Lesson 2: PAINTING OUTDOORS

You must be ready for changes; grey skies can dramatically change; clouds can be fleeting. It is a great experience, and I believe it is essential from time to time. But painting outdoors can be rewarding if you have observed your scenic subject outdoors, or recorded sketches, notes or good quality photos.

The light factor: Where there is no light there is no colour or value.

NOTE: To condense light values: half close the eyes and look at your subject matter; whether it be distant hills, seascape, portrait or still life. You will find the lighter tones are more predominant; especially highlights. *Colours are muted in shadow areas.

Indecision in a water colour is a "NO,NO!"

Let's go and paint outdoors!

STILL WATERS

Click to enlarge.

Watercolours can be therapeutic and calming; especially when painting a scene of Still Waters.

Step 1. Heavyweight paper was my choice. Always tape your paper to a board. I sketched the position of the boats and washed the sky in with a flat shader brush, using Pale Blue. I took the colour right to the shoreline, and while still wet I painted in the Blue, Green background; tilting the paper back so the colour would run into the sky area. Some Green tones were also painted into the area.

Step 2. A pale Yellow wash was painted into the water; halfway down the paper, but fading off, (no hard edges).

Step 3. Blue Green was used to wash controlled, but sweeping washes to form the ripples across the water. NOTE: Leave some Yellow to show through, here and there. Step 4. Brown wash washed over the sandy area, and when dry, darker Brown added. This colour was also painted over the boat in the foreground.

Step 5. Dark Blue was used to paint the boat shapes; with a touch of Brown and Yellow added as a highlight detail.

Step 6. The bird was painted in Blue/Green, and the reflections of the masts were painted in broken lines. Some Brown was used for the reflections of the centre boat.

Step 7. Dark Blue was painted over the Brown of the foreground boat to show through. The Dark Brown was carried through into the foreground for the shadows and the posts.

Step 8. Scrape out some highlights in the background and on the small boats.

Feel like having fun? Let's move on to a "Fun Project".

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