Low Maintenance - Rusty Roof

Painting the roof is the next step in this painting - and one of my favorite parts. I enjoy creating the appearance of a rusty roof and watercolor paints are one of the best ways to paint rust.

Prepare the following colors on your pallet:
-Burnt Umber
-Burnt Sienna
-Payne's Gray
-Ultramarine

Wet the entire upper front section of the roof with clean water using a flat brush. While still wet, using a round brush, drop in the above colors, using a predominate amount of Burnt Sienna. However, don't completely cover the roof in this paint, allow areas to be lighter and darker. Drop in touches of the other colors listed above and allow the paints to mingle and blend as they dry. Refer to my painting above for reference.

Complete this same process on the lower section of roof. Allow to dry. Highlights can be scratched in using a utility knife when the painting is complete.

In the next blog, we will paint the weathered wood......another one of my favorite parts of this painting

Until next blog.....Happy Painting!

Karen

Low Maintenance - Background

The background, both sky and tree areas, were painted at one time. However, the birch trees on each side of the barn were masked out prior to applying the wash. Masking is used to preserve the white area of paper or to maintain a color that would be difficult to paint around.

Masking out can be done in two ways:
1. Use of masking fluid, or
2. Use of artist masking tape

I used a combination of both for these trees. The small trees were masked using masking fluid and the larger trees were masked using a combination of various widths of masking tape.

Once the masking was put in place, the paper in the background area to be painted was wet with clean water using a large flat brush and painting around the shape of the barn. I prepared a wash of the following colors to apply for my sky and background bushes/foliage:

-Windsor Blue
-Yellow Ochre
-Burnt Umber
-Sap Green

Feel free to vary the colors of the background bushes/foliage to match the season of the year of the landscape. My painting was set in early fall, so I used the above listed colors. However, the season could be easily changed to summer or spring by simply using different colors.

Apply a wash of the Windsor Blue first. I used a large round brush to drop in my paint and pulled the color all the way down to the horizon. The blue will become lighter as it reaches the horizon. While still wet, drop in the other colors near the horizon and tree line and allow the colors to blend into one another. I used a tissue to blot out clouds in my sky. Work quickly while the paint is still wet. When you are satisfied with the color combination and clouds, allow the background to dry.

Next blog, we will paint the rusty tin roof of the barn.

Happy Painting!
Karen

Low Maintenance

I have always enjoyed taking photos of old barns - in all shapes from old to new to failing apart. The sketch above is one of those barns, which although falling down, it was still in use. I titled this sketch "Low Maintenance."

How to Select What to Paint:
Although the photo showed a much larger area than just the barn, I selected the part I wanted to sketch by focusing on a subject for my painting, which in this case, was the "falling-down" barn with a small amount of surrounding landscape.

I sketched the barn with minimal detail and only shaded the areas that had missing boards to help me distinguish between the light and dark areas when painting. The trees and fence posts were only minimally sketched for placement only.

Often when painting landscapes, artists have a tendency to want to paint everything they see, rather than focusing on only one main part. This makes for a busy painting with no main subject. Although, the entire scene may be beautiful and inspiring, breaking the landscape up into several parts, makes for several interesting paintings, rather than one large, busy one.

Pull out your pencil and start sketching. Use my sketch as an example, or sketch one from a magazine or photo.

Next blog, we'll work on the background painting.

Happy Painting!
Karen

Fence It In and Finish It Up!

Our barn painting is ready now for the finishing touches: the fence, snow, shadows, background trees and grasses peeking through the snow.

Fence Posts:
Paint the fence posts first. I used a mix of the following colors:

Burnt Umber
Burnt Sienna
Ultramarine

These are the same color paints used throughout the entire painting. Lay down a wash of clean water first, remembering to leave part of the post unpainted for the snowy area. Then drop in small amounts of each of the above colors, varying the colors and locations of the colors on each post Allow to dry.

Shadows:
Shadows are painted in the snow to indicate the shape of the ground beneath as well as the shadows around the barn and by the fence posts. The shadows are painted using a wash of Ultramarine and Payne's Gray. Vary the intensity of the wash based on the amount of shadowing you need - deeper in the darker shadows near the barn and lighter in the snow areas and around the fence posts. Allow to dry.

Background Trees:
Using a wash of Burnt Umber, Ultramarine and Payne's Gray brush in your trees using a #6 round brush in a wet on dry technique.

Grasses peeking through the snow:
Use a wash of Burnt Umber and apply using the edge of a piece of plastic credit card or a small palette knife sweeping upward.

Check for details! I "painted" the barbed wire fence by scraping with a utility knife. Add any finishing touches to would like to make the painting complete.

Sign your name! Your painting is finished! Give it a title, if you would like. My painting is titled.....Just Another Winter Day!

Happy Painting!
Karen

Another Winter Day - The Barn

Now that the background trees, skies and mountains are painted, it is time to add the barn to our winter landscape. I will continue to use the same colors I used in the sky and background to paint the barn.

Apply the paint in a wet on wet wash to the barn I chose to do section at a time to allow time for the colors to blend on each side/section without bleeding onto an adjacent area.

I used the following colors on the barn:

Burnt Umber
Burnt Sienna
Ultramarine

I used a light wash first of Burnt Sienna and while the wash was still wet, I dropped in Burnt Umber and Ultramarine in several areas and allow them to dry. I deepened the area around the roof with a mixture of Ultramarine and Burnt Sienna to add shadows from the roof.

Allow the barn to dry and then deepen the shadows in the open doors and windows.

Next blog, we'll finish the painting with details, snow shadows and the fence posts.

Happy Painting!
Karen

Another Winter Day

Another winter day....at the barn. After sketching the painting last blog, today I added sky and background mountains and trees. In keeping with the winter season, I have decided on snow and a wintery sky.

Different seasons of the year require different colors of paint to depict the sky for that particular season. I am using a limited palette for this painting. The colors I am using are:

Burnt Umber
Burnt Sienna
Ultramarine
Payne's Gray

Winter skies are often dark and gray with a muted blue. I painted the sky with a light wash of Ultramarine - wet on wet wash. While the paint was still wet, I dropped in a mix of Burnt Umber and Ultramarine and deepened those areas with a little Payne's Gray. I also lifted some of the wet paint with a tissue to make a few snow clouds in the sky.

The background mountains and trees were painted after the sky was dry using deeper shades of the same colors and adding Burnt Sienna.

The mountains were painted as snow covered with only snow shadows added with a mix of Ultramarine and Burnt Umber.

Allow the painting to dry and on the next blog, we'll paint the barn.

Happy Painting!
Karen

A New Year - A New Painting!

Happy New Year! It's the time of year for new beginnings, new resolutions (or the old ones with renewed resolve), and fresh starts.

It's a great time to decide to paint more, draw more, doodle more, and enjoy more! Hobbies, like most things in life, require time that often times seem to be harder to find. BUT, watercolor painting and drawing does not take much time. Do a little at a time. You don't have to paint the whole painting or draw the entire picture at one time. Take 10 minutes at a time...draw in 10 minute segments until the picture is ready to paint. Paint one section at a time until the painting is complete. So what if it takes a month to finish a painting? You will have enjoyed every minute you devoted to your hobby and accomplished something that you might not have had the time to do in one setting.

Keep a sketch pad handy.....doodle while talking on the phone, watching TV, waiting for an appointment. You'll have the basis of a painting and you will have accomplished something in the time you would have left empty.

I started working on a watercolor painting today. I used a photo taken during a recent snow in the East Tennessee mountains. I love painting barns and this one surrounded by winter just needed to be painted. The sketch above is my barn...done is just a short segment of time. I'll paint it in the same way.....a section at a time!

What are you waiting for? Get started now....it only takes a little bit of time to start....and before you know it, all the little bits of time will add up to a finished painting!

Happy New Year and Happy Painting!
Karen

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! May your holiday be filled with happiness, family, and friends......and time for a painting or two!!

Happy Painting!
Karen

It's almost Christmas---I don't have time to paint!!

It's almost Christmas and you think you don't have time to paint. Presents to buy and wrap? Cookies to bake? Cards to send?

I have a sneaky way to do one of these things and still do a little painting too! I paint my Christmas cards. There are several ways to accomplish this, depending on the time you have available.

Option 1
Cut watercolor paper into card size. Fold in half which ever direction you would like the card to open and paint a simple holiday scene on the front of the card and write you own personal holiday message inside. I have done this many times and have been flattered that the recipient framed the card to display as part of their Christmas decorations. Envelops can be purchased at office supply stores. If you have many people on your Christmas card list, this is the most time consuming option. However, a simple wreath or snowman can be painted quickly.

Option 2
Paint one holiday scene for your card. Take a photo and do one of the following:

• Select and order printed Christmas cards, just like you would do for a family photo!


• Print individual photos (4" x 6") size and use purchased cards to slide you photo in.

I selected Option 2 for the card displayed above. The picture is the photo I used to make my cards. I purchased cards with envelops and the slot ready to hold a 4" x 6" photo. I took a flash drive with the photo stored on it and went to a 1 hour photo kiosk to have to photos printed. (I grocery shopped while my photos were being printed.).

Either option you choose, you get to check a Christmas job off of your list and sneak in some fun painting time too!

Happy Painting and Merry Christmas!

Karen

I Painted Leaves....What Do I Do With Them?

Now that you have painted all of these wonderful leaves, I guess you are wondering what to do with them.

They can be framed individually or grouped like my picture above. Or, leaf studies make excellent name cards for Thanksgiving dinner. The leaf studies can be mounted on heavy weight scrapbook paper folded into a place card. If you would like, color photo copies of the leaf study can be made and used to decorate the table.

Whatever you decide to do with your leaf studies, a leaf study is a wonderfully way to capture fall and give practice in color blending.

Happy Painting!
Karen