Artist Studio
This lesson is based on working from a 3 to 4 value, lights, darks and middle value, value pattern, then sketching it on the paper using lines, not the shaded values. Using a sketch as opposed to a photo offers you the opportunity to design your own composition, pick your own color palette, and to
Continue Reading “Light and Shadow, Watercolor Demonstration”
This painting is going to be a really wet job, I have painted this theme before but I really like the composition and the figures are larger so I can give them some personality, I am using 140lb rough paper. I will just wet the top of the paper leaving the figures and the foreground
This painting was my demonstration for my watercolor class. I was attracted to the wonderful sky and the dark lacy pine tree against the the late evening sky. I hope you like it, I found this painting to be a reflection of the need for a calm port in the storm. “Last Light” The fading
These two images are both of the same image just trying to get a different feel. In each I am trying to capture the light and the relationship between the wall, trees and distance. A morning in March Stones stacked by giants Stand silent, backs to the west Sun baked turtle shells Absorbing the
This 18×24 watercolor was painted for the Annapolis Watercolor Club several weeks ago. The lesson was planning to have a center of interest and to make the movement of the painting lead the viewer in the right direction. The clouds lead you into the break in the trees and the light on the weeds moves
Continue Reading “A View Worth Waiting For” Watercolor Demonstration”
When I started writing poems to go along with my paintings in the Rockport workshop I struck on the idea of going back through some of my paintings and writing verse to go along with them. This is an attempt to explain the mood of the painting, or a reaction to the painting now. It is not really a how I painted it poem or what I was thinking about. Just the image of the work and what it says to me. It might say something different to you.
Today we went to Birch Point State Park and dodged short spells of light rain. It is a wonderful place with fabulous light, and it has become one of my favorite places to paint. The light is always ephemeral and cool and the colorful rocks have perfect weather worn shapes. I have painted this scene
I am posting some demonstrations from my weekly watercolor classes. I think they turned out well and it seems like the class enjoyed the lessons. I do most of my watercolors as demonstrations; it seems like I rarely ever go into my studio a paint. It seems that given the opportunity I will play my
Continue Reading “In The Studio: A Few Demonstrations from Watercolor Class”
Again in this jumpstart I am using some very expressive and playful brushwork, but using a brush well is a major skill, that can’t be overlooked or practiced enough. It might seem like all you are doing is making random and meaningless marks and the result is a messy painting, but you are really developing
Continue Reading “Creative Jumpstarts: Think Wash Think Line”
Lets take a simple format for a landscape just a horizon line, not in the middle of the paper, and perhaps a line above it indicating some feature like a row of trees or distant piece of mountains. I want you to play with color, using many different options, yellow skies, grey skies, red skies,
Draw a scene from memory I have just returned from a trip to Southern Brazil and along the way I took at least 1 thousand photos of which I will probably never use any of them to paint from. I use photos sparingly and only for specific detail information and color ideas but rarely do
Continue Reading “Creative Jumpstarts: Draw/Paint a scene from Memory”
Pick a Simple and Change Styles Tape a piece of paper into 4 rectangular section either vertical or horizontal pieces. We all have a preference and mine is definitely horizontal for representational paintings and vertical for abstracts. Get out your painting or drawing tools. Have a simple subject in mind, for this jumpstart my theme
Continue Reading “Creative Jump Starts: Simple Theme Four Styles”