I prefer to use them when I am doing a quick watercolor painting. These are very good for travel when time and space are limited.

Now for an eraser.....
A kneaded or "putty eraser" is used for removing umwanted marks from watercolor paper. It is extremely soft, absorbs graphite into itself and most important - does not damage the paper. It can be shaped to fit into small areas. If a drawing is going to require much erasures (such as one with perspective, i.e. a street scene) then it is sometimes better to make your original drawing on sketch paper rather than watercolor paper and transfer your drawing to the watercolor paper when complete.

Warm Breezes

My painting above, Warm Breezes, reminds me of spring and one can almost smell the fresh scent of the dry laundry still warm with the sun. Other than bringing back memories of a time when clothes dryers did not use electricity, this painting is an excellent example of positive and negative effects.

Sometimes the color value (the strength or lightness) of a sky is influenced by the objects in the immediate foreground of a composition. In this instance the sky of this spring day is enhanced by including white sheets blowing in the wind. The light objects (the sheets) make the sky appear brighter.

Light against dark is a good tool to use to create impact in your composition. Objects, such as the white laundry billowing in the wind, are best left largely unpainted. The clarity of the white paper is always sharper than any white paint. Use masking fluid to keep your white areas white.

I was taught that white paint is never used in watercolor painting other than to add white on top of a color, such as snow flurries, etc. Never mix white paint with any watercolor paint to lighten it. White will only muddy up the color.

Try this painting...can't you feel the wind blowing?

Taking a Vacation? Don't Leave your paints at home!

Now that winter is behind us, vacations are just around the corner. Whether you take a day or two off and stay home or plan an exciting trip away from home, don't forget to take your love of watercolor painting with you. It is exciting to paint "on location," and you can make simple sketches and photos for later painting or take your paints with you and paint on your trip. Since space is usually limited when traveling, I pack a small pack of watercolor paper, a sketch book, two brushes (#6 round and a liner brush), a small plastic cup for water, watercolor pencils---and my digital camera. If you forget your camera, buy postcards! Postcards are an excellent way to get some good ideas for a painting.

I find that my choices are never limited for what I would like to paint. Make sketches and photos from several different angles. It is always a good idea to work from a selection of photos of the same subject if you are not painting on site.

The painting above was painted "on location" using watercolor pencils.

Watercolor tip:
You do not have to paint everything you see! Select a part of the scene that has a point of interest which attracts you. Remember a group looking at the same scene will see something different. This is your painting, make it yours by putting what you see and what you feel is important in the painting.

Enjoy your painting - whether at home or on a trip!

How to Paint Realistic Bricks

My painting above titled "Yellow Lilies and Country Bricks" is an excellent subject for learning how to paint realistic bricks.

The brick background is painted first. It will be easier to work on the bricks if the flowers and leaves are masked before painting to prevent any "brick" paint from accidentally getting on the flowers.

Use a small sponge to tap on the basic shape of your bricks and to add variations in color. A rectangular "kitchen" sponge is excellent for painting bricks. I usually cut one of the sponges into 4 pieces to make it easier to handle. The 90 degree angles at the corners make it an excellent sponge for painting the brick corners and the straight edges of the sponge are excellent for painting the straight sides of the bricks. I also use a small sea sponge as well to add some variety in the texture.

Bricks are found in many different colors and any combination of colors can be used for both the bricks and the lilies. However, in the above painting, I used the following paints for my bricks.

First, apply diluted Burnt Sienna to the sponge and tap it up and down on the paper. Return to the palette and pick up more concentrated pigment, transferring darker values to your bricks where you think it looks best. For variation in color, try tapping in hints of Sepia, Raw Umber, and Paynes' Gray.

Watercolor Tip:
It is tempting to cover all the paper on the first step, but you don't want to over the brick area. The brick will look more realistic if you apply several layers of varying colors, allowing one layer to dry before adding another layer of color.

You can create the look of cast shadows on the brick edge by underscoring with a fine irregular line of diluted Burnt Umber and Sepia or Indigo. Paint your shadows sparingly though, using a light touch and make your lines uneven. A brick's edges tend to be slightly uneven so the shadows should be also.

The grout comes next. Pre-wet the area of grout you wish to paint. On the point of your grout, pick up a tiny bit of diluted Sepia and Burnt Umber. Apply the pigment carefully just under the bricks. The color should diffuse downward. Add some imperfections in the bricks as well. When this area dries, spatter the surface lightly with Burnt Umber and Sepia.

Get your sketch complete and brick some walls!

Happy Easter!

The painting above is of one of my favorite trees. At this Easter season, I wanted to share the Legend of the Dogwood with you.

Legend of the Dogwood

An old and beautiful legend has it that, at the time of the crucifixion, the dogwood was comparable in size to the oak tree and other monarchs of the forest. Because of its firmness and strength it was selected as the timber for the cross, but to be put to such a cruel use greatly distressed the tree. Sensing this, the crucified Jesus in his gentle pity for the sorrow and suffering of all said to it: "Because of your sorrow and pity for My sufferings, never again will the dogwood tree grow large enough to be used as a gibbet. Henceforth it will be slender, bent and twisted and its blossoms will be in the form of a cross -- two long and two short petals. In the center of the outer edge of each petal there will be nail prints -- brown with rust and stained with red -- and in the center of the flower will be a crown of thorns, and all who see this will remember."

The pink dogwood is said to be blushing for shame because of the cruel purpose which it served in the Crucifixion.

The weeping dogwood further symbolized the sorrow.

The red dogwood, called the Cherokee, bears the color to remind us of the blood shed by our Savior.

Happy Easter!

Are you ready for a challenge?

My painting above, titled Village Lane, is a good challenge in mixing color. This painting is created using a limited palette of only two colors: Windsor Blue and Burnt Sienna. These two colors are nearly opposite on the color wheel and mixes of them will provide a wide range of colors including some good dark colors. When these darks are placed adjacent to light areas a wonderful sunlight effect can be achieved.

This painting is an exercise in mixing paint and producing a variety of colors. Light shades of the colors can be made by adding additional water. The amounts of each color mixed vary to produce browns, greens, deep blue-greens and orange shades.

Although it seems impossible to paint this picture using only two colors, mixing paints can indeed produce the colors used in this painting. It does take practice and mainly "trial and error" to find just the right shade to use.

If this is your first attempt at mixing colors, I would suggest that you use a large area of your palette and place Windsor Blue at one end and the Burnt Sienna at the other. The area between the two colors can be used as your mixing area. Be patient and don't give up. The colors are in there....you, as the artist, must bring them out!